It's Wrestling Season: D11 Previews

[RoverNation05]

2023-24 is shaping up to be the most competitive season in D11 at the top end of 3A in a while. Coaching changes at Bethlehem Catholic have their roster in a little bit of flux, Nazareth graduated a massive senior class, and Easton and Northampton have been loading up at the youth and junior high levels over the last few years and those crops are starting to matriculate into high school. There are also a set of studs coming to Emmaus of all places, Parkland has insane participation numbers, and there are always some individuals at the rest of the D11 schools who can make a run come postseason time. Here are the returning D11 medalists and the incoming freshman most likely to be a big part of the varsity landscape here. Team capsules also coming.

Returning D11 Medalists (ordered by D11 finish, projected weight for 2024 in parenthesis)

106
Keanu Dillard, Bethlehem Catholic (So. 121) - State Champ
Nick Salamone, Easton (So. 121) - State 7th
Remy Trach, Nazareth (Jr. 114)
Wilmont Kai, Whitehall (So. ???)
Hunter Brown, Stroudsburg (Jr. ???)
Jasiah Pagan, Liberty (So. ???)

114
Chris Kelly, Easton (Jr. 133)
Blake Dergham, Parkland (Sr. 127)
Zach Berwick, Stroudsburg (So.)
Dom Rizzotto, Nazareth (Sr. 121)

121
Trey Wagner, Northampton (So. 133)
Ryder Campbell, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. 127)
Damond Pascoe, Whitehall (Jr.)

127
Tahir Parkins, Nazareth (Jr. 139/145) - State 4th
Shane McFillin, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. 145)
Ben Fanelli, Easton (Sr. 139) - State 8th
Jack Evans, Liberty (Sr.)

133
Kam Abboud, Liberty (Sr.)
Austin Noe, Northampton (Sr. 145)
Keegan Demarest, PME (Sr. 139)

139
Kollin Rath, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. 152) - State Champ
Jack Campbell, Nazareth (So. 139/145)
Adriaan DeLeon, Liberty (So. 152)

145
Charlie Scanlan, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. 160)
Quentin Hammerstone, Easton (Jr. 152)

152
Parrish McFarland, Pottsville (Sr. 160)
Cade Campbell, Nazareth (So. 160)
James Geiger, Easton (Sr. 160)
Jesse Scott, Emmaus (Jr. 172)

160
Brayden Zuercher, Nazareth (So. 172/189)
Robert Bibeau, ESN (Sr.)

172
Terrell McFarland, Pottsville (So. 189)
Jared Karabinus, Freedom (Sr. 189)

189
James DeLuise, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. 189)

215
Brandon Stiehler, PMW (Sr. 285)
Jame Hopkins, Whitehall (So. 285)

285
Sean Kinney, Nazareth (Sr. 285) - State Champ
Mike Gavrilesku, Parkland (Jr. 285)
Gavin Grell, Northampton (Jr. 285)

Impact Freshmen (D11 Junior High Placement, Projected Weight)
# - PA Power Incoming Freshman Rank (3A only)

87: Logan Maher, Emmaus (Champ, 107/114)
94: #8 Emilio Albanese, Emmaus (Champ 107/114) - PJW 2nd
115: #15 Tegan Caciolo, Emmaus (Champ, 121/127) - PJW 5th, Keystone 4th

94: #18 Noah Fenner, Easton* (Club Only, 107)
101: Ethan Krazer, Easton (3rd, 114)
130: Evan Carss, Easton (Injured, top seed, 127/133)
155: #35 Justin Cosover, Easton (Champ, 172)

108: #5 Gabe Ballard, Northampton (Champ, 114) - PJW 3rd
170: Chance Roland, Northampton (3rd, 189)

108: #22 Reef Dillard, Bethlehem Catholic (2nd, 114)

115: #51 Cooper Wenrich, Nazareth (2nd, 121)
170: Elijah Simak, Nazareth (Champ, 172/189) - PJW 2nd
94: #50 Matt Velez, Parkland (3rd, 114)
121: Nick Lyden, Freedom (Champ, 127)
155: Jaxson Kreider, Bangor (2nd, 160)
190: Josiah Rodriguez, East Stroudsburg South (Champ, 215)
250: Justin Heckert, Whitehall (Champ, 285) - Keystone 2nd
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If you're picking individuals to shine - Kollin Rath and Sean Kinney are heavy favorites to repeat as state champions, unless Rath and Pierson Manville end up in the same weight class again, in which we'd get two of the best middleweights in America locking horns again for a state title, though I suspect we'll see one at 145 and one at 152. Keanu Dillard is a solid favorite to repeat as state champ, but up at 121 is always a challenge for 107's moving up.

