Dec. 30, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Sophomore Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) and senior team captain Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.) made championship bout appearances in their respective weight classes to lead the Navy wrestling team to a sixth-place finish at the 2008 Southern Scuffle held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center Monday and Tuesday.

The Mids' pair of runners-up led a group of six Navy placewinners in the highly-competitive tournament. While the Midshipmen placed sixth with 98 points, EIWA foe Cornell claimed the team title with 139 points, just a five-point advantage over second-place Edinboro. Kent State fell in at third with 126 points, followed by Virginia Tech in fourth (107.5)?and North Carolina in fifth (104). The Mids turned in a 10-point advantage over Virginia who finished seventh.

"We had plenty of positives that we can take away from this tournament," said ninth-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "I was happy putting two of our guys in the finals and placing six overall in what was really a tough event to compete in. We improved upon last year's team finish and we had more individual placewinners than a year ago."

Saddoris opened Tuesday's action by handing seventh-seeded Kaylen Baxter of Old Dominion a 5-3 loss to advance to the semifinals of the 149-pound weight class. He extended his winning streak to five in a row at the Scuffle and 10 in a row this season when he punched his ticket into the championship bout by defeating third-seeded Mike Roberts of Boston University, 5-1, in the semis. Saddoris, however, met a tough competitor in the form of All-American Darrion Caldwell of NC State who is ranked No. 3 in the country. Saddoris found himself in a vulnerable position, opening the door for Caldwell, the Scuffle's Most Outstanding Wrestler, who promptly pinned the Navy sophomore at 2:05.

"Bryce unfortunately got caught and was pinned," said Burnett. "I can't remember the last time that that's happened to Bryce. Caldwell is an awfully tough wrestler and he got the better of Bryce today. All that said, Bryce really had a fine tournament and just continues to get stronger and more competitive as the year goes along.

The loss to Caldwell was just the second of the year for Saddoris who owns a 25-2 record, dropping matches to the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the country, Bubba Jenkins, and now the third-ranked wrestler. Additionally, he boasts a 60-14 career record and now holds the school record for most wins by a wrestler in his first two seasons of action. The quarterfinal victory over Baxter gave him a share of the title, but he now stands alone after beating Roberts. The previous recordholder was Greg Gingeleskie who won 59 matches in his first two seasons of action (1995-96 and 1996-97).

Steele, meanwhile, also had his hands full battling three nationally-ranked opponents in the heavyweight category. He began the day by defeating eighth-ranked Joe Fendone of Edinboro, 5-3, to advance to the semifinals where he would meet a familiar foe. For the third time this season, Steele was matched up against Cal State Bakersfield's Mitch Monteiro with each wrestler claiming a win against the other. Steele claimed a 12-6 win over Monteiro in Navy's dual meet win over Cal State Bakersfield in early November. However, Monteiro handed Steele a 3-1 setback in the third-place match at the Reno Tournament of Champions held just prior to the holiday break. Steele proved to be the better wrestler at the Scuffle, as his 3-2 win etched his name into the championship bout.

The finals match pit 12th-ranked Steele against ninth-ranked Jermail Porter of Kent State and had all the makings of a fine match. With roughly 32 seconds remaining in the final period and the match tied at 2-2, Steele dove in for a takedown. Porter, however, countered the move, crashing down on Steele's shoulder and forcing him to forfeit the match. It's the second straight year Steele's title hopes at the Scuffle were dashed in the championship bout, also losing to teammate Ed Prendergast in extra minutes in last year's match.

"It's a shame that Scott was injured in his match," said Burnett. "I thought he looked real strong throughout the tournament. Porter is a big, strong kid who just came down on Scott and it was enough to put him out of the match."

Three of the Mids' six placewinners were out of the rookie class, including 174-pounder Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) who finished third. The freshman sensation nipped unseeded Bagna Tovuujav of George Mason in his opening match of the day to earn a spot in the semifinals. Cornell's Steve Anceravage, however, snapped Rebertus' win streak as the nation's fifth-ranked wrestler handed the Navy newcomer an 11-3 loss. Rebertus, however, bounced back to earn a 4-2 decision (tie breaker) over eighth-seeded Eric Decker of Old Dominion before putting away Tovuujav for a second time, 7-5, to place third. Rebertus has now placed in the top four in all five of the tournaments in which he has competed and owns a 24-4 record.

Though he dropped his first match of the tournament, freshman Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.) battled back to place seventh at 125 pounds. After losing his pigtail match to UNC Greensboro's Eric Morrill by major decision, Garner won five straight matches to fight his way into the placewinners bracket. Garner opened the day by pinning George Mason' Brian Wright and then advanced further by way of a medical forfeit by Boston University's Fred Santaite. Though hopeful he would make his way into the fifth-place bracket, Hofstra's Steve Bonanno just edged Garner, 9-7, sending the Navy rookie to the seventh-place match. Garner made the best of his opportunity and for the fourth time in his eight matches at the Scuffle, he earned a victory via fall, pinning The Citadel's Tyler Sim at 2:30.

