It’s one of the best times of the year. The holidays are in the rearview mirror, Midlands is all figured out and there's nothing left to do but Scuffle into the new year. 

This year’s Southern Scuffle field is as deep as recent memory can serve with Oklahoma State returning after a one-year hiatus. One of the deepest weight classes is 165. Looming at the top of the 165lb heap is two-time NCAA champ and last year’s Scuffle champ Vincenzo Joseph. Rounding out the top-four seeds should be Chance Marsteller, Chandler Rogers and Mekhi Lewis. 

Before I go any further I would like to peel back the curtain a bit and let you in on the decision-making process that goes into choosing these tech notes articles. The biggest influencer as to which wrestlers I choose to feature is, ready for it…? YOU. Yes, you. The people that you click on more dictate whom I write about. Pretty simple, huh? Why bring that up? Because I'm not 100% convinced that Chance Marsteller or Vincenzo Joseph is going to make the finals of the Southern Scuffle. However, I'm not convinced they’re not going to, so I’m going to operate under the assumption that the pre-seeds hold up. 

Slappin’ Singles Or Swingin’ For The Fences?

Aside from its depth, 165 is one of the more attractive weight classes because of the two distinctly opposing styles in it. On one hand, you have guys like Cenzo and Chandler Rogers who are some of the best home-run hitters in the NCAA (they would rather go for six than take an easy point or two). Then there are the guys like Chance and Mekhi who, for the sake of this comparison, are more likely to walk to first base or slap a single the other way (conventional head/hands defense, coupled with lower-risk leg attacks). 

One of the only upsides to wrestling someone like Vincenzo Joseph is that the one thing you can count on is that, in true slugger fashion, he is going to commit to swinging for the fences. For example, last February in a dual meet versus Iowa, Joseph had Alex Marinelli all but dead to rights. It was two takedowns to zero and the only points that Marinelli had on the board were escapes that Joseph conceded. Then Joseph went to the well one too many times and wound up on his back. 

If Marsteller wants to leave Chattanooga with a Scuffle title he has to keep the match within reach, make sure to see those home-run swings coming and capitalize on any mistake or miscue that Canzo may make. 

Two Types Of Trips

We all know that Cenzo has an inside trip. We all know that he can hit it against the best that the NCAA has to offer, but what you may not realize is that there are a couple of different types of inside trips, and sometimes Cenzo gets caught up in between the two. I’ll explain. The way that many Americans hit an inside trip is by crow hopping the back leg forward, kicking the front leg through their opponent's legs, lacing the foot towards the outside of the body and then (THIS IS IMPORTANT) sagging their whole body down toward the mat. 

The way that many European wrestlers hit an inside trip is by snaking the leg through as we do, but instead of sagging toward the mat they use their back foot to drive forward. The positives in this scenario are that the offensive wrestler has options once they trap the foot with theirs. They can wrestle out to a single or a double and usually do. 

Joseph has one of the best AMERICAN style inside trips in the game right now. It’s when he tries to (or is forced to) hit a more Euro-style inside trip that he finds himself in trouble. 

Let's go back to the dual-meet loss versus Marinelli. What you’ll see in the video below is in first inside trip that Cenzo hits he is able to sag his hips immediately and scores an easy takedown. On the second one, Marinelli keeps a tight lock on the waist of Joseph preventing him from sagging his hips and consequently puts Cenzo straight to his back. In fact, the motion is so slight and it happens so fast that he fools the announcer. If you turn the sound up you’ll hear him say something to the effect of “that was just strength on strength,” when in actuality it was stubbornness by Cenzo and an intelligent in-match decision by Marinelli. 

It Could Come Down To Top Wrestling

If Chance decides to trade points with Joseph, it’s going to be a really long night for him. Intellectually, Isaiah Martinez knew to keep things simple against Cenzo. Take a look at his last win against him. 

He takes Cenzo scoreless into the second period and then proceeds to put together some really gritty top wrestling to squeak out 1:20 of riding time. Imar escapes quickly in the third and takes advantage of an overzealous Cenzo at the end for a garbage-time takedown. 

Chance might be stingy and skilled enough on top to ride Cenzo out as long as he can keep things moving in his direction on his feet.