Update: Penn State leads Oklahoma State after Southern Scuffle quarterfinals, well ahead of the rest of the field
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Top photo of Bo Nickal courtesy of GoPSUSports. com.
Bottom photo of Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix at the Southern Scuffle courtesy of CowboyWrestling Twitter.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Entering Tuesday’s Southern Scuffle there was little debate as to who would battle for top honors.
Penn State, winners of everything under the sun for almost a decade, finished the 2018 college season like they started it, as the No. 1-ranked team in the country.
Tradition-rich Oklahoma State, winners of 34 national titles, did not finish the 2018 season well, ending up outside the top 10 at an NCAA Championship. But the Cowboys entered Tuesday unbeaten in duals and coming off a dominant performance at the Reno Tournament of Champions two weeks ago.
As expected the two separated from the pack on Day 1, combining to put 24 in the quarterfinals. Eighteen of those moved into the semifinals. Both coaches, PSU’s Cael Sanderson and OSU’s John Smith, are still trying to figure out exactly what their lineup will be moving forward.
From all indications, both will be pretty salty the rest of the 2018-19 campaign.
After one day of wrestling inside McKenzie Arena, PSU holds a 10-point lead (121 ½ to 111 ½). Iowa State and Lock Haven are a distant third with 60 points, while Navy, at 47 ½, sits in fifth.
“Whenever you have this many guys going, there is always going to be some good and bad,” said Smith, whose squad pushed seven into the semifinals. “I thought we battled through some tough matches, but we also had some matches that we didn’t completely show up. We’ll have to better (Wednesday) because we are going to run into the No. 1 team in the country in some matches. We will have to raise our level.”
Word spread Monday night that talented PSU rookie Gavin Teasdale would wrestle at 125 for the Nittany Lions. But by Tuesday that rumor was put to rest with no Teasdale on the mat. Brody Teske, another talented rookie, lost in the quarterfinals and Devin Schnupp lost in the second round. Little else went wrong for Sanderson's troops, however.
Rookie Roman Bravo-Young rallied for a third-period win in the second round, then scored an overtime takedown to beat Virginia Tech’s Collin Geradi in the quarterfinals. Nick Lee (141), Jason Nolf (157), Mark Hall (174), Shakur Rasheed (184), Bo Nickal (197), and Anthony Cassar (285) had no problem on the first day.
National champion Vincenzo Joseph got a scare from Shane Griffith of Stanford in a 6-4 match in the quarterfinals. Brady Berge won two tight matches to advance to the 149-pound semifinals. In total, PSU pushed 11 into the semifinals, including two wrestlers at 157 pounds and 285 pounds.
For the Cowboys, where Joe Smith fits in remains to be seen – he rolled into the 174-pound semifinals Tuesday edging North Carolina State freshman Trent Hidlay in the quarterfinals.
At 157 pounds, with transfer Andrew Shomers out due injury, senior Jonce Blaylock is making a claim to a spot he previously owned; he advanced to the quarters where he ran into Hodge Trophy candidate Jason Nolf. Will Preston Weigel return? In the meantime, Dakota Geer moved into the 197-pound semifinals with three victories on Day 1.
Nick Piccininni (125), Daton Fix (133), Chandler Rogers (165), and Derek White (285) were dominant in three bouts, while rookie Kaden Gfeller battled through PSU’s Jared Verkleeren in the quarterfinals at 149 pounds. All-American Kaid Brock (141) won a pair of bouts but finished his week with a medical forfeit.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Scuffle field is just trying to win matches, get better, and earn individual accolades.
Virginia Tech pushed three to the semifinals, including Hunter Bolen’s 3-1 victory over OSU’s Jacobe Smith at 184 pounds, and David McFadden, who will duel OSU’s Smith in a 174-pound bout Wednesday afternoon. Iowa State, Lock Haven, and Stanford also pushed three into the semifinals.
Among the must-see matches Wednesday include ISU’s Austin Gomez and Bravo-Young; Rogers and Lock Haven’s Chance Marsteller, former teammates and both All-Americans; and PSU’s Nick Nevills and OSU’s White in the final semifinal of the day.
Wrestling resumes at noon (EST) on Wednesday. The Southern Scuffle is being broadcast live by FloWrestling.
