Belmont Abbey head coach Ken Caudell with Mitch Dean (Photo/Belmont Abbey athletics)
#24 Belmont Abbey College vs. #22 Newberry College
7:00 PM (EST) Wednesday, November 10th
Eleazer Arena, Newberry, South Carolina
Twitter: Belmont Abbey Newberry College
D2Wrestlestat Prediction
Deral Brown's return to Newberry College was almost certainly not under the circumstances he would have liked. No one can find fault with Cy Wainwright's decision to step away and focus on his children after such a tragedy, and no one can blame Brown for choosing to leave King University for his former home. It does not hurt that he inherits a top-25 team that, even without national qualifier ZeBrandon Gant currently in the lineup, will challenge for another Super Regional II crown.
There may not have been a team that was hurt more by the cancellation of the 2020 national championships in Sioux Falls than Belmont Abbey College. Fresh off their best finish as a program and the most qualifiers in their history, their season ended in the worst possible way. 2021 saw them qualify two wrestlers for the national tournament in St Louis, and Mitch Dean earned All-American honors. Led by head coach Ken Caudell, the Abbey program has only known his steady hand at the helm. This season sees them return talent and experience that will pay dividends.
The "rivalry" between these two sons of the South has been all Newberry College. In the last 15 meetings, the Wolves have won 14. Their current win streak stands at 10. The Belmont Abbey Crusaders tasted victory against Newberry way back in January of 2007. Coach Caudell has only had bragging rights for that single season and as much of a competitor as he is, you know that he wants them back desperately. Could 2022 be the Crusaders' chance to lay siege and sack Newberry? Or will coach Brown begin his career as the leader of the pack the same way that his predecessor ended his?
I will break down the matchups, show you how D2Wrestlestat thinks has the edge, and give you my predictions. Follow along.
Belmont Abbey - Newberry
125
Brandon Crowder (Fr) vs. #12 Zach Shupp (R-Jr)
Brandon Crowder has faced off against Zach Shupp just once and it did not go well for the sophomore. Shupp ended their last meeting early in the third period by way of a fall. Crowder enters his second freshman season after his first attempt only netted a 4-5 record. Three of his four wins came by way of bonus points and that is good news for the Crusaders. It probably will not matter Wednesday night, but for the rest of the season, it could affect the outcome of duals. Zach Shupp seems to have enjoyed his relocation to the South and why wouldn't he. He left the Ohio for the cold north of Central Michigan. In his first season with the Wolves, he was a Super Regional II runner-up and a trip to the national tournament. His ending to the season had to sting though, three straight losses beginning in those finals saw him leave the national tournament 0-2. He gets a do-over and is in one of the deepest weight classes and that is going to be a good thing. Shupp is the table-setter for this Newberry program and I expect the 12th-ranked redshirt-freshman to start fast in 2021.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Zach Shupp (Newberry) winner by MD over Brandon Crowder (Belmont Abbey)
Intermat Prediction: Zach Shupp (Newberry) winner by MD
Team Score: Newberry 4 Belmont Abbey 0
133
#15 Ben Fielding (So) vs. Timothy Decatur (So)
If Newberry has their place setter in Zach Shupp, the Belmont Abbey Crusaders have theirs at 133 in 15th-ranked Ben Fielding. The sophomore parlayed a 4-1 Super Regional II tournament into his trip to the national tournament. Duplicating his late-season success will be important because he began his season off last year just 1-3. A slow start out the gate on Wednesday could sink his team's chances quickly. Timothy Decatur never seemed to find his feet as a member of the UNC Tarheels. The Wolves are hoping that relocating to Newberry will have him show those skills that helped him win three North Carolina state championships. This matchup has upset written all over it. Is Ben Fielding just a wrestler who caught fire at the right time to make the trip to nationals or did he finally wrestle to his potential? If it is the former, expect Decatur to come out and put the Wolves up two wins to nothing and stake his team to a big lead.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Ben Fielding (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec over Timothy Decatur (Newberry)
Intermat Prediction: Timothy Decatur (Newberry) winner by Dec
Team Score: Newberry 7 Belmont Abbey 0
141
John Carayiannis (Fr) vs. Devan Moore (So)
