Rutgers to honor seniors / the late Sam Cali tonight vs. Northwestern
Is there any better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than being at the RAC for some Big Ten wrestling? Absolutely not!
Rutgers wrestling will take on the Northwestern Wildcats tonight, in what is the final home dual meet of the year. In addition to Valentine’s Day, it is also senior night for the Scarlet Knights. They will honor the teams seniors prior to the match, along with the late Sam Cali.
Cali, who was a Rutgers wrestling team member, tragically lost his life in a car accident in the summer of 2016. Cali would have been a senior this year. With those events happening before tonight’s match, you can guarantee that Rutgers wrestling will be wrestling highly motivated, with their former teammate weighing heavily on their hearts and minds.
The big question mark tonight is Sebastian Rivera. Will the Seabass make his first appearance since the Midlands? If he does, Rutgers could be in trouble. If he does not, it could be a big swing in the team score.
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125-POUNDS: No. 25 NIC AGUILAR vs. No. 11 MICHAEL DEAUGUSTINO
THE SKINNY: Nic Aguilar might have gotten back on track against Rider this past Sunday, but the California native really could use a ranked win to get his confidence back. Aguilar did not score an offensive point in four consecutive matches, prior to taking down Rider’s Jonathan Tropea four times in his comeback victory. Aguilar’s opponent, Michael DeAugustino, has had a solid year in his first season as a starter. DeAugustino has split two matches with Michigan’s Jack Medley, a common opponent who beat Aguilar. DeAugustino does not tend to light up the scoreboard, but he also does not give up many points either. Aguilar’s best chance of winning is to keep a high pace, and make this a high-scoring barnburner.
RESULT: Northwestern via decision
TEAM SCORE: 3 – 0 Northwestern
133-POUNDS: No. 10 SAMMY ALVAREZ vs. No. 3 SEBASTIAN RIVERA or DYLAN UTTERBACK
THE SKINNY: Sebastian Rivera has not wrestled a match since the Midlands, back in late December. However, the Seabass is on the banks this weekend. That does not necessarily mean he is wrestling, but we’ll pretend that he is because an Alvarez-Rivera showdown is something everyone is dying to see. Sammy Alvarez is fast and funky, brining an exciting style to the mat. Sebastian Rivera, on the other hand, is a hard-nosed, fundamentally sound wrestler. Rivera will stay in good position, and wants to ware down his opponents with a heavy hand fight and hard ride on top. If Rivera does get the go, his experience and positioning are going to give him a win. If Dylan Utterback wrestles, Alvarez should cruise to a bonus point victory. But as I stated before, we’ll pretend Rivera takes the mat.
RESULT: Northwestern via decision
TEAM SCORE: 6-0 Northwestern leads
141-POUNDS: JOJO ARAGONA vs. ALEC MCKENNA
THE SKINNY: Jojo Aragona was another Rutgers wrestler who was struggling as of late, but the true freshman got back on track with an overtime victory over former Scarlet Knight, Pete Lipari. Aragona has a great opportunity to add another win to his record when he takes on Alec McKenna. McKenna is a redshirt-senior with a career sub .500 record. McKenna really does not have any notable wins to his name, as his most impressive victory is over Purude’s Parker Filius. Aragona just needs to keep it simple in this match. Stay on the attack for all seven minutes, do your job, and do not overthink.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 6–3 Northwestern leads
149-POUNDS: GERARD ANGELO vs. No. 18 YAHYA THOMAS
THE SKINNY: First of all, Yahya Thomas has to have one of the best names in wrestling. But more importantly, Thomas has put together a really solid year, keeping him ranked inside the top 20 for the second half of the season. Not too many people can match strength wit Gerard Angelo, but Thomas may be an exception. In addition, Thomas has a background in freestyle wrestling, which has helped him become very good on his feet. Angelo’s best bet to beat Thomas is to pin him. If Angelo cannot find his cradle, Thomas could end up getting a lot of points on the board.
RESULT: Northwestern via major decision
TEAM SCORE: 10-3 Northwestern leads
157-POUNDS: MIKE VAN BRILL vs. No. 1 RYAN DEAKIN
THE SKINNY: If you do not know the name Ryan Deakin, you will after tonight. Deakin is the consensus number one at 157-lbs, and for good reason. With an undefeated record, Deakin has found himself in the conversation for wrestling’s Heisman Trophy, the Hodge Trophy. Van Brill’s job in this one is to just keep it as close as possible. If you saw the Rider match on Sunday, then you would know that is not out of the question. Of course, Ryan Deakin is a different animal than Jesse Dellavecchia, so do not hold your breath for anything crazy.
