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CP's Southern Scuffle Preview

CP's Southern Scuffle Preview

Dec 31, 2012 by Willie Saylor
CP's Southern Scuffle Preview
CP's Southern Scuffle Preview

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CP's Southern Scuffle Preview
 Christian Pyles, College Analyst

The level of talent and competition on both the team and individual fronts for this year’s Southern Scuffle will hit a new high. With the addition of Oklahoma State, the Scuffle is a virtual who’s who of top teams and wrestlers.
The storylines are everywhere. 

- Dake-Taylor II: Will the (offensive) gloves come off?
- Champ v Champ: The unparalleled Ed Ruth against Steve Bosak, the gamer.
- Oliver’s Rise: He’s looked fine at 149. Now he has major tests with Ness/Alton.
- Loaded Bookends: Both 125 and HWT have 4 of the Top 6 in the country.
- Team Race Prelude: Nittany Lions, Gophers, Cowboys battle.

In anticipation for what will undoubtedly be an outstanding display of DI wrestling, we’ll break down the weight classes below. But first we’ll give you some tidbits of data to support the hype.


2013 Southern Scuffle by the Numbers:

# Of Top Ten Teams: (6)
#1-Penn State
#3-Minnesota
#4-Oklahoma State
#7-Missouri
#8-Cornell

# Of Top Ten P4P Wrestlers: (6)
#1-Kyle Dake (Cornell)
#2-Ed Ruth (PSU)
#3-David Taylor (PSU)
#7-Jordan Oliver (OSU)
#8-Tony Nelson (MINN)
#10-Chris Perry (OSU)

#1’s vs #2’s: (3)
There are three brackets that, if the pundits are right, would result in NCAA finals.
Dake vs. Taylor, Ruth vs. Bosak, and Nelson vs. Bradley.

-Half of the Nation’s #1’s
Jordan Oliver (OSU)
Kyle Dake (Cornell)
Chris Perry (OSU)
Ed Ruth (PSU)
Tony Nelson (MINN)

-4 of the Nation’s #2’s
Nico Megaludis (PSU)
David Taylor (PSU)
Scott Bosak (Cornell)
Dom Bradley (MIZZ)

-2 of the Nation’s #3’s
Logan Storely (MINN)
Quentin Wright (PSU)

-3 of the Nation’ #4’s
Tyler Caldwell (OSU)
Kevin Steinhaus (MINN)
Alan Gelogaev (OSU)

-2 of the Nation’s #5’s 
Chris Dardanes (MN)
Dylan Ness (MINN)


Total Number of Top 5 Wrestlers: (21)
Percentage of Nation’s Top 5 Wrestlers: 15/50 = 30%

Total Number of Top 10 Wrestlers: (33)
Percentage of Nation’s Top 10 Wrestlers: 33/100 = 33%

Total Number of Ranked Wrestlers: (66)
Percentage of Nation’s Ranked Wrestlers: 66/200 = 33%

Number of Former NCAA Champions at This Year’s Scuffle: (7)
-Jordan Oliver (OSU)
-Kyle Dake (Cornell)
-David Taylor (PSU)
-Ed Ruth (PSU)
-Steve Bosak (Cornell)
-Quentin Wright (PSU)
-Tony Nelson (MINN)

Number of Former NCAA Runner-Up at This Year’s Scuffle: (6)
-Nico Megaludis (PSU)
-Jordan Oliver (OSU)
-Dylan Ness (MINN)
-David Taylor (PSU)
-Tyler Caldwell (OSU)
-Quentin Wright (PSU)


Total Number of NCAA Finalists: (10)
Total Number of NCAA Titles: (9)
Total Number of NCAA Finals Apperances: (12)

Number of Former All Americans at This Year’s Scuffle: (22)
-Nico Megaludis (PSU), Matt Snyder (UVA), Chris Dardanes (MINN), Mike Nevinger (Cornell), Jordan Oliver (OSU), Dylan Ness (MINN), Jason Welch (NW), Kyle Dake (Cornell), David Taylor (PSU), Peter Yates (VT), Tyler Caldwell (OSU), Chris Perry (OSU), Logan Storely (MINN), Ed Ruth (PSU), Steve Bosak (Cornell), Kevin Steinhaus (MINN), Quentin Wright (PSU), Tony Nelson (MINN), Dom Bradley (MIZZ), Alan Gelogaev (OSU), Jeremy Johnson (Ohio), Levi Cooper (ASU)


125:
Contenders:
#2-Nico Megaludis, Penn St.
#6-Matt Snyder, UVA
#8-David Thorn, MINN
#9-Nashon Garrett, Cornell
#11-Nick Soto, UTC
#14-Josh Martinez, Air Force

Bracket Buster:  I’m curious to see the health of Nashon Garrett.  If he’s firing on all cylinders I like him to outwrestle his seed.  Snyder is a scary matchup for most guys with his top prowess and scrambling ability, so I’ll be interested to see how Garrett does if he happens to hit Snyder.  

