The Southern Scuffle is back! The annual holiday tournament returns to Chattanooga for a two day wrestling event on the campus of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. 

With over 300 wrestlers expected to participate, the Scuffle will once again offer wrestling fans a weekend packed with NCAA D1 action! 

22 teams. 2 days. 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞 💪

🎟: https://t.co/SMyH6N5QOn

Can't make it? Watch live with @FloWrestling: https://t.co/bOYCqn9z36@LetsScuffle | @UTCWrestling pic.twitter.com/reOxZb5n73

— Chattanooga Mocs (@GoMocs) December 19, 2024

You can find the latest list of entries here, although bear in mind that it is all subject to change and we'll have to wait for brackets to come out to know what matchups to expect. 

125 Pounds

Contenders

#7 Stevo Poulin, Northern Colorado

#22 Spencer Moore, North Carolina

#23 Antonio Lorenzo, Oklahoma

#24 Charlie Farmer, Army

#30 Robert Sagaris, Long Island

Kurt McHenry, Penn State

Stevo Poulin will likely receive the top seed and be the favorite to emerge with the title at 125, however, he will have plenty of competition in the bracket. Poulin finished in the round of 12 at the last two NCAA Championships and has excellent shot at finally breaking through to the medal round next March. 

One of the more intriguing entries is Penn State senior Kurt McHenry, a two-time U17 world champ who transferred from Michigan to use his final year of college eligibility. McHenry lost a competitive bout to his teammate, true freshman Luke Lilledahl (also a U17 world champ) at the Black Knight Invite, however, that was probably not the final word with regard to the Nittany Lion lineup battle. A good showing in Chattanooga may increase McHenry's chances of getting the postseason start. 

Spencer Moore, Antonion Lorenzo and Charlie Farmer are all evenly matched contenders, as evidenced by the lack of separation in national rankings. They'll be favorites to make the podium in Chattanooga but they'll have to battle their way there, as folks like Robbie Sagaris, who has a win this season over Dean Peterson, lurking in the bracket. 

Watch McHenry pick up a win at the 2024 Black Knight Invite:

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Landmines

Anthony Molton, Campbell

Beric Jordan, Oklahoma

Though Molton is 2-6 so far this season, all six of those losses were to quality opponents. Molton was 19-5 last season and was the #1 seed at the 2024 SoCon Championships. 

Beric Jordan is a true freshman redshirting at Oklahoma where he'll be in pole position to take over the lead-off spot for the Sooners after current senior Antonio Lorenzo graduates. Jordan was #21 on the Class of 2024 High School Big Board and is 6-1 on the season, with his only loss occurring when he wrestled up at 133 against #18 Blake Boarman. 

Predictions

1) Poulin, 2) McHenry, 3) Lorenzo, 4) Farmer

133 Pounds

Contenders

#9 Nasir Bailey, Little Rock

#14 Dom Serrano, Northern Colorado

#17 Ethan Oakley, North Carolina

#18 Blake Boarman, Chattanooga

#20 Cleveland Belton, Oklahoma

#22 Ethan Berginc, Army

Domenic Zaccone, Campbell

Last year's NCAA fouth-placer Nasir Bailey will be a strong favorite to take the 133lb crown in Chattanooga, however, Bailey has dropped two bouts already this year, including one to Blake Boarman, who's expected to be in the field representing the hometown Mocs. 

Boarman majored Bailey in the meeting in a December dual. Junior Blake Boarman is 7-2 on the season and is poised for a breakout season in his second year in the Chattanooga starting lineup. 

Dom Serrano is also looking to make some waves after qualifying for his first NCAA tournament last year, which was following a redshirt season and then two seasons at Nebraska before that. Serrano was undefeated in the first semester, including a win over Tyler Wells, who made it to the bloodround of last year's NCAAs.

Ethan Oakley, Cleveland Belton and Ethan "Silent C" Berginc have all earned their rankings with solid performances so far this season. All three are veterans who have qualified for two NCAA Championships in their careers. Dom Zaccone is not ranked at the moment but don't be surprised if he does get ranked at some point, as the Campbell senior has qualified for the last three NCAAs. 

Landmines

Gary Steen, Penn State

Kyle Burwick, North Dakota State

TK Davis, Gardner-Webb

Gary Steen is trying to work his way back into the Penn State lineup, where he last made a postseason start in 2023. Kyle Burwick is hoping a final year of eligibility at North Dakota State will help him make it back to the NCAAs like he did in 2021 and 2022 while at Wisconsin. And TK Davis will be trying to keep his hot streak going. The Runnin Bulldog has won his last 5 bouts including a 11-6 win over Rutgers All-American Dylan Shawver. 