Possible state finalist outside the big three include the trio of freshman that I'd expect to end up at 107 - Emilio Albanese from Emmaus, Noah Fenner from Easton, and Gabe Ballard from Northampton, which very much could end up an All District 11 affair. Tahir Parkins is as talented as the three returning champs and should start the season ranked #1 at 139 on his climb for his first state title. Terrell McFarland was a state qualifier as a freshman at 172 last year after a stellar junior high career, and I'd bank on a big leap to put him right in the title conversation at 189. The darkhorse finalist contender is Trey Wagner, the uber talented Northampton sophomore who got his feet wet in Hershey as a freshman.

 

[RoverNation05]

Easton
Head Coach: Jody Karam (35-16 at Easton; 445-176-3 overall)
2023 State Finish: 19th (2 medalists)
Last Top 10 Finish: 2016
Last State Champ: Mitch Minotti (145 - 2011)
Last State Dual Appearance: 2013

Projected Lineup
107: Noah Fenner (Fr.): Tulsa Nationals 3rd, PA Freestyle/Greco State Champ, Fargo Greco R12
114: Ethan Krazer (Fr.): JHD5, JHD3
121: Nicholas Salamone (So.): 35-11, D2, R3, S7
127: Brendan Bowman (Jr.) 17-17
127: Evan Carss (Fr.): JH3
133: Chris Kelly (Jr.): 29-14, D3, R4, SQ
139: Ben Fanelli (Sr.): 30-14, D3, R2, S8
145: Jaron Trimmer (Sr.): 4-6
152: Quentin Hammerstone (Jr.): 20-13,
160: James Geiger (Sr.): 30-14, D5, R4, SQ
172: Justin Cosover (Fr.) JHD1, JHD1
189: Shae Linegar (Jr.): 12-15 (as a freshman)
215: Kurtis Crossman (So.): 0-2
285: Isaih Caban (Jr.)

Is this the year Easton gets back to state duals? The Red Rovers, were a staple of Team States, going eleven times from 2001-2013 with eight finals trips and four championships, but have been on a vicious drought for such a storied program. Jody Karam’s bunch looks right in the thick of it, particularly if some of the young and inexperienced kids can make a splash.

It starts at 107 with Noah Fenner, a national caliber kid who should step in right away as a threat to medal at states and if he reaches his potential, is Easton’s first true star in far too long. I’m not super familiar with the rest of the 3A landscape in the state, but he is one of possibly three title contenders that will come out of D11, presuming Gabe Ballard and Emilio Albanese come down to 107 for the postseason. Nick Salamone also has that kind of potential at 121 – he medaled at 107 as a freshman and had tight matches with a lot of elite kids, but needs to have found an extra gear on his feet in the offseason. Like Fenner, at his best he can be a Saturday night wrestler in Hersehy, though maybe not until 2025. Kelly and Fanelli are two solid veterans at 133 and 139 – Fanelli medaled last year, while Kelly ran into the state champ and state 3rd in a really tough draw. Both can be real point scorers in Hershey. Fanelli in particular had a really active summer, and had competitive matches with some of the best kids in the country. This will be Kelly’s first year not sharing a weight class with Becahi’s Nathan Desmond, and he should be able to shine. Geiger at 160 was a surprise state qualifier last year, and that experience in invaluable for him as a returnee. He’s a funky mat wrestler who can rack up pins, and is dangerous in a dual meet. A big leap in the offseason would have him as a medal contender.

The question marks are the young kids. Krazer was a nice junior high wrestler with a solid finish to last year, can he step in right away and be an above .500 varsity wrestler? Bowman has been stuck way up in weight class his first two years to fill a hole in the lineup, how does he look actually competing at his real weight? And if Bowman isn’t the guy, is freshman Evan Carss ready to compete right away, after missing last postseason and a chunk of the offseason with an injury? Hammerstone made that leap as a sophomore to a kid who wins more matches than he loses, can he jump another level to being a dependable win in the lineup and point scorer in tournaments? Linegar flashed on varsity as a freshman before getting squeezed out of the lineup last year and relegated to dominating JV, can he parlay that experience into a big junior up a ton of weight classes (132 to 152 to 189). Crossman is one of the best athletes at Easton – all conference baseball player as a freshman, and one of the leading tacklers as a defensive end as a sophomore, can he come off the football field and make a difference as a wrestler?

