No. 18 Rutgers holds off Michigan State 22-20

These matches never seem to be boring do they?

No. 18 Rutgers held off Michigan State 22-20 at the RAC after an early upset scare was in the works for the Spartans. After a surprising defeat for Matt Correnit, who lost by pin, Rutgers got a gritty win from Christian Colucci in the second tiebreaker before Shane Metzler dropped a tech fall to No. 8 Ravon Foley.

Facing an 11-3 deficit, Nick Suriano came out swinging, winning 23-4 and got Rutgers rolling from there. After Suriano, Rutgers would win the next four bouts and clinched the match when Joe Grello dropped a tight 4-3 decision.

Here are some observations:

Suriano bounces back, Ashnault dominant

Heading into the meet, there was some uncertainty if Suriano was even going to wrestle. He came in a bit banged up and Kyle Dinapoli weighed in at 133 as well. After Correnti’s surprising defeat, Suriano went out at 133 to try and get his team back into the match. Boy did he ever. It was a nice bounce back win after dropping two heartbreaks to Daton Fix and Austin DeSanto.

Ashnault was flat out nasty. His offensive attacks were on fire, his tilts were on fire, and apparently he was on fire because the officials warned him about being too “slippery,” according to Ashnault. Whatever that means. The kid was hydrated!

When you get 10 points combined from two wrestlers, you’re in good shape.

Lipari, Glasgow, Colucci grind out wins

Peter Lipari was waiting on that breakthrough match. Well, he got it tonight. Coming in at 6-8, Lipari desperately needed a win and there was a question whether or not he could actually take the next step and win the close bouts. A late reversal sealed it and one of the swing matches went in favor of the Scarlet Knights.

A close win for Colucci showed he’s so good on top. His top game was on point to clinch the riding time and eventually win 3-2 in the second tiebreaker. If his offense were to open up a bit more, he can be dangerous come tournament time.

Stephan Glasgow has been battling knee pain and finally broke his three match losing streak. He seemed fresh and willing in neutral, particularly with his throw by attempts and athleticism to earn takedowns and show off his good defense. Big win for the true freshman.

184 is Suddenly Worrisome

No words can describe the toughness of Willie Scott. With Rutgers leading 22-14, the match in hand, Scott was once again put out at 184 pounds due to the injury to Nick Gravina. Today, Scott officially weighed in a little over 180 pounds so he wasn’t giving up too much. Going up against No. 20 Cameron Caffey, Scott had a chance for a signature victory, but fell behind in a 7-1 hole.

Afterwards, Scott appeared to injure his elbow but managed to continue in what looked like serious pain. Now down, 7-2, Scott managed to get a roll through tilt, earned four near-fall points, and trailed only 7-6 before having to stop wrestling due to the pain. After the tilt, it seemed the pain doubled and he had to medical forfeit. Nothing can be said other than Scott is a grinder.

However, here is where the problem lies: Rutgers is thin up top. With Jordan Pagano sidelined for what seems to be the rest of the season, Rutgers is now missing Gravina, Scott, and Pagano. Head coach Scott Goodale mentioned after the match that Anthony Olivieri could be the guy to bump up. I’d say weigh in at 174 and bump to 184. The only other option would be to burn freshman Billy Janzer’s redshirt.

It’d be a good option. Janzer is 15-4 unattached this season and has the size already to compete. It’s going to be an interesting decision to say the least. Goodale also said Gravina is 50-50 to go next weekend. The Scarlet Knights would surely love to get the “Stone-Cold Italian” back.

Heck, I think Goodale was trying to get ME back on the mat. You can hear it when I ask a couple of questions in, regarding the weight class. Goodale jokingly mentioned the Rutgers Wrestling Club, of the NCWA, that I served as president of last season.

Next Up:

Rutgers will host No. 9 Nebraska next Friday, followed up by No. 21 Princeton coming to Piscataway on Super Bowl Sunday.

Box Score:

197: Brad Wilton (MIST) over Matthew Correnti (RUTG) (Fall 4:15)

285: Christian Colucci (RUTG) over Christian Rebottaro (MIST) (TB4 4-2)

125: No. 7 RayVon Foley (MIST) over Shane Metzler (RUTG) (TF 16-0 6:12)

133: No. 5 Nick Suriano (RUTG) over Logan Griffin (MIST) (TF 22-4 6:39)

141: Peter Lipari (RUTG) over Alex Hrisopoulos (MIST) (Dec 4-2)

149: No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (RUTG) over Jaden Enriquez (MIST) (TF 20-4 4:45)

157: No. 15 John Van Brill (RUTG) over Jake Tucker (MIST) (Dec 4-2)

165: Stephan Glasgow (RUTG) over Austin Hiles (MIST) (Dec 7-4)

174: Drew Hughes (MIST) over Joe Grello (RUTG) (Dec 4-3)

184: No. 15 Cameron Caffey (MIST) over Willie Scott (RUTG) (Inj. 2:48)