Penn State Wrestling Fan Guide To The 2025 Southern Scuffle
Penn State Wrestling Fan Guide To The 2025 Southern Scuffle
The biggest storylines for Penn State wrestlers at the 2025 Southern Scuffle.
The 2024 Southern Scuffle is set to go down on January 4-5 in Chatanooga, Tennessee. This tournament will feature over 35 ranked college wrestlers from some of the country’s top programs. Along with all of the ranked wrestlers, national powerhouse Penn State is sending a group of freshmen and backups to the Scuffle this year. Check out the article below to see the full Nittany Lion squad competing at the Southern Scuffle and a breakdown of the biggest storylines to follow for these wrestlers.
Penn State’s 2025 Southern Scuffle Entries:
125: Kurt McHenry
133: Kyison Garcia
133: Gary Steen
141: Tim Levine
149: Connor Pierce
165: Aurelius Dunbar
174: Jack Kelly
184: Zack Ryder
197: Connor Mirasola
285: Cole Mirasola
See the full entries for the 2025 Southern Scuffle HERE
Can Kurt McHenry Beat Stevo Poulin?
Kurt McHenry was the #37 recruit in the class of 2019 and was a two-time cadet world champion (2016 & 2017). However, McHenry’s high school success has never transitioned completely over to the college level. McHenry transferred to Penn State in 2023 after spending 4 years out of the starting lineup at Michigan. Despite never wrestling at an NCAA Tournament, McHenry has tallied a few notable wins in his college career over Jack Medley, Nick Babin, and Anthony Molton proving he still has potential at the D1 level.
This year, McHenry is currently the backup for true freshman Luke Lilledahl at 125 pounds and will likely only see the starting lineup if Lilledahl goes down with an injury. The Scuffle will be a great test for McHenry considering 5 ranked wrestlers are registered - #7 Stevo Poulin, #22 Spencer Moore, #23 Antonio Lorenzo, #24 Charlie Farmer, and #30 Robert Sagaris. Of that bunch, Poulin is the clear top dog and finished one match shy of All-American honors last year. Is McHenry capable of taking out Poulin? If so, he’ll prove he’s an All-American caliber wrestler and will also show just how good Luke Lilledahl is.
Watch McHenry's third-place match at the 2024 Black Knight Invitational:
Where Does Zack Ryder Stack Up At 184?
Zack Ryder is currently 3-0 on the year with his only college matches coming at the Black Knight Invitational. There, Ryder made the finals by defeating two Rutgers wrestlers - #19 Brian Soldano (4-2) & Shane Cartegena-Walsh (4-1 SV) along with Michigan State’s Cory Thomas (by pin). Ryder was set to wrestle teammate Carter Starocci in the finals but neither wrestler took the mat resulting in a no-contest.
We’ll learn even more about Ryder at the Scuffle. Currently, 30 wrestlers are entered at 184 pounds along with All-Americans #18 Gavin Kane and #20 TJ Stewart. Kane is 10-2 on the year with losses against Silas Allred and Ian Bush but notable wins over #12 Edmond Ruth, Seth Shumate, and #31 Colin Fegley. Stewart is off to a rocky start this year with an 0-4 record so far on the season. Even though Ryder has limited college experience, he’s a 3-time age-level world medalist and it isn’t too far of a stretch to consider Ryder the favorite to win a Scuffle title at 184 pounds.
Watch Zack Ryder's win at the Black Knight Invitational over #19 Brian Soldano:
Can Connor Mirasola Win A Deep 197 Pound Field?
True freshman Connor Mirasola was the #7 overall ranked recruit in the class of 2024 and will look to start next year at 197 pounds for the Nittany Lions. Mirasola is currently 3-1 on the year after finishing third at the Black Knight Invite where he lost only to teammate #5 Josh Barr (11-0) but defeated #23 Remy Cotton (8-4).
Mirasola will be tested in a deep field at the Scuffle - there are currently 26 wrestlers entered at 197 pounds highlighted by #9 Andy Smith, #26 Levi Hopkins, #28 Patrick Brophy, and Sonny Sasso. Of this group, Virginia Tech’s Andy Smith is the most credentialed as a round of 12 finisher at last year’s NCAA Tournament along with wins over Luke Surber, John Poznanski, and Aeoden Sinclair this year. However, it’s also worth noting that Virginia Tech has Sonny Sasso entered and could use the Scuffle to determine who will be their starter this year at 197. Sasso is dangerous and is currently 5-0 on the year with 5 wins by pin. Beyond that, Sasso defeated #21 Nick Stemmet, #30 Gabe Sollars, #26 Levi Hopkins, and #20 Evan Bates last year.
Watch Connor Mirasola's win over #23 Remy Cotton at the Black Knight Invitational:
Is Cole Mirasola Big Enough To Wrestle Heavyweight?
Cole Mirasola was the #15 overall recruit in the class of 2024 and is currently 2-0 on the year with wins over Michigan State’s #33 Max Vanadia (pin) and Army’s Sam Sorenson (19-4). Like his twin brother Connor, Cole has only wrestled at the Black Knight Invite and hasn’t faced top-tier competition yet at heavyweight. It’s also worth noting that Cole is significantly undersized at 285 pounds and even wrestled 97 kg (213.8 pounds) over the summer. Mirasola is sure to be tested by some bigger heavyweights at the Scuffle and that will tell us a lot about how prepared he is to start for the Nittany Lions next year.
The big names registered at heavyweight are #23 Lucas Stoddard, #29 Connor Barket, and Hunter Catka. Though he’s not ranked because he’s behind Jim Mullen, Hunter Catka should be considered the favorite to win the title at the Scuffle. Catka has started for the Hokies for 3 years at heavyweight and notably finished 1 match shy of All-American honors at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. On top of that, Catka is one of the bigger, more athletic heavyweights in the country and will be a great litmus test for Mirasola.
Watch Cole Mirasola's win over #33 Max Vanadia at the Black Knight Invitational:
