Tonight, Saucon Valley hosts Notre Dame Green-Pond in one of the best rivalries in high school wrestling. They are ranked as the top two teams in the state, and this is possibly their first of four meetings (regular season, Colonial League finals, District 11 finals, State Duals finals). Most importantly, these teams HATE each other. Saucon had dominated District 11 2A since Bethlehem Catholic moved up, and they feel like Notre Dame skirts transfer rules and became a “just add water” state champion after being a middling to bad program for the school’s entire history. Notre Dame finds Saucon Valley’s tactics underhanded (nobody loves sending out girls to accept forfeits from Notre Dame more than Chad Shirk). No doubt there will be fireworks tonight.
There’s also animosity stemming from Ryan Crookham on both sides. Crookham was one of the most ballyhooed 8th graders in recent memory, who lived in the Saucon Valley school district, and seemingly was going to pass up Bethlehem Catholic to stay and wrestle for the Panthers, before a last minute decision to follow Matt Veres to Notre Dame when Veres was hired as head coach. Crookham was initially the backbone to the Notre Dame program, going 100-2 and winning a pair of state championships in his first two seasons. But an injury and a major falling out with Veres led to Crookham transferring back to Saucon Valley, but unable to compete last year. Crookham is on the Saucon Valley roster, but another injury suffered in a preseason All Star event has him on the shelf. There are rumors (that I wouldn’t put much stock into) saying he’ll wrestle tonight, which would add a whole different element.
I won’t factor a potential Crookham appearance into the preview, but here is what there is to look forward to tonight.
Notre Dame has won the last three regular season meetings, but Saucon Valley has won the last two District 11 titles (2019 and 2020, with no tournament in 2021) as well as a win at the 2020 state tournament. Saucon is 4-3 against ND since Veres took over.
The Matchups (state rankings before names)
106: #4 Ayden Smith, Notre Dame (So. 15-5) vs. #3 Cole Hubert, Saucon Valley (Fr. 19-4)
One of the hinge matches of the dual. Both kids are potential state finalists. Smith was fourth in the state last year as an undersized freshman, but has grown into a full 106 and is highly skilled. Hubert is the best of a strong group of Saucon freshmen who figures to be right there with the state’s best. He pinned Smith back at Beast of the East, but weird circumstances of the match don’t feel replicable. Should be a dandy, and the winner probably decides the dual.
113: Cooper Feltman, Notre Dame (Fr. 3-5) vs. Aiden Grogg, Saucon Valley (Fr. 9-3)
A hinge match for a totally different reasons. Feltman and Grogg are unheralded parts of these loaded lineups. Feltman has taken a beating wrestling at Beast of the East, Powerade, and a dual with Blair Academy accounting for all of his losses. Grogg is probably a slight favorite.
120: #2 Adam Schweitzer, Notre Dame (Sr. 11-8) vs. Jackson Albert, Saucon Valley (Fr. 8-5)
Schweitzer made a name for himself at Powerade where he beat 3A state champ and nationally ranked Vinny Kilkeary of Greater Latrobe. Schweitzer was a state medalist in 2021, but has never shown he could hang with elite guys in the way he has this year. He’s a heavy favorite here.
126: Jacob Wehr, Notre Dame (Sr. 4-7) vs. Hector Mateo, Saucon Valley (Fr. 10-7)
Another swing spot of totally unheralded guys. Wehr has been a four year program guy who has plugged away and is getting a starting spot. Mateo is the fourth straight Saucon freshman who they expect a lot from in the future. He might be a little more talented, but don’t underestimate Wehr’s experience in a huge match.
132: #2 Brandan Chletsos, Notre Dame (Sr. 14-8) vs. Connor Nicholas (Sr. 11-6)
Chletsos’s record is deceptive, he has seven losses at Ironman, Beast, and Powerade, three of the toughest tournaments in the country (he medaled at Beast and Powerade) and dropped a rematch of a Beast loss against Blair. He’s a state runner-up, should be a four-time state medalist, and a Rutgers commit. He’s brutal on top and has owned Nicholas in their career. Possible bonus points for ND here.