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE
At Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 1
Semifinal pairings
125 pounds
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma St) vs. Luke Werner (Lock Haven)
Alex Mackall (Iowa State) vs. Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado)
133 pounds
Daton Fix (Oklahoma St) vs. Sean Nickell (CSU-Bakersfield)
Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. Austin Gomez (Iowa State)
141 pounds
Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven)
Nick Gil (Navy) vs. Real Woods (Stanford)
149 pounds
Mitch Finesilver (Duke) vs. Brady Berge (Penn State)
Russell Rohlfing (CSU-Bakersfield) vs. Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma St)
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. Dom Mandarino (Stanford)
Bo Pipher (Penn State) vs. Zac Carson (Ohio)
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider)
Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma St) vs. Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven)
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. Matt Finesilver (Duke)
Joe Smith (Oklahoma St) vs. David McFadden (Virginia Tech)
184 pounds
Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) vs. Sam Colbray (Iowa State)
Lou Deprez (Binghamton) vs. Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs, Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech)
Nathan Traxler (Stanford) vs. Dakota Geer (Oklahoma St)
285 pounds
Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. Matt Voss (George Mason)
Derek White (Oklahoma St) vs. Nick Nevills (Penn State)
Quarterfinals results
125 pounds
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma St) TF Jakob Camacho (NC State), 17-0 6:49
Luke Werner (Lock Haven) TF Brody Teske (Penn State), 15-0 5:33
Alex Mackall (Iowa State) DEC Gabriel Townsell (Stanford), 7-5
Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) MD Alonzo Allen (Chattanooga), 17-5
133 pounds
Daton Fix (Oklahoma St) TF Jarrett Trombley (NC State), 25-10 6:47
Sean Nickell (CSU-Bakersfield) DEC Mason Pengilly (Stanford), 4-2
Roman Bravo-young (Penn State) DEC Collin Gerardi (Virginia Tech), 8-6 SV
Austin Gomez (Iowa State) MD Casey Cobb (Navy), 14-4
141 pounds
Nick Lee (Penn State) MD Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 11-3
Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) M FOR Ian Parker (Iowa State)
Nick Gil (Navy) DEC Dj Fehlman (Lock Haven), 9-6
Real Woods (Stanford) M FOR Kaid Brock (Oklahoma St)
149 pounds
Mitch Finesilver (Duke) DEC Requir Van der Merwe (Stanford), 5-0
Brady Berge (Penn State) DEC Jared Prince (Navy), 4-3
Russell Rohlfing (CSU-Bakersfield) DEC Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 7-5 SV
Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma St) DEC Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State), 3-2
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) MD Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma St), 21-7
Dom Mandarino (Stanford) DEF Bc Laprade (Virginia Tech), 4-3 10:46
Bo Pipher (Penn State) DEC Ben Anderson (Duke), 5-3
Zac Carson (Ohio) DEC Paul Fox (Stanford), 7-5 SV
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) DEC Shane Griffith (Stanford), 6-4
Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) DEC Tyler Marinelli (Gardner Webb), 4-1
Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma St) F Zach Finesilver (Duke), 2:20
Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) DEC Mason Manville (Penn State), 4-2
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) MD Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 14-4
Matt Finesilver (Duke) DEC Vincent Deprez (Binghamton), 9-2
Joe Smith (Oklahoma St) DEC Trent Hidlay (NC State), 4-2
David McFadden (Virginia Tech) DEC Jacob Oliver (Edinboro), 7-3
184 pounds
Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) MD Hunter Yeargan (Ohio), 11-0
Sam Colbray (Iowa State) DEC Dom Ducharme (CSU-Bakersfield), 9-3
Lou Deprez (Binghamton) DEC Chris Weiler (Lehigh), 5-2
Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) DEC Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma St), 3-1
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) F Josh Roetman (Navy), 1:47
Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech) DEC Stephen Loiseau (Drexel), 5-2
Nathan Traxler (Stanford) DEC Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado), 7-5
Dakota Geer (Oklahoma St) F Randall Diabe (App St), 5:18
285 pounds
Anthony Cassar (Penn State) MD Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), 16-5
Matt Voss (George Mason) DEC Billy Miller (Virginia Tech), 3-3 ot
Derek White (Oklahoma St) F Thomas Haines (Lock Haven), 4:08
Nick Nevills (Penn State) DEC Joey Goodhart (Drexel), 7-1
Southern Scuffle Team Standings after day one
1 Penn State 121.5
2 Oklahoma St 111.5
3 Iowa State 60
3 Lock Haven 60
5 Navy 47.5
6 Duke 46.5
7 Stanford 41
8 Ohio 36.5
9 Rider 35.5
10 CSU-Bakersfield 34
11 Virginia Tech 32.5
12 Binghamton 29.5
13 App St 28.5
14 Northern Colorado 25.5
15 Air Force 24.5
16 George Mason 24
17 Chattanooga 22
18 Citadel 21
19 Columbia 17.5
20 Drexel 16
Bottom photo of Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix at the Southern Scuffle courtesy of CowboyWrestling Twitter.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Entering Tuesday’s Southern Scuffle there was little debate as to who would battle for top honors.