Predictions

1) Bailey, 2) Serrano, 3) Boarman, 4) Oakley

141 Pounds

Contenders

#8 Mosha Schwartz, Oklahoma

#21 Todd Carter, Gardner Webb

#22 Braden Basile, Army

#26 Shannon Hanna, Campbell

As the only wrestler in the top 10 expected in the 141-pound field, Mosha Schwartz will be the favorite to win the Scuffle title at 141lbs. The Colorado native qualified for two NCAA tournaments while at Northern Colorado and then qualified for the Big Dance again in 2023 after transferring to Oklahoma. 

Todd Carter is one of the seniors and leaders of the Gardner-Webb program, having qualified for the NCAAs last March. He's already amassed a 9-2 record this season with both of his losses coming to highly ranked wrestlers. 

Braden Basile and Shannon Hanna are expected to join Schwartz and Carter on the Scuffle podium. Basile qualified for the NCAA tournament as a freshman last season, and Hanna, a six-year senior at Campbell, qualified for the 2022 and 2023 NCAAs before taking a redshirt season in 2024. 

Watch Carter and Basile battle in an overtime thriller at the Black Knight Invite: 

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Landmines

Jayden Scott, North Carolina

Richard Treanor, Army

Jayden Scott is going through a tough run of opponents and would like to turn things around at the Scuffle. Black Knight senior Richard Treanor is still in a battle with his teammate Braden Basile for the postseason starting gig. 

Predictions

1) Schwartz, 2) Carter, 3) Basile, 4) Hanna

149 Pounds

Contenders

#13 Willie McDougald, Oklahoma

#16 Jordan Williams, Little Rock

#25 Gavin Drexler, North Dakota State

#30 Trae McDaniel, Army

Willie McDougald is a two-time NCAA qualifier with just one loss this season. He'll be the top contender in Chattanooga at 149, though he'll have plenty of competition in his bracket. 

The talented Jordan Williams transferred from Oklahoma State, where he made the round of 16 as a freshman last season, to Little Rock. He sports a 4-1 record against D1 competition this season with his only loss being to current #2 Shayne Van Ness. 

Gavin Drexler and Trae McDaniel are two more dangerous ranked wrestlers who are favored to make the Scuffle podium. Drexler is in his third season at North Dakota State and his second as a starter, having redshirted in 2023. He's already got 13 wins from a busy first semester. McDaniel is yet another ranked Army wrestler (they have 8 in the top 33), a program with one of the deepest (and largest) rosters in the country. 

Landmines

Dayne Dalrymple, Chattanooga

Connor Pierce, Penn State

Though he has a losing record this season, Dalrymple has wrestled several participants in the field to close bouts, such as a 4-2 loss to McDougald. He'll also be competing on his own campus and could get a home mat boost. And Connor Pierce hasn't had a lot of bouts so far this season but he does have a win over #30 Trae McDaniel from the Black Knight Invite. 

Predictions

1) McDougald, 2) Williams, 3) Pierce, 4) Drexler

157 Pounds

Contenders

#25 Tanner Peake, Davidson

Blake Saito, Brown

Brayden Roberts, Long Island

One of the less crowded weight classes at the Scuffle will be 157, which figures to include only one ranked wrestler. That makes Tanner Peake the de facto favorite, though the Wildcat junior will not be a lock. Peake is 7-3 on the season in D1 competition, with a solid win over #31 Sonny Santiago, however Peake also dropped two bouts to unranked wrestlers at the Mountaineer Open earlier this season. 

Blake Saito and Brayden Roberts are not ranked at the moment but are very much on the bubble. Saito is Brown's only undefeated wrestler with a 8-0 record, and Roberts, a West Virginia native and transfer from WVU, is 12-3. 

Landmines

KJ Evans, Oklahoma

Michael Gioffre, Virginia

Noah Castillo, Chattanooga

Tyler Badgett, The Citadel

This will likely be the most unpredictable weight at the event so expect some chaos in the brackets, which could come from the like of KJ Evans, a local Oklahoma recruit currently redshirting, or Michael Gioffre, one of two Gioffree brothers on the UVA squad. 