138: #9 Bryson Vaughn, Notre Dame (Jr. 14-7) vs. Travis Riefenstahl (Jr. 8-5)
Vaughn came in from Easton and was expected to be a four year impact wrestler for Notre Dame. But Ryan Crookham’s surprise weight drop his freshman year left him without a lineup spot, then COVID and injuries shortened his sophomore season. This year, he’s solidly a starter and performing well against their brutal schedule. He is 4-0 in his career against Riefenstahl, and ND can pretty much bank on this one here.
145: Keegan Ramsay, Notre Dame (Fr. 8-7) vs. #8 Cael Markle (Sr. 13-5)
Markle is amongst the most improved wrestlers in the state and has really thrown his hat in the ring as a possible medalist. He still likes the big move a little too much, and Chad Shirk needs him to wrestle smarthere. Ramsay is a really good freshman, particularly wrestling at this heavy of a weight, but he’ll need to wrestle beyond his years in such a big match.
152: #4 Evan Maag, Notre Dame (Sr. 17-7) vs. #6 Chris Arciuolo (Sr. 12-2)
The second real hinge match of the dual. These two have split matches in their careers, with Maag winning most recently. Maag is a returning medalist who has shot up – he started as a small 106 pounder andis now a full sized 152. Arciuolo is mega talented but often injured, and keeping him on the mat and in the practice room has been the only thing holding him back from major state level success. He should be good to go and this is a barnburner.
160: #5 Holden Garcia, Notre Dame (Jr. 13-8) vs. #11 Liam Scivanich, Saucon Valley (Jr. 12-6)
A pair of Fargo All Americans, but Garcia holds a decided advantage – he decked Scivanich twice last year. Garcia, a returning state medalist and Princeton commit, has taken his lumps against ND’s schedule, but is a national caliber wrestler who is really fluid for as big as he is at 160. Scivanich is a tank who has national credentials in Greco,but he’ll need to have really closed the gap with Garcia here.
172: #13 Garrett Tettemer, Notre Dame (Jr. 7-5) vs. #3 Jake Jones, Saucon Valley (Jr. 15-3)
Tettemer helped solidify Notre Dame’s upper weights after transferring in from Delaware Valley, New Jersey, where he was a state qualifier as a freshman. He beat Jones last year in their first bout before Jones dropped to wrestle Garcia (a match we could see here too). Jones is a vastly improved wrestler this season – barely anybody can stay on the mat with him as he has 12 falls in 15 wins, including pinning his way through a good Hurricane Classic field over Christmas break. He’s the third Jones brother to star for Saucon (Jason won 156 career matches, while Josh was two-time state finalist and state champ in 2019).
189: #12 Joey LaPenna, Notre Dame (So. 9-7) vs. #4 Ty Csencsits, Saucon Valley (Sr. 11-6)
Saucon Valley could do anything at the next three weights – this is where I’d imagine all three will go for the postseason, but Pfizenmayer is truly a 182 pounder trying to find a home. Csencsits is a Pitt recruit and returning state medalist who absolutely will compete for a state title. He’s also their leading receiver in football and a really good athlete. LaPenna will be a tough out however. He took third in the state junior high tournament as an 8th grader and had a really solid freshman year, and seems like he could break out after weathering ND’s tough early season schedule. Saucon would love bonus points here, but I think they may be tough to come by.
215: Jared Blobe, Notre Dame (Jr. 6-7) vs. #8 Ty Pfizenmayer, Saucon Valley (Jr. 14-7)
Pfizenmayer is really screwed by the consolidation of 182 and 195, because he’s probably a state medalist at 182 (he was a Beast of the East quarterfinalist) but is going to give up a LOT of weight wherever he ends up because Csencsits is blocking him at 189 and Jones is blocking him at 172. But he’s clearly the best guy here, even underweight against Blobe, and Saucon should get bonus here.
285: Mason Ludlow, Notre Dame (Jr. 8-5) vs. #2 Dante Mahaffey, Saucon Valley (Sr. 2-0)
The return of Mahaffey, who suffered a football injury in the fall as the Panther’s quarterback, is huge here. Mahaffey was a state medalist at 215 last year and is amongst the best heavyweights in the state if he stays here, though he may come down to 215 for the postseason. Notre Dame is also without Aiden Compton, a state qualifier and Fargo All American from Pen Argyl who transferred to Notre Dame for his junior season, but tore his ACL playing football. In his place, Ludlow will try not to get pinned.
