National Collegiate Duals Preview - Red Pool "A"

Had an opportunity to talk with Coach Frank Popilizio of Journeymen Wrestling for some back ground on the event … check it out (same interview highlighted elsewhere on the website - so if you’ve listened once …)

Journeymen Wrestling has brought together quite a field for this year’s version of the National Collegiate Duals - which will take place Dec 20-21 in the panhandle of Florida. We are going to take a quick look at the field in 4 different stories over the course of this week. The teams are broken down into two pools and then within each pool 3 teams in a group each. The pools will not have a crossover - which means no Penn State vs. Iowa matchup, but that isn’t surprising given that the two teams will have their dual in January. This is an unbelievable opportunity to watch some of the best college wrestlers in the nation compete over 2 days.

The Schedule:

How to Watch:

There are two ways to watch the event. First, if you are close - you can get tickets at Journeymen. Monday is going to be a banger with 12 duals featuring many of the best teams in the country. Day 2 (Tuesday) will be a crossover within the pools - so if Penn State wins the Blue Pool “A” and Arizona State wins the Blue Pool “B” then that will be the final on Tuesday evening. Can’t make it to northwest Florida? You can also watch it live on Rokfin. Simply click the picture above.

What to Watch Day 1 - Red Pool “A”:

NC State, Missouri, and Binghamton kick things off in the morning for the Red Pool. Both NC State and Missouri are ranked in the top 10 and that dual should be outstanding. Binghampton has 4 ranked wrestlers including Louie DePrez at 195 who is #12 by Intermat … they will push both Missouri and NC State for the top spot in this pool. Remember these are not exact line-ups - simply projections based on rankings (and previous duals). If these are the lineups then these are …

The 5 matches within this pool I am interested in watching:

  • Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) vs. Thomas Bullard (NC State)

    • Of course we start with a former SE hammer as one to watch. Bullard was a standout at Archer (Georgia) many moons ago and has been a regular at the NCAA tournament for years. O’Toole might be one of the most exciting wrestlers you will ever watch. Who dictates their match - it will be fun to watch this chess match unfold.

  • The 285’s: Trephan, Doyle, and Elam

    • All 3 are ranked with Zach Elam coming in with the highest ranking of the three. Trephan beat Wilson in the room and now looks like he will hold onto the spot. This weight class (as well as 197) could be the two that define some very close duals … don’t sleep on the big boys.

  • Peyton Mocco (Missouri) vs. Hayden Hidlay (NC State)

    • Hidlay has the credentials after coming up just short of an NCAA title several times. Mocco has looked superb this season and looks headed to spot on the podium in March. This one will be great.

  • Louie DePrez (Binghampton) vs. Isaac Trumble (NC State)

  • Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) vs. Ed Scott (NC State)

SE Connections:

  • Donald Cates (NC State) from North Carolina

  • Alex Faison (NC State) from North Carolina

  • Tyrie Houghton (NC State) from North Carolina

  • James Joplin (NC State) from North Carolina

  • Christian Knop (NC State) from Alabama

  • Owen Trephan (NC State) from South Carolina

  • Thomas Bullard (NC State) from Georgia

  • Alex Uriquiza (NC State) from Florida

College, Duals, SoutheastJason FulmoreComment