Penn State, winners of everything under the sun for almost a decade, finished the 2018 college season like they started it, as the No. 1-ranked team in the country.
Tradition-rich Oklahoma State, winners of 34 national titles, did not finish the 2018 season well, ending up outside the top 10 at an NCAA Championship. But the Cowboys entered Tuesday unbeaten in duals and coming off a dominant performance at the Reno Tournament of Champions two weeks ago.
As expected the two separated from the pack on Day 1, combining to put 24 in the quarterfinals. Eighteen of those moved into the semifinals. Both coaches, PSU’s Cael Sanderson and OSU’s John Smith, are still trying to figure out exactly what their lineup will be moving forward.
From all indications, both will be pretty salty the rest of the 2018-19 campaign.
After one day of wrestling inside McKenzie Arena, PSU holds a 10-point lead (121 ½ to 111 ½). Iowa State and Lock Haven are a distant third with 60 points, while Navy, at 47 ½, sits in fifth.
“Whenever you have this many guys going, there is always going to be some good and bad,” said Smith, whose squad pushed seven into the semifinals. “I thought we battled through some tough matches, but we also had some matches that we didn’t completely show up. We’ll have to better (Wednesday) because we are going to run into the No. 1 team in the country in some matches. We will have to raise our level.”
Word spread Monday night that talented PSU rookie Gavin Teasdale would wrestle at 125 for the Nittany Lions. But by Tuesday that rumor was put to rest with no Teasdale on the mat. Brody Teske, another talented rookie, lost in the quarterfinals and Devin Schnupp lost in the second round. Little else went wrong for Sanderson's troops, however.
Rookie Roman Bravo-Young rallied for a third-period win in the second round, then scored an overtime takedown to beat Virginia Tech’s Collin Geradi in the quarterfinals. Nick Lee (141), Jason Nolf (157), Mark Hall (174), Shakur Rasheed (184), Bo Nickal (197), and Anthony Cassar (285) had no problem on the first day.
National champion Vincenzo Joseph got a scare from Shane Griffith of Stanford in a 6-4 match in the quarterfinals. Brady Berge won two tight matches to advance to the 149-pound semifinals. In total, PSU pushed 11 into the semifinals, including two wrestlers at 157 pounds and 285 pounds.
For the Cowboys, where Joe Smith fits in remains to be seen – he rolled into the 174-pound semifinals Tuesday edging North Carolina State freshman Trent Hidlay in the quarterfinals.
At 157 pounds, with transfer Andrew Shomers out due injury, senior Jonce Blaylock is making a claim to a spot he previously owned; he advanced to the quarters where he ran into Hodge Trophy candidate Jason Nolf. Will Preston Weigel return? In the meantime, Dakota Geer moved into the 197-pound semifinals with three victories on Day 1.
Nick Piccininni (125), Daton Fix (133), Chandler Rogers (165), and Derek White (285) were dominant in three bouts, while rookie Kaden Gfeller battled through PSU’s Jared Verkleeren in the quarterfinals at 149 pounds. All-American Kaid Brock (141) won a pair of bouts but finished his week with a medical forfeit.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Scuffle field is just trying to win matches, get better, and earn individual accolades.
Virginia Tech pushed three to the semifinals, including Hunter Bolen’s 3-1 victory over OSU’s Jacobe Smith at 184 pounds, and David McFadden, who will duel OSU’s Smith in a 174-pound bout Wednesday afternoon. Iowa State, Lock Haven, and Stanford also pushed three into the semifinals.
Among the must-see matches Wednesday include ISU’s Austin Gomez and Bravo-Young; Rogers and Lock Haven’s Chance Marsteller, former teammates and both All-Americans; and PSU’s Nick Nevills and OSU’s White in the final semifinal of the day.
Wrestling resumes at noon (EST) on Wednesday. The Southern Scuffle is being broadcast live by FloWrestling.
