Fi: CP's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Preview And Predictions

Dec 3, 2013 by Christian Pyles

2013 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Preview

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2013 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Preview
Christian Pyles

Nothing like Las Vegas.

Every year I love this tournament for a number of different reasons:

A) It’s been covered by Flo, so I’m able to follow the action and watch the matches afterwards B) There are always so many good teams and awesome wrestlers, it really is the first big tournament test for most of these guys.
C) There’s always some crazy upsets! Who can forget Kellen Russell getting knocked off by True Freshman Hunter Stieber!?

This year looks to be no different, by my count there are 78 ranked wrestlers entered the 10 weight classes. There are also 15-20 guys on the periphery of being ranked or have been ranked previously. All that adds up to 10 LOADED brackets!

I’ll give a weight by weight preview/breakdown. You’ll know who’s there, who to watch, and how I see the weight playing out.

125:
The Contenders:
#2 Nahshon Garrett-Cornell
#5 Jarrod Patterson-Oklahoma
#6 Tyler Cox-Wyoming
#7 Josh Martinez-Air Force
#11 Jade Rauser-Utah Valley
#12 Dylan Peters-Northern Iowa
#13 Tim Lambert-Nebraska
#15 David Terao-American
#17 Connor Youtsey-Michigan
#20 Joey Dance-Virginia Tech

Watch List:
Earl Hall-Iowa State
Camden Eppert-Purdue
Jamie Franco-Hofstra

No big deal, 10 ranked guys in the first weight. It would seem we are on a collision course for a rematch of our NWCA All Star match from this year. Nahson and Patterson are the clear front runners in my mind. While Cox and Patterson are numerically ranked near one another, I believe Patterson to be a bit better. So I see Patterson beating Cox in the semis, and Garrett cruising to the finals with an easier draw.

I think Tyler Cox is going to get upset in this tournament. Tyler had consistency issues last year, and has lost to Martinez, Terao, Rauser, and Lambert (among others). I see Cox falling early potentially, if not, I think one of the many tough guys in this bracket knocks him off and keeps him out of the top 3.

I think the 2nd tier in this weight is huge. It consists of Cox, Martinez, Rauser, Peters, Lambert, Terao, Youtsey and Dance. I think all of these guys can potentially trade results in a given match.

CP’s Predictions And Tiers

Nashon Garrett-Cornell
Jarrod Patterson-Oklahoma

Josh Martinez-Air Force
Tyler Cox-Wyoming
Dylan Peters-UNI
Tim Lambert-Nebraska
Jade Rauser-Utah Valley
Joey Dance-Virginia Tech

Here's a match between Garrett and Martinez from a year ago. Potential finals matchup?

Watch more video of 2012 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on flowrestling.org

133:
The Contenders:
#3 Joe Colon-Northern Iowa
#8 Cody Brewer-Oklahoma
#10 Mark Grey-Cornell
#14 Johnni Dijulius-Ohio State
#19 Joe Martinez-Virginia
#20 Vinnie Dellefave-Rutgers

Watch List:
Colton McCrystal-Nebraska
Jamel Hudson-Hofstra
Rossi Bruno-Michigan

So Colon get’s another real test here. For a senior, the guy is still an unknown in many ways. Consistency and off the mat issues have plagued his career to an extent, but the talent has never been questioned. Can he keep a high level for an entire two day tournament? We’ll find out this weekend. I am going to err that Colon is a man on a mission this year and think he wins this one in impressive fashion. He’s phenomenal in all three positions and has big point potential. I think Mark Grey, a strong and fundamental wrestler is his biggest challenge and my choice for 2nd place over the solid, but occasionally over ambitions Cody Brewer.

