EAST LANSING– After the holiday break, Michigan State wrestling resumes its season by heading south for the Southern Scuffle, on Jan. 3 and 4. This is regarded as a highly competitive event for college wrestlers between semesters.
This large-scale event has drawn a strong group of programs from all over the United States. As the Spartans prepare to start the second half of their season, it will be an excellent opportunity for them to test themselves against strong competition.
The Southern Scuffle emphasizes wrestlers being able to have numerous competitive matches in a short period of time, allowing for a test of depth, durability, and consistency within each wrestler over both days. For Michigan State, it gives them a chance to assess the progress of every wrestler, fine-tune their technical performance and get a feel for competing at a post-season level before entering the Big Ten play in January. There is a dual schedule comping up next month, so it will allow the team to measure themselves against other competitors while developing their overall skills.
Michigan State joins the field for the tournament with a squad made up of both veteran experience and developing underclassmen, many of whom will have to face one of the highest levels of competition this season. One individual to watch in particular is redshirt freshman Sammy Agnello, at 149 pounds. Agnello will be trying to continue his transition to the collegiate level while gaining valuable experience against a group of wrestlers who have been proven at the national level. The Southern Scuffle will allow Agnello the chance to evaluate how far he has progressed in a tournament setting under pressure.
The Spartans goal is to achieve consistency and discipline while improving technically as a team, not just athletically as individuals. The Southern Scuffle provides wrestlers an opportunity to see many different styles of wrestling, and this presents Michigan State with opportunities to adjust their game during the tournament so that they can continue to be successful throughout the tournament and across multiple matches.
The championship round of Junior Varsity will determine all championship and placement winners on January 4. The way wrestlers have performed thus far will set the tone for how each wrestler approaches the future of the season and what they must do to prepare themselves physically and mentally for the highly competitive nature of the Big Ten and post season qualification later in the season.
The Southern Scuffle will be contested on Jan. 3 and 4 at McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia.
