NC State wrestling notebook: Weekend preview, recruiting update

NC State wrestling has another big weekend. Former Wolfpack sports information director Brian Reinhardt previews the action and shares other news from the Pack.

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Productivity at 125 Pounds

NC State wrestling fans have noticed the Pack is 0-3 thus far in dual matches at 125 pounds — with two of those matches versus ranked foes. NC State has gotten a lot of great results from the weight class dating back to 2016, including many bonus wins in ACC action. But this year, the Pack has not been able to get the team points from that spot, yet. 

The Pack was set to have two-time ACC Champion Jakob Camacho enter his fourth year as the Pack’s starter. But over the summer, Camacho suffered a knee injury which required surgery. There are still questions as too if Camacho will be ready to come back for the second semester or if he will have to miss the entire season and receive a medical redshirt. NC State wrestling fans will still have to wait until January to know for sure.

The plan second semester last year was to have Jarrett Trombley drop down to 125 pounds to provide depth because of a pair of in-season transfers (we will hear more on that in a bit). Trombley didn’t have to wrestle at that new weight last year, and spent the summer in preparation for the cut down from 133, where he was a two-time NCAA Qualifier.

But so far this year, Trombley is 0-3 for NC State and hasn’t scored a takedown in any of those matches. He has gotten in on shots, but has been unable to score. He is the type of wrestler that is probably not going to score a lot of takedowns in a bout, but is is always in good position and has often turned opponents shots into points of his own (anybody remember the pin that brought the roof down for NC State wrestling in Reynolds in 2020 to clinch the ACC win over Virginia Tech?).

That is the position the Pack finds itself in right now, but a few transfers over the last few seasons have also contributed to the lack of depth at 125 pounds for NC State. Perhaps the hardest position to fill on the NC State wrestling team has been the back-up at 125 pounds, as five different wrestlers who found themselves in that spot left the program in recent years.

Codi Russell and Zurich Storm transferred to App State and Campbell respectively and went on to become NCAA Qualifiers. Both lost battles to start at 125 pounds for the Pack, and decided to look for their opportunities elsewhere. But it might be the transfers in back-to-back years of wrestlers currently ranked in the top-20 nationally that has hurt NC State the most. Anthony Noto redshirted in 2020 and left for Lock Haven. He is currently No. 12 nationally and last weekend downed Trombley in OT (3-1). Uber recruit Stevo Poulin (he was ranked as high as No. 20 nationally when he signed) did not make it through his lone season in Raleigh last year, and currently sits No. 18 while at Northern Colorado. Walk-on James Joplin (now at Lander, a DII school) also left NC State last year.

This is still the dual season, and the Pack has been able to recover the three losses at 125 pounds with bonus points at the upper weights. But a huge advantage for the Pack in the ACC over recent years has been points from 125 pounds at the ACC Championship. In fact, Camacho and Sean Fausz have combined for three ACC titles and four second-place finishes since 2016. NC State wrestling has been represented in the ACC Final at 125 pounds each of the last seven years.

Trombley will have his chance to improve his results moving forward. He has a ranked battle against Illinois (vs. No. 23 Justin Cardani) and the field is always loaded at the Cliff Keen Invite in Las Vegas coming up in December.

NC State Wrestling Travels to New York This Weekend

The Pack will head up to Albany, N.Y., this weekend to compete in a pair of duals as part of Journeymen’s Arm Bar at the Armory. Friday night, NC State will face Central Michigan at 6:30 p.m. and then Illinois at 8:30 p.m. Both duals will be streamed by FloWrestling.

Here are some things to look for this weekend:

• NC State should be heavily favored against Central Michigan, if the Pack rolls out its starting lineup. CMU is strong at both 149 and 157 pounds, with a pair of ranked wrestlers. Freshman Jackson Arrington will get yet another top test, as he will face No. 14 Johnny Lovett. Arrington has been thrown into the fire early to start his career, as his two losses this season are to returning All-Americans that are currently ranked No. 5 and No. 6 nationally at 149 pounds.
• The dual vs. Illinois will be more competitive, and NC State wrestling fans always love the challenge of a Big 10 squad. Illinois has five ranked grapplers, with three in the top-15. Returning All-American Lucas Byrd is ranked No. 6 at 133 pounds, and gives Kai Orine a huge early season match-up. After a loss in the App State dual, Orine recovered with a pair of wins this past weekend, including a ranked win vs. Nebraska. One of the biggest upsets last weekend was Illinois’ Ed Ruth talking out No. 10 Peyton Mocco of Missouri, and Ruth was rewarded with the win by moving up to No. 10 himself at 174 pounds. That could be a weight to keep an eye on for this weekend for the Pack. Brock DelSignore has been the starter thus far. He had a rough 1-4 record last weekend, but his one win was a fall against teammate R-Fr. Joey Milano. Could Milano or Fr. Matty Singleton be given a chance in one of the duals at 174? The pair are 1-1 against each other this season in matches. Finally at 197 pounds, another ranked opponent for NC State’s Isaac Trumble. He scored a ranked win over Nebraska last weekend and has No. 14 Zac Braunagel awaiting this weekend.
• Illinois has a pair of NC State wrestling ties. Sophomore Joe Roberts spent the 2021 season with the Pack as a redshirt, and transferred back home to Illinois after that season. He was the starter at 157 pounds last year for Illinois, and could face former teammate Ed Scott who is looking to bounce back from a top-5 loss this past weekend. Scott and Roberts were in the same recruiting class. Illinois assistant coach Ed Ruth also spent the 2021 season in Raleigh, as he was a part of the Wolfpack RTC’s coaching staff, and often worked with many current members of the Pack squad both for their college practice and RTC practices. Plenty of cradles were seen in the NC State wrestling practice room that year in training.

NC State Wrestling On the Recruiting Trail

NC State wrestling picked up another verbal for its 2024 class, which will be able to sign next November. Draegen Orine is the younger brother of R-So. 133-pounder Kai Orine and projects to be at 133/141 pounds. The two main recruiting websites are pretty far apart on his ranking in the class, as FloWrestling has him at No. 50 nationally while MatScouts ranks him No. 104. Originally from Missouri, he is at one of the top programs in the country this year, Wyoming Seminary.

Orine joins three others ranked among MatScouts top-55 in the 2024 class: No. 29 Latrelle Schafer (174 pounds), No. 46 Louie Gill (125/133), and Np. 55 Jaydon Robinson (65).

Wolfpack RTC Action this Weekend

A pair of athletes from the Wolfpack RTC, and former members of the Pack, will also be in action this weekend. Tommy Gantt (74 kg) and Michael Macchiavello (97 kg) will compete at the Bill Farrell this weekend in New York. A former member of the Wolfpack RTC and two-time national champion at NC State, Nick Gwiazdowski, will also be in action competing at 125 kg.

All the action will be streamed on FloWrestling on Saturday and Sunday. Up to 18 nations have registered a wrestler for action in this international tournament.