Notes: Disappointed we won’t see Megaludis v. Waters.  Hopefully Alan is back soon.  I liked Nico close in that match up, but it would have been a great one.  Water’s absence makes matters easier for Megaludis.  I don’t see Snyder or Thorn presenting much issue for Nico.  Nico beat Snyder last year 4-1.  Maybe I’m selling David Thorn a bit short at 4, but I just haven’t seen the guy Minnesota fans were hoping for.  Regardless, he’s a dangerous wrestler.  Seeing him in the finals would not surprise me in the least.  

Picks:  1.Nico Megaludis 2.Matt Snyder 3. Nashon Garrett  4.David Thorn


133:
Contenders:
#5-Chris Dardanes, MINN
#6-Nathan McCormick, Missouri
#7-Jon Morrison, OSU
#18-George DiCamillo, UVA

Bracket Buster:  Not the deepest of weights here, but I like DiCamillo to make some noise notching an upset or two.  I’ve been impressed with his quick adjustment to college wrestling.  At Vegas DiCamillo dropped a tight one to McCormick where DiCamillo came extremely close to winning.  Had there not been a somewhat controversial stalemate, it’s conceivable that George would have won the match. 

Notes: I like Dardanes to hold serve as well.  He had a tight SV win over Morrison earlier this year, and owns a 15-5 win over McCormick.  I see him firing his offense off a lot more if those two hit again.  McCormick will look to break up that potential rematch by beating Morrison for the 2nd time this season.  McCormick had a SV win over Jon in that meeting.  I believe these three are the class of the field.  I’m predicting Morrison to reverse results from last time and beat McCormick in the semis, then lose another tight one to Dardanes. 

Picks:  1.Chris Dardanes 2.Jon Morrison 3.Nathan McCormick 4.George Dicamillo



141:
Contenders:
#7-Ugi Khishghyam - The Citadel
#11-Nick Dardanes, MINN
#12-Mike Nevinger, Cornell

Bracket Buster: Honestly, this is not a spectacular weight for this event.  No top 10 guys.  Who comes out of obscurity to upset some guys?  I like Joe Stanzione, Nevinger’s Cornell teammate to play spoiler.  I believe those two are still competing for the starting spot.  Stanzione will be highly motivated to show he’s the guy for the Big Red as will Nevinger. 

Notes: I like Ugi to take this weight.  I’ve watched a lot of his matches, and he is the real deal.  I like him to win this weight with little issue.  He’ll need to be wary of Nevinger’s top game.  I don’t believe he has the strongest folkstyle background, so he may struggle on the mat.  That being said he’s looked fine in the matches I’ve seen.   It looks like he will hit Dardanes in the semis.  That’s a tough draw for Nick, but could be a blessing in disguise as it should put him opposite Mike Nevinger who is 2-0 against Dardanes.  Nick could give Ugi all he wants and may possibly pull the upset.  I like Nevinger to make the finals.   

Picks:  1. . Ugi Khishghyam 2. Mike Nevinger 3.Nick Dardanes 4. Joe Stanzione



149:
Contenders:
#1-Jordan Oliver, OSU
#5-Andrew Alton, Penn St.
#6-Dylan Ness, MINN
#7-Cole Von Ohlen, Air Force
#17-Daniel Young, Army
#18-Derek Valenti, UVA
#20-Chris Villalonga, Cornell

Bracket Buster:  In the same vein as my other 149 pick I look for a non-starter to upset a few ranked guys.  For 149 I like PSU’s James English.  He’s a tough kid who has looked good in spot duty for the Nittany Lions.  

