Who do our guys wrestle??

[RoarLions1]

The Penn State Wrestling schedule is awesome in 2015-16. Sure, it would be good to wrestle the likes of Iowa and Minnesota, but by current scheduling rules we’ll get each of those powerhouses 2 years out of 3, and this is the year we have neither. At least this year, Minny is going to the Scuffle, so we’ll surely see their guys…just won’t be able to get rid of the consecutive match winless streak.

Back to the schedule. An early season look at all the great individual match-ups for each of our guys, throughout the year, suggests tons of exciting wrestling. Every one of the guys has the chance to work their way into a great seed for the post-season.

I used Gregg Henry’s Rankings for this review, as he goes 33-deep. While his, and all rankings, will change significantly as the season progresses, the promise of competitive wrestling is still contained within. It is always my wish that no wrestler, from any team, suffers an injury, but that’s not realistic. This is a peek at the entire-season, by weight class.

125 – #2 Nico Megaludis
Nico has a solid, but not spectacular, battery of opponents. He’ll face 5 top-10 guys (#’s 1 Tomasello, #5 Youtsey, #6 Dance, #7 Klimara, #8 Cruz), and a total of 7 top-33 guys in 15 duals. There are 10 ranked guys that could be at the Scuffle, where Nico could face #5 Youtsey, #7 Klimara, and #8 Cruz (already may face in duals, though the Scuffle is before the Michigan, Oklahoma State, & Lehigh duals). Other than those 3, the highest ranked guy in Chattanooga is #15 Lizak (Minn). The match I’m particularly looking forward to is Tomasello at the BJC on February 5th. Nico will be looking to lead the team in bonus point wins, which I feel will be a battle between him and Zain, though it’ll be close, and you can add another three or four guys that are capable of leading the team.

133 - #12 Jordan Conaway
Jordan has a great schedule, among the more challenging on the team. He will face five top-10 guys (#3 Beckman, #5 Taylor, #7 Bruno, #8 DiJulius, #9 Richards), and another 7 in the top 33, for a total of 12 ranked guys in duals. With 15 total duals, JC will have a ranked guy every dual except Lock Haven, Indiana, and Mich. St. In addition, 11 ranked guys other than Jordan should be at the Scuffle, including #3 Beckman (who he could wrestle twice this season), #4 Garrett (Cornell), and #7 Bruno (again, a guy he’ll meet later in the season) . This is the schedule Jordan wants. Seven guys he should wrestle are ahead of him, and he may get 2 of them twice. He won’t win them all, but he will win some. It’s my opinion that #12 is a fair ranking now, since he’s moved up in weight, but expect him to finish higher. One thing we know, Jordan will battle everyone he faces. I realize Jordan wrestled 133 two years ago, but expect him to start good and finish great while he gets used to 133 again.

141 - #5 Jimmy Gulibon
Quite the opposite of Nico and Jordan, Jimmy only gets two top-10 guys (#3 Heil, #9 Neff) during the dual meet season, and 7 other top-33 guys, for a measly 9 ranked guys in duals. The Scuffle contains four top-10 guys (#1 Henderson, #3 Heil, #6 Mecate, #10 Martinez), and another 6 in the top-33. Jimmy could get #3 Heil twice, if he gets him at the Scuffle, as he may also get him at the Oklahoma State Dual. All-in-all, this is the kind of schedule where the wrestler can’t afford a silly loss. Jimmy gets #9 Neff (LH) in our first dual, and #22 Chisko (VT) in the second, so he’ll get challenged early. He must win far more than he loses against the likes of #6 Mecate and #10 Martinez, if he faces them at the Scuffle, and # 11 Abidin, #13 Cruz, #16 McKenna, and #18 Jordan in the duals, to get a lofty seed in the postseason. I personally believe the new weight class is good for Jimmy. Once he settles in, all will be fine...if I have a concern at all, it’s how well Jimmy does early, which will set the tone for the entire season.

