Preview: Rutgers Wrestling set to take on the Cornell Big Red
Rutgers wrestling comes back home to take on the No. 23 Cornell Big Red this Friday night. Rutgers is coming off a Big Ten road trip, where they went 1 – 1, losing to No. 3 Ohio State, and defeating Michigan State.
Cornell, who is already sitting a number of starters in Olympic redshirt this season, will possibly be without two starters on Friday night. In Cornell’s probable lineup, both No. 15 Brandon Womack (174) and No. 10 Ben Darmstadt (197) are scratched from the lineup. Womack has been out of action since December, and Darmstadt suffered an injury against Columbia on January 11th. Both Womack and Darmstadt are former All-Americans.
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With two big-time starters out, Rutgers has a very good chance of knocking off the Big Red. A ranked win would be huge for a young Scarlet Knight team. TKR has broken down each weight class, taking an in-depth look at this Friday night showdown. Read below to see how TKR thinks Rutgers will fair in their first match back in the RAC after nearly a month.
125-POUNDS: DOMINIC LAJOIE vs. No. 15 NIC AGUILAR
THE SKINNY: This is one of the several aforementioned spots where Cornell has a stud in redshirt. Dominic LaJoie has filled in for Vito Arujau this season, and has faced some ups and downs as the starter. Despite his .500 record, LaJoie does have some narrow loses to ranked opponents, so he should not be taken lightly. Nic Aguilar got back on track this past weekend, going 2-0 in Rutgers’ Big Ten road trip. A side-by-side comparison would probably indicate Aguilar walks away with a decision here, but that is without factoring in the top prowess this California native has. At any time in the match, Aguilar is capable of scoring a quick set or two of back points. If Aguilar gets on top earlier, he could open the flood gates.
RESULT: Rutgers via major decision
TEAM SCORE: 4 - 0 Rutgers leads
133-POUNDS: No. 5 CHAS TUCKER vs. No. 11 SAMMY ALVAREZ
THE SKINNY: This is undoubtedly the marquee bout of the dual (a comment I feel I make for every Sammy Alvarez match). Sammy Alvarez continued his hot streak last weekend, most notably beating the blue-chip freshman, Jordan Decatur, of Ohio State. Chas Tucker will be putting his undefeated streak on the line against the talented freshman. Tucker has not seen the most difficult schedule this year, but he does have two wins over Wyoming’s Montorie Bridges. It is extremely difficult to pick against Alvarez, who has been getting better by the week. However, Tucker has much more college experience as a senior.
RESULT: Cornell via Decision
TEAM SCORE: 4 – 3 Rutgers leads
141-POUNDS: NOAH BAUGHMAN vs. JOJO ARAGONA
THE SKINNY: As Yianni Diakomihalis pursues his first Olympic team, Noah Baughman has stepped in to take over the 141-lb duties for the two-time NCAA champion. Baughman has been serviceable for Cornell, and only lost to No. 1 Luke Pletcher by a two-point margin. Jojo Aragona has struggled a bit with a hamstring injury, but despite that nagging ailment, Aragona has put together a very promising freshman campaign. If Alvarez does beat Tucker at 133, the fans will be going nuts leading into this bout. You have to like Aragona’s odds in a somewhat even bout when wrestling at home.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 7-3 Rutgers leads
149-POUNDS: RICHARD HUNTER vs. GERARD ANGELO
THE SKINNY: There is a noticeable pattern in Gerard Angelo’s season: he is struggles to win low scoring bouts. However, the always dangerous Angelo has the ability to light up a scoreboard fast. That is going to be the game plan here as he takes on a beatable opponent in Rich Hunter. Hunter has seen some highly ranked opponents such as Sammy Sasso and Brock Mauller, so he certainly is no stranger to stiff competition. This bout is going to come down to if Hunter can weather the Angelo’s storm. Hunter has kept more formidable opponents than Angelo at bay, and has not given up a bonus point loss this season.
