2017 Southern Scuffle

The Southern Scuffle Six Pack: Stars To Watch

The Southern Scuffle Six Pack: Stars To Watch

Here are six of the biggest college wrestling stars to watch at the 2017 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sunday, Jan. 1, and Monday, Jan. 2.

Dec 27, 2016 by Wrestling Nomad
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College football has the Rose Bowl; college wrestling has the Southern Scuffle. As wrestling junkies everywhere replace their calendars for the new year, they pull out their laptops, turn on Flo, and watch some of the biggest names in the sport for two days.

Live On Flo This Week: Dec 29-30: Mt Mat Madness | Dec 29-30: Powerade | Dec 29-30: Prep Slam IX | Jan: 1-2 Southern Scuffle

I highly recommend downloading the FloSports app for Apple TV or Roku, breaking out the HDMI cable, and watching on your gaming console or however you can get the action on your big screen. You won't want to miss a second of anything the stars below do in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sunday, Jan. 1, and Monday, Jan. 2.

Don't fret if you do though. Every match will be automatically uploaded to FloArena, meaning you'll be able to watch archives of your favorite wrestlers again. Action starts on New Year's Day at 10 AM Eastern, so make sure you're watching LIVE on FloWrestling.

#1 J'Den Cox: 197, Missouri

The Olympic bronze medalist has teched his past three opponents and is looking for his second Scuffle title. Cox is No. 5 on the pound-for-pound list in the ASICS FloRankings and should have an easy road to the finals. He will get a chance in the early rounds to continue working on the tilt and back bow turns he has been using lately, but he will have his hands full on Monday night in the finals against one of the other big stars below.

#1 Gabe Dean: 184, Cornell

No man has been on a path of destruction this year quite like Gabe Dean. He was at the top of our Hodge Watch update a few weeks ago and is trying to become just the third wrestler in Scuffle history to win four titles. The other two are Cole Konrad and former Cornell star Kyle Dake, who won his own Hodge trophy as a senior for the Big Red. Nothing from the list of entries indicates Dean's 100 percent bonus-point rate thus far this season will be broken.

Gabe Dean's third Scuffle crown


#1 Dean Heil: 141, Oklahoma State

This time last year is when we started to see Heil separate himself. Even though he only put up bonus points in two of his six matches, winning the Scuffle cemented him as the best 141-pounder in the country on his way to a national title. He will once again have to earn it in a weight with seven other ranked wrestlers and at least a half dozen other salty but unranked wrestlers itching for upsets. Few can match Heil's ability to work to control and move elbows to set up a leg attack series.

#2 Dylan Palacio: 157, Cornell

The Southern Scuffle marks the return of green toe. He spent the majority of this year since NCAAs focusing on freestyle and wrestling at an Olympic qualifier and the University worlds. He was even supposed to compete in Budapest, Hungary, at the non-Olympic weight world championships but is back to folkstyle with six other ranked wrestlers in his bracket. Palacio has not placed at the Scuffle since he was up at 165 in his freshman year, but he will be the favorite and top seed this time around.

#2 Brett Pfarr: 197, Minnesota

Sometimes wrestlers are able to jump levels even when they are among the best in the country. Pfarr entered NCAAs in March as the three seed and wound up third. He was also the No. 3 seed at last year's Scuffle, losing in the final to Morgan McIntosh. Pfarr is 12-0 on the year, with seven straight bonus point wins. The senior has become the face of the Gophers in what has been a tumultuous year for Minnesota wrestling, and there's a case to be made that he can kick off 2017 with a bang: by upsetting J'Den Cox.

Pfarr dominates Jared Haught in CKLV finals


#2 Joey McKenna: 141, Stanford

McKenna is one of four in the P4P rankings on this watch list and the youngest of the bunch. The junior world silver medalist has not wrestled since winning Cliff Keen Las Vegas at the beginning of December, when he avenged his NCAAs loss to Bryce Meredith. McKenna will need to prove his alpha dog status just to get a rematch with Heil of last year's Scuffle finals.


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