CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.; January 1, 2019 – No. 1 Penn State (4-0, 0-0 B1G) is standing tall after the first day of the 2019 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Head coach Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions sit in first place and have 11 semifinalists at nine weights. The two-day event continues tomorrow, Jan. 2, in UT-Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena.
Two Lions notched milestone wins on day one. Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas) became the newest member of the Nittany Lion 100-wins club on day one. He picked up three wins (all by fall) to hit the 100 career win mark. Nickal enters tomorrow's second day of the Southern Scuffle with a 100-3 career record. Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.) tied the Penn State record for falls in a career with two pins as well. He has 53 now, tied with Zain Retherford, David Taylor and Josh Moore. He needs one more to own the record alone.
True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 15 at 133, was solid on day one of the Scuffle, becoming Penn State's first semifinalist with a 3-0 day at 133. Bravo-Young downed Stanford's Dalton Young 4-3, Lehigh's Nick Farro 4-1 and Virginia Tech's Collin Gerardi 8-6 (sv) to move into tomorrow's semifinal round. Sophomore Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 4 at 141, went 4-0 on the first day, getting a pin in the first round and then reeling off three straight impressive majors. He majored Pitt's Cole Matthews 11-3 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals tomorrow.
Redshirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 10 at 149, rolled through the first day of the Scuffle, going 4-0. He had two majors and moved into the semifinals with a strong 4-3 win over No. 17 Jared Prince of Navy in the quarterfinals. Nolf, ranked No. 1 at 157, went 3-0 on day one and tied the Penn State all-time pins list (53) with two quick pins. He then majored Oklahoma State's Jonce Blaylock in the quarters to move into tomorrow's semifinals.
Sophomore Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) had an outstanding first day at the Scuffle. He opened up his tournament by rolling over No. 14 Dan Reed of Columbia, posting a 16-0 tech fall at the 3:00 mark. He added wins over Chase Straw of Iowa State and Ben Anderson of Duke to advance to the semifinals. Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, went 3-0 at 165. He opened his tournament with two pins, his seventh and eighth of the year, and then downed Stanford's Shane Griffith in the quarterfinals to advance to tomorrow's semis.
Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, sailed into the semifinals with three bonus wins. He notched two tech falls by a combined 39-9 in his first two bouts and then majored Iowa State's Marcus Coleman 14-4 in the quarterfinals. Hall's 3-0 day moves him into tomorrow's semifinal round. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 3 at 184, also advanced to the semifinals. He went 2-0 officially, both major decisions over Joel Shapiro of Iowa State and Hunter Yeargan of Ohio in the quarterfinals. Rasheed also picked up a 12-2 major over non-collegiate wrestler Jonathan Loew, a result that does not count as a win or a loss, nor for any stats or team records.
Nickal, ranked No. 1 at 197, picked up three wins on three pins to earn his 100th career victory at Penn State and punch his ticket to the semifinals. Nickal pinned North Carolina State's Tyrie Houghton (3:49) and Lock Haven's Luke McGonigal (1:34) to advance to the quarters. He then picked up win 100 with a third straight fall, this one over Josh Roetman of Navy at the 1:47 mark. Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 285, went 3-0 on day one, getting three dominating majors over wrestlers from Ohio, Rider and Iowa State to advance to the semifinals tomorrow. Senior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) also went 3-0 on day one at 285. Nevills was strong, posting a pin, a tech fall and a 7-1 win over No. 17 Joey Goodhart of Drexel in the quarters to move to the semifinals.
Redshirt freshman Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) went 2-1 on day one. He advanced to the quarterfinals with a first round tech fall and a major in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he lost a close 3-2 decision to No. 12 Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma State and will continue in consos tomorrow. Redshirt freshman Mason Manville (Lorton, Va.) had a strong first day at 165. Manville won his first two bouts, a major and a 6-2 win over Navy's Tanner Skidgel, to move to the quarterfinals where he met No. 3 Chance Marsteller of Lock Haven. Manville battled the ranked Bald Eagle tough but lost 4-2 and will continue in consolation action tomorrow.
Wrestling unattached, true freshman Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa) took to the mat for the first time this season at 125 and began his tournament with two solid wins (6-3 and 4-3 decisions) to advance to the quarterfinals. He lost to Lock Haven's Luke Werner in the quarters, falling into consolation action tomorrow.
Sophomore Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) opened up his tournament with a strong major over Drexel's Antonio Mininno at 125 but lost to No. 17 Rico Montoya of Northern Colorado in the second round. He then battled Navy's Aslan Kilic tough before losing a close 7-6 decision to end the tournament with a 1-2 mark. Sophomore Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) competed at 149, dropping two close decisions to bow out of the tournament. Junior Dominic Giannangeli (Murrysville, Pa.) wrestled at 141, dropping a couple tough decisions. He did pick up a victory against a non-collegiate entry but the win does not count towards his record. Junior Francisco Bisono (Hauppauge, N.Y.) competed at 184, dropping both his matches, including a tough 6-4 (sv) decision to Oklahoma State's Bear Hughes in consolation action.
The Nittany Lions lead the team race after the first day with 121.5 points while Oklahoma State is second with 111.5. Iowa State and Lock Haven are tied for third with 60.0 each. Penn State went 41-11 on day one, including a 30-8 first session and an 11-3 second session. The Nittany Lions totaled 29 bonus point wins off 15 majors, five technical falls and nine pins.
Action continues starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. with the consolation action followed by the semifinals. Penn State is looking to win its eighth Southern Scuffle title in its last eight trips to the event. The Nittany Lions are 4-0 in dual meets to date and, after tomorrow's Scuffle finale, will open up Big Ten action at Northwestern on Friday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. (Eastern) and home against Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 13, at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
2019 Southern Scuffle
January 1, 2019 – McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
TEAM STANDINGS (Top 3)
1: PENN STATE – 121.5
2: Oklahoma State – 111.5
3: Iowa State – 60.0
3: Lock Haven – 60.0
Weight-by-weight agate (rankings listed InterMat as of 12/25/18)
125: Devin Schnupp, So.
Rd. 1: Antonio Mininno, Drexel – W, 13-5 maj.
Rd. 2: #17 Rico Montoya, Northern Colorado – L, 0-17 (TF; 4:12)
Cn. 3: Aslan Kilic, Navy – L, 6-7 dec.
Devin Schnupp took on Drexel's Antonio Mininno in the first round at 125 and dominated him to the tune of a 13-5 major decision. He then met No. 17 Rico Montoya of Northern Colorado in the round of 16 and dropped a 17-0 tech fall. Schnupp lost 7-6 to Aslan Kilic of Navy to end his tournament with a 1-2 mark.
125: Brody Teske, Fr. (UNATTACHED)
Rd. 1: Paxton Rosen, Campbell – W, 6-3 dec.
Rd. 2: Shakur Laney, Ohio – W, 4-3 dec.
Qtrs: Luke Werner, Lock Haven – L, 0-15 (TF; 5:33)
Cn. 4: tomorrow
Wrestling unattached, Brody Teske made his season debut at 125 against Paxton Rosen of Campbell and posted a strong 6-3 win, including a full third period ride and 2:36 in riding time. He took on Ohio's Shakur Laney in the next round and used a late takedown to post a 4-3 win to advance to the quarterfinals. Teske took on Lock Haven's Luke Werner in the quarters and lost a 15-0 bout to drop into consolation action.
133: #15 Roman Bravo-Young, Fr.
Rd. 1: Dalton Young, Stanford – W, 4-3 dec.
Rd. 2: Nick Farro, Lehigh – W, 4-1 dec.
Qtrs: Collin Gerardi, Virginia Tech – W, 8-6 (sv)
Semis: tomorrow
Roman Bravo-Young met Stanford's Dalton Young in the first round at 133 and notched a hard-fought 4-3 win. In the second round, he met Lehigh's Nick Farro and used a third period takedown and rideout to notch a 4-1 win to move into the quarterfinals. Bravo-Young met Virginia Tech's Collin Gerardi in the quarters and battled his way to a hard-fought 8-6 (sv) win to advance to the semifinals.
141: #4 Nick Lee, So.
Rd. 1: Julian Flores, Drexel – WBF (4:14)
Rd. 2: Carmine Ciotti, Edinboro – W, 15-4 maj.
Rd. 3: Aiden Murphy, Chattanooga – W, 12-4 maj.
Qtrs: Cole Matthews, Pittsburgh – W, 11-3 maj.
Semis: tomorrow
Nick Lee met Julian Flores of Drexel in the first round at 141 and picked up a second period pin at the 4:14 mark. He took on Edinboro's Carmine Ciotti in the next round and rolled to a 15-4 major decision. Lee then majored Aiden Murphy of Chattanooga, 12-4, in the third round to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarters, he took on Pitt's Cole Matthews and made if a 4-0 first day with his third major, this one an 11-3 win.
141: Dominic Giannangeli, Jr.
Rd. 1: Anthony Sparacio, Binghamton – L, 4-7 dec.
Cn. 1: Connor Ward, NON-COL – W, 7-2 dec.
Cn. 2: Carmine Ciotti, Edinboro – L, 0-6
Dominic Giannangeli faced off against Binghamton's Anthony Sparacio in the opening round at 141. Giannangeli dropped a close 7-4 decision and slid into the consolation bracket where he downed Connor Ward, a non-collegiate entry, 7-2 (the victory does not count as results against non-collegiate competition are not wins or losses). In the next consolation round, dropped a tough 6-0 decision to Edinboro's Carmine Ciotti to bow out of the tournament.
149: #10 Brady Berge, Fr.
Rd. 1: Frankie Gissendanner, Rider – W, 12-4 maj.
Rd. 2: Dusty Hone, Oklahoma State – W, 4-2 dec.
Rd. 3: Alec Hagan, Ohio – W, 12-3 maj.
Qtrs: #17 Jared Prince, Navy – W, 4-3 dec.
Semis: tomorrow
Brady Berge took on Frankie Gissendanner of Rider in round one at 149 and posted a strong 12-4 major decision. He then downed Oklahoma State's Dusty Hone 4-2 to move into the third round, where he dominated Ohio's Alec Hagan, rolling to a 12-3 major decision. Berge took on No. 17 Jared Prince of Navy in the quarterfinals and notched a late takedown to secure a 4-3 win and advance to the semifinals.
149: Jarod Verkleeren, Fr.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: Wyatt Sladek, Campbell – W, 24-9 (TF; 4:40)
Rd. 3: Alec Opsal, Air Force – W, 17-6 maj.
Qtrs: #12 Kaden Gfeller, Oklahoma State – L, 2-3
Cn 4: tomorrow
Jarod Verkleeren had a first round bye and then battled Campbell's Wyatt Sladek in the first round at 149. He dominated that bout, rolling to a 24-9 technical fall at the 4:40 mark. In the third round, majored Alec Opsal of Air Force to move into the quarterfinals. He met No. 12 Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals and lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision.
149: Luke Gardner, Fr.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State – L, 3-6 dec.
Cn. 1: bye
Cn. 2: Gary Dinmore, Rider – L, 4-6 dec.
Luke Gardner had a first round bye at 149 and then dropped a tough 6-3 decision to Matt Zovistoski of Appalachian State in the second round. He received a bye in the first round of consolation action and then bowed out of the tournament after a hard-fought 6-4 loss to Rider's Gary Dinmore.
157: #1 Jason Nolf, Sr.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: Jared Hill, Stanford – WBF (1:21)
Rd. 3: William Formato, Appalachian State – WBF (4:07)
Qtrs: Jonce Blaylock, Oklahoma State – W, 21-7 maj. dec.
Semis: tomorrow
Jason Nolf had a first round bye at 157 and then took on Jared Hill off Stanford in the first round. He pinned Hill in just 1:21, moving into the third round and one fall shy of tying Penn State's all-time pin record. He tied the record in the next round, pinning William Formato of Appalachian State at the 4:07 mark. The fall was the 53rd of his Lion career, tying Zain Retherford, David Taylor and Josh Moore for the top spot on the all-time list. He then majored Oklahoma State's Jonce Blaylock 21-7 to move into the semifinal round.
157: Bo Pipher, So.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: #14 Dan Reed, Columbia – W, 16-0 (TF; 3:00)
Rd. 3: Chase Straw, Iowa State – W, 5-3 dec.
Qtrs: Ben Anderson, Duke – W, 5-3 dec.
Semis: tomorrow
Bo Pipher and a first round bye and then met No. 14 Dan Reed of Columbia in the second round at 157. Pipher put on a show, throwing Reed early for six points and then turning him three more times, including a final four-count as the first period ended to post a 16-0 technical fall over the ranked grappler at the 3:00 mark. Pipher then topped Iowa State's Chase Straw 5-3 to move into the quarterfinals where he took on Ben Anderson of Duke. Pipher continued his strong tourney with a 5-3 win over Anderson to move into the semifinals.
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph, Jr.
Rd. 1: Michael Ferree, Campbell – WBF (2:07)
Rd. 2: Joey Mazzarra, North Carolina State – WBF (4:40)
Qtrs: Shane Griffith, Stanford – W, 6-4 dec.
Semis: tomorrow
Vincenzo Joseph took on Campbell's Michale Ferree in round one at 165 and after reeling off six early takedowns, finished off the match with a pin at the 2:07 mark to move into the second round. He made it two straight pins to start the day by pinning North Carolina State's Joey Mazzarra at the 4:40 mark to move into the quarterfinals. Joseph met Shane Griffith of Stanford in the quarters and won 6-4 to move into the semifinals.
165: Mason Manville, Fr.
Rd. 1: Trey Watson, Chattanooga – W, 12-3 maj.
Rd. 2: Tanner Skidgel, Navy – W, 6-2 dec.
Qtrs: #3 Chance Marsteller, Lock Haven – L, 2-4 dec.
