Rutgers wrestling search for breakthrough win continues against Ohio State

PISCATAWAY - The search for that breakthrough win for the Rutgers University wrestling program against one of the Big Ten Conference’s “Big Five’’ turns to Sunday's match against Ohio State at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

The match will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus beginning at 1 p.m.

It is well-documented the Scarlet Knights are 0-53-1 against Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State. Rutgers is 0-31 against those five since it joined the Big Ten for the 2014-15 season.

This is probably the last semi-reasonable chance the Scarlet Knights (10-3, 3-2), ranked No. 14 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll, have to beat one of those teams this season.

A win over No. 1 Penn State (7-0, 4-0) Feb. 12 in Penn State’s annual match at its Bryce Jordan Center is very unlikely.

Rutgers has lost to two of the Big Five – No. 12 Michigan and No. 10 Minnesota – in its last two matches.

More: Rutgers wrestling woes against Big 5 of the Big Ten continues with defeat to Minnesota

The Scarlet Knights have also not defeated a top 10 ranked team since a 17-16 win on criteria over No. 10 Wisconsin on Jan. 11, 2019.

More: Rutgers wrestling loses all the close ones in defeat to shorthanded Michigan

Ohio State (12-1, 4-0), ranked No. 7, will be a tough matchup, if it wrestles its best lineup. The Buckeyes, who wrestle at Penn State Friday night, have a wrestler ranked at each of the 10 weights. They also have a very talented freshmen class. Six freshmen could be in their lineup this weekend.

Rutgers, 0-9-1 all-time, 0-7 in the Big Ten against Ohio State, has come close against the Buckeyes before. It had a chance to grab control of matches in 2021 and 2022 in the late stages, only for Ohio State to rally for a 19-14 win both times.

How they match up

Ohio State is favored at 141, with No. 3 Jesse Mendez; 149, with top 10 Dylan D’Emilo ,165 with Bryce Hepner and 184, even though Rutgers has the higher ranked wrestler in Brian Soldano.

Soldano has lost his last three, including one at the buzzer last Saturday to Minnesota’s unbeaten freshman backup Max McEnelly.

Soldano was majored in his previous two bouts, including by Michigan’s Jaden Bullock. Ohio State freshman backup Ryder Rogotzke defeated Bullock by a 21-0 technical fall on Jan. 26 in the Buckeyes’ dramatic come-from-behind 20-19 win over the Wolverines.

Rutgers is favored at 125 with Dean Peterson and 197 with John Poznanski, but Ohio State is certainly capable of winning both those bouts.

Peterson and freshman Brendan McCrone have a recent common opponent in Michigan’s 2022 NCAA fourth-place finisher Michael DeAugustino. Peterson was defeated 2-0 by DeAugustino. DeAugustino defeated McCrone by a 16-1 technical fall.

Swing bouts appear to be 133, 174 and heavyweight.

Rutgers’ 133-pounder Dylan Shawver and freshman Nic Bouzakis both wrestled Michigan’s unbeaten Dylan Ragusin recently Shawver was defeated 4-1 and 8-5 by Ragusin. McCrone was majored 15-6 by Ragusin.

At 174, Rutgers’ Jackson Turley has won his last nine bouts. Ohio State freshman Rocco Welsh gave Michigan’s Shane Griffith - the 2021 165-pound national champion when he was at Stanford - all he could handle in a 2-1 defeat via the riding time point.

Scarlet Knights top 10 heavyweight Yaraslau Slavikouski and freshman Nick Feldman both wrestled Michigan’s two-time NCAA top six finisher Lucas Davison recently. Davison defeated Slavikouski 4-0. Feldman defeated Davison 4-3 to complete the Buckeyes’ comeback from a 19-9 deficit over the last three bouts against Michigan.

The unknown

On the surface, Ohio State is favored at 157 with Isaac Wilcox. But if graduate student Jacob Butler wrestles, Rutgers will have a reasonable chance to win the bout.

Butler won the Mat Town Open 157-pound championship last Sunday in Lock Haven, Pa. in his first action since he sustained a knee injury Nov. 19 at the Black Knight Invitational in West Point, N.Y. Butler, a 2022 NCAA qualifier, was wrestling at 149 before the injury. He did wrestle at 157 for Oklahoma last season.

It would be logical to think the Mat Town Open was a test run for Butler to see if he was ready for dual-meet action.

Andrew Clark, who was projected to be the starting 157-pounder, has not weighed in for Rutgers’ last five matches and was not even listed on the weigh-in sheet for the Minnesota match.

Junior Al Desantis has gone 1-4 in Big Ten matches and is 5-10 overall.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Cetta took over at 149 when Butler was injured. He has been solid and probably earned a spot in the lineup.

Possible lineups with Rutgers wrestlers listed first

Rankings are from intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling.org.

125: 13/16 Dean Peterson (9-3) vs. 24/21 Brendan McCrone (15-8) or Vinny Kilkeary (12-4)

133: 13/14 Dylan Shawver (17-5) vs. 12/10 Nic Bouzakis (19-6).

141: 20/15 Mitch Moore (11-2) vs. 3/3 Jesse Mendez (19-1).

149: Michael Cetta (11-5) vs. 9/7 Dylan D’Emilo (19-6).

157: Al Desantis (5-10) or Jacob Butler (7-2) or NR/29 Andrew Clark (6-4) vs. 29/23 Isaac Wilcox (13-6).

165: Luke Gayer (9-9) or Anthony White (9-9) vs. 20/12 Bryce Hepner (9-2).

174: 13/17 Jackson Turley (9-2) or Shane Cartagena-Walsh (9-5) vs. 11/14 Rocco Welsh (14-3).

184: 21/22 Brian Soldano (10-7) vs. 31/26 Seth Shumate (5-3) or Ryder Rogotzke (13-5).

197: 9/14 John Poznanski (12-1) vs. 22/24 Luke Geog (10-5).

HWT: 7/7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (14-1) vs. 16/13 Nick Feldman (19-4).

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers wrestling: Ohio State will be a tough task