Penn 133 lber Michael Colaiocco (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco)When I first thought of it, I knew it was probably going to be a bad take. I thought, what the hell, I'll ask it anyway and put it into the #MatScoutsDynasty Fantasy group chat to see what kind of response it got. I'll say… it was mixed.
The take: Conference duals should happen closer to the beginning of the season rather than the end of the season.'
Now, don't get me wrong. I love the dual half of the season, because I love duals in general. I think they are the more marketable and an easier-to-understand format for non-diehards or new viewers. There is something also extremely entertaining seeing things like ACC's "Friday Night Duals" or the Big Ten's double-headers on Fridays and Sundays.
But,
Use the Big Ten Conference as an example. No question that they are the premier conference in Division 1 Wrestling and every match is a battle. What gets me though, is that wrestlers will take on out of conference teams and participate in tournaments around the country (for the most part, when it isn't duck season) only to then have about six or seven weeks of one or maybe two matches a week against competitors you will see again at the end of that time in the conference tournament. Even though the drama it creates is entertaining (who didn't want to see Vincenzo Joseph and Alex Marinelli LESS), it gets a little redundant.
What about spacing out the conference duals from November into February? Obvious exceptions for bigger duals like Penn State vs. Iowa (essentially the Collegiate National Duals Championship bout) can be scheduled in late January or February which, then sets up Conference Tournament storylines.
Maybe by spacing out conference duals with non-conference duals will decrease ducking? Instead of knowing that "Wrestler A" is going to get a #1 seed for the Conference Tournament and thus sits against questionable matchups towards the end of the season, maybe it helps revert back to "the old days" of having to create a resume and body of work to substantiate your seed for the tournament. Now, wrestlers would actually have to compete in November and December instead of waiting for the back half of the season to actually step on the mat because "March is all that matters."
One member of the Dynasty league said it perfectly, though… "it should be a split f-ing season" (I won't say who it is, but for a 16-year-old, he talks like a sailor…. maybe Saylor is more appropriate?)
Anyway, it's probably a bad take. But at least it's a take?
On to Week 15
"Congrats" if you made the Winner's Bracket in your WrestleStat League!
"Way to go" if you made the Middle-Of-The-Pack bracket, and "Sucks to Suck" if you didn't make it into the postseason.
No major tournaments are listed at this time and nothing like an Edinboro Open or Last Chance Open (that's next week) in the shadows where there would be a lot of D1 team participation. Remember, only matches against D1 competition count for points.
Aside from the unicorn situation of Top-10 team with three duals in one weekend, a lot of teams only have one, maybe two duals on the docket which means there's less room for error. You can't hide behind the random tournament to boost your scores and compensate for others lacking in your lineup.
Now, you did what you had to do to make it into the Top-4 for playoffs, but if you were in the lucky situation of being "locked" into the top four, hopefully, you did some forward-thinking. By that, I mean scouting ahead to Week 15 and 16, looking for the best matchup and maybe adding them now instead of risking maybe not getting them later.
Good luck to all!
Wrestlers I Like This Week
Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score]
*organized by tournament name first, then by school name*
125:
Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+10]
Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)- Vs Cleveland State, @ Edinboro [+8]
Nick Suriano (Michigan)- @ Indiana, Vs Michigan State [+8]
Pat Glory (Princeton)- @ Lehigh, Vs U Penn [+8]
Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly)- Vs Air Force, Vs CSU Bakersfield [+7]
Joe Manchio (Columbia)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+6]
Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern)- @ Michigan State, Vs Northern Illinois [+6]
Vitali Arujau (Cornell)- Vs Binghamton [+5]
Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)- Vs Maryland [+5]
Sam Latona (Virginia Tech)- Vs North Carolina [+4]
Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)- Vs Missouri [+3]
Joseph Fischer (Clarion)- @ Rider [+3]
Jake Ferri (Kent State)- @ Bloomsburg [+3]
Jakob Camacho (NC State)- @ Pittsburgh [+3]
Oscar Sanchez (Ohio)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+3]
133:
Michael Colaiocco (U Penn)- @ Princeton, Vs Drexel [+8]
