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Dustin Stefanino.

cpn1sgm

Well-Known Member
Aug 19, 2007
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I'm hearing PSU is calling about Dustin Stefanino from Upper Perk. Very solid wrestler. Took 3rd at 113 for AAA. I don't think this kid has peaked yet. Could redshirt at 125, hit the weights and learn under Nico & JC. Thoughts?
 
Steffenino. Solid kid. Pretty good on the mat which is a good start for college. Definitely a project, not a blue chip, but I would think its for walking on or books. Was cutting some weight to get to 115.

This post was edited on 3/25 9:27 AM by dicemen99
 
Certainly worth a flier if nothing else. PA Power Wrestling has him as the #52 PA recruit this year.

39-2 in 2015, lost 5-3 to runner-up Gage Curry 5-3 in the state semis, and 3-2 to returning champ Jake Riegel (Beca) in the Bethlehem Holiday Classic finals. Beat returning state finalist Dan Moran (Northampton) 6-5 in the 3rd/4th match.

33-10, 8th in 2014. 41-8, regional 4th in 2013. Career 125-29.

Anybody know if/how he's fared in off-season competitions like Super 32, Flonats, Fargo, Disney, etc.?
 
interesting ...


Steffenino would be a great pickup for the lower weights. He's under the radar, as he's not a top 100 guy, but he's an excellent wrestler.

I believe he was 39-2 this year. At States, he had a bye in R1, he pinned Hunter Zondory (NW-3, Jersey Shore) in 3:45 in R2, and then he lost to Gage Curry (SW-2, North Hills) 5-3 in the semis. (FWIW, Devin Brown defeated Gage Curry 5-3 in the finals.) In the consolation semis he pinned Austin DeSanto (SC-1, Exeter Township) in 40 seconds, and then defeated Daniel Moran (NE-2, Northampton) in the consolation finals, 6-5, to finish in 3rd place at 113.

He wrestled 113 as a high school senior, so he's likely to be able to make 125 for most/all of college. PSU has Nico and JC next season, so he could spend a year bulking up and working on his technique, and then would be an option for 2016-17, regardless of whomever PSU recruits next year.

He's a PA resident, so even if he's not offered anything, or offered minimal aid, the expense for his parents would be far less than if he were a walk-on/minimal aid as a non-resident.

The only senior that made the semis of Class AAA at 120 was Derek Gulotta. I'll defer to Dice, who I'm sure has seen each of them wrestler far more than me, but I was more impressed with Steffenino than Gulotta.

If you look at AA, Coy Campbell (Upper Dauphin) and Cameron Newman (Line Mountain) were seniors that made the AA semis at 113. Newman took 3rd by defeating Campbell in the Consolation finals. At 120, none of the semifinalists were seniors.

I'm kind of kicking myself here -- if I had thought about this a bit more, and considered which PA lightweights PSU might be interested in, I suspect I would have come up with Steffenino.

Tom
 
well ...


Anybody know if/how he's fared in off-season competitions like Super 32, Flonats, Fargo, Disney, etc.?
Just looking online, here's what I found:

2014 FloNationals - does not appear he competed
2014 Fargo Cadet Freestyle - did not place in top 8; couldn't find the bracket, so I'm not sure if he competed
2014 Super 32 - does not appear he competed. (They only have 8 per weight class, so not a huge surprise)
2014 Disney (you mean the Duals?) - couldn't find his name, but those brackets are tough to read

I'd search more, but I'm pressed for time, so this is the end of my research on the matter.

Tom
 
Re: interesting ...


Originally posted by Tom McAndrew:

Steffenino would be a great pickup for the lower weights. He's under the radar, as he's not a top 100 guy, but he's an excellent wrestler.

I believe he was 39-2 this year. At States, he had a bye in R1, he pinned Hunter Zondory (NW-3, Jersey Shore) in 3:45 in R2, and then he lost to Gage Curry (SW-2, North Hills) 5-3 in the semis. (FWIW, Devin Brown defeated Gage Curry 5-3 in the finals.) In the consolation semis he pinned Austin DeSanto (SC-1, Exeter Township) in 40 seconds, and then defeated Daniel Moran (NE-2, Northampton) in the consolation finals, 6-5, to finish in 3rd place at 113.

He wrestled 113 as a high school senior, so he's likely to be able to make 125 for most/all of college. PSU has Nico and JC next season, so he could spend a year bulking up and working on his technique, and then would be an option for 2016-17, regardless of whomever PSU recruits next year.

He's a PA resident, so even if he's not offered anything, or offered minimal aid, the expense for his parents would be far less than if he were a walk-on/minimal aid as a non-resident.

The only senior that made the semis of Class AAA at 120 was Derek Gulotta. I'll defer to Dice, who I'm sure has seen each of them wrestler far more than me, but I was more impressed with Steffenino than Gulotta.

If you look at AA, Coy Campbell (Upper Dauphin) and Cameron Newman (Line Mountain) were seniors that made the AA semis at 113. Newman took 3rd by defeating Campbell in the Consolation finals. At 120, none of the semifinalists were seniors.

I'm kind of kicking myself here -- if I had thought about this a bit more, and considered which PA lightweights PSU might be interested in, I suspect I would have come up with Steffenino.

Tom
I've seen both Derek and Dustin many times over the years. Gulotta had a better overall career, but this year I would say they were about equal. IMO, most likely a recruit that may head to a Bloom, Clarion or Lock Haven, or even a good D3.

Pretty sure Steffenino was wrestling offseason in the 125 to 130 range, so he's not all that small.

I would be looking at this kid as one of the in-state walk ons you will get over the next couple of months. I would not go comparing him to JC, JC is kind of an anomaly in achieving AA as a kid who wrestled 112 senior year in HS - I did some numbers on this a year or two ago, most of the real good 125s in college were wrestling AT LEAST 120 their senior years. And even at that, JC was much more accomplished in high school. Steffenino would definitely have to improve considerably to fill the shoes that PSU has at 125 currently.

He may turn out to be great in college, but my guess is they still will be recruiting 125 very hard next year even if they get him.
 
Re: interesting ...


Dice - thanks for the appraisal of Steffenino. In your opinion, how would you compare him to the 125 pounders who are already in the room; Carpenter and Yanovich? Do you think any of the three will eventually grow into 133 to backup JG and (Hopefully!!) Lee later on?
 
good stuff ...


appreciate your appraisal.

as a general interest comment, Steffenino and Gulotta were named to the Philadelphia Inquirer All-Southeastern PA Wrestling Team, at 113 and 120, respectively. I didn't realize Gulotta was a 4-time medalist at States.

Tom
 
Re: interesting ...


There are multiple Steffenino's that have wrestled in the family, so I would think a scholarship would go a long way with the family. Father was their youth coach, so discipline runs in the family from a young age.

If we're comapring the two, Gulotta is the more athletic of the two, but Steffenino definitely raised his game this season. I'll take Gulotta, but I'm biased because I used to coach him from 6-8th grade.
 
well so much for that story, and the resulting speculation ...


appreciate the info, El-Jefe.

Tom
 
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