Noah Castillo will also look to capitalize by wrestling in his home arena, while Tyler Badgett is one of the Citadel's best chances for a Scuffle placer. 

Predictions

1) Peake, 2) Roberts, 3) Saito, 4) Castillo

165 Pounds

Contenders

#21 Gunner Filipowicz, Army

#25 Brendon Abdon, Little Rock

#33 Tate Picklo, Oklahoma

Connor Brady, Virginia Tech

Another weight class up for grabs at the Scuffle, though 165 figures to be little more crowded with three ranked wrestlers plus another wrestler, Connor Brady, who likely would be ranked if his teammate, Mac Church, wasn't occupying a spot in the national rankings at #22. 

Brady, a senior, is a four-time national qualifier looking to use the Scuffle to springboard himself back into the running for the Hokie starting job. 

He'll be challenged by the appropriately named Gunner Filipowicz of Army West Point. Filipowicz, a Georgia native, qualified for the NCAA tournament as a freshman with a 24-11 record. His only losses this season have been to the #1 Mesenbrink and #2 Caliendo.

Brendon Abdon is not far behind Filipowicz. He also only has 2 ranked losses this season. The same can be said for Tate Picklo, who moved down a weight class from 174 where he had been competing the last two seasons. 

Watch Gunner win his semifinal bout at the Black Knight Invite:

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Landmines

Clayton Ulrey, Northern Colorado

Domonic Baker, Campbell

Clayton Ulrey was Connor Brady's former teammate before he transferred to Northern Colorado. He and Domonic Baker, a national qualifier for the Camels, could both make deep runs at the Scuffle. 

Predictions

1) Filipowicz, 2) Brady, 3) Abdon, 4) Baker

174 Pounds

Contenders

#4 Lennox Wolak, Virginia Tech

#10 Gaven Sax, Oklahoma

#27 Dalton Harkins, Army

#29 Sergio Desiante, Chattanooga

With two expected participants in the top 10, 174 may be the toughest bracket at the 2025 Southern Scuffle. 

Lennox Wolak is the highest ranked wrestler of any weight. He earned that ranking thanks to placing sixth at the NCAAs last season while wrestling for Columbia. Wolak transferred to Virginia Tech after graduating, following his former head coach, Zach Tanelli, who was hired as an assistant coach at VT during the off-season. Wolak is 3-2 on the season but those losses were to #1 O'Toole and #3 Hamiti, while Wolak has wins over #21 Turley and #24 Whiting.

Gaven Sax's credentials are similar to Wolak's. He's also a grad transfer, following his head coach Roger Kish from North Dakota State to Oklahoma. Sax finished in the round of 12 at NCAAs last year and is 3-1 on the season, with his sole loss being to Hamiti. Sax also has a win over #20 Alex Cramer. 

Rounding out the contender list are two more ranked wrestlers, Dalton Harkins and Sergio Desiante. Harkins is in his fourth and final year starting at West Point and Desiante is in his second starting for the Scuffle's hosts in Chattanooga. 

Landmines

Gaetano Console, Duke

John Worthing, Clarion

Gaetano Console started his 2024 season on a hot streak, pinning the likes of Peyton Hall and Clayton Ulrey. The Illinois native later bumped up to 174 for the 2024 postseason and is still looking to find his groove again, but past results prove how dangerous he can be. 

John Worthing is a 2023 national qualifier looking to close out his collegiate career on a high note. 

Predictions

1) Wolak, 2) Sax, 3) Harkins, 4) Desiante

184 Pounds

Contenders

Zack Ryder, Penn State

#18 Gavin Kane, North Carolina

#20 TJ Stewart, Virginia Tech

#23 DJ Parker, Oklahoma

Though still a true freshman only three college matches deep into his career (though he did win two college opens as a high school senior), Zack Ryder may be the favorite to win 184 pounds at the Southern Scuffle. Ryder made the Black Knight Invite finals earlier this year (he and teammate Carter Starocci had a 'no contest' finals), defeating both of Rutgers' rankable 184-pounders, Brian Soldano and Shane Cartegena-Walsh.

Ryder will likely have to go through two ranked wrestlers to officially win the first tournament of his Nittany Lion career, as three other top 25 opponents are expected to populate the bracket. 

Gavin Kane is a three-time national qualifier and one-time All-American for the Tar Heels. TJ Stewart is another All-American that the field will have to contend with, as the Hokie sophomore placed 7th last season. 