Gabriel Tagg (South Dakota State)- Vs Northern Colorado, Vs Little Rock [+8]
Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+7]
Angelo Rini (Columbia)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+7]
Lucas Byrd (Illinois)- @ Wisconsin, @ Nebraska [+7]
Gable Strickland (Lock Haven)- Vs Cleveland State, @ Edinboro [+7]
Richie Koehler (Rider)- Vs Clarion, Vs George Mason [+7]
Kellyn March (North Dakota State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs Northern Colorado [+6]
Chris Cannon (Northwestern)- @ Michigan State, Vs Northern Illinois [+6]
Michael McGee (Arizona State)- Vs Missouri [+5]
Gio Disabato (Ohio)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+5]
Brian Courtney (Virginia)- @ Duke [+5]
Codi Russell (Appalachian State)- Vs Campbell [+4]
Derek Spann (Buffalo)- @ Central Michigan [+4]
Kyle Gorant (Davidson)- @ VMI [+4]
Joey Oliveri (Rutgers)- Vs Maryland [+4]
Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)- Vs Oklahoma State [+3]
Jake Gliva (Minnesota)- Vs Ohio State [+3]
Mickey Phillippi (Pittsburgh)- Vs NC State [+3]
Haiden Drury (Utah Valley)- @ West Virginia [+3]
Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech)- Vs North Carolina [+3]
141:
Josh Mason (Bloomsburg)- Vs Kent State, Vs Cleveland State [+8]
Matthew Kazimir (Columbia)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+8]
CJ Composto (U Penn)- @ Princeton, Vs Drexel [+8]
Stevan Micic (Michigan)- @ Indiana, Vs Michigan State [+7]
Francisco Valdes (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+6]
Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)- Vs Maryland [+5]
Gabe Willochell (Edinboro)- Vs Lock Haven [+4]
Allan Hart (Missouri)- @ Arizona State [+4]
Dylan Cedeno (Virginia)- @ Duke [+4]
Ryan Anderson (Binghamton)- @ Cornell [+3]
Dresden Simon (Central Michigan)- Vs Buffalo [+3]
Ian Parker (Iowa State)- @ UNI [+3]
Jake Bergeland (Minnesota)- Vs Ohio State [+3]
Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina)- @ Virginia Tech [+3]
Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)- Vs NC State [+3]
Real Woods (Stanford)- Vs CSU Bakersfield [+3]
149:
Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)- @ Minnesota, Vs Indiana [+8]
Legend Lamer (Cal Poly)- Vs Air Force, Vs CSU Bakersfield [+7]
Noah Castillo (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+7]
Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State)- @ Lock Haven, @ Bloomsburg [+7]
Yahya Thomas (Northwestern)- @ Michigan State, Vs Northern Illinois [+7]
Blake Saito (Brown)- @ Columbia, @ Long Island [+6]
Anthony Artalona (U Penn)- @ Princeton, Vs Drexel [+6]
Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)- Vs Binghamton [+5]
Alex Madrigal (George Mason)- @ Rider [+4]
Ridge Lovett (Nebraska)- Vs Illinois [+4]
Tariq Wilson (NC State)- @ Pittsburgh [+4]
Alec Hagan (Ohio)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4]
Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech)- Vs North Carolina [+4]
Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)- Vs Illinois [+4]
Kyle Parco (Arizona State)- Vs Missouri [+3]
Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)- @ UNI [+3]
Mike Van Brill (Rutgers)- Vs Maryland [+3]
Jaden Abas (Stanford)- Vs CSU Bakersfield [+3]
Jaron Jensen (Wyoming)- @ Air Force [+3]
157:
Jared Franek (North Dakota State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs Northern Colorado [+8]
Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)- @ Michigan State, Vs Northern Illinois [+8]
Weston Wichman (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+7]
Ben Barton (Lock Haven)- Vs Cleveland State, @ Edinboro [+7]
Dazjon Casto (The Citadel)- Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs Bellarmine [+6]
Hunter Richard (Cornell)- Vs Binghamton [+4]
David Carr (Iowa State)- @ UNI [+4]
Peyton Robb (Nebraska)- Vs Illinois [+4]
Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)- @ Virginia Tech [+4]
Jordan Slivka (Ohio)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4]
Robert Kainnard (Rutgers)- Vs Maryland [+4]
Jake Keating (Virginia)- @ Duke [+4]
Cody Bond (Appalachian State)- Vs Campbell [+3]
Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)- Vs Missouri [+3]
Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)- Vs Buffalo [+3]
Avery Bassett (George Mason)- @ Rider [+3]
Brayton Lee (Minnesota)- Vs Ohio State [+3]
Ed Scott (NC State)- @ Pittsburgh [+3]
Garrett Model (Wisconsin)- Vs Illinois [+3]
Jacob Wright (Wyoming)- @ Air Force [+3]
165:
Evan Wick (Cal Poly)- Vs Air Force, Vs CSU Bakersfield [+8]
Cam Amine (Michigan)- @ Indiana, Vs Michigan State [+7]
Luke Weber (North Dakota State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs Northern Colorado [+7]
Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)- @ Minnesota, Vs Indiana [+7]
Tanner Cook (South Dakota State)- Vs Northern Colorado, Vs Little Rock [+7]
Drew Nicholson (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+6]
Lucas Revano (U Penn)- @ Princeton, Vs Drexel [+6]
William Formato (Appalachian State)- Vs Campbell [+4]
Chris Foca (Cornell)- Vs Binghamton [+4] * if he wrestles
Shane Griffith (Stanford)- Vs CSU Bakersfield [+4]
Justin McCoy (Virginia)- @ Duke [+4]
Peyton Hall (West Virginia)- @ Utah Valley [+4]
Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)- Vs Illinois [+4]
Zach Hartman (Buckenell)- @ Lehigh [+3]
Cameron Pine (Clarion)- @ Rider [+3]
Julian Ramirez (Cornell)- Vs Binghamton [+3]
Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)- @ Arizona State [+3]
Austin Yant (UNI)- Vs Iowa State [+3]
Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech)- Vs North Carolina [+3]
174:
Logan Massa (Michigan)- @ Indiana, Vs Michigan State [+8]
Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven)- Vs Cleveland State, @ Edinboro [+7]
Cade DeVos (South Dakota State)- Vs Northern Colorado, Vs Little Rock [+7]
Ethan Smith (Ohio State)- @ Minnesota, Vs Indiana [+6]
Logan Messer (George Mason)- @ Rider [+4]
Peyton Mocco (Missouri)- @ Arizona State [+4]
Michael Labriola (Nebraska)- Vs Illinois [+4]
Hayden Hidlay (NC State)- @ Pittsburgh [+4]
Sal Perrine (Ohio)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4]
Andrew McNally (Wisconsin)- Vs Illinois [+4]
John Worthing (Clarion)- @ Rider [+3]
Michael Kemerer (Iowa)- Vs Oklahoma State [+3]
Tyler Eichens (Stanford)- Vs CSU Bakersfield [+3]
Scott Joll (West Virginia)- @ Utah Valley [+3]
Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)- Vs North Carolina [+3]
Hayden Hastings (Wyoming)- @ Air Force [+3]
184:
Myles Amine (Michigan)- @ Indiana, Vs Michigan State [+7]
Bernie Truax (Cal Poly)- Vs Air Force, Vs CSU Bakersfield [+7]
Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+7]
Cade King (South Dakota State)- Vs Northern Colorado, Vs Little Rock [+7]
Charles Small (Hofstra)- Vs Harvard, Vs Sacred Heart [+6]
Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois)- @ Northwestern [+5]
Caleb Hopkins (Campbell)- @ Appalachian State [+4]
Ethan Ducca (Edinboro)- Vs Lock Haven [+4]
Jeremiah Kent (Missouri)- @ Arizona State [+4]
Trent Hidlay (NC State)- @ Pittsburgh [+4]
Tate Samuelson (Wyoming)- @ Air Force [+4]
Taylor Venz (Nebraska)- Vs Illinois [+3]
Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)- Vs Iowa [+3]
Michael Battista (Virginia)- @ Duke [+3]
197:
Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)- Vs Northern Colorado, Vs Little Rock [+8]
Owen Pentz (North Dakota State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs Northern Colorado [+8]
Ben Smith (Cleveland State)- @ Lock Haven, @ Bloomsburg [+7]
Trey Rogers (Hofstra)- Vs Harvard, Vs Sacred Heart [+7]
Tyler Mousaw (VMI)- Vs Davidson, @ Chattanooga [+7]
Luke Stout (Princeton)- @ Lehigh, Vs U Penn [+6]
Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming)- @ Air Force [+5]
Chris Kober (Campbell)- @ Appalachian State [+4]
Will Feldkamp (Clarion)- @ Rider [+4]
Jacob Warner (Iowa)- Vs Oklahoma State [+4] * if no Ferrari
Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)- @ UNI [+4]
Eric Schultz (Nebraska)- Vs Illinois [+4]
Greg Bulsak (Rutgers)- Vs Maryland [+4]
Evan Bockman (Utah Valley)- @ West Virginia [+4]
Nick Stemmet (Stanford)- Vs CSU Bakersfield [+3]
Jay Aiello (Virginia)- @ Duke [+3]
Braxton Amos (Wisconsin)- Vs Illinois [+3]
285:
Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force)- Vs Wyoming, Vs Cal Poly, Vs CSU Bakersfield [+13]
Michael McAleavey (The Citadel)- Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs Bellarmine [+9]
Mason Parris (Michigan)- @ Indiana, Vs Michigan State [+9]
Grayson Walthall (Chattanooga)- Vs Presbyterian, Vs VMI [+8]
Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra)- Vs Harvard, Vs Sacred Heart [+8]
Lucas Davison (Northwestern)- @ Michigan State, Vs Northern Illinois [+8]
Isaac Reid (Lock Haven)- Vs Cleveland State, @ Edinboro [+7]
Jordan Wood (Lehigh)- Vs Princeton, Vs Bucknell [+7]
Ben Goldin (U Penn)- @ Princeton, Vs Drexel [+7]
Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)- Vs Buffalo [+4]
Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa)- Vs Oklahoma State [+4]
Gable Steveson (Minnesota)- Vs Ohio State [+4]
Quinn Miller (Virginia)- @ Duke [+4]
Nathan Traxler (Virginia Tech)- Vs North Carolina [+4]
Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)- Vs Missouri [+3]
Lewis Fernandes (Cornell)- Vs Binghamton [+3]
Sam Schuyler (Iowa State)- @ UNI [+3]
Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)- Vs Illinois [+3]
Think I missed someone? Disagree with someone on the list or their projection? Want to know our thoughts on a matchup? Let me know!
Win the week!
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