Notes:  Without elaborating unnecessarily, a cloud is hanging over the Alton twins, and I’m not sure we see either for a little while.  No official word either way from PSU, but I have a feeling we won’t see either for some time.  That being said, if Andrew were to wrestle, I like him to place second to JO, beating Ness in the semi’s to make the finals.  Moving on, I like JO to run through this weight with little issue.  This will be the first action Dylan Ness will have seen so far this season.  Ness will do well to make the finals, but ultimately JO will be too much from neutral.  Ness will throw the kitchen sink at him, but ultimately I don’t see him preventing the TD artist from getting his.  JO in a 5-2 type of match, don’t see Oliver getting the turn, but I don’t see him being ridden either.   

Picks:  1. Jordan Oliver 2.Dylan Ness 3. Cole Von Ohlen 4. Derek Valenti



157:
Contenders:
#5-Dylan Alton, Penn St.
#10-Jedd Moore, UVA
#11-Alex Dierenger, OSU
#15 Bobby Barnhisel-Navy
#17-Josh Kreimer, Air Force

Bracket Buster: How about Navy’s Bobby Barnhisel?  His top game is enough to give most guys serious fits.  This is another weight that is solid but not spectacular, so there’s a number of guys who could do some damage here.  Keep an eye out for PSU’s Vollrath as well.  

Notes: With the possibility of Alton out, this weight is the embodiment of wide open.  If Dylan wrestles, he will make short work of this tournament.  I have been on the Dieringer bandwagon for awhile now, and coming into this season I viewed him as an AA caliber guy.  Nothing has changed my mind so far this season and I see him making a statement in Chattanooga.  Moore in my opinion is the toughest match up for Dieringer.  From a neutral standpoint, Alex has a better arsenal of leg attacks, but Moore is a savvy senior who knows how to manage matches.  Alex was ridden by Zilverburg in the Minnesota dual, which gives me some reservations for his match up with Moore who is a hammer on top.  I see a close final match(provided Moore and Dieringer are on opposite side)  

Picks:  1.Alex Dieringer  2.Jedd Moore 3.Bobby Barnhisel 4. James Vollrath


165:
Contenders:
#1-Kyle Dake, Cornell
#2-David Taylor, Penn St.
#4-Tyler Caldwell, OSU
#8-Nick Sulzer, UVA
#9-Cody Yohn, MINN
#11-Zach Toal, Missouri

Bracket Buster: Cody Yohn.  I don’t really know why.  I like Yohn I guess.  I’ve always thought he’s slightly underperformed given his talent.    He’s tough on top and has beaten some solid guys.  He made the finals last year.  Sulzer knocked Yohn out of NCAA’s last year, so Cody could have revenge on his mind.  Let’s get real though, nobody’s busting this top 3.  

Notes: So pumped for this.  I’ve been championing Taylor over Dake since before we heard Dake was coming to 165.  I really felt DT would use his pace and vast array of attacks to earn a take down.  Instead, we saw a reserved and guarded Taylor, who seemed satisfied to let the match develop more slowly which favors Dake’s type style.  The kid has had a fine year so far, dominating at CKLV and having little trouble with Tyler Caldwell in NYC.  It’s possible that both were satisfied to feel one another out, knowing that more matches would be coming.  It would seem Dake has an advantage in all positions, top, bottom and neutral.  Additionally, Dake has shown he can win in shoot outs, or close matches.  Whereas Taylor has 71 wins in his 2 and half years.  65 were by bonus, and only 3 have been within 3 points.  
The common case made for Taylor to avenge the loss would be the suggestion that Taylor would wrestle more aggressively this time, which would lead to more scoring.  The more I thought about it, the more I considered the fact that Taylor opening up, may in fact widen the gap for Dake.  He is so prone to capitalizing on mistakes that Taylor’s aggression could be used against him.  In the small sample we have from their November meeting, the few leg attacks Taylor attempted lead to him being put in danger himself. 
While I have no actual preference, there is a small part of me that hopes Taylor would win for some sort of retro-active validation of my earlier predictions.  That being said, I’m done picking against Kyle Dake until further notice.

Picks:  1.Kyle Dake 2.David Taylor 3.Tyler Caldwell 4. Cody Yohn.


174:
 Contenders:
#1 Chris Perry OSU
#3 Logan Storley MN
#7 Matt Brown PSU
#13 Matt Miller Navy
#14 Jon Fausey UVA
#16 Blake Stauffer Arizona State
#20 Todd Porter Missouri

Bracket Buster:  Blake Stauffer.  Had a very nice showing at CKLV, and I see him possibly breaking into the top 4.  I personally don’t see anyone getting past the top 3 of Perry, Storley and Brown.   Stauffer has a win over Fausey already and didn’t get a shot at Miller in Vegas due to Millers medical fft.