But the biggest question/spot for upside to me is Cosover. He won back-to-back D11 titles in junior high, something Easton hasn’t had since Dom Falcone (who was a 4x state qualifier and 3x medalist). Cosover didn’t quite have that success at the state level – he was a blood round finisher at the state tournament, but he’s also a multi-sport athlete who is still physically developing, and upper weights in that tournament are always a crapshoot of hold-backs and kids who are already hitting puberty. He’s coming off of football, where he was a starting tight end and linebacker as a freshman for the Rovers – like I said, really good athlete. He’ll start the year at 189, but descend to 172 throughout the season. It’s really hard to hit the ground running as an upper weight, but is he talented enough to be a solid starter this season, which previews that he’s going to compete for state titles in the future?

The schedule is fun. They’ll open this weekend at the Tom Best Memorial Top Hat Invitational in Williamsport, one of the oldest in-season tournaments in Pennsylvania. I don’t think the Red Rovers have been there since the early ‘80s, where future NCAA champ Jack Cuvo took one of his two losses as a Red Rover, and the final one before his 97 match win streak to finish high school. They’ll see state contenders from Central Mountain, Connellsville, Daniel Boone, Line Mountain, Hempfield Area, Southern Columbia, and host Williamsport as they travel out with fellow D11 teams Emmaus, Saucon Valley, and Northampton. From there, they have a typically tough dual schedule with Nazareth, Boyertown, Parkland, Emmaus, Delaware Valley, Bethlehem Catholic, Northampton, and of course archrival Phillipsburg. They’ll also be in the Bethlehem Hurricane Classic with most of the other powers from the Valley, plus Boyertown, Council Rock South, Greater Latrobe, North Allegheny, North Penn, and Quakertown.

I think Easton is deep in the three-team race for second place with Nazareth and Northampton, and while they don’t have the stars that Nazareth can roll out, they might be deeper 1-13, and they’re still neck-and-neck with the KKids. They’re probably two kids away from being able to challenge Becahi, but for the first time in a long time don’t have any of their potential starters in that lineup thanks to Fenner staying at Easton. With only three seniors, it should be a good year for the Red Rovers, with the potential for setting up a great one in 2024-25.

 

[RoverNation05]

Bethlehem Catholic
Head Coach: Mike Cole (first season)
2023 State Finish: 1st
Consecutive Top 10 Finishes: 13
Consecutive Years with a State Champ: 12
2023 State Dual Finish: 1st

Projected Lineup
107: Louden Hower (Palisades; Fr.): JHD4, JHD4 (District 1)
114: Reef Dillard (Nazareth; Fr.): JHD4, JHD2,
121: Keanu Dillard (Nazareth; So.): 24-0, D1, R1, S1
127: Mason Thomas (Whitehall; Fr.)
133: Ryder Campbell (Palisades; Jr.): 21-12, D3, R5
139: Marco Frinzi (Quakertown; Jr.): 11-0
145: Shane McFillin (Northampton; Jr.): 24-11, D2, R3, SQ
152: Kollin Rath (Pleasant Valley; Jr.): 38-1, D1, R1, S1
160: Charlie Scanlan (Freedom; Jr.): 32-10, D1, R3, SQ
172: George Pavis (Sr.): 10-2/ Dario Cruz (Sr.) 5-3
189: James DeLuise (Jr.; Bangor): 18-11, D5, RQ
215: Jacob Lance (Sr.; Easton): 4-3
285: ???

A solid lineup for the Golden Hawks, but they have to contend with losing five state medalists from their 2023 state championship team, including two transfers out to Wyoming Seminary, headlined by two-time state champion and rising junior Nathan Desmond. Desmond’ father was not selected as the next head coach of the Hawks, causing the mini-exodus. So there are off-mat storylines about with new head coach Mike Cole succeeding Jeff Karam’s impeccable run.