I am expecting big tournaments from Rossi Bruno and Colton McCrystal this weekend. I look for them to out-wrestle their seed and find themselves placing ahead of a few ranked guys this weekend.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers

Joe Colon-UNI

Mark Grey-Cornell
Cody Brewer-Oklahoma

Johnni DiJulius-Ohio State

Rossi Bruno-Michigan
Colton McCrystal-Nebraska
Devin Lotito-Cal Poly
Joe Martinez-UVA

141:
The Contenders:
#1 Logan Stieber-Ohio State
#3 Devin Carter-Virginia Tech
#7 Luke Vaith-Hofstra
#8 Mike Nevinger-Cornell
#9 Joey Lazor-Northern Iowa
#16 Nick Lester-Oklahoma

Watch List:
Cashe Quiroga-Purdue
Joe Spisak-Virginia

Stieber looks for another crown here at CKLV. There’s little to discuss as I see nobody here posing a reasonable threat to Logan. Throughout their history Stieber has never had close matches with Carter, and as good as Carter has looked this year, I don’t expect that to change. Carter gives up his legs too much and has always had trouble escaping Logan. Those problems won’t be solved.

There’s a clear division between the top 2 and the rest of the field. Vaith, Nevinger, Lazor and Lester make up a talented but all-too-often inconsistent group. Vaith and Lazor both have wins over Nevinger, but Nevinger has better overall career wins.. All these guys are really gifted scramblers and great on top. Watch out for UVA’s Joe Spisak. Another tough scrambler, Spisak had some tough bouts last week and fell out of the rankings. That being said I think it’s reasonable he beats one or more of these guys ranked ahead of him. Quiroga as always is a wildcard, but will we see him? I’d guess not, but if he wrestles he will be a tough out.

CP’s Predictions and Tier’s

Logan Stieber

Devin Carter

Joey Lazor
Luke Vaith
Mike Nevinger

Joe Spisak
Nick Lester

Cashe Quiroga

In case you were wondering if Logan Stieber was the man..

Watch more video of 2012 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on flowrestling.org

149:
The Contenders:

#4 Jake Sueflohn-Nebraska
#5 Kenric Maple-Oklahoma
#7 Eric Grajales-Michigan
#9 Scott Sakaguchi-Oregon State
#10 Gus Sako-
#11 Zach Neibert
#15 Chris Castillo
#17 Chris Villalonga

Watch List:
Ian Paddock-Ohio State
Brandon Nelsen-Purdue

Good luck making sense of this weight. We have two former #1 ranked guys in the country in this weight. They’re now ranked 5th and 9th respectively. At some point I really and truly believe we will get the old Kendric Maple back. I’m not ready to say he’s just a mediocre wrestler all of a sudden. He’s working through some issues to be sure, but at the end of the day I think he’s the most talented guy here in all 3 positions. I’m looking for him to turn things around here and take this weight. There will be a number of challengers capable of winning this tournament. Sueflohn, Grajales, Sakaguchi and even Sako may have an outside shot as good as he’s looked this year. I’m not sure if Grajales has the consistency to beat 3 or 4 quality guys back to back. He’s too prone to a let down match. Sakaguchi doesn’t appear to be as good as he was a year ago. I love Sueflohn’s energy and pace and think he’s a rough matchup for Maple. Chris Castillo is a name you need to know going forward. He competed up a weight last year and had solid results, and is off to a great start this year including a win over Sakaguchi. He could be the real darkhorse of this weight.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers

Kendric Maple-Oklahoma
Jake Sueflohn-Nebraska
Gus Sako-Virginia
Eric Grajales-Michigan
Scott Sakaguchi-Oregon State

Chris Castillo-Boise State
Zach Neibert-Virginia Tech

Ian Paddock-Ohio State

157:
The Contenders:
#3 James Green-Nebraska
#9 RJ Pena-Oregon State
#12 Brian Realbuto-Cornell
#15 Andy McCulley-Wyoming
#17 Justin DeAngelis-Oklahoma
#18 Blaise Butler-Virginia

Watch List:
Max Schnieder-Cal Poly
Josh Kreimier-Air Force

I’ll cut to the chase. I think Green is the guy here, and I don’t see him facing much of a challenge along the way. Green has a 10-5 win over the top contender RJ Pena, and I’m not sure there’s elite talent in the back end to give Green much issues either. This is a very deep weight with talent, but not many elite guys on Green’s level. Green is not amazing from bottom, but has shown he can avoid giving up the turns against Pena and picking him apart on his feet. Pena not making the finals would not shock me one bit.