Contenders:  Really psyched for this top 3 as well.  Coming into this year I wasn’t sure if Brown had the offense to compete with the upper echelon 74’s.  Watching him this year I think he’s answered many of those questions.  I like him to beat Storley in the semi’s but fall close to Perry.  Perry has been solid this year and seems to be poised to get his first title.   There are a number of tough contenders, but right now until someone beats Perry he’s going to be my pick.  I see Perry managing the match and using his mat savvy to win a tight one. 

Picks:  1.Chris Perry 2.Matt Brown 3.Logan Storley 4.Blake Stauffer


184:
Contenders:
#1 Ed Ruth PSU
#2 Steve Bosak Cornell
#4 Kevin Steinhaus MN
#9 Mike Larson Missouri
#19 Chris Chionuma OSU
UR Alex Utley UNC
UR Mason Bailey Navy
#20 Kevin Radford Arizona State

Bracket Buster:  I have been completely impressed with Chris Chionuma this year.  He is a legit threat to knock off anyone not named Ed Ruth.  I’ve written before about his skills on his feet, so I won’t elaborate any more, but he is a tough kid who I’d be surprised to see outside of the top 4.  

Notes: This is one I’m excited to see, but not because I’m terribly curious about the result.  I really don’t see Bosak keeping Ruth at bay.  I like Ruth to win without too much trouble.  He’s going to get his takedowns and might rack up some riding time as well.  Ruth sends a message here.  Bosak has historically owned Steinhaus, so I don’t see Kevin reversing that trend in the semi’s.  

Picks:  1.Ed Ruth  2.Steve Bosak 3.Kevin Steinhaus 4. Chris Chionuma


197:
Contenders:
#3 Quentin Wright PSU
#8 Jake Meredith Arizona State
#11 Blake Rosholt OSU
#12 Brent Haynes Missouri
#13 Scott Schiller MN

Bracket Buster: Big Brent Haynes fan here. He’s a bit of an enigma, and has been throughout his career, but he’s undoubtedly a talent.  Don’t know what’s been up with him so far this year.  Haven’t seen the bonus production we are used to.  I look for him to remind us of how dangerous he is.  If he can avoid Quentin’s side I like him to crash the finals.  Could be way off, but Haynes has been unreal at the Scuffle before.  It’s actually strange calling the returning Scuffle champion at 197 a potential bracket buster, but that’s how this tournament is.  

Notes: Love some Quentin Wright.  His style can be frustrating for PSU fans at times, but he can be absolutely electric.  I like him to navigate this field without too much trouble.  He’s not going to blow out guys quite like he did at 184(he smoked Bosak last year in the finals here) but I think he has a nice tournament and lives up to his top seed.

Picks:  1.Quentin Wright 2.Brent Haynes 3.Blake Rosholt 4.Scott Schiller


HWT:
Contenders:
#1 Tony Nelson MN
#2 Dom Bradley Missouri
#4 Alan Gelogaev OSU
#11 Jeremy Johnson
#17 Levi Cooper Arizona State
#18 Jimmy Lawson PSU
Jon Gingrich PSU

Bracket Buster:  Tough call.  I’m going with  Gingrich.    Of the two PSU guys he’s notched the most impressive win (over Chalfant).  I like him to knock off a ranked guy or 2 and have a top 5 or so showing.  Maybe he doesn’t outplace his teammate, but he, much like Stanzione at 141 will let it all hang out to try and nail down the starting job for Sanderson’s Nittany Lions.

Notes:  I’ve been a Gelogaev fan for awhile now.  I was very disappointed with his performance against Nelson in the dual against Minnesota.  I knew Tony would have a better gameplan from their last meeting, but Gelogaev’s inactivity on his feet(though he was far more active than Nelson) and struggles from the bottom thoroughly surprised me.  I look for Gelogaev to circumvent Dom Bradley(who has looked phenomenal all year) and beat Nelson.  It is going to be a tough, uphill battle for the Cowboy to win, but he’s a monster, and I believe that offense wins.  Nobody has more of that than Z.

Picks:  1.Alan Gelogaev 2.Tony Nelson 3.Dom Bradley 4. Nick Gwiazdowski


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