RESULT: Cornell via decision
TEAM SCORE: 7-6 Rutgers leads
157-POUNDS: ADAM SANTORO vs. MIKE VAN BRILL
THE SKINNY: For Rutgers to have a chance to win down the stretch, Mike Van Brill must win his bout against Adam Santoro. Santoro is a sub .500 wrestler, who is currently on a seven match losing streak. Van Brill is coming off of a 1-1 weekend, where he picked up a quality win over Ohio State’ Elijah Cleary. Van Brill does get a little bit of heat from critics for not taking the next step to being a ranked wrestler. However, Van Brill is always produces as expected. He beats the opponents he is supposed to, and loses to the opponents he is supposed to. He has not picked up that marquee win to bring him to that next level, but he is more than solid enough to win here.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 10 – 6 Rutgers leads
165-POUNDS: JAKE BRINDLEY or ANDREW MEROLA vs. BRETT DONNER
THE SKINNY: At 165-pounds will be another huge swing bout that can very well determine the outcome of this dual. Brett Donner has been cemented as the starter at 165, especially since Jackson Turley has struggled with making weight. Donner is on a bit of losing streak, but has seen some pretty tough opponents over that three match stretch. Donner could see Jake Brindley or Andrew Merola, neither which are a very tough task. Donner did have a decent Southern Scuffle tournament, but aside from that he has had an up and down season. Tough to pick a winner in this toss up, but again, going with the Rutgers wrestler in an even bout at the RAC.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 13 – 6 Rutgers leads
174-POUNDS: MILIK DAWKINS vs. JOE GRELLO
THE SKINNY: Milik Dawkins has been the starter as of late for Cornell at 174-lbs, where former All-American, Brandon Womack, has been out due to injury. With a back-up in the lineup for the Big Red, a slumping Joe Grello has a much more winnable match. Grello has been off to a slow start since coming back from injury. The coaching staff is looking for Grello to turn the corner, and get back on track for Rutgers. To be blunt, Grello’s season has been a disappointment early on, but he has the talent and potential to turn things around. Friday night is the night he gets that ball rolling.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 16 – 6 Rutgers leads
184-POUNDS: No. 23 JONATHAN LOEW vs. No. 25 BILLY JANZER
THE SKINNY: This is a highly intriguing bout between two quality freshman who are both trying to make a name for themselves. Jonathan Loew started the season at 197-lbs for the Big Red, but has recently cut down to 184, and recently picked up a big win over No. 19 Chris Weiler of Lehigh. Billy Janzer has a nice win of his own, as he beat Michigan State’s No. 20 Cameron Caffey last weekend. With Loew coming down from 197, he may be a bit bigger than Janzer. However, Janzer’s grit and intensity fuels the Rutgers faithful, and the RAC will be loud if this is a tight bout down the stretch. This really is not an easy one to pick.
RESULT: Cornell via decision
TEAM SCORE: 16 – 9 Rutgers leads
197-POUNDS: JOHN FAGEN vs. NO. 18 JORDAN PAGANO
THE SKINNY: Ben Darmstadt injury defaulted in Cornell’s last dual against Columbia, and has been scratched for this match. This now make John Fagen the guy for Cornell against Rutgers on Friday night. With Fagen now being the guy, Pagano will likely become a heavy favorite, and in-turn Pagano would be viable to get a bonus point victory here.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 19-9 Rutgers leads
HWT: BRENDAN FURMAN VS. ALEX ESPOSITO
THE SKINNY: No one is going to jump up and say Alex Esposito is a Big Ten ready heavyweight. However, fans have to be pleased with the way he has filled in for an injured Christian Colucci. Esposito wrestles hard, but he just has a lot of work to do before he is a full-time starter. He is going to have a tough bout against Cornell’s Brandon Furman, who is looking to break through into that top 25. Furman is a little above .500, and is by no means one of the top big men in the country. However, he will still likely be a bit much for Esposito. Furman gets his hand raised to cap things off, but it is not without a quality fight from the Rutgers back-up.
RESULT: Cornell via decision
TEAM SCORE: 19-12 Rutgers wins!