On the mat, they’re still the favorites to win 3A, but they’re going to sweat it. It starts with their two state champs – Keanu Dillard and Kollin Rath, who are as good as anybody in Pennsylvania. Rath, frankly, is as good as anybody in America, just a monster of a middleweight who comes into the year ranked #2 in the country at 152. He defeated two returning state champs (including current national #1 at 145 Pierson Manville) last year on his way to his first state title and was maybe the most impressive wrestler in the building. He's one of the top recruits in the junior class nationally and holds offers from all the major powers. Dillard also finds himself nationally ranked at 121 after an undefeated freshman season, though he missed the first two months with a series of injuries. The challenge for Dillard will be moving up two weight classes – he was #1 in the country at 107, but hasn’t had dominant results in national competition this offseason. But at the state level, he’s the title favorite, and against most teams, Becahi starting with a 12-0 lead.

Shane McFillin and Charlie Scanlan also return as state qualifiers who are talented enough to make the leap to high finishers, particularly Scanlan, who has really impressed as a middleweight in his freshman and sophomore years. DeLuise was a big-time get as a freshman who has bided his time behind experienced guys, he could also hit the ground running in his first year as a full-time starter. Frinzi also is an interesting case – he’s undefeated as a varsity wrestler, mostly getting spot duty, but 24-0 is still 24-0. His older two brothers were state medalists (now at Lehigh and Harvard) and his dad was a New Jersey state champ, so the bloodlines are there and this will be the first year he really gets a shot. Ryder Campbell wound up in the postseason lineup last year and made a nice little run, he'll get a shot at being a regular contributor.

From there, it is way more question marks than normal. Let’s start with the kids, where Louden Hower, who saw the writing on the wall at Faith Christian that he’d be stuck behind national #1 Joey Bachmann and made the trip up 78 to Becahi, where he should be a solid opener at 107. Reef Dillard isn’t quite the prospect his older brother is, but after transfer rumors for both brothers in the offseason following the coaching change, Becahi is happy to have their services. Mason Thomas, whose brother Luke was a state medalist for the Hawks, will get a shot to go right away and test his readiness.

There are also some veterans who are getting a shot – Jacob Lance has been around the program for three years and will be a key upper weight, ditto for the George Pavis/Dario Cruz wrestle-off winner. Heavyweight will be a first year wrestler pulled off of the football field. Those are three spots where they’re just not at the depth they’ve been in for years past and what that looks like on the state level will be interesting. Not having state medalist and nationally ranked Jake Daily in the 172 spot could be a huge deal.

The schedule is monstrous as always. They open with a dual at Northampton before traveling to the Walsh Ironman at Walsh Jesuit in Ohio, consistently the toughest in-season tournament in the country (where Rath took his lone loss last year). Pennsylvania powers Bishop McCort, Canon McMillan, Faith Christian Academy, Malvern Prep, Notre Dame, Reynolds, State College , and Wyoming Seminary will all make the trip to Akron with Becahi as well as 150 of the other best teams in the country. They’ll also go to Beast of the East (with Faith Christian, Central Dauphin, Council Rock South, Malvern Prep, Nazareth, Northampton, Notre Dame, Norwin, Quakertown, Saucon Valley, Thomas Jefferson, and Wyoming Seminary) and Escape the Rock as major individual tournaments. Plus they have duals with Notre Dame and Easton.

All told, this team is probably the state favorite, particularly on the tournament side where they’ve got a great shot at two champs in Hershey in a year where the 3A points seem like they’ll be spread out. But this is a far cry from the team they thought they’d have last March, and repeating will take way more of a team effort.

 

[RoverNation05]

Nazareth
Head Coach: Dave Crowell (301-80 at Nazareth; 588-145-1 overall)
2023 State Finish: 2nd
Consecutive Top 10 Finishes: 10
Consecutive Years With a State Champ: 2
2023 State Dual Finish: 2nd
Last State Dual Championship: 2020

Projected Lineup
107: Michael Good (Fr.)/Derek Fulmer (So.)
114: Remy Trach (So.): 26-16, D3, RQ
121: Cooper Wenrich (Fr.): JHD2
127: Dom Rizzotto (Sr.): 20-15, D6
133:
139: Tahir Parkins (Jr.; Rutgers): 28-4, D1, R1, S4
145: Jack Campbell (So.): 34-13, D3, R2, SQ
152:
160: Cade Campbell (So.): 28-17, D4, R6
172: Elijah Simak (So.): JHD1, JHD1
189: Brayden Zuercher (So.): 32-18, D3, R4, SQ
215: Vinny Giacobbe (Jr.): 5-3
285: Sean Kinney (Sr.): 35-0, D1, R1, S1

This is probably the softest Blue Eagle lineup in some time, though it has anchors that would make any team in Pennsylvania envious. They're also likely the preaseason #1 team in the state, thanks to five potential state medalists and two favorites to win state championships.