Garner was heralded for turning in the most falls (4) in the least amount of time (13:36). Remarkably, 10 of Garner's 18 wins this season have been by fall. He is just two pins shy of joining Navy's top 10 list for most pins in a season.

Fellow frosh John Majka's (Chicago, Ill.) hopes of a title at 141 pounds were dashed in his first match on Tuesday, as North Carolina's Vincent Ramirez sent him to the consolation bracket by way of a 6-0 decision. Majka looked to have gotten back on the winning track after pinning Binghamton's Kareem Naguib, but a 3-0 loss to Nick Nelson of Virginia catapulted Majka into the seventh-place match. Cornell's Corey Manson clipped Majka, 5-3, to take seventh.

Also finishing in eighth place was junior 157-pounder Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.), who began the tournament with a pair of wins. Hofstra's Jon Bonilla-Bowman handed Shober his first loss of the tournament by way of a major decision in the quarterfinals. Shober, though, put up a strong fight, outlasting North Carolina's Thomas Ferguson, 4-2. However, Tar Heel Thomas Scotton, seeded fourth, bested Shober, 6-2, to send him to the seventh-place match. George Mason's Frankie McLaughlin went on to edge out Shober for seventh, 3-2.

The Mids will be back in action Jan 9-10 when they head to Hampton, Va. to take part in the Virginia Duals.


Southern Scuffle Final Team Standings
1 139 Cornell
2 134 Edinboro
3 126 Kent State
4 107.5 Virginia Tech
5 104 North Carolina
6 98 Navy
7 88 Virginia
8 80 Hofstra
9 79.5 Cal State Bakersfield
10 73.5 NC State
11 57 George Mason
12 53 Bloomsburg
13 44.5 Duke
14 38.5 Binghamton
15 32.5 UNC Greensboro
16 32 Liberty
17 30 Boston University
18 29 Gardner-Webb
19 24.5 Appalachian State
20 23.5 Old Dominion
21 22.5 The Citadel
22 22 Ohio
23 19.5 Lock Haven
24 17.5 East Stroudsburg
25 16.5 Franklin & Marshall
26 15.5 Princeton
27 13.5 Campbell
28 11 Davidson


Navy Placewinners:
125: Prescott Garner; seventh place
141: John Majka; eighth place
149: Bryce Saddoris; second place
157: Glenn Shober; eighth place
174: Luke Rebertus; third place
285: Scott Steele; second place

125: Prescott Garner (Unseeded; 6-2; Seventh Place)
Pigtails: lost to Eric Morrill (UNC Greensboro), MD 10-1
Consolations: def. Mike Moreno (NC State), MD 11-1
Consolations: def. Nick Shields (North Carolina), Fall 3:50
Consolations: def. Frank Lomas (Cal State Bakersfield), Fall 5:46
Consolations: def. Brian Wright (George Mason), Fall 1:30
Consolations: def. Fred Santaite (Boston U), Medical Forfeit
Consolations: lost to Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 9-7
Seventh Place: def. Tyler Sim (The Citadel), Fall 2:30

125: Allan Stein (Unseeded; 2-2)
Pigtails: def. Peter Terrezza (Duke), 16-14 SD
First Round: def. Mitchell Johnson (UNC Greensboro), 13-10
Second Round: lost to Ross Gitomer (Virginia), 11-6
Consolation: lost to Tyler Sim (The Citadel), 7-3

133: Aaron Kalil (Unseeded; 3-2)
First Round: lost to Danny Mitcheff (Kent State), 7-1
Consolations: def. Richie Apolina (Campbell), TF 18-3
Consolations: def. Jared Jones (Virginia Tech), 6-2
Consolations: def. Jason Guffey (Bloomsburg), 7-6
Consolations: lost to Will Livingston (Virginia Tech), TF 16-1

141: John Majka (Unseeded; 4-3; Eighth Place)
Pigtails: def. Derek Royster (The Citadel), 6-3
First Round: def. Ben Thompson (Davidson), Fall 2:07
Second Round: def. Richie Spicel (Gardner Webb - unattached), 4-0
Quarterfinals: lost to Vincent Ramirez (North Carolina), 6-0
Consolations: def. Kareem Naguib (Binghamton), Fall 3:00
Consolations: lost to Nick Nelson (Virginia), 3-0
Seventh Place: lost to Corey Manson (Cornell), 5-3

141: Matt Pagan (Unseeded; 0-2)
First Round: lost to Chris Bencivenga (UNC Greensboro), 9-4
Consolations: lost to Joel Webster (Edinboro), Fall 4:28

149: Bryce Saddoris (#2 Seed; 5-1; Second Place)
Pigtails: def. Dan Adamo (Duke), Fall 2:34
First Round: def. Savva Kostis (Appalachian State), MD 15-4
Second Round: def. Nick Murray (Virginia Tech - unattached), MD 17-4
Quarterfinals: def. Kaylen Baxter (Old Dominion), 5-3
Semifinals: def. Mike Roberts (Boston U), 5-1
Championship: lost to Darrion Caldwell (NC State), Fall 2:05