Devan Moore won five straight matches to end the regular season in 2021, but stumbled at the Super Regional tournament finish 2-2. That was while wrestling 149 lbs and it's important to note that he also won a match at 157 pounds in 2021. What he'll look like at 141 pounds for the Newberry Wolves? Will he have the conditioning or will the weight cut take it out of him. In his wins, he never scored fewer than seven points last season. He will take on the repeat true freshman John Carayiannis. The freshman was 4-1, mainly seeing "extra" match action but was 1-1 as a starter. Early in the season, I find myself believing that significant weight cuts hurt more than they help. This will also be the first one-hour competition for Devan Moore, while Carayiannis has a match under his belt.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Devan Moore (Newberry) winner by Dec over John Carayiannis (Belmont Abbey)
Intermat Prediction: John Caryaiannis (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec
Team Score: Newberry 7 Belmont Abbey 3
149
Tyler Pepe (Fr) vs. Stevie Chopek (Fr)
In a battle of two true freshmen, who were true freshmen just a year ago, I am going to give the edge to Tyler Pepe. He is 1-1 in his career against 3rd-ranked Christian Small, which means that he is 1-1 against Deral Brown-coached athletes. Stevie Chopek is 0-1 against Deral Brown-coached wrestlers. That has no bearing, though, but I felt that we should at least keep the stats even. We also have a battle between New Jersey native Tyler Pepe and Floridian Stevie Chopek. Much like Devan Moore, Chopke wrestled all over the Newberry lineup last season, but he has returned to 149, where he was 3-0 in "extra" matches. I think this match comes down to whether we see early season Pepe or the young man that faded down the stretch. He is very talented and, at his best, has shown he can wrestle with anyone in the country.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Tyler Pepe (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec over Stevie Chopek (Newberry)
Intermat Prediction: Tyler Pepe (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec
Team Score: Newberry 7 Belmont Abbey 6
157
Jacob Dodson (Fr) vs. #8 Will Evans (R-Fr)
It would not surprise me to see this dual tied after the first four matches, or at most for one team to have a slim lead. For Newberry, this weight class is very important because it is a chance to gain some breathing room before 165. They have the advantage here as they send out 2021 All-American Will Evans, the redshirt-freshman who found his way onto the podium in St Louis. He takes on freshman Jacob Dodson who is coming out of the Gardner-Webb dual as the only Crusader with a win. Last season he was 2-1 in limited action, with the lone loss coming to the Deral Brown-coached Dallas Boone (King). There are always upsets in wrestling duals and this is one of those matches that looks like it should be all Newberry. You have a returning All-American, who lost three matches to All-Americans and one more to an undefeated national qualifier in John Burger (Limestone). His only head-scratching loss came in the first Limestone dual, where he fell 11-4 to Garrett Starks. I am wondering if a wrestler coming off a big win can ride that momentum over the weekend and sustain it until a Wednesday night dual.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Will Evans (Newberry) winner by Dec over Jacob Dodson (Belmont Abbey)
Intermat Prediction: Jacob Dodson (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec
Team Score: Belmont Abbey 9 Newberry 7
165
#4 Mitch Dean (SuperSenior) vs. Nolan Wheeler (Fr)
The Belmont Abbey Crusaders could be walking out of intermission with a lead and a chance to end a ten dual losing streak against Newberry College. They will be sending out their big gun to get things moving too. Fourth-ranked Mitch Dean is coming off his best finish in Division II after standing on the national podium in sixth. In the two seasons since his transfer from Clarion, Dean has only lost to national champions, All-Americans, and national qualifiers. Nolan Wheeler is none of those things. The last time he stepped on the mat for competition against someone other than a teammate was January 22, in a match, he withdrew from due to injury. I am sure that Nolan Wheeler is going to be a very important part of the Wolves lineup this season, but he's going to have growing pains. The injury robbing him of a longer season in 2021 means he is, for all intents and purposes, still a true freshman. The extra year in the room is great, but you can only grow so much wrestling the same athletes every day. For the Crusaders to win this dual, they need Mitch Dean to win and to win big.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Mitch Dean (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec over Nolan Wheeler (Newberry)