RESULT: Northwestern via technical fall
TEAM SCORE: 16-3 Northwestern leads
165-POUNDS: BRETT DONNER vs. No. 13 SHAYNE OSTER
THE SKINNY: Brett Donner may not be having the most impressive season, but he has shown a lot of potential. Donner still needs a lot of seasoning, but if he does put in the extra work, a quality second half of his college career is more than doable. Donner is going to get to show just how tough he is against Northwestern’s Shayne Oster. Oster is on a five match winning streak, which has helped improve his record from 9 – 7 to 14 – 7. Oster did split two matches with Illinois’ Danny Braunagel, who Donner wrestled tough just last week. So, is it possible for Donner to win? Of course. However, Oster is more likely to walk away with his hand raised.
RESULT: Northwestern via decision
TEAM SCORE: 19 – 3 Northwestern leads
WILLIE SCOTT vs. No. 22 TYLER MORLAND OR ANKHHA ENKHMANDAKH
THE SKINNY: Tyler Morland injury defaulted out of his match against Michigan State last Friday. So, it’s more likely than not that we see back-up Ankhaa Enkhmandakh take the mat for the Wildcats. Enkhamdakh is a true freshman, who started the season wrestling at 165. It can be assumed that Enkhmandakh is going to be quite small at 174-lbs. Willie Scott is not favored in many matches, but if he sees Enkhmandakh he will be a slight favorite. Things could be ugly by 174, so it may not make much sense for Northwestern to rush Morland back.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 19 – 6 Northwestern leads
184-POUNDS: No. 12 BILLY JANZER vs. JACK JESSEN
THE SKINNY: The success Billy Janzer has had this year truly is remarkable. A lot of people expected Janzer to be good, but few, if any, fans would expect for this kind of impact right off the bat. Janzer only has a handful of losses, which most of them are to highly ranked opponents. He has several ranked wins out of the eighteen he has picked up this season. There is a lot to be excited about in this talented redshirt-freshman. Janzer does not have the privilege of taking on a ranked opponent tonight, as he will see Jack Jessen. Jessen has a .500 record, but has found bonus points in almost a quarter of his wins. Jessen will try to score a lot of points, but Janzer can slow him down if he gets to his under hook. Expect Janzer to dictate the pace in this one.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 19 – 9 Northwestern leads
197-POUNDS: NO. 19 JORDAN PAGANO vs. No. 9 LUCAS DAVISON
THE SKINNY: Jordan Pagano has always been a fan favorite, but the sixth-year senior has always been missing that one big ranked win over a top 10 opponent. Finally, Pagano was able to break through that barrier, as he beat Rider’s Ethan Laird in overtime. Pagano will build a ton of momentum heading into the post season if he can knock off Lucas Davison tonight. Davison is ranked 9th in the country by Flowrestling, holding a 12 – 5 record on the year. Davison’s best win of the year was over Penn State’s Shakur Rasheed, in a 7 – 5 decision. Rasheed defeated Pagano 6 – 0 a few weeks ago, when Rutgers took on Penn State. Going to be a tall order for Pagano, but he is one you never count out. Davison is the favorite, but a Pagano upset wouldn’t be too shocking.
RESULT: Northwestern via decision
TEAM SCORE: 22-9 Northwestern leads
HWT: ALEX ESPOSITO vs. JACK HEYBO
THE SKINNY: What a job Alex Esposito has done for Rutgers this year. Not too many people had any hopes for Espostio when Christian Colucci went down with an injury, but the big man out of Cranford, New Jersey has exceeded expectations. No, his record is not great, but Esposito has found a way to be more than serviceable for the Scarlet Knights. His opponent this evening is the winless Jack Heybo. Esposito is another one who is not favored very often, but will very much be so tonight. Espo has a lot of momentum rolling into this weekend, after beating Rider’s Ryan Cloud on Sunday. He keeps that training moving into tonight, and closes out the dual meet on a high note.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 22-12 Northwestern wins!
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