Finally, Deanthony Parker may not be an All-American yet, but he's got a good chance at finding the NCAA podium before his career is done. The redshirt junior qualified for the 2023 tournament before redshirting during the 2024 season. He's currently 7-2 with those losses coming from #6 Bennett Berge and #3 Dustin Plott. 

Watch Ryder win his semifinal bout at the Black Knight Invite:

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Landmines

Anthony D'Alesio, Long Island

Sam Fisher, Virginia Tech

Anthony D'Alesio qualified for the NCAA Championships last season, quite the feat for a program that just recently moved up from the DII level. 

Sam Fisher is in his fifth season in Blacksburg. The Virginia native has been a stalwart substitute for the entirety of his career, and would be a starter at many D1 programs. 

Predictions

1) Ryder, 2) Kane, 3) Parker, 4) Stewart

197 Pounds

Contenders

#9 Andy Smith, Virginia Tech

#26 Levi Hopkins, Campbell

#28 Patrick Brophy, The Citadel

Sonny Sasso, Virginia Tech

Connor Mirasola, Penn State

As the #9 ranked wrestler in the nation, two-time NCAA qualifier Andy Smith joins his Hokie teammate Lennox Wolak as one of the few, single-digit-ranked wrestlers expected in Chattanooga. The Virginia native made it to the round of 12 last season as a junior and will look to conclude his final year of eligibility with his first trip to the NCAA podium. He's already got wins this season over Luke Surber, John Poznanski and Aeoden Sinclair.

Smith will be pushed by his teammate, Sonny Sasso, brother to Ohio State's Sammy. Sonny is in his redshirt freshman season, having gone 11-8 last year as a true freshman. Sasso won the Southeast Open earlier this year and is 5-0 thus far. 

Connor Mirasola is redshirting as a true freshman, but like his Nittany Lion teammate, Zach Ryder, he could still end up on top of the Scuffle podium. His only loss this season is to another Nittany Lion, the #4 ranked Josh Barr, who is undefeated with wins over multiple All-Americans. 

Two ranked wrestlers will be in the mix with the aforementioned trio of contenders: Levi Hopkins and Patrick Brophy. Hopkins has wrestled a limited schedule so far this season but qualified for the last two NCAA tournaments. Brophy is one of the Citadel's more accomplished competitors and was kept out last year's NCAA tournament by Hopkins at the SoCon Championships. 

Watch Andy Smith's excellent match against Surber from this season's CKLV: 

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Landmines

Tayshaun Glover, North Dakota State

Bradley Hill, Oklahoma

True freshman Tayshaun Glover is only 3-4 on the season but he showed off his sky-high potential when he defeated Christian Carroll 8-5 earlier in December. 

Bradley Hill qualified for the NCAAs last season for Iowa at heavyweight before transferring to Oklahoma in the off-season and slimming down to 197. 

Predictions

1) Mirasola, 2) Smith, 3) Sasso, 4) Hopkins

285 Pounds

Contenders

#23 Lucas Stoddard, Army

#29 Connor Barket, Duke

Hunter Catka, Virginia Tech

Cole Mirasola, Penn State

We've got another Penn State true freshman who could contend for a 2025 Scuffle title while redshirting in Cole Mirasola (twin brother to Connor) at heavyweight. Cole's resume is a bit lighter than Connor's, with just two matches at the Black Knight Invite against unranked opponents, however, Mirasola was #15 on the Big Board so it's not a stretch to consider him a 2025 Scuffle contender. 

Mirasola's toughest competition could come from another unranked wrestler in Hunter Catka. Hunter's teammate, Jim Mullen, currently occupies the #16 slot in the rankings, explaining Catka's absence of a national rank. Catka is a three-time NCAA qualifier and reached the bloodround just last season. 

Two other actually ranked wrestlers, Lucas Stoddard and Connor Barket, round out our contenders list. Stoddard qualified for the 2024 NCAAs and Barket is Duke's standard bearer, having already amassed a 15-2 record in the first semester. 

Watch Mirasola pick up a quick pin in the Black Knight Invite semis:

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Landmines

Will Jarrell, American

Alex Semenenko, Brown

The competition for podium spots outside the top four contenders is wide-open, and not all the contenders are locks themselves. Will Jarrell and Alex Semenenko are both veterans sporting winning records with double digits victories on the season. They could both make deep runs in the Scuffle's heavyweight bracket this year. 

Predictions

1) Catka, 2) Mirasola, 3) Stoddard, 4) Barket