Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 2 | October 2016

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42 Inside Hokie Sports
“Dennis is similar to Joey,” Dresser said. “He
struggles with being consistent in his discipline.
They’re really good in the [wrestling workout]
room, but they need to improve out of the
room—everything from what time they go to
bed to what they eat to when they eat it. They
have to take care of their personal lives better.
“But Dennis is a tremendous talent and a
tremendous wrestler. The sky is the limit for
that guy this year.”
Haskett could be the backup at this class
as well, along with Dom Latona, a freshman
from Alabaster, Alabama who won two state
championships.
141 POUNDS
Herein iswhere theuncertainty lies forDresser
and the Hokies. Solomon Chishko enjoyed a
fantastic redshirt freshman season at this weight
class last year, going 30-7 overall and earning All-
America honors at theNCAAChampionships. He
finished sixth in this weight class.
“He can really wrestle,” Dresser said. “He’s
got such a feel. He’s got some go-to holds. To
get sixth as a freshman says a lot about him.”
But Chishko may move up to 149 pounds,
leaving Dresser in search for a 141-pounder.
His options include three freshmen—Jarrett
Degen, Brent Moore and Andrew Mehrholz.
Degen comes to Tech from Belgrade,
Montana, where he won three state
championships in three different weight
classes and he also won two NHSCA national
championships. Moore won two state titles for
St. Paris Graham in Ohio—the same school that
produced Brascetta—while Mehrholz qualified
for the Illinois state tournament four times and
placed twice.
149 POUNDS
Chishko will get the first crack at this weight,
as last year’s 149-pounder, Sal Mastriani, also
moves up a weight class. Mastriani, a fifth-year
senior, qualified for the NCAA Championships
as a redshirt sophomore, but suffered through
a down season last year. He went 9-11 overall.
“Sal is up and down,” Dresser said. “He’s got
to strive for consistency. We’ve seen the good
and the bad. He’s wrestling well right now. I’m
hoping that he can keep that mojo going.”
Whether Chishko stays at 149 pounds and
Mastriani at 157 pounds hinges on how they
perform in November and December. Dresser
wants to give them both the opportunity at
these respective weight classes before rushing
to a decision.
“We’ve got to make that call by Jan. 1,”
Dresser said. “The plan is to wrestle them and
see how they do that first month of the season.
We’ll wrestle them from Edinboro [on Nov. 5]
to Vegas [the Cliff Keen Invitational on Dec.
2-3] and evaluate them and see where we are.
There is no question that we’re a better team
with them down a weight class, but physically,
we just don’t know if that’s possible. Solomon
had to cut a lot of weight last year to do what he
did, and he’s going to have to decide if he wants
to do that again.”
Mattheos Lozier could be an option at 149
if Dresser keeps Chishko at 141 and Mastriani
stays at 157. Lozier, a redshirt junior from
Stafford, Virginia, won three matches in limited
action last season.
157 POUNDS
As previously stated, Mastriani will move
to this weight class during the early part of the
season. He will be one of three wrestlers vying
to replace Brascetta, who graduated, at this
weight. The other two include Ryan Blees, a
transfer from Oklahoma State, and freshman
B.C. LaPrade from New Kent, Virginia.
Blees, a former top-20 recruit, went 13-6
for the Cowboys as a sophomore and 22-10 as
a freshman. He earned five Fargo National All-
America honors and won the freestyle national
title in 2013.
LaPrade won Virginia Group 3A state titles
at 138 and 145 pounds during his career at New
Kent. He went 52-1 as a senior.
“I don’t know that Blees got a lot of attention
at Oklahoma State, so he’s got some catching up
to do,” Dresser said. “He just needs to compete.
LaPrade is very inconsistent, but we see some
good things with him.
“All three of these guys are good, but all three
are equally inconsistent. The guy that steps up
and is the most consistent is going to be the
guy.”
165 POUNDS
Dresser may not find his answer at this weight
class until January. McFadden tore his ACL at
the NCAA Championships, where he earned All-
America honors as a freshman. Asking him to
return in nine months—and be the wrestler that
he was—may be a bit much. More than likely,
McFadden will take a redshirt season.
His absencewould leave several incontention
for the job at this weight class, including David
Bergida andMike Ciavarro. Bergida, a fifth-year
senior, won two matches in limited action last
season, while Ciavarro won just once.
Dresser also hinted that Blees and LaPrade
could be options at this weight class, pending
THE BAR
Again
Continued
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