Southern Scuffle Middleweight Preview & Predictions
Southern Scuffle Middleweight Preview & Predictions
Check out a breakdown and predictions of 149-174 at the 2022 Southern Scuffle.
The Southern Scuffle will feature some of the best middleweights the country has to offer! Take a look below at a detailed breakdown and prediction of the action that will take place in Chattanooga from 149-174 pounds.
149 - Millner And Finesilver Headline A DEEP Field
Title Contenders:
Returning All-American Jonathan Millner has had great start to their season and should be considered the main contender to win 149 pounds at the Southern Scuffle. Millner has been a bright spot for App State and has had impressive wins over #11 Josh Finesilver (15-5) and All-American #15 Zach Sherman (5-2). A returning All-American himself, Millner has put together strong seasons the past two years and is capable of climbing on the podium in March. The Southern Scuffle should show us just how high Millner can climb and how far he is from the top contenders in the country at 149 pounds.
Josh Finesilver is off to a great start to his season and should be considered another contender in this bracket. Finesilver finished in the round of 12 at the NCAA tournament last season and is 16-1 on the year. He's only lost to the aforementioned Millner and has bonus point wins in 9 of his 16 wins.
Other Contenders
#20 Josh Edmond and HM Zach Price are ranked wrestlers who will also be in the 149-pound field in Chattanooga. Zach Price finished in the round of 12 at the NCAA tournament last season but has had an up and down start to his 2021-2022 season. Price has struggled a bit up from 133 and has compiled a 10-5 record on the season. However, the Southern Scuffle could be the perfect opportunity for Price to get things back on track and start the New Year with some momentum before getting into dual competitions.
Josh Edmond is the wildcard for me in this bracket. Edmond compiled a 10-0 record last season during his time as the backup 141 pounder for Missouri. Now the starter at 149, Edmond has shown flashes of excellence against some of the best in the country. Last week at the Collegiate Duals, Edmond defeated Manzona Bryant 6-4 but fell short in a shoot-out against 2-time All-American Tariq Wilson, 11-8. Edmond has the offensive capabilities to contend with anyone in this bracket and could come away with a Scuffle title if he wrestles his best.
Hear Josh Edmond share his thoughts on how he developed his wrestling style:
Sleepers and Landmines
After the ranked wrestlers, high schooler Cody Chittum and Oklahoma State true freshman Travis Mastrogiovanni and Victor Voinovich are notable landmines in this field. Chittum has yet to wrestle any collegiate matches but is the #1 ranked high school wrestler in the country at 145 pounds and is committed to the University of Minnesota. Mastro and Voinovich are both undefeated on the season, and while they are likely to stay in redshirt, the Scuffle will be a great testing ground for them early in their college career. Don’t be surprised to see Voinovich and Mastro make the podium in Chattanooga!
Prediction: 1. Josh Edmond, 2. Jonathan Millner, 3. Josh Finesilver 4. Victor Voinovich
All Entrants:
#9 Jonathan Millner, Appalachian State
#11 Josh Finesilver, Duke
#20 Josh Edmond, Missouri
HM Zach Price, South Dakota St
Cody Chittum, Unattached
Benji Alanis, Northern Colorado
Jeff Boyd, West Virginia
Travis Mastrogiovanni, Oklahoma St
Peyton Omania, Michigan State
Brayden Roberts, West Virginia
Chris Sandoval, Northern Colorado
Victor Voinovich, Oklahoma St
John Arceri, Buffalo
Matt Arciuolo, Columbia
Joey Bianchi, UA- Little Rock
Josh Brown, CSU-Bakersfield
Noah Castillo, Chattanooga
George Coleman, Chattanooga
Mitch Collica, Bellarmine
Zac Cowen, Bellarmine
Jared Dinh, Gardner-Webb
Corbin Dion, Gardner-Webb
Jaden Enriquez, Michigan State
Danny Fongaro, Columbia
Luke Hart, VMI
Lincoln Heck, Chattanooga
Eddie Homrock, Michigan State
Austin Keal, UA- Little Rock
Daniel Kimball, South Dakota St
David Loniewski, Davidson
Rudy Lopez, Northern Colorado
Cade Lucio, CSU-Bakersfield
Grant Lundy, Chattanooga
Alex Madrigal, George Mason
Alek Martin, South Dakota St
Hunter Noland, Chattanooga
Michael North, Maryland
Gabe Onorato, Drexel
Matt Ryan, Buffalo
Joey Sanchez, Oklahoma St
Gaven Sax, North Dakota St
Fillers Seth, VMI
Matthew Williams, Chattanooga
Tyler Williams, Drexel
Ethan Willis, The Citadel
Lewis Zach, Gardner-Webb
157 - Brayton Lee, Brock Mauller, And MORE
Title Contenders:
Returning All-American Brayton Lee should be considered the favorite at 157 pounds after Austin O'Connor and North Carolina withdrew from the Scuffle due to Covid Protocols. Brayton Lee is 11-0 on the year and has quality wins over #17 Jarrett Jacques (6-3), #11 Wyatt Sheets (15-9), and #8 Jared Franek (6-4, OT).
Brock Mauller, a two-time All-American at 149 pounds, is red-shirting this season and has yet to wrestle a collegiate match. Last season Mauller finished 5th and lost only to Austin O’Connor (2-1, OT) and Yahya Thomas (7-4) at the NCAA Tournament. Mauller has a number of past wins over All-Americans and is capable of winning this bracket. Mauller and Lee have never met in collegiate competition, but if they do, expect their match to be decided by a takedown or less.
Brayton Lee's win over Jarrett Jacques from earlier this season:
Other Contenders:
Jared Franek and Jarrett Jacques entered at 157 and are capable of coming away from Chattanooga with a Scuffle title. Franek, who finished a match away from All-American honors last season, has only one loss this year - in overtime against Brayton Lee. Franek also has a 6-4 win over Jacques this season and took out Kendall Coleman, Parker Kropman, and Wyatt Sheets in the 2020-2021 season.
Jacques finished in the round of 12 last season at NCAAs and has had an up and down season without any wins against ranked competitors. The Scuffle could be a chance for Jacques to get back on track after falling to both Ed Scott and Josh Humphreys at the Collegiate Duals last week.
Sleepers And Landmines:
Parker Kropman, Dazjon Casto, Chase Saldate, and Colton Yapoujian are all wrestlers who could make some noise in this bracket. All three have notable wins this season and are capable of upsetting some of the higher-ranked wrestlers at the Scuffle. Kropman took out Kendall Coleman in his opening match of the season, Casto defeated Justin Thomas at the CKLV, and Yapoujian beat Joe Lee at the Collegiate duals. Will any of this group win? Probably not, but their presence in this bracket adds the depth and intrigue that makes this bracket a lot of fun.
Parker Kropman's win over Kendall Coleman from earlier this season:
Predictions: 1. Brayton Lee, 2. Brock Mauller, 3. Jared Franek, 4. Chase Saldate
All Entrants:
#5 Brayton Lee, Minnesota
#8 Jared Franek, North Dakota St
#17 Jarrett Jacques, Missouri
#24 Chase Saldate, Michigan State
HM Parker Kropman, Drexel
HM Kyle Mosher, Columbia
HM Colton Yapoujian, Cornell
HM Dazjon Casto, The Citadel
Joe Lee, Penn State
Brock Mauller, Missouri
Terrell Barraclough, Penn State
Cody Bond, Appalachian State
Jalin Harper, Oklahoma St
AJ Kovacs, North Carolina St
Hunter Richard, Cornell
Adam Santoro, Cornell
RJ Weston, Northern Iowa
Vinny Zerban, Northern Colorado
Tommy Askey, Appalachian State
Avery Bassett, George Mason
Alec Bobchin, Rider
Lucas Cordio, Maryland
Charles Darracott, Stanford
Cody Eaton, Northern Colorado
Derek Fields, North Carolina St
Angel Garcia, Rider
Andy Garr, Columbia
Alex Hornfeck, West Virginia
Jackson Hurst, Chattanooga
Daniel Manibog, Oklahoma St
Michael Martinak, Drexel
Chance McLane, Oklahoma St
Nathan Moore, Northern Colorado
Kamdyn Munro, Unattached
Cole Nance, Bellarmine
Kenny O'Neil, South Dakota St
Taylor Parks, Gardner-Webb
Ty Raines, Buffalo
Loranzo Rajaonarivelo, George Mason
Brock Rogers, CSU-Bakersfield
Bryce Sanderlin, Davidson
Hunter Shaut, Buffalo
Blake Showers, VMI
Grant Speer, The Citadel
Cael Swensen, South Dakota St
Chase Tebbets, UA- Little Rock
Wade Unger, Duke
Johnathon Viveros, CSU-Bakersfield
Weston Wichman, Chattanooga
165 - Will Facundo Or Kennedy Challenge O'Toole?
Title Contenders:
Keegan O'Toole has been on another level this year and is the big favorite to win a Scuffle title at 165. O'Toole is 8-0 on the year and has seven of his wins by bonus points - including 3 pins. After finishing third at the NCAA tournament last season, O'Toole went on to make the junior world team over the summer and win a Junior World Title in Ufa, Russia. At those junior world team trials, O'Toole and Alex Facundo met in the semi-finals in a match that Facundo couldn't get any offense going with O'Toole winning 7-0. Facundo, currently in redshirt, is in this bracket and will be looking for revenge against O'Toole and to prove he's worthy of manning the starting job at 165 for Penn State. In my opinion, Keegan O'Toole is still a step or two above Facundo and should win a controlling match against Facundo, and any other wrestler he faces in Chatanooga.
Keegan O'Toole and Facundo's match at the 2021 Junior World Team Trials:
Other Contenders:
Peyton Hall and Luke Weber are legitimate contenders to make the finals of the Southern Scuffle. Both Hall and Weber made the round of 12 last year at the NCAA tournament and have had great starts to their season. Hall is currently 13-0 and has won 7 of his matches by bonus points. Weber has only lost to Keegan O’Toole this year and has won 6 of his last 7 matches by pin.
Sleepers And Landmines:
There are a handful of wrestlers at 165 who could make some noise at The Scuffle. The top of that list has to be true freshmen Alex Facundo and Patrick Kennedy. Both are in redshirt and while it's highly unlikely Kennedy's is pulled, Penn State could use Facundo's performance in Chatanooga to determine if he’s ready to man the 165-pound slot for the Nittany Lions. Facundo’s only competition this season was at the Clarion Open where he went 6-1 and took 5th place (only losing to Maryland’s John Martin Best). Kennedy has entered 3 open tournaments - winning two and placing second at one. He most notably met fellow Hawkeye Alex Marinelli in the finals of the Luther Open, losing 3-2. Though he took the loss, Kennedy proved he's capable of competing with the best 165 pounders in the country right now.
Alex Marinelli and Patrick Kennedy's match at the 2021 Luther Open:
After Facundo and Kennedy, Josh Ogunsanya and Matt Lee are dangerous landmines in this 165-pound bracket. Matt Lee took out Julian Ramirez early this season and Ogunsanya secured a tech fall against the always electric Tanner Cook. And even though Cook has had a roller-coaster season, he’ll be in this bracket and is always capable of ending a match with a gator bacon or cement mixer.
Alex Facundo's opening match of his college career at the Clarion Open:
Predictions: 1. Keegan O'Toole, 2. Patrick Kennedy, 3. Alex Facundo, 4. Peyton Hall
All Entrants:
#3 Keegan O'Toole, Missouri
#7 Luke Weber, North Dakota St
#12 Peyton Hall, West Virginia
#15 William Formato, Appalachian State
#16 Thomas Bullard, North Carolina St
#23 Joshua Ogunsanya, Columbia
HM Evan Barczak, Drexel
HM Tanner Cook, South Dakota St
HM Gabe Dinette, Duke
HM Caleb Fish, Michigan State
HM Selwyn Porter, The Citadel
HM Andrew Sparks, Minnesota
Alex Facundo, Penn State
Patrick Kennedy, Iowa
Michael Caliendo III, North Dakota St
Nick Knutson, Northern Colorado
Matt Lee, Penn State
RJ Mosley, Gardner-Webb
Drew Nicholson, Chattanooga
Clayton Ulrey, Virginia Tech
Benny Baker, Cornell
Gaven Bell, Maryland
Tyler Brennan, UA- Little Rock
Jakob Brindley, Cornell
River Carroll, VMI
Donald Cates, North Carolina St
Drew Dickson, George Mason
Augustine Garcia, CSU-Bakersfield
Noah Grover, Buffalo
Jaden Hardrick, Davidson
Devin Hendrick, Bellarmine
Jack Janda, Drexel
Andaluz Jerry, Rider
Tyler Kocak, George Mason
Will Miller, Appalachian State
Quentin Milliken, Rider
Andrew Mulay, Rider
Jake Null, North Carolina St
Braden Smelser, CSU-Bakersfield
Jack Thomsen, South Dakota St
Caleb Waddell, Chattanooga
Cody Walsh, Drexel
Mke Wilson, Rider
174 - Wide Open At The Scuffle
Title Contenders:
174 is one of the most wide-open weights at The Scuffle with 4 wrestlers ranked between #8 and #17. Matt Finesilver is the highest-ranked wrestler and should be considered the slight favorite in this bracket. Somehow Matt Finesilver has been able to accumulate a 17-0 record already this year and has ranked wins over #14 Mickey O’Malley and #20 Gerritt Nijenhuis. Prior to this season, Finesilver missed the past two years due to a redshirt and an injury. This season, the Duke junior looks primed to contest for All-American honors and challenge the best in the country at 174-pounds.
Other Contenders:
As alluded to, a number of wrestlers seeded outside of the top two or three could win the 174-pound bracket in Chatanooga. #12 Cade DeVos, #14 Mickey O’Malley, and #17 Peyton Mocco are all capable of winning the title and have had flashes of top-level performances throughout the season. The most notable performance of this bunch came from Peyton Mocco taking national champion Mekhi Lewis to double overtime before losing 9-6. Each wrestler in this group has the opportunity to prove they are serious All-American threats and make a major jump up the rankings.
Hear Peyton Mocco talk about the improvements he's made prior to the 2021-2022 season:
Sleepers And Landmines:
The large list of contenders means the sleepers and landmines are a little smaller. Tyler Eischens, Thomas Flitz, and Triston Wills are all in the honorable mention category of our rankings and could make some noise in this bracket. All are looking for a signature win to put them into the top 24 of our rankings and prove they are All-American contenders this year.
Tyler Eischen's win over Joshua Kim from earlier this season at the 2021 CKLV:
Predictions: 1. Peyton Mocco, 2. Matt Finesilver, 3. Mickey O'Malley, 4. Cade Devos
All Entrants:
#8 Matt Finesilver, Duke
#12 Cade DeVos, South Dakota St
#14 Mickey O'Malley, Drexel
#17 Peyton Mocco, Missouri
HM Tyler Eischens, Stanford
HM Thomas Flitz, Appalachian State
HM Triston Wills, UA- Little Rock
Payton Craft, Cornell
Adrien Cramer, Maryland
Bailey O'Reilly, Minnesota
Aaron Ayzerov, Columbia
Eric Beck, Bellarmine
Conor Becker, Duke
Austin Brenner, North Dakota St
Cole Burke, The Citadel
Corey Connolly, Rider
Anthony D'Alesio, West Virginia
Alex Faison, North Carolina St
Nick Fine, Columbia
Riley Habisch, North Dakota St
Sean Harman, Missouri
Ben Haubert, The Citadel
Alex Hernandez, UA- Little Rock
Giuseppe Hoose, Buffalo
Jon Hoover, VMI
Nathan Jimenez, Michigan State
Diaz Joel, VMI
Scott Joll, West Virginia
Jake Lanning, Buffalo
Natty Lapinski, Drexel
Marty Larkin, Michigan State
Logan Messer, George Mason
Brett Mordecai, Appalachian State
Steven Newell, Davidson
Jay Nivison, Buffalo
Damen Pape, Northern Colorado
Joseph Pargoe, Gardner-Webb
Paul Pierce, George Mason
Shane Reitsma, Rider
Dennis Robin, West Virginia
Evan Schenk, Gardner-Webb
Thomas Sell, Chattanooga
Jeremy Seymour, George Mason
Dom Solis, Maryland
Carial Tarter, Chattanooga
Albert Urias, CSU-Bakersfield
Andrew Wilson, Gardner-Webb
Lennox Wolak, Columbia