Really keep your eye on these 3 guys: Brian Relabuto, Blaise Butler and Max Schnieder. Realbuto could be on the cusp of a breakout tournament, and Butler showed us all at Northeast Duals what a talen he is, despite the loss to Austin Matthews. Max Schnieder is a guy with a wild style and elite athleticism/body awareness. Though he’s unranked, it’s more a product of his schedule than him struggling as he is currently undefeated.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers:

James Green-Nebraska

Brian Realbuto-Cornell
RJ Pena-Oregon State

Justin DeAngelis-Oklahoma
Blaise Butler-Virginia
Max Schnieder-Cal Poly
Andy McCulley-Wyoming
Josh Kreimier-Air Force

I expect more of the same from James Green this weekend.

Watch more video of 2012 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on flowrestling.org

165:
The Contenders:
#3 Nick Sulzer-Virginia
#6 Michael Moreno-Iowa State
#8 Dan Yates-Michigan
#15 Cooper Moore-UNI
#16 Joe Booth-Hofstra
#19 Austin Wilson-Nebraska

Watch List:
Dylan Palacio-Cornell
Alex Elder-Oregon State
Chris Moon-Virginia Tech

The progression that Nick Sulzer has made from last year to this one has been tremendous. An All American a year ago, Sulzer seems much improved and is far more dominant than I remember. It’s not just his ability to get to legs consistently, but the power in which he’s able to finish with. He’s been horsing guys around this year, and I don’t expect it to stop against this field. Moreno had the 4-2 win over him last year, but just dropped a tight one to Nick Moore. Maybe I’m under-rating Moreno a bit (something I’ve made the mistake of doing before). I think his top game could give Sulzer issues, and maybe his defense will prove to be a bit too stout for Sulzer. I’m erring on the side of offense right now and think Sulzer for 7 minutes will just get a few more takedowns than Moreno can.

Those two are a bit ahead of the field in my opinion. I think Yates, Moore and Booth all can potentially challenge for the 3rd spot. Booth brings a level of experience and consistency that makes me think he can be the man for Hofstra. However, Cooper Moore is riding that Panther Train and has been excellent. A win over Steven Monk says a lot about the Freshman. Definitely a guy to keep your eye on.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers

Nick Sulzer-Virginia
Michael Moreno-Iowa State

Cooper Moore-UNI
Joe Booth-Hofstra
Dan Yates-Michigan

Austin Wilson-Nebraska
Dylan Palacio-Cornell
Alex Elder-Oregon State

174:
The Contenders:
#1 Andrew Howe-Oklahoma
#4 Robert Kokesh-Nebraska
#10 Dom Kastl-Cal Poly
#11 Mat Miller-Navy
#12 Bryce Hammond-CSU Bakersfield
#13 Tanner Weatherman-Iowa State
#14 Kevin Radford-ASU
#18 Stephen Doty-UVA

Watch List:
Mark Martin-Ohio State
Cody Caldwell-UNI
Austin Gabel-Virginia Tech

So far Howe has taken out the 1st and 2nd place finishers in last year’s NCAA tournament. Next on his list? Robert Kokesh, the 3rd place finisher from a year ago. No reason to think he won’t beat Kokesh here. Kokesh is a high energy, high volume attack guy. I think that will play into Howe’s strengths and allow Howe to widen the gap to a 3-5 point win.

There’s a big time drop off after Kokesh in my opinion. When you get the 10-14 ranked guys all in the same bracket, there’s bound to be some rankings shake ups. Kastl has the best win so far this year, so he’s probably my choice for 3rd, but I’m far from confident in any of these guys. This field is deep, but extremely top heavy.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers

Andrew Howe-Oklahoma

Robert Kokesh-Nebraska

Dom Kastl-Cal Poly
Tanner Weatherman-ISU
Mat Miller-Navy
Bryce Hammond-CSU Bakersfield

Cody Caldwell-UNI
Mark Martin-Ohio State

184:
The Contenders:
#3 Ryan Loder-UNI
#7 Jacob Swartz-Boise State
#8 Kenny Courts-Ohio State
#11 Jon Fausey-Virginia
#12 Gabe Dean-Cornell
#18 Nick Vetterlein-Virginia Tech
#19 Ben Stroh-Wyoming
#20 Max Huntley-Michigan

Watch List:
Tim Dudley-Nebraska
Blake Stauffer-ASU

Loder has the highest rank, but I’m not sure I view him as a guy that far ahead of the field here. Loder only won 1-0 a week ago against Hein of Wisconsin. When you keep matches close, that can bite you. I really love the upside of Kenny Courts and Gabe Dean. If I had a bit more footage on Dean I may be willing to be so bold as to pick him to win, but really all I have are his results, so I’ll hold back. Swartz is a pillar of consistency in this weight and lost 4-3 to Loder last year.

All this being said, Loder is the guy here, and UNI has done nothing but impress me so far this year. I think Courts and Dean are the two guys who outwrestle their seed and make some serious noise. One of them could knock off Swartz and I would be none too surprised.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers

Ryan Loder-UNI
Jacob Swartz-Boise State

Gabe Dean-Cornell
Kenny Courts-Ohio State

Nick Vetterlein-Virginia Tech
Tim Dudley-Nebraska
Ben Stroh-Wyoming

Max Huntley-Michigan

197:
The Contenders:
#2 Taylor Meeks-Oregon State
#3 Kyven Gadson-Iowa State
#4 Travis Rutt-Oklahoma
#6 Nick Heflin-Ohio State
#13 Daniel Mitchell-American
#15 Jace Bennett-Cornell
#19 Braden Atwood-Purdue

Watch List:
Chris Penny

This and 149 could be the marquee weights for this weekend. 4 of the top 6 guys in the country are here, and we are sure to have some shakeups in the rankings. Rutt looked phenomenal up a weight against Rosholt and the recency effect has me thinking he’s the man here. I always liked Meeks, but never really bought into him as a title winning type of talent. Gadson has been fine this year, but he’s letting matches remain a bit too close for my liking. I expected him to have a bit more separation from the field coming into this year but we just haven’t seen it. Heflin’s results haven’t lead me to believe he will be much more than a top 6-8 guy this year. I don’t see the top 3 or 4 guys being threatened by anyone else in the field.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers:

Travis Rutt-Oklahoma
Taylor Meeks-Oregon State
Kyven Gadson-ISU

Nick Heflin-Ohio State

Daniel Mitchell-American
Jace Bennett-Cornell
Braden Atwood-Purdue

Chris Penny-Virginia Tech

285:
The Contenders:
#4 Nick Gwiazdowski-NC State
#6 JT Felix-Boise State
#12 Ross Larson-Oklahoma
#15 Kyle Colling-Arizona State
#16 Adam Coon-Michigan
#17 Amarveer Dhesi-Oregon State
#18 Billy Smith-Rutgers
#19 Ty Walz-Virginia Tech
#20 Blake Herrin-American

Watch List:
Collin Jensen-Nebraska

I got Gwiaz all day long here. He’s a bona fide title contender this year and has looked like a man all season so far. I love his wide open style, great attacks and amazing top work. Can his Freestyle success against Nelson translate to this year? I’m not so sure. I’d love to see he and Mike McMullan tangle too. Anyways. We have a solid second tier of 8 ranked guys that will be vying for a spot in the title match against Gwiaz. I’ve loved what I’ve seen of Adam Coon thus far, and think he makes a big time statement here crashing the finals (provided he’s opposite Gwiaz). Felix is who he is at this point, a solid guy, but one who hasn’t been able to enter that 2nd tier as of yet. Dhesi is a wild card for sure in this field. His talent is phenomenal, yet his results are a bit inconsistent. That’s to be expected for a folkstyle novice, I suppose. I’ll be glad to get an extended look at Larson as well.

CP’s Predictions and Tiers
Nick Gwiazdowski-NC State

Adam Coon-Michigan
JT Felix-Boise State
Ross Larson-Oklahoma

Kyle Colling-ASU
Amarveer Dhesi-Oregon State

Ty Walz-Virginia Tech
Blake Herrin-American

Team Predictions:

I think Oklahoma is the class of this field and has too much firepower to be denied. Cornell and Nebraska will be in a dogfight for 2nd with UNI and Ohio State very close as well.

1. Oklahoma
2. Cornell
3. Nebraska
4. UNI
5. Ohio State
6. UVA
7. Oregon State
7. Michigan
8. Virginia Tech
9. Iowa State
10. Boise State