149 - #2 Zain Retherford
Great dual schedule!! Zain will face 12 ranked guys in the 15 duals, with 6 in the top-10 including #1 Tsirtsis (NU) on January 17. In addition, Zain gets #4 Clagon, #6 Sueflohn, #7 Steiber, #8 Collica, and #10 Pantaleo from the top-10, and #11 Mastriani at the November 15 VT dual. At the Scuffle, the 149 field is moderately strong, with #8 Collica, #10 Pantaleo, and #17 Gardner present, all guys he could face twice this season. Other than Zain, 8 total top-33 kids could wrestle, and we can’t forget about Cenzo!! Expect lots of bonus point wins from z-train. The weight gain since 2013-14, and moving up a weight class will not affect Zain’s wrestling at all…he will be the one doing the “horsing around”, no one will out-strength or out-condition him. Big things ahead for this young man.

157 - #8 Jason Nolf
Everyone is looking forward to the 3 N’s. Jason may be the most complete wrestler of the 3 at this point in time, but I look for a friendly in-team competition between the 3, each trying to outdo the others. I’d use this angle if I were the coaches, among others, with these young blue-chippers. I like Jason’s schedule. Four top-10 guys (#1 Martinez, #3 Braschetta, #4 Murphy, and #5 Minotti) in duals, plus #11 Marstellar, and five top-10’s will be at the Scuffle (#2 Miller, #4 Murphy, #5 Minotti, #6 Matthews, and #10 Palacio), so he could possibly face all top-6 ranked guys, and 9 of the top-11. In addition, Jason will face 7 other guys ranked top-33 in duals, for a total of 11 ranked wrestlers in 15 duals. #4 Murphy, #5 Minotti, and #11 Marstellar are guys Jason could face twice this season. Jason will be all business, unaffected by these challenges in front of a RSFR. I’m holding back on any prediction that he’ll lead the team in bonus point wins, though he should easily be top-5 among PSU guys…but who knows. Enjoy the ride with this young wrestler, he’s a good one!!

 

[RoarLions1]

165 – #14 Garett Hammond
I will not get into who our wrestler will be at 165. Garett will surely be challenged by the likes of Rasheed, Beitz, Brill, and Moreno. Whoever it is, this is among the weight classes where “our guy” will face the most ranked guys. With five top-10 guys (#1 Dieringer, #2 Jordan, #4 Wilson, #7 Wilson, and #10 Brennan), and another eight in the top-33, there’s a ranked wrestler for every dual except Lock Haven and Mich. St. The Scuffle is fairly lean, with 7 top-33 guys (other than PSU’s), led by #1 Dieringer, #3 Ramos (UNC), and #4 Wilson (Stan). Facing all these ranked guys is a good thing, imo. To be an AA, one needs those benchmark matches throughout the season, and whoever goes will certainly get them. The only thing that might get in the way is a lengthy battle for the starting spot, which could go past the Scuffle, where we’ll certainly take more than one wrestler. I personally love seeing these situations unfold, not judging, not presuming, just watching it play out.

174 - #16 Bo Nickal
Second of the 3 N’s, Bo has a great schedule for a pre-season #16 guy. He’ll face an extraordinary 8 guys currently ranked ahead of him in duals, and may face another (#4 Realbuto, Cornell) at the Scuffle, with a chance to face several (Crutchmer, Mahomes, Riddick) twice. 6 of Bo’s opponents in duals are top-10 guys (#1 Jordan, #2 Crutchmer, #3 Epperly, #7 Brunson, #9 Hammond, and #10 Mahomes), and he gets another 5 top-33 guys for a total of 11 ranked guys in 15 duals. The Scuffle may contain ten top-33 ranked guys, other than Bo, so it will be an excellent test. Already mentioned are #2 Crutchmer, #4 Realbuto, and #10 Mahomes. It’s unfair to expect superman-like results from a first-year starter, and I believe Bo will take a couple losses along the way, his schedule is that difficult. Don’t feel bad though, as these are better learning opportunities than wins. Bo will “keep his eye on the prize”, and imo will far-exceed his #16 ranking with a much higher seed and finish at the National Tournament. I like his schedule, Bo doesn’t have to count on others to beat the guys in front of him…he can do it himself. Along the way, don’t look away during his matches. I believe Bo will quickly become a fan favorite with big moves.

184 - #13 Matt McCutcheon
Mighty Mouse gets one of the easier schedules on the team, at least by current rankings. The dual meet season sees a total of 9 ranked guys in the 15 matches, but only three are top-10 (#2 Brown, #5 Courts, and #8 Dudley). MM’s sophomore season could be a breakout one, but he’ll have to beat one or more of these guys, along with the mid-ranked guys like #12 Abounador, #15 Boyd and #21 Koepke. Mouse could get Abounador and Boyd twice this season. My conversation with him recently tells me, without a doubt, he’s ready. Time will tell. Speaking of the Scuffle, 10 other top-33 guys will be there, including #1 Dean, #2 Brown (whom MM could get twice this season) and #3 Avery, though Mouse surely won’t get all three. Overall, it’s unlikely Matt will get more than 4 or 5 of the current top-11 guys. One thing about 184, every one of the 8 AA’s from 2015 return, so MM will have to up his game to be top-8. Here’s wishing him well on his journey!!

197 - #1 Morgan McIntosh
Morgan has arguably the easiest schedule of all the PSU guys, at least by the current rankings. With only two top-10 guys (#5 Huntley, #6 Studebaker, both at home) on the dual meet schedule, and 6 other guys in the top-33, Morgan will face ranked guys in only 8 of 15 duals. That’s 1 higher than Nico will face, but Nico gets five top-10 guys. His first match with a ranked guy is against #20 Haught (VT), followed by #14 Franklin (Bakersfield), and he won’t face any top-10 guys before the Scuffle. The Scuffle is similar to the dual season, with the chance of facing three top-10 guys (#3 Hartmann, #5 Huntley, #9 Pfarr), and only five others in the top-33. Morgan could face #5 Huntley twice this year. MM will be a consensus #1 in all pre-season rankings, so his task at hand is simple…just keep winning. There’s no climbing the rankings for this 5th year senior, he’s already there. Good health and going out with a bang are my wishes for Morgan, same as for Nico. One intangible, not previously noted for any of our guys, is their leadership. This team has a ton, though I believe Nico and Morgan will be the ones looked up to most.

285 - #9 Nick Nevills
The last of the 3 N’s, Nick has the second or third easiest overall schedule, by the current rankings. Nick does face a total of nine top-33 guys in the 15 duals, with three listed in the top-10 (#2 Coon, #3 Walz, #4 Marsden). We’ll get a taste of his talent early, when he faces VT’s Walz in the second dual of the year on November 15. There will be 11 ranked guys at the Scuffle other than Nick, with four ranked in the top-10 (#2 Coon, #4 Marsden, #6 Kroells, and #10 Shaw). Given our schedule, Nick could get Coon and Marsden twice. Looking at the guys in front of Nick, I like his chances of moving up. Still, this is 285, and it’s been generally thought that freshmen success at the upper weights is more difficult than lower weights. My opinion, though, after several conversations, is that this is a very special young man, and he might not fit that mold. One element of Nick’s situation, oft discussed, is his foot injury suffered at last year’s Scuffle. Here’s hoping for good health. With it will come great success.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Great stuff, Roar. Appreciate the effort.

 

[april racer]

Really good job, the only thing I would point out is that PSU and OK ST don't meet in a dual. I'm hoping they meet for first in the dual series.

 

[manmythlegend1]

Thank you for that Roar, I enjoyed reading it

As you point out, There are so many matches to look forward to this season...The Post Ruth, Taylor team is exciting and I look forward to seeing these guys prove we will continue to have awesome success!!!

 

[RoarLions1]

Really good job, the only thing I would point out is that PSU and OK ST don't meet in a dual. I'm hoping they meet for first in the dual series.

Get what you're saying...playing the odds, it'll be just like a dual. And yep, I'm making an assumption of sorts...