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE
At Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 1
Semifinal pairings
125 pounds
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma St) vs. Luke Werner (Lock Haven)
Alex Mackall (Iowa State) vs. Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado)
133 pounds
Daton Fix (Oklahoma St) vs. Sean Nickell (CSU-Bakersfield)
Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. Austin Gomez (Iowa State)
141 pounds
Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven)
Nick Gil (Navy) vs. Real Woods (Stanford)
149 pounds
Mitch Finesilver (Duke) vs. Brady Berge (Penn State)
Russell Rohlfing (CSU-Bakersfield) vs. Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma St)
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. Dom Mandarino (Stanford)
Bo Pipher (Penn State) vs. Zac Carson (Ohio)
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider)
Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma St) vs. Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven)
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. Matt Finesilver (Duke)
Joe Smith (Oklahoma St) vs. David McFadden (Virginia Tech)
184 pounds
Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) vs. Sam Colbray (Iowa State)
Lou Deprez (Binghamton) vs. Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs, Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech)
Nathan Traxler (Stanford) vs. Dakota Geer (Oklahoma St)
285 pounds
Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. Matt Voss (George Mason)
Derek White (Oklahoma St) vs. Nick Nevills (Penn State)
Quarterfinals results
125 pounds
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma St) TF Jakob Camacho (NC State), 17-0 6:49
Luke Werner (Lock Haven) TF Brody Teske (Penn State), 15-0 5:33
Alex Mackall (Iowa State) DEC Gabriel Townsell (Stanford), 7-5
Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) MD Alonzo Allen (Chattanooga), 17-5
133 pounds
Daton Fix (Oklahoma St) TF Jarrett Trombley (NC State), 25-10 6:47
Sean Nickell (CSU-Bakersfield) DEC Mason Pengilly (Stanford), 4-2
Roman Bravo-young (Penn State) DEC Collin Gerardi (Virginia Tech), 8-6 SV
Austin Gomez (Iowa State) MD Casey Cobb (Navy), 14-4
141 pounds
Nick Lee (Penn State) MD Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 11-3
Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) M FOR Ian Parker (Iowa State)
Nick Gil (Navy) DEC Dj Fehlman (Lock Haven), 9-6
Real Woods (Stanford) M FOR Kaid Brock (Oklahoma St)
149 pounds
Mitch Finesilver (Duke) DEC Requir Van der Merwe (Stanford), 5-0
Brady Berge (Penn State) DEC Jared Prince (Navy), 4-3
Russell Rohlfing (CSU-Bakersfield) DEC Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 7-5 SV
Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma St) DEC Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State), 3-2
157 pounds
Jason Nolf (Penn State) MD Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma St), 21-7
Dom Mandarino (Stanford) DEF Bc Laprade (Virginia Tech), 4-3 10:46
Bo Pipher (Penn State) DEC Ben Anderson (Duke), 5-3
Zac Carson (Ohio) DEC Paul Fox (Stanford), 7-5 SV
165 pounds
Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) DEC Shane Griffith (Stanford), 6-4
Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) DEC Tyler Marinelli (Gardner Webb), 4-1
Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma St) F Zach Finesilver (Duke), 2:20
Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) DEC Mason Manville (Penn State), 4-2
174 pounds
Mark Hall (Penn State) MD Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 14-4
Matt Finesilver (Duke) DEC Vincent Deprez (Binghamton), 9-2
Joe Smith (Oklahoma St) DEC Trent Hidlay (NC State), 4-2
David McFadden (Virginia Tech) DEC Jacob Oliver (Edinboro), 7-3
184 pounds
Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) MD Hunter Yeargan (Ohio), 11-0
Sam Colbray (Iowa State) DEC Dom Ducharme (CSU-Bakersfield), 9-3
Lou Deprez (Binghamton) DEC Chris Weiler (Lehigh), 5-2
Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) DEC Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma St), 3-1
197 pounds
Bo Nickal (Penn State) F Josh Roetman (Navy), 1:47
Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech) DEC Stephen Loiseau (Drexel), 5-2
Nathan Traxler (Stanford) DEC Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado), 7-5
Dakota Geer (Oklahoma St) F Randall Diabe (App St), 5:18
285 pounds
Anthony Cassar (Penn State) MD Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), 16-5
Matt Voss (George Mason) DEC Billy Miller (Virginia Tech), 3-3 ot
Derek White (Oklahoma St) F Thomas Haines (Lock Haven), 4:08
Nick Nevills (Penn State) DEC Joey Goodhart (Drexel), 7-1
Southern Scuffle Team Standings after day one
1 Penn State 121.5
2 Oklahoma St 111.5
3 Iowa State 60
3 Lock Haven 60
5 Navy 47.5
6 Duke 46.5
7 Stanford 41
8 Ohio 36.5
9 Rider 35.5
10 CSU-Bakersfield 34
11 Virginia Tech 32.5
12 Binghamton 29.5
13 App St 28.5
14 Northern Colorado 25.5
15 Air Force 24.5
16 George Mason 24
17 Chattanooga 22
18 Citadel 21
19 Columbia 17.5
20 Drexel 16
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