Blue White Illustrated

"It's actually me," Rasheed said. "If I lose – which is not really an option in all of our heads – but if I do lose, I'm still giving it my all. After the match, I [used to dwell on how] I could have done this differently. It's me out there now. It's not like when I was going 165." When he entered the Scuffle in early January, it was as Penn State's third- string wrestler behind starter Anthony Cassar and captain Matt McCutcheon. But now the spot is up for grabs. In crowning six individual champions en route to their seventh Scuffle title, the Nittany Lions opened the season just as one would expect from the defending champs. In many ways, however, the conflicts are just beginning. That assessment is not restricted to the 197-pound class or the thick of the Big Ten schedule. PSU already was tested by Lehigh during the nonconference season, as it needed a victory in the heavyweight bout to win a 23-19 nail-biter. Internal challenges also await. In previous seasons, the matches at the Scuffle went a long way toward deter- mining the final lineup and helped an- swer lingering uncertainties. The event provided clarity and helped head coach Cael Sanderson make his final decisions when two or more viable options existed. This year, however, that didn't com- pletely occur. If anything, the opposite happened, as the Scuffle raised more questions than it answered concerning the 2017-18 lineup. At 125, redshirt freshman Devin Schnupp had gone winless in PSU's first round of duals, despite grinding and bat- tling to decisions against six of his seven opponents who were often larger and more experienced than the former 118- pounder from Lititz, Pa. His first and only career win thus far came in the consola- tion round of the Keystone Classic in No- vember. At the Scuffle, he went two-and-out. At 141, Jered Cortez, a junior who jumped up one weight class after an in- jury derailed his redshirt sophomore campaign, earned the right to begin the season as the starter. But then misfortune struck again. After winning 11 of his first 12 matches, the former Illinois wrestler injured his ankle at the Scuffle. Concur- rently, true freshman Nick Lee of Evans- ville, Ind., tore up the bracket and fell just shy of a title, claiming runner-up honors. With a 14-3 record as an unattached competitor, the freshman had earned bonus points in all of his wins, including four pins, six technical falls and four major decisions. His first decision came in his lineup debut when he got the start against Michigan and beat Sal Profaci, 9- 5. Then there's the situation at 197. Hin- dered by injuries the past two seasons, Cassar appeared to have at least gained a foothold on the starting role in 2017. Then the ball dropped on 2018 and Rasheed went out at the Scuffle and won it all. After opening with a pair of major de- cisions, Rasheed won his last three by fall. He needed only 27 seconds to capture his quarterfinal match, 41 seconds to win the semifinal and 46 seconds to win the championship. Entering the tournament, Cassar had appeared to be settling into the starter's role, but Rasheed's surge stirred the pot. Cassar finished in third place after dropping a controversial semifinal bout in overtime, so it wasn't as though he had a bad tournament. He won four of his five matches by decision and lost his semifi- nal bout by only two points in sudden- victory to Northern Iowa's Jacob Holschlag (who was pinned by Rasheed in the next round). Cassar has proven him- self a proficient wrestler with the talent to handle the position. But at a weight class with three worthy candidates (Mc- Cutcheon qualified for NCAAs at 197 last season before being injured), proficiency might not be enough. Given Penn State's perpetual emphasis on bonus points, Rasheed's falls and major decisions haven't been overlooked. They can't be, especially considering that Cassar was unable to tally one extra bonus point. Rasheed made quick work of opponents, using a cradle for each of his three pins, but there's a dual edge to that accomplishment. Lack of offense has never been a charge against the rangy Rasheed, as 76 percent of his career victories have come with bonus points. As a redshirt freshman at 165 pounds, he scored bonus points in 11 of his 17 wins, including six falls. As a sophomore, he pinned or tech-falled three of his five op- ponents before an injury ended his sea- son. The coaches have long been aware of the potential that exists within the two- time New York state champ from Coram. Count on Rasheed for fireworks, but how long is the wick? In his lineup debut at Michigan, he showed that he could go the full 7 min- utes, outlasting returning All-American Kevin Beazley for a 7-1 decision. So while it might seem clear to some that Rasheed should get the spot after plowing through the bracket at the Scuf- fle, it's not that easy. At the next round of dual meets, he and Cassar rotated spots against Michigan and Michigan State, and Sanderson hinted that's how it will play out until a final decision is made. "We still have two months to go," he said. "Things will work themselves out." It's not the only difficult decision on the coaching staff's to-do list, either. While Cortez was on his way to secur- ing the 141-pound spot, he was injured in his third bout at the Scuffle. He fought through it, claiming a 6-3 decision, but he had to be carried off the mat after- ward, unable to walk on his own, and he was wearing a protective boot the fol- lowing week. After exiting the tourna- ment, his long-term status remains unclear. Meanwhile, Lee finished second, bat- tling Oklahoma State's Kaden Gfeller to a 7-7 tie before Gfeller put Lee on his back in the second period and pinned him in 4:50. But like Rasheed, Lee flashed. In the past, success as a fresh- man at the Scuffle has been a harbinger of more to come for some of Penn State's best. Last season, Penn State pulled the red- shirt of Mark Hall after he won the Scuf- fle. The decision wasn't made public until Hall debuted at Iowa on Jan. 20. Sanderson followed a similar precedent this year, when he removed the redshirt

• Cover