Coaches
Notre Dame: Matt Veres
Veres is a Blair Academy alum who was the 171 on probably the best high school team of all time (2001-02 Blair Academy). He wrestled at Franklin & Marshall before coming to the Lehigh Valley, where he initially ran the Bethlehem Catholic Junior Hawks program and Weaver Elite Wrestling Club, which was the “talent acquisition” juggernaut for Bethlehem Catholic. He took the Notre Dame job in 2018, a school that usually struggled to fill a lineup and had one state champ and three medalists in school history. After being hired, Crookham and state junior high medalists Brandan Chletsos, Derek Berlitz, and Evan Maag filed paperwork to go to Notre Dame, and Nazareth regional champ and state medalist Andrew Cerniglia transferred in for his junior season. Those five scored enough points to get them to third at the PIAA tournament in Veres first season. He’s stacked classes in the four years since, and been blessed with some very high quality transfers (New Jersey state champ Brett Ungar, Fargo All American Aiden Compton) and has Notre Dame rolling as one of the best programs in the country. They are the defending 2A Individual Tournament champions, though have yet to win a District 11 or State Duals title.
Saucon Valley: Chad Shirk
Shirk is in his 18th year at Saucon and is an astounding 351-64. He instantly turned the Panthers from also-rans into the premier Colonial League team when he was hired as a 24 year old in 2005, going 12-10 in his first year and 21-4 in his second. He’s won at least 19 duals in 13 of 16 full. They won seven straight District 11 dual titles from 2012-2018, they won their first D11 individual tournament in 31 years under Shirk, and had a 73 match conference winning streak. The Panthers have been state runner-up under Shirk, but haven’t quite captured the big prize yet, and this year seems like their best chance. Things really kicked into gear when Shirk hired Tommy and Don Rohn as assistants in 2011. Don Rohn, a two-time state champ at Saucon Valley and an NCAA champ for Clarion, was the head coach at Northampton from 1983-2000 where he built the Konkrete Kids into arguably the best high school program in the country. Tommy was a state runner-up for his dad and wrestled at Lehigh. Saucon is very reminiscent of the 1990s Northampton squads, incredibly strong and physical, in great shape, and wrestle with a real edge.
Match Picks
106: Notre Dame +3 (Smith in a barnburner – best match of the night)
113: Saucon Valley +3 (Grogg takes care of business in the frosh battle)
120: Notre Dame +6 (Schweitzer is a big favorite)
126: Saucon Valley +3 (Probably the toughest call of the night)
132: Notre Dame +4 (Chletsos can certainly pin here if he gets boots/half right)
138: Notre Dame +3 (Vaughn is a solid favorite – can he sneak out a major?)
145: Saucon Valley +3 (Experience wins here, but Ramsay could make a name for himself)
152: Notre Dame +3 (Maag is a little healthier and a little steadier)
160: Notre Dame +3 (Another Garcia fall puts ND in great shape, but Scivanich is much improved)
172: Saucon Valley +3 (Jones has a weird loss to Tettemer, but he’s jumped a level and is a great pinner, which would blow things open)
189: Saucon Valley +3 (LaPenna can keep it close enough to avoid a major)
215: Saucon Valley +4 (Pfizenmayer will need to push pace and wrack up as many points as possible, he’ll win,but by how much)
285: Saucon Valley +6 (Mahaffey being back and healthy for this one swings the dual- big favorite)
Bout Split: 7-6 Saucon Valley
Predicted Final Score: 25-22 Saucon Valley
Quick Analysis: If they wrestle straight up, Saucon Valley needs bonus in a couple spots – at least one of the upper weights from 172-285 has to get a fall and they probably need bonus from more than one. This gives Notre Dame both marquee toss-ups at 106 and 152 and Saucon the less heralded ones at 113 and 126. If Chletsos gets a fall instead of a major at 132, then things are really interesting, and Saucon can get more breathing room if Jake Jones can continue his pin streak at 172. This is predicting it kind of conservatively, I think you’ll see more fireworks. The other thing to watch is Saucon Valley has two girls on their roster, and it’s an automatic forfeit for Notre Dame if the young ladies go out to wrestle.
You can catch the match live here:
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