Rutgers Wrestling is set to hit the road for the program's first dual of the new year as they travel to Pennsylvania to take on Bloomsburg in a Friday night matchup.

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Bronson Garber vs. No. 14 Dean Peterson OR Dylan Shawver

Reports are that Rutgers is still undecided on who their starting 125-lb grappler will be, but Coach Goodale did note Dean Peterson will likely get the nod in Rutgers’ two final out-of-conference dual meets this weekend. Peterson, who is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Midlands Championships, will see Bronson Garber to kick off the dual against Bloomsburg. Garber has a career record just below .500, and three of his seven wins this season are to either Division II or III wrestlers. Peterson will be looking to make a statement this weekend that he is the guy at 125-lbs. A dominant performance against Bloomsburg, and Rider on Sunday, should secure the starting job for Peterson.

PREDICTION: Peterson via major decision

TEAM SCORE: 4 – 0 Rutgers

Cole Rhone vs. No. 14 Joe Heilmann

Every season, Rutgers seems to have a very solid transfer in their lineup, and this year that has been Joe Heilmann. The North Carolina transfer has been consistently in the top 15 in the rankings, and has put together a quality 16 – 3 record in the first half of the season. Helimann’s opponent, Cole Rhone, comes into the dual with an 11 – 6 record on the year, and was a national qualifier in 2021. Rhone has not had any major wins on the season, but he has been competitive with high level competition. Heilmann is the better wrestler, and should not run into too much trouble in this match, but Rhone has the ability to hold Heilmann to a decision.

PREDICTION: Heilmann via decision

TEAM SCORE: 7 – 0 Rutgers

Josh Mason vs. No. 12 Sammy Alvarez

Prior to The Midlands, Josh Mason was a name the casual Rutgers wrestling fan likely did not recognize. However, when Mason pulled off an upset victory over Joey Olivieri in the consolation side of the 141-lb bracket at The Midlands, he is now a name that is familiar to Scarlet Knight fans. Sammy Alvarez, who was also in that bracket, ended up finishing third after a very solid performance. Mason was a 2022 national qualifier and should not be taken likely. It has been well noted that when Alvarez is off his game, which can happen, he is capable of being upset. However, if Alvarez wrestles the way he did last weekend, he should have no problem securing the win.

PREDICTION: Alvarez via decision

TEAM SCORE: 10 – 0 Rutgers

Cade Balestrini vs. No. 32 Anthony White

It’s still too early in Anthony White’s career to cast any harsh criticism, but it could be safe to say that White has not had the season fans were hoping for after a strong redshirt year in 2022. White currently sits at 8 – 5, and the toughest stretch of his season still lies ahead. White, who went 0 – 2 at The Midlands tournament, will face Cade Balestrini, who finished 7th. Balestrini picked off Jude Swisher in the consolation bracket, who defeated White in a 3 – 1 match in the opening round. This could certainly be considered a toss-up, as White did not look great last weekend, while Balestrini had a pretty good showing. White has done a much better job of keeping matches close when facing ranked competition, where as Balestrini has not had that difficult of a schedule, aside from The Midlands tournament. The question becomes: is the favorite the hot-hand in Balestrini, or the battle-tested White? I am going to give this one to Balestrini in a very tight, low-scoring match.

PREDICTION: Balestrini via decision

TEAM SCORE: 10 – 3 Rutgers

CJ Fritz vs. Andrew Clark

If TKR was giving out mid-season awards, the “most improved” trophy would go to Andrew Clark. Clark, who is down a weight from last season, looks much more comfortable, and has been more successful, at 157-lbs. Clark will take on true-freshman, CJ Fritz, who has only wrestled two matches on the year. Fritz will be filling the spot for Josh Bonomo, who is Bloomsburg regular 157-lb starter. Clark should be coming into this weekend with some confidence after a sixth-place finish at The Midlands. This is a great opportunity for him to keep the ball rolling, against a young and inexperienced back-up.

PREDICTION: Clark via decision

TEAM SCORE: 13 – 3 Rutgers

Connor O’Neill vs. Trenton Harder OR Christian Reid

Bloomsburg usually starts Trenton Harder at 165-lbs, but it looks like the Huskies are not ruling out using Christian Reid, who is a back-up 157. Harder has a 0 – 9 record, where as Reid has gone 1 – 4 in open tournaments. Regardless of who Bloomsburg sends out, O’Neill will be a heavy favorite, and should have no trouble here. O’Neill, who is on a five-match skid, can use this match as an opportunity to get back in the win column, before seeing a very tough Hunter Mays from Rider on Sunday.

PREDICTION: O’Neill via major decision

TEAM SCORE: 17 – 3 Rutgers

Anthony DeRosa vs Jackson Turley OR Eric Freeman

After coming off an injury last season, Jackson Turley has struggled to get back to old form this season. Currently, Turley sits at 3 – 5 on the season, with a 2 – 3 dual meet record. Most recently, Turley went 1 – 2 at The Midlands, with his two losses being quite one-sided. It is unclear if Turley is just shaking off some rust or still dealing with an injury, but there is no question Turley is not at his best right now. This could be a spot, if the match is well out of hand, to use back up Eric Freeman. Turley may benefit from a day of rest before his match up with Rider’s Shane Reitsma on Sunday, who was a two-time New Jersey state runner-up. However, if rust is the issue, it is probably a good idea to use this match for Turley to work out some kinks in his game. For the sake of predictions, we will say Turley is wrestling in this one.

PREDICTION: Turley via decision

TEAM SCORE: 20 – 3 Rutgers

Bruno Stolfi vs. No. 15 Brian Soldano

Watching Brian Soldano wrestle is like taking a ride on a rollercoaster. There are times where your heart will sink into your stomach with nerves, and then shortly after you light up with excitement. The unorthodox Soldano has one of the most unique styles in college wrestling, but also one of the most dangerous. However, Soldano’s “live-by-the-sword” ways usually do not put him in much danger against lesser competition. Soldano will be a strong favorite against Bruno Stolfi, who is a 5 – 3 sophomore for the Huskies. Stolfi has given up bonus points in all three of his losses, and I would expect that to happen against Soldano, as well.

PREDICTION: Soldano via pin

TEAM SCORE: 26 – 3 Rutgers

Tanner Culver vs. Billy Janzer OR Kyle Epperly

Usually when I do these predictions, I always go with the regular starting wrestler for arguments sake. However, Janzer is dealing with a knee injury, so I strongly believe Kyle Epperly will wrestle this one. Epperly will see Tanner Culver, who has not wrestled since December 12th and is 0 – 3 on the season. Epperly is very long and tough on top. If he can take Culver down early, he can open this match up. Although Janzer could probably cruise to a decision over Culver, even with a nagging leg injury, it is best to save Janzer for Sunday, and let Epperly try to pick up the win.

PREDICTION: Epperly via decision

TEAM SCORE: 29 – 3

Shane Noonan vs. No. 24 Boone McDermott

A big question mark coming into this season was how will Boone McDermott perform after packing on over 30-lbs this off-season? The answer – pretty darn good. McDermott was undefeated coming into the Midlands, where he finished in 8th, after medical forfeiting his 7th place match. In addition, McDermott wrestled 2022 national runner-up, Cohlton Schultz, to a 5 – 3 decision. There is no doubt that the size McDermott put on is helping him and making him a much more competitive heavyweight. McDermott’s opponent, Shane Noonan, is 12 – 7 on the year, but does not have any big wins to his name. McDermott should close out the match with out any trouble, putting the stamp on a dominant team performance.

PREDICTION: McDermott via decision

TEAM SCORE: 32 – 3

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