14 Must-See Scuffle Quarterfinal Bouts
14 Must-See Scuffle Quarterfinal Bouts
Check out these must-see quarterfinal matchups from the 2019 Southern Scuffle.
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There is no better cure for a New Year's Day hangover than copious amounts of college wrestling. Luckily, the Southern Scuffle is here with the antidote for what ails you! Here are the most ameliorating quarterfinal bouts to watch tonight.
Watch the 2019 Southern Scuffle Live on Flo
Championship Quarterfinals: 7:30 p.m. ET
133: #15 Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State vs. Collin Gerardi, Virginia Tech
RBY had a close match in his first-round bout with Dalton Young of Stanford and then a 4-1 victory over Nick Farro of Lehigh in the round of 16. Will the true freshman be tested again by the dangerous Collin Gerardi? Expectations are sky-high for the true freshman Nittany Lion.
133: #9 Austin Gomez, Iowa State vs. Casey Cobb, Navy
Like RBY, a lot is expected out of Cyclone redshirt freshman Austin Gomez. He'll have a very tough Casey Cobb to get through if he wants a potential semifinal match with Bravo-Young. Cobb has been in and out of the top 20 rankings this year and is not a guy to overlook.
Southern Scuffle Preview: Lightweights
141: #4 Nick Lee, Penn State vs. Cole Matthews, Pitt
Lee has quickly established himself, earning All-American honors as a freshman last season, but Cole Matthews is a potential landmine, as he took out two-time NCAA qualifier Cam Kelly in the round of 16.
141: #11 Kaid Brock, Oklahoma State vs. Real Woods, Stanford
A classic youth-versus-experience battle, as the two-time All-American Kaid Brock takes on blue chip true freshman Real Woods.
149: #13 Brady Berge, Penn State vs. Jared Prince, Navy
Penn State's redshirt freshman recently earned a top 20 ranking by beating Arizona State's Josh Maruca in a dual meet. He'll cement his status with a win over the two-time qualifier Jared Prince of Navy.
149: Jarod Verkleeren, Penn State vs. #12 Kaden Gfeller, Oklahoma State
Challenging Berge for the spot in the PSU lineup is cadet world champ Jarod Verkleeren. Verk has an arguably tougher path to the semi with the 12th-ranked Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma Sate in his way. Berge and Verkleeren are on opposite sides of the bracket, so they won't meet on the championship side until the finals.
157: #1 Jason Nolf, Penn State vs. Jonce Blaylock, Oklahoma State
Nolf is all you need to know! He's worth it for his post-match celebration alone!
Nolf’s ankle band tap and double #1s should be on the @FloWrestling top celebration list. pic.twitter.com/UvKM2FqBrr
— Christian Pyles (@CPyles8) January 1, 2019
Southern Scuffle Preview: Middleweights
165: #4 Chance Marsteller, Lock Haven vs. Mason Manville, Penn State
Manville has been doing most of his damage on the Greco-Roman circuit lately. All-American Chance Marsteller will be a perfect opportunity for Manville to see how his folkstyle chops are holding up.
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State vs. Shane Griffith, Stanford
Cenzo has looked sharp so far. Can the blue-chip Stanfordian true freshman slow him down?
174: #8 Joe Smith, Oklahoma State vs. Trent Hidlay, North Carolina State
Joseph Smith made his big return to collegiate wrestling at the Reno Tournament of Champions a couple weeks ago. The two-time All-American will have a very talented true frosh from NC State in the quarters of his second big tournament of the season.
184: #11 Jacobe Smith, Oklahoma State vs. Hunter Bolen, Virginia Tech
Jacobe was down at 174 a couple weeks ago in Reno. He seems to be taking to 184 just fine. He'll have a national qualifier from Virginia Tech next.
Southern Scuffle Preview: Upperweights
197: #7 Dakota Geer, Oklahoma State vs. #17 Randall Diabe, App State
How about a top 20 matchup in the quarterfinal round? Why not?
197: #1 Bo Nickal, Penn State vs. Josh Roetman, Navy
It's Bo Nickal. What more do you need to know?
285: #5 Derek White, Oklahoma State vs. #19 Thomas Haines, Lock Haven
Another top 20 battle. The monstrous D-White will have a very tough national two-time qualifier in Thomas Haines to get through before a potential crack at Penn State's All-American Nick Nevills in the semis.