Sean Kinney is maybe the most impactful wrestler in the state. He’s gunning for his third state title and fourth trip to the state final – the only heavyweight ever to accomplish that feat in Pennsylvania history. He’s nearly an automatic pin, as he had falls in the first period of 25 matches, and won by pin in 32 of 35 matches last year. Only Nick Pavlehcko (State College) held him to a decision, and that was the 7-0 state final. He’s good. He also comes in on a 53 match win streak and should be in position to become the second ever D11 wrestler with a 90 match streak on his resume (Jack Cuvo being the other).

Tahir Parkins also is back after taking 4th last season. He was one of the favorites to make finals as a freshman, but had a curious 0-2 in the tournament, so the rebound last year for a strong finish in a good weight class was just the thing his confidence needed, particularly after missing a huge chunk of the season with a knee injury suffered at Beast of the East. He’s nationally ranked and fully healthy this year, and should be a threat to win a state title, probably with a postseason descent to 133.

The Campbell twins and Brayden Zuercher all had fantastic freshman seasons and should build on that. Jack Campbell was the best of the bunch, punching through to qualify for states by knocking off Easton’s Oliver Fairchild in semis, one week after losing 7-1. Zuercher also got the incredible experience of qualifying for states as a freshman upper weight. All three could go from solid state qualifiers to stars this year, with the biggest question being what weight they all end up at (the Morning Call noted Zuercher could be anywhere from 172 to 215 and Jack Campbell and Parkins are sorting out 139/145 between the two of them).

The rest of the lineup is going to have to get a whole lot better quickly. Rizzotto has been a solid varsity wrestler who hovers around .500 his whole career. Trach had a surprise postseason where he got to the second weekend in an admittedly thin 107 class in D11 last year. There are two weight classes that are anyone’s guess and probably filled by an inexperienced upper classman.

The exciting piece is Simak, who will end up at one of the upper weights where Zuercher doesn’t fall. He won a pair of D11 junior high titles at 170, and according to Dave Crowell has really transformed his body to be a sleeker, more agile upper weight who can contribute as low as 172. He’s also a pinner and really unorthodox in ties.

The schedule here is tough, as always. They’ll open at the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic before dualing Easton in their home opener. They’ll hit the Hurricane Classic at Christmas and, as always, will be one of the favorites at Virginia Duals in mid-January, where they’ve been a staple since the tournament’s inception in the early ‘90s. The only big dual on their schedule besides the opener with the Rovers is Northampton right after New Year’s.

Dave Crowell is the greatest high school coach of all time - he'll win his 600th dual this winter and shows no signs of slowing down. He’ll figure it out and have Nazareth right in the thick of things for one of the State Duals spots in D11. But, like Bethlehem Catholic, the Blue Eagles don’t have the same margin for error they’ve had in years past. Save for the two possible state champs, of course, which include the greatest heavyweight in Pennsylvania history, by accolades. That part helps.

 

[RoverNation05]

The rest of the Valley
Emmaus
107: Emilio Albanese: JHD1, JHD1
114: Logan Maher: JHD1
121: Teagan Caciolo: JHD1, JHD1

For the first time in my recollection, Emmaus will be one of the most exciting teams to follow in District 11 this year. The Green Hornets have seven state medalists in their history, with two finalists and one champ (Bryan Reiss – 2005 at heavyweight). But Emmaus welcomes in three of the best freshmen in the state, and likely the best public school class of ninth graders in 3A. The rest of the lineup contains some veterans and kids who can take the next step, but the lightweights for Emmaus could be the start of something special.

Emilio Albanese was a PJW state runner-up last year and took fourth in Cadet Freestyle in Fargo over the summer. He’s won back-to-back District 11 junior high titles as well and was fourth in the state as a 7th grader. The younger brother of state qualifier Marco, Emilio is as compete a wrestler as Emmaus has welcomed in since maybe Brad Dillon, the Lehigh All American and current assistant coach, who of course transferred to Parkland.

If Albanese isn’t the best incoming freshman they’ve had since the 1990s, that’s because Teagan Caciolo is. Caciolo, another two-time D11 champ, fifth last year at PJWs after winning a state title as a 7th grader, plus a Trojan Wars champ and Pennsylvania freestyle champion. He’ll slot in heavier, but has a really complete set of skills and already has wins over some of the top competitors locally at 121.

