#3 NC State Wrestling hosts #10 Virginia Tech –Preview

NC State and the Hokies vie for the ACC Regular Season Team Title. It’s not the Ten Pounds of Gold of yesteryear, but it’s dang close!! Ring the bell; this one’s for the strap! Here’s my version of the breakdown:

125
Sean Fausz (15-5) vs. #3 Joey Dance (24-1) – Hokies. Fausz was great in his upset win over #9 Tim Lambert of Nebraska. I like Fausz to wrestle this match close, but Joey Dance’s only loss is to #1 Tomasello from Ohio State 5-4 at the Cliff Keen. Dance will win this match, but Fausz will only lose by decision.

133
Jamal Morris (11-5) vs. Kevin Norstrem (6-3) or Dennis Gustafson (6-3) – State. Morris wrestled well but gave up some late points to lose 7-2 against a ranked opponent (Montoya) last time out, but Morris earned the first takedown in the match. State is in a perfect position to earn bonus points at 133 as this is by far Va Tech’s weakest class. Morris needs to dominate and then some. A four-point (or more) victory is my expectation.

141
#3 Kevin Jack (19-3) vs. #8 Solomon Chishko (23-2) – State. This is one of several marquee matchups in this bout, and I think Jack has the slight edge. Chishko has been one of three freshmen to make a huge splash at 141 pounds (Micah Jordan from Ohio State and Tommy Thorn of Minnesota are two others). Chishko’s record speaks for itself, with losses coming to two other top-10 wrestlers (Jordan and Matt Manley from Missouri). Jack has three losses on the year, all to wrestlers ranked in the top-15. Jack was very good in his last match against Abidin, winning 6-1, and he’ll need to be that good again; and I believe he will be. Chishko comes in with a 12-match win streak, two of those over ranked wrestlers. Jack comes in with a matching 12-win clip, 4 straight over ranked opponents. Jack has the higher ranking, and the edge in this match, but I don’t see a bonus point, unless Chishko makes a huge mistake somewhere.

149
Jake Deangelo (20-8) or Beau Donahue (10-9) vs. Sal Mastriani (7-7) – State. Beau Donahue showed well again in a loss to a ranked opponent, falling 7-2. He only trailed 2-1 going into the third period against the #5-ranked Jake Sueflohn of Nebraska. This is another weak class for Va Tech, so State needs a win here to solidify the lead. Beau’s been strong lately, and I’ll give him the home-team edge. In terms of similar opponents, both Donahue and Mastriani have wins over Thomas Miller of UVa and losses to Evan Henderson of UN* (Mastriani saw the lights [got pinned], while Beau gave up a major 12-2).

157
#5 Thomas Gantt (19-0) vs. #4 Nick Brascetta (4-1) – Toss-up. Gantt has been undefeated this season and has been by far the most tested. Brascetta’s only loss was to #1 Jason Nolf of Penn State. I think Gantt keeps his streak going with an ‘upset’ over Brascetta, but it will be close. A late takedown or riding time decides this one.

165
#4 Max Rohskopf (11-1) vs. #12 David McFadden (17-6) – State. Max earned a strong 4-1 victory last time out against #14 Wilson from Nebraska. McFadden had a win last time out over #20 Fuller from Edinboro but lost to Cody Wiercioch from Pitt. A few common opponents here: Rohskopf has wins against all common opponents, while McFadden dropped matches to Staudenmeyer (UN*) and Wiercoch (Pitt). Rohskopf’s only loss is to #6 Kyle Crutchmer (at 174 pounds) from OK State. Max should win this one, but in Max-style, it will be close.

174
Nicky Hall (10-9) vs. #3 Zach Epperly (6-1) – Hokies. Nicky dropped his fourth straight match but it didn’t matter in terms of the team score. Epperly has been well rested this season, and his only loss is to #1 Bo Nickal of Penn State. Hall needs to keep this match close, but a major decision wouldn’t be the end of the world. Keep it to a major at worst, and State keeps a great chance to win the dual.

184
#18 Pete Renda (19-5) vs. #7 Zach Zavatsky (17-5) – Hokies. Renda lost to TJ Dudley from Nebraska 11-6 last time out, and it was the 2nd straight match Pete dropped. Zavatsky is on a 9-match winning streak, but Renda has faced tougher opponents over the last stretch. Both have wins over common opponents Bruce (Pitt) and Utley (UN*), but Zavatsky has a 3-1 SV win over #5 Vic Avery of Edinboro in his last match. The edge lies with Zavatsky, but the hope is that Pete gets his groove back with a big upset.

197
#15 Michael Boykin (14-6) vs. #7 Jared Haught (15-6) – Hokies. Boykin came up one point short on a bit of a controversy against Nebraska as a takedown/reversal was given to #14 Aaron Studebaker when the State coaches argued Boykin earned the two points. Either way, Boykin has been very strong on defense recently, and I am looking for his offense to get going in this next match. Haught is a strong wrestler with 5 of his 6 losses to wrestlers ranked in the top-10. Hokies get the edge here but only by decision.

HWT
#1 Nick Gwiazdowski (25-0) vs. #3 Ty Walz (20-0) – State. Ty Walz is good. Really good. Gwiz is the two-time defending champion. If you wanted a true marquee matchup, here it is. The bad part for Walz is that he’s lost to Gwiz every time (0-4), two by fall, one major decision and one decision. Nick doesn’t need to make a statement, but Walz might be looking to hit a home run and end Gwiz’s 79-straight streak.

State’s dual team record is 21-0. Va Tech has been the class of the conference for the last few years (despite Pitt winning the ACC title last year). In my opinion, State winning this could be the passing of the torch.
Final analysis: I count five matches for State, but the one toss-up is intriguing. State wins this one, but it’s not easy. Final score: 18-14.