So headed into this mornings semifinals (10 AM) Easton holds a one point lead over Phillipsburg. Team standings:
1. Easton 113.5
2. Phillipsburg 112.5
3. Council Rock South 104.5
4. Northampton 100.5
5.N Nazareth 99.5
6. Wilson West Lawn 96
7. Saucon Valley 82
8. Quakertown 76.5
9. North Allegheny 75
10. Greater Latrobe 73
Easton has six in semis with two other medalists. Phillipsburg has four and four, CRS has five and two.
Best semifinals of the morning:
107: Noah Fenner, Easton vs Carter Chunko, Saucon Valley
A great cross-classification match up of two fabulous freshmen. Fenner is a monster on top, Chunko is super physical in the Rohn mold of his lineage.
114: Nick Salamone, Easton vs Leo Joseph, Greater Latrobe
An east versus west top ten match up in the state. Salamone is another Easton wrestler who is a hammer on top. Joseph will need to score from neutral.
127: McKaden Speece, Wilson West Lawn vs Pat Woloshyn, CRS
Council Rock South probably needs this one to have a shot in the team race. Top ten match up in the state, Speece is one of the more unheralded top four wrestlers in the state.
133: Anthony Mutarelli, CRS vs Chris Kelly, Easton
This whole semi could be a state semifinal too. Mutarelli looked fantastic teching Gavin Sheridan (Boyertown) yesterday in quarters. Kelly seemingly can go with all the top guys, but doesn’t have a signature win yet.
133: Trey Wagner, Northampton vs Jamie Garcia, Wilson West Lawn
Again, very likely could be a state semi. Wagner has jumped levels from good freshman to state title contender - I think my finals pick in March is Wagner-Mutarelli. Garcia is a state medalist and super tough, will be a battle on their feet.
139: Seamus Mack, Hempfield vs Ben Fanelli, Easton
A pair of returning state medalists on the bottom half of this bracket. Mack, a Lehigh commit, is a real pinner and fun to watch. Fanelli is the opposite, controlled, stays in great position, workmanlike from his feet. Another one that could be a state semi too.
152: Gavin Hawk, Phillipsburg vs Cole Hubert, Saucon Valley
Hawk is explosive from his feet and ranked 3rd in New Jersey at his weight. Hubert is a two-time 4th place finisher in 2A, but has grown from 114 to 152 this year. A really good test of how much he’s grown into the weight.
160: James Geiger, Easton vs Gavin Cole, Council Rock South
A top ten in the state match up with huge team score implications. This could be the biggest match ups of the two teams dual in the postseason. Winner is a big favorite to win the tournament here.
172: Liam Packer, Phillipsburg vs Luke Fugazzotto, Northwestern Lehigh
Fugazzotto was a junior high state champ and despite rampant transfer speculation, stayed at NWL to be the cornerstone of Joey Killar’s (former 2x All American) rebuilding project. He was a state qualifier as a freshman and now is a top contender in 2A as he drops from 189 to 172. Packer is ranked #5 in New Jersey and is another rock solid P’Burg kid who they expect huge things from
in the postseason.
189: Jared Rohn, Saucon Valley vs Jared Karabinus, Freedom
Rohn has had an injury plagued career, but is super talented. Karabinus is a Division I lacrosse recruit who is ranked #3 in 3A at 189 and is a really fun athlete to watch. Look for Rohn to go big move (the cement series stuff is practically genetic) and see how Karabinus counters.
189: Mason Richards, Spring-Ford vs Shar Linegar, Easton
Massive one in the team race as Easton needs to find an extra potential finalist to maximize their team score. Linegar has turned into a really solid part of their lineup, a win over a top 15 foe would be huge in the team race.
285: Sean Kinney, Nazareth vs Calvin Lachman, Quakertown
A possible state final at heavyweight. Lachman held Kinney to a 5-2 win at Beast of the East, one of two decisions in the last two years he’s had against a PA wrestler. This is also a Lafayette-Lehigh battle as Kinney will play football for the Leopards and Lachman will wrestle for the Mountain Hawks.