That’s obviously the other side of the coin here, but whatever the reasons, ten years ago, the thought that PSU could send a partial JV team to the scuffle and win 5 weights and the team title was absurd.
2026 Southern Scuffle tournament thread
- Thread starter Acacia
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I agree, but here's the thing: for the people who want to add a 215-ish weight class in college, it's not about the # of HS weight classes. It's about
I agree with you that high school upper weights are weak. The roster is compiled of 15 to 19 year old kids
College rosters are made up of 19 to 25 year old men. If the last 3 weights were 195, 220 and HWT. The whole dynamic of the competition would change. 4 of the last 10 Hwt champions (3 Snyder, 1 Cassar,) would have been at 220. Cox would of considered 220. If some heavy cutting 197 pounders move up some 184 pounders move up . I think those 2 weights would fill in with good all around talent and competition. I would agree the Hwt division would not be that appealing in the overall scope of things. It just gives the average upper weight wrestler some flexibility.
I might be willing to trade 220 for 285, and maintain 10 weight classes. Far from a perfect remedy but on balance there are some positives. If one is being honest 90% of the current weight class above 235 is comprised of marginally athletic dancing bears. The reality is the very best athletes above 220 are probably playing football.
For every generational unicorn true big man like Gable Steveson, McCoy, or Lesnar (which of course represents a tremendous loss), there are probably 5 uber talents like Snyder or Cassar that could maintain 220 if needed.
It's a bell curve and the higher you go the leaner the truely talented pool of candidates naturally, ignoring the very significant cannibalisation of that pool for football.
For every generational unicorn true big man like Gable Steveson, McCoy, or Lesnar (which of course represents a tremendous loss), there are probably 5 uber talents like Snyder or Cassar that could maintain 220 if needed.
It's a bell curve and the higher you go the leaner the truely talented pool of candidates naturally, ignoring the very significant cannibalisation of that pool for football.
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I don't think that college wrestling needs to add a weight, but I would be open to exploring where those ten weights should be. As a former Heavy (and a current Heavier) I am biased towards the upper weights. I am convinced that the creation of 215 at the high school level has really helped the quality of 285 in college. The gap between 189 & 275 was just too much for kids of that age to handle and the addition of 215 gave a place for those tweeners to develop in high school and perhaps grow into quality lighter college HWTs.
That was a great match. Hopefully Zepeda isn't injured too badly. At 8:10 you can see Zepeda's left leg bend against the joint as his foot stays on the mat while Sealey tries to lift him and bring him to the mat. Zepeda is a good counter wrestler. Two of his TDs were counters to Sealey's shots. On Sealey's attempted ankle pick he made the mistake of not controlling Zepeda's left arm, allowing Zepeda to counter into a merkle. One thing I hope Sealey can improve on is his tendency to get his head stuck under his opponents. Not only is that a tough position to wrestle from, but it is also very taxing to try to free yourself from that position. I am not sure how hard the cut to 157 is for Sealey, but his conditioning looked good. That was evident by his ability to get the escape late in the third period, followed by that BEAUTIFUL super duck! Fun match.
I would prefer that the Olympics go back to ten weight classes. It is never going to happen in college. Not only are there the financial considerations, but there are also Title IX considerations, which adds more of a financial burden. Remember, rostered athletes now must be paid.
Some weights could be shifted to better align with freestyle.
The NWCA should study what those weights should be, such that USA guys can both conduct in-season weight maintenance and be in good range for freestyle. This has been a major competitive advantage for Team USA on the world stage.
Is the prevailing thought still that the occasional FS cut is 1-2 kilos easier than folk duals? If so then better alignment could come around 65kg and 86kg for sure. Not sure 97kg would be in the cards based on the rest of the discussion here, and 92kg might be stretching a bit (like 205).
Had there been 215 when I was in high school, I would have wrestled. I played football in the 230-240 range, but we had an absolute monster of a Heavy (had to cut to 275, future D1 DT). There was no way I was cutting to 189 (funny, as 25yrs+ later I walk around 180-190) so I stuck to baseball in the spring. Having picked up grappling (BJJ) again as an adult, I regret big time that I didn't wrestle past junior high.
I have to agree. The HS 215 helped keep athletic wrestlers wrestling and avoid the dancing bears. In college they gain 20-25 lbs and look great at HWT and reduced the dancing bears to lower and off the podium.
I’m ok with the NCAA 197 to HWT jump. It does shine the light on somewhat of a problem for the really light ones but in the end, it makes the HWT class tolerable. If a 220 were added the HWT class would return to the Tony Nelson’s of the world.
Or worse: the Dom Bradleys of the world.I have to agree. The HS 215 helped keep athletic wrestlers wrestling and avoid the dancing bears. In college they gain 20-25 lbs and look great at HWT and reduced the dancing bears to lower and off the podium.
I’m ok with the NCAA 197 to HWT jump. It does shine the light on somewhat of a problem for the really light ones but in the end, it makes the HWT class tolerable. If a 220 were added the HWT class would return to the Tony Nelson’s of the world.
Josh looked really good, but it is unfortunate about Little's knee injury. On that first TD you can see how Little quickly bailed on defending the TD once Josh started putting pressure on Little's extended leg. I think Little tweaked his knee again there since he called for injury time shortly after while on bottom. Hopefully Little's knee can handle the rest of the season.
I think you can see once it was apparent Little was going to limp to the finish line, Barr backed off a bit, especially in the 3rd. Despite the injury victory, Josh looks the best I have ever seen him, and a level above last year. He looks stronger as well.
When signing up for the program, everyone knows that nothing is guaranteed. But you'll be given a chance to prove you belong in the lineup. Casey has to buy into that as much as the wrestlers do.