Intermat Prediction: Mitch Dean (Belmont Abbey) winner by MD
Team Score: Belmont Abbey 13 Newberry 7
174
Cristos Avgeros (R-So) vs. #9 Caleb Spears (SuperSenior)
Caleb Spears will enter the 2021 season ranked ninth after winning the Super Regional II title and qualifying for the national tournament a year ago. He was unable to gain his footing in St Louis and went 0-2, but it is important to remember that he was undefeated and a victim of some of the silliness that took place during the qualification and seeding process there. The graduate student will spend his last season at Newberry helping to lead this young team forward. He takes on the Old Dominion transfer Cristos Avgeros. In 2021 was Avgeros' first season as a starter in college and while he was 5-1 in duals, he could only manage a 1-2 record at the Super Regional tournament. Coach Caudell and the Crusaders need him to make a jump this year for them to challenge for a Super Regional title. He will be hard-pressed to slow down Caleb Spears, though. The experienced wrestler from Newberry has made a living out of scoring bonus points in college; he did it better than 60% of the time a year ago. I believe that Avgeros is talented enough to prevent that, but at the end of the match, I believe that Spears will be the wrestler with his hand raised.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Caleb Spears (Newberry) winner by Dec over Cristos Avgeros (Belmont Abbey)
Intermat Prediction: Caleb Spears (Newberry) winner by MD
Team Score: Belmont Abbey 13 Newberry 11
184
Connor Billingsly (Fr) vs. Armando Acosta (Fr)
No three-time national qualifier ZeBrandon Gant for Newberry? No problem. Armando Acosta descends from the 197 spot to fill in while Gant finishes the college football season. A year ago, Acosta earned three wins at the Super Regional tournament to push his season record to 5-8 and finish with a little momentum. True freshman Connon Billingsly hails from Memphis, Tennessee and is coming off a third-place finish at state. He has already dipped his toe in the college deep end against Division I Gardner-Webb. They say, "everybody has a plan until they get hit in the mouth," well, Billingsly was punched 18-2 last week. This is a must-win weight for the Wolves; a loss here would provide the Crusaders with a chance to shut the door on this dual with SuperSenior Logan Branham up next for Abbey.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Armando Acosta (Newberry) winner by Dec over Connor Billingsly (Belmont Abbey)
Intermat Prediction: Armando Acosta (Newberry) winner by Dec
Team Score: Newberry 14 Belmont Abbey 13
197
Logan Branham (SuperSenior) vs. Kaleb Havan (Fr)
If 184 was a must-win for the Wolves, this weight class is do-or-die for the Crusaders. They will have the SuperSenior Logan Branham stepping on the mat fat and sassy. I say "fat and sassy" because he makes the jump from 174 to 197 this season and nothing makes a wrestler happier than not having to cut weight their second senior season. Branham has already wrestled a full-size 197 in Gardner-Webb's very tough Anthony Perrine and held his own. He will be wrestling a true freshman from North Central High School in Kershaw, South Carolina. Kaleb Haven is part of a very talented young class of wrestlers that Deral Brown will get to develop over the next four to five years.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Logan Branham (Belmont Abbey) winner by MD over Kaleb Havan (Newberry)
Intermat Prediction: Logan Branham (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec
Team Score: Belmont Abbey 16 Newberry 14
Hwt
Justin Wright (Fr) vs. Devon Rice (So)
Third-year sophomore Devon Rice will take on second-year freshman Justin Wright in the match that will probably decide this dual. Will the Rider University transfer Wright be able to finally break the stranglehold that the Wolves have had over the Crusaders in this rivalry? Devon Rice will be looking to inch his career record closer to .500 with a win. And more than that, keep bragging rights firmly stabled at Newberry. Neither of these athletes has shown a proclivity for big moves yet in college, but last season Rice won two of his matches by fall. For Wright to win, he will have to score his first takedown of the season after not benign able to finish in the dual against Gardner-Webb.
Wrestlestat Prediction: Devon Rice (Newberry) winner by Dec over Justin Wright (Belmont Abbey)
Intermat Prediction: Justin Wright (Belmont Abbey) winner by Dec
Intermat Team Score Prediction: Belmont Abbey 19 Newberry College 14
Wrestlestat Team Score Prediction: Newberry 19 - Belmont Abbey 13
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