They also are going to find a way to fit in Logan Maher in their lower weights. Maher was the D11 champ at 87 pounds last year, so he’s tiny, but has the skillset to go right way – even if the old 103 class would have suited him much better. I wouldn’t be surprised if Maher was at 107 and Albanese was at 114 during the season, but then Albanese came down for the postseason to try and win a state title.


Parkland
107: Luis Moya (Fr.): JHD4
114: Matt Velez (Fr.): JHD3
121: Eli Russ (Jr.)
127: Blake Dergham (Sr.): D3, R6
152: CJ Toth (Fr.): JHD4
285: Michael Gavrilesku (Sr.)

First year head coach Eddie Keichel gets to enjoy the spoils of Jon Trenge completely transforming the youth programs and pipelines for his alma mater before resigning as head coach. The Trojans won the D11 Junior High team title last year, less so with stars, and more so with a massive roster that has created tons of possible varsity contributors. A little from a lot.

We’ll see the first of those kids this year with Moya, Velez, and Toth all cracking the starting lineup as freshmen. Velez is probably the most talented of the bunch, though don’t sleep on Toth if he can tread water as a freshman 152. Of the returning guys, Dergham was a round away from a state spot as a junior and has been Parkland’s most consistent wrestler in his career. Gavrilesku is the clear cut second best heavyweight in D11.

Pottsville
152: Parrish McFarland (Sr.)
160: Nick Kunstek (Sr.)
172: Terrell McFarland (So.)

Gary Keener’s group doesn’t quite have the depth of a year ago, but has three of the best wrestlers in District 11. The group is headlined by Nick Kunstek, an Ohio State signee who was unable to wrestle in the postseason last year as the #1 ranked wrestler in the state at 160 due to his “transfer” to Pottsville. Of course, Kunstek is a Pottsville kid who went to Blair Academy for two years of boarding school (where he was nationally elite for the Bucs) then came back to his home school for his junior season. But, rules are rules, and Kunstek is postseason eligible and one of the favorites to win a state title at 160 (he’s ranked #2 in the preseason). Beyond that, the McFarland brothers give them a formidable set of middleweights. Terrell was one of the best freshmen in Pennsylvania, qualifying for states at 172 pounds and holding his own against much older competition. He looks like he has a state championship in his future. Parrish was a state qualifier as a freshman and has been a match away the last two years, he looks to head back to Hershey in his final campaign.

Freedom
127: Nick Lyden (Fr.)
172: Noah McIlroy (Sr.)
189: Jared Karabinus (Sr.)

Anthony Marino, former state runner-up from Liberty, is starting to get a foothold and put his stamp on the Patriots program. Lyden was a junior high D11 champ last year and is a real impact guy that Freedom held onto, where they’ve lost kids to Becahi and Notre Dame in the past. Karabinus starts the season ranked #4 in the state at 189 and the St. Joseph’s lacrosse recruit is right in the mix to medal in his third trip to Hershey. McIlroy missed the postseason with an injury last year, but was a match away from a states trip as a freshman.

Whitehall
107: Wilmont Kai (So.)
215: James Hopkins (So.)
285: Justin Heckert (Fr.)

Veteran head coach Tim Cunningham has some exciting things happening in the uppe weights after a very good freshman season from James Hopkins and a junior high title from Justin Heckert. It’s always tough for under classmen to compete over 200 pounds, but Hopkins is right there and Heckert can really build towards a post-Sean Kinney future for D11 heavyweights. Wilmont Kai was a match away from states as a freshman and starts the season ranked #9 in the state in a return trip to 107.

Liberty
107: Elijah Heimbach (Fr.)
121: Jasiah Pagan (So.)
139: Kam Abboud (Sr.)
152: Adrian DeLeon (So.)

The Hurricanes and head coach Brandon Hall bring back three District medalists, though DeLeon will miss the early part of the year with a football injury. He’s probably the highest ceiling wrestler of the three of them, though Abboud has shown a lot of grit in tough matches. Heimbach is a freshman who has been on the circuit in the Valley and has wrestled really tough competition. He’ll be a battle tested first year starter.

 

[RoverNation05]

Preseason State Rankings – D11
107
#7 Emilio Albanese, Emmaus
#9 Wilmont Kai, Whitehall
#20 Noah Fenner, