Virginia Tech and Ohio State are set to wrestle the biggest dual of the weekend on Friday, November 10 at 7:00 pm (ET). Check out the below article for a full preview of the dual along with predictions for every match. 

Projected Lineups:

125: #4 Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech vs Brendan McCrone, Ohio State

133: #4 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech vs #16 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State

141: Mac Church/Hunter Mason, Virginia Tech vs #5 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State

149: #4 Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech vs #9 Dylan D’Emilio, Ohio State

157: #6 Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech vs #15 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State

165: #22 Connor Brady, Virginia Tech vs #16 Bryce Hepner, Ohio State

174: #3  Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech vs #7 Carson Kharchla/Rocco Welsh, Ohio State

184: #15 Sam Fisher, Virginia Tech vs #11 (197)Gavin Hoffman/Seth Shumate/Ryder Rogotzke, Ohio State

197: #17 Andy Smith, Virginia Tech vs Luke Geog/#11 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State

285: #20 Hunter Catka, Virginia Tech vs #25 Nick Feldman, Ohio State

The above matchups have the potential to see 17 total ranked wrestlers take the mat with 7 potential head-to-head ranked matches. On paper, this will be an incredible dual from start to finish and should be decided by the slimmest of margins. 

125: #4 Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech vs Brendan McCrone, Ohio State

Eddie Ventresca is coming off a 7th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Tournament and is a legitimate title contender this year at 125 pounds. Ventresca will be a big favorite heading into the match against Brendan McCrone who is currently unranked as a first-year starter for the Buckeyes. McCrone went 4-2 at the Clarion Open last weekend but failed to place in the top 6 after losing to Tristian Lujan (6-1) and #21 Nick Babin (14-5). Ventresca should win this bout handily and should push for some all-important bonus points.

Match Prediction: Ventresca by major decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 4, Ohio State 0

133: #4 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech vs #16 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State

Two-time All-American Sam Latona will take the mat as a big favorite for the Hokies against redshirt freshman Nic Bouzakis. Latona finished 7th last year at the NCAA Tournament and was the only wrestler in the country to hand Vito Arujau a loss during the regular season. Despite those results, Latona had a bit of a rocky start after dropping a match to Gabe Whisenhunt at the Southeast Open last weekend. Nic Bouzakis also had an up-and-down tournament at the Clarion Open placing fourth while losing to Vince Santaniello and Angelo Rini.

The matchup on Friday night between Latona and Bouzakis is a big opportunity for both wrestlers to get back on track against a quality opponent. On top of that, this matchup at 133 will be crucial in deciding the winner of the dual. With all of this in mind, I believe Sam Latona should be considered the big favorite. Latona’s length, and overall offensive capabilities, should prove to be the difference in this match.

Match Prediction: Latona by decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 7, Ohio State, 0

Hear Sam Latona talk about his mindset coming into the dual Friday:

141: Hunter Mason, Virginia Tech vs #5 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State

Jesse Mendez has moved up to 141 pounds after a successful true freshman campaign at 133 pounds where he finished 6th place at the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Mendez was dominant in his 141-pound debut winning the Clarion Open by going 4-0 with 2 techs and 2 pins. All of that to say Mendez will be a big favorite against true freshman Hunter Mason on Friday night.

While Mendez is the favorite, it’s worth noting that Mason had a successful college debut at the Southeast Open where he went 5-0 with 3 pins and 2 major decisions. Mason was ranked #85 in the class of 2023 Big Board and has been living/training at Virginia Tech since March. This will obviously be a big test for Mason and will show us how close he is to contending with the top guys in the country at 141 pounds.

Match Prediction: Mendez by major decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 7, Ohio State 4

Hear Jesse Mendez talk about what he learned during his freshman year at Ohio State:

149: #4 Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech vs #9 Dylan D’Emilio, Ohio State

We’ve got a top-10 matchup at 149 pounds between two returning All-Americans! Caleb Henson had a breakout true freshman year where he placed 5th at the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Throughout the season, Henson also recorded wins over Max Murin, Brock Mauller, Yahya Thomas, Doug Zapf, Jackson Arrington, Jaden Abas, and Sammy Sasso. Henson is already off to a great start after going 5-0 and winning the Southeast Open. 

Dylan D’Emilio placed 8th at the 2023 NCAA Tournament at 141 pounds out of the #17 seed. D’Emilio recorded notable wins at NCAAs over both Tom Crook and Cole Matthews and will be fascinating to watch up at 149 pounds. D’Emilio had a successful start to his season winning the Clarion Open and his match against Henson will tell us how close he is to challenging the best in the country at 149 pounds.

Match Prediction: Henson by decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 10, Ohio State 4

Caleb Henson Wants To Run Up The Score Against D'Emilio On Friday:

157: #6 Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech vs #15 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State

Bryce Andonian and Paddy Gallagher were teammates at St. Edwards High School in Ohio and now they’ll square off against one another on Friday night. As a two-time All-American, Andonian definitely has the edge in this matchup and has the potential to score bonus points. In fact, Andonian’s high-flying wild style has the potential to score bonus points on any wrestler in the country. Gallagher wrestles a style that might be able to slow Andonian down and his familiarity with Andonian will also bode well for the Buckeye. 

Match Prediction: Andonian by decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 13, Ohio State 4

165: #22 Connor Brady, Virginia Tech vs #16 Bryce Hepner, Ohio State

165 isn’t the most high-profile match of the night but it’s certainly a swing match for the dual. Connor Brady is a 3-time National Qualifier but has never won more than 1 match at the National Tournament. Bryce Hepner is carrying some hype with him heading into this year after defeating Carson Kharchla in last year’s wrestle-off and Cam Amine at the Cleveland State Open. Hepner is an incredible top wrestler and is incredibly challenging to score on when wrestlers get in on his legs. Because of Hepner's unique ability on top and in the scrambles, I give him a slight edge in the matchup against Brady.

Match Prediction: Hepner by decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 13, Ohio State 7

174: #3 Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech vs #7 Carson Kharchla/Rocco Welsh, Ohio State

Mekhi Lewis is back for his final year of college wrestling and is looking to win his second national title after winning the 165-pound title as a freshman in 2019. Lewis could be set up with a challenging match Friday night against All-American Carson Kharchla. However, Kharchla went down with an injury at the Clarion Open last weekend and although he finished the match, he forfeited out of the tournament. 

With Kharchla’s injury, we should expect to see true freshman Rocco Welsh take the mat on Friday night. Welsh was the #6 ranked overall recruit in the class of 2023 and had a successful college debut at the Clarion Open. Welsh won the Clarion Open title last weekend by going 5-0 highlighted by a 5-2 win over national qualifier John Crawford. Lewis will obviously be the favorite against Welsh, but Welsh has solid enough defense and conditioning to be able to keep the bout to a decision.

Match Prediction: Lewis by decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 16, Ohio State 7

184: #15 Sam Fisher, Virginia Tech vs #11(197) Gavin Hoffman/Seth Shumate/Ryder Rogotzke, Ohio State

Like 165, the matchup at 184 pounds could determine the winner of the dual. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding who will start for the Buckeyes. Seth Shumate and Ryder Rogotzke wrestled at the Clarion Open last weekend. Rogotzke finished 6th and in the process defeated Shumate in the consolation rounds. However, Shumate defeated Rogotzke in their wrestle-off, 13-8. However, there’s also a possibility that we see Gavin Hoffman drop from 197. It will be fascinating to watch who takes the mat at 184 pounds.

There’s no question who will take the mat for Virginia Tech - Sam Fisher is starting for the first time in his career after backing up All-American Hunter Bolen for the past few seasons. Fisher wrestles a hard pace from whistle to whistle and had a number of ranked wins last season. Fisher’s best win came at the 2022 Southeast Open against All-American Gavin Kane but he also took out national qualifiers Matthew Waddell, Jacob Ferreira, and Jacob Nolan. Fisher might surprise a lot of people this year and we should expect him to climb his way up the rankings as the season progresses.

Match Prediction: Fisher by decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 19, Ohio State 7

197: #17 Andy Smith, Virginia Tech vs Luke Geog/#11 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State

Andy Smith has shown incredible potential in his first 3 years at Virginia Tech and even defeated NCAA runner-up Tanner Sloan last season. However, Smith also showed inconsistency last year dropping matches to lower-ranked guys like Jake Koser and Nick Stemmet. Beyond that, Gavin Hoffman defeated Andy Smith 4-1 last year in Ohio State’s dual win over Virginia Tech. 

Will Hoffman take the mat against Smith again or will we see Geog man the 197 spot for the Buckeyes? Either way, this will be a toss-up match with the Buckeyes having a slight edge.

Match Prediction: Hoffman/Geog by decision

Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 19, Ohio State 10

285: #20 Hunter Catka, Virginia Tech vs #25 Nick Feldman, Ohio State

Nick Feldman is bringing with him incredible hype into his first year starting for the Buckeyes. Feldman is an incredibly athletic heavyweight and won the Clarion Open last weekend by going 5-0 with 4 bonus point wins. However, Feldman didn’t face anyone on the same level as Hunter Catka at the Clarion Open. Catka is a two-time national qualifier and has the size and athleticism to give Feldman trouble. Despite that, Feldman still has the edge in offensive capabilities and should be considered the favorite in this bout.

Match Prediction: Feldman by decision

Final Dual Prediction: Virginia Tech 19, Ohio State 13

Nick Feldman's win in the finals of the 2023 Clarion Open:

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The Dual Prediction

I have Virginia Tech winning 6 of the 10 matches over Ohio State and taking the dual 19-13. Despite that, Ohio State is absolutely capable of winning this dual by flipping the results from my above predictions at 149 and 184. This will be an incredible dual from start to finish and is sure to be one of the best meets of the entire season. Regardless of the outcome, you're not going to want to miss a match. We'll be posting live updates throughout the dual and you can watch live via ESPN + on the ACC Network.