149: Cory Vernon (Unseeded; 0-2)
Pigtails: lost to Peter Ferrara (Virginia), Fall 2:56
Consolations: lost to Thomas Windom (Kent State), 11-8

157: Joel Ahern (Unseeded; 2-2)
Pigtails: lost to Carlo Ferrandino (Boston U), 6-5
Consolations: def. Mike Wechsler (Bloomsburg), MD 8-0
Consolations: def. Ollie Cooperwood (Lock Haven), 2-0
Consolations: lost to Ross Tice (Kent State), 9-5

157: Glenn Shober (Unseeded; 3-3; Eighth Place)
First Round: def. Mike Wechsler (Bloomsburg), 6-1
Second Round: def. Trevor Hall (Cal State Bakersfield), 6-1
Quarterfinals: lost to Jon Bonilla-Bowman (Hofstra), MD 18-8
Consolations: def. Thomas Ferguson (North Carolina), 4-2
Consolations: lost to Thomas Scotton (North Carolina), 6-2
Seventh Place: lost to Frankie McLaughlin (George Mason), 3-2

165: Jason Coyne (Unseeded; 1-2)
Pigtails: def. Tyler Mullen (Davidson), 9-5
First Round: lost to Chad Porter (Liberty - unattached), 4-2
Consolations: lost to Beau Fisher (Virginia), 8-2

165: Matt DeMichiel (Unseeded; 2-1)
Pigtails: def. CJ Inglin (Boston U), 9-5
First Round: def. Jimmy Kaden (George Mason), 4-3
Second Round: lost to Ryan McGarity (Binghamton), 7-4
Consolations: lost to Matt Coleman (Edinboro - unattached), Medical Forfeit

165: Robby Neill (Unseeded; 3-2)
Pigtails: def. Aaron Keeton (George Mason), 9-8 SV
First Round: lost to Kyle Kiss (North Carolina - unattached), 10-4
Consolations: def. CJ Inglin (Boston U), 5-4
Consolations: def. Steve Wilson (Ohio), 3-1
Consolations: lost to Kyle Blevins (Appalachian State), 8-3

174: Mike Billings (Unseeded; 1-2)
First Round: lost to Eric Decker (Old Dominion), 10-4
Consolations: def. Nate Graham (Bloomsburg), Fall 4:32
Consolations: lost to Nick Tenpenny (North Carolina - unattached), 8-3

174: Luke Rebertus (#5 Seed; 5-1; Third Place)
First Round: def. Kevin Cook (Davidson), 8-2
Second Round: def. Nick Tenpenny (North Carolina - unattached), 3-1
Quarterfinals: def. Bagna Tovuujav (George Mason), 3-2
Semifinals: lost to Steve Anceravage (Cornell), MD 11-3
Consolations: def. Eric Decker (Old Dominion), 4-2 TB
Third Place: def. Bagna Tovuujav (George Mason), 7-5

184: Casey Caldwell (Unseeded; 2-2)
First Round: lost to Dustin Kilgore (Kent State), 6-2
Consolations: def. Joseph Son (Liberty - unattached), 4-2
Consolations: def. Jonathan Velazquez (Gardner Webb), MD 13-4
Consolations: lost to Tom Kocher (Lock Haven), 3-1

184: Russ Kropp (Unseeded; 2-2)
First Round: lost to Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro), MD 10-2
Consolations: def. Eddie Ebewo (East Stroudsburg), 13-12
Consolations: def. Brian Hurley (The Citadel), TF 19-3
Consolations: lost to Ben Clymer (Hofstra), 13-9

197: Charles Carafano (Unseeded; 1-2)
Pigtails: def. Chris Iammarino (Ohio), 5-4
First Round: bye
Second Round: lost to Riley Orozco (Cal State Bakersfield), MD 11-3
Consolations: lost to Dan Tulley (Duke), 6-1

197: Philip Neese (Unseeded; 2-2)
Pigtails: def. Corey Waite (Binghamton), 8-6
First Round: lost to Josh Arnone (Cornell), 6-1
Consolations: def. Dylan Wrage (Ohio), 4-2
Consolations: lost to Cameron Simaz (Cornell), 10-4

285: Tyler Moyer (Unseeded; 2-2)
First Round: def. Tim Samson (Ohio), 3-2
Second Round: def. Nico Somers (Franklin & Marshall), 5-4
Quarterfinals: lost to Jermail Porter (Kent State), 7-1
Consolations: lost to Brendan Barlow (Kent State), 6-1

285: Scott Steele (#3 Seed; 4-1; Second Place)
First Round: def. Joe Sheffield (UNC Greensboro), 5-0
Second Round: def. Jordan Enck (Hofstra), MD 11-1
Quarterfinals: def. Joe Fendone (Edinboro), 5-3
Semifinals: def. Mitch Monteiro (Cal State Bakersfield), 3-2
Championship: lost to Jermail Porter (Kent State), Medical Forfeit

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