Cn. 4: tomorrow
Mason Manville met Chattanooga's Trey Watson in the opening round at 165. Manville dominated Watson, posting a 12-3 major decision, to move into the second round. He controlled Navy's Tanner Skidgel, posting a 6-2 major, to move into the quarterfinals where he met No. 3 Chance Marsteller of Lock Haven. Manville dropped a tough 2-4 decision and moved into consolation action.
174: #1 Mark Hall
Rd. 1: Logan Stanley, Ohio – W, 17-2 (TF; 6:07)
Rd. 2: Cody Hughes, Virginia Tech – W, 22-7 (TF; 6:36)
Qtrs: Marcus Coleman, Iowa State – W, 14-4 maj.
Semis: tomorrow
Mark Hall met Ohio's Logan Stanley in round one at 174 and rolled to a 17-2 technical fall at the 6:07 mark. In the next round, Hall dominated Cody Hughes of Virginia Tech, rolling to a second straight tech fall, 22-7 at the 6:36 mark. The win advanced him to the quarterfinals where he notched a strong 14-4 major over Iowa State's Marcus Coleman.
184: #3 Shakur Rasheed, Sr.
Rd. 1: bye
Rd. 2: Jonathan Loew, NON-COL (does not count on record) – W, 12-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 3: Joel Shapiro, Iowa State – W, 13-1 maj.
Qtrs: Hunter Yeargan, Ohio – W, 11-0 maj.
Semis: tomorrow
Shakur Rasheed had a first round bye at 184 and then met a non-collegiate wrestler, Jonathan Loew, in the second round. Rasheed got the 12-2 major, but the result does not count as a win or major for his stats nor the team's. Rasheed majored Joel Shapiro of Iowa State in the second round, picking up his first official win of the tourney to move into the quarterfinals. Rasheed met Ohio's Hunter Yeargan in the quarters and shutout the Bearcat with an 11-0 major.
184: Francisco Bisono, Jr.
Rd. 1: Chris Weiler, Lehigh – L, 6-15 maj.
Cn. 1: Bear Hughes, Oklahoma State – L, 4-6 (sv)
Francisco Bisono met Lehigh's Chris Weiler in the first round at 184 and dropped a 15-6 major decision. In his first consolation bout, he took Oklahoma State's Bear Hughes to sudden victory before dropping a tough 6-4 (sv) bout. He ended his tournament with an 0-2 mark.
197: #1 Bo Nickal, Sr.
Rd. 1: Tyrie Houghton, North Carolina State – WBF (3:49)
Rd. 2: Luke McGonigal, Lock Haven – WBF (1:34)
Qtrs: Josh Roetman, Navy – WBF (1:47)
Semis: tomorrow
Bo Nickal took on North Carolina State's Tyrie Houghton in the opening round at 197. Nickal rolled out to a big early lead and then finished off the bout with a pin at the 3:49 mark. In the next round, he notched his 99th career win with yet another pin (the 47th of his career). He pinned Lock Haven's Luke McGonigal at the 1:34 mark to move into the quarterfinals. Nickal picked up the 100th win of his career in the quarterfinals by pinning Navy's Josh Roetman at the 1:47 mark to move into the semifinals.
285: #5 Anthony Cassar, Sr.
Rd. 1: Jordan Earnest, Ohio – W, 18-4 maj.
Rd. 2: Ryan Cloud, Rider – W, 16-4 maj.
Qtrs: Gannon Gremmel, Iowa State – W, 16-5 maj.
Semis: tomorrow
Anthony Cassar met Ohio's Jordan Earnest in the opening round at 285. He dominated the match, posting an 18-4 major decision with over 4:00 in riding time, to move into the second round. Cassar used a strong third period to break away to a 16-4 major over Rider's Ryan Cloud and advanced to the quarterfinals where he met Iowa State's Gannon Gremmel. Cassar dominated Gremmel, rolling to a 16-5 major to advance to the semifinals.
285: Nick Nevills, Sr.
Rd. 1: James Brady, Rider – WBF (4:09)
Rd. 2: John Borst, Virginia Tech – W, 20-5 (TF; 7:00)
Qtrs: #17 Joey Goodhart, Drexel – W, 7-1 dec.
Nick Nevills met James Brady of Rider in the first round at 285 and dominated the bout, rolling out to a 13-0 lead before ending the bout with a pin at the 4:09 mark. He posted a second straight tech fall after that, roaring to a 20-5 TF at the 7:00 mark over John Borst of Virginia Tech. The win moved Nevills into the quarterfinals where he met No. 17 Joey Goodhart of Drexel. Nevills dominated the ranked Drexel wrestler, posting a strong 7-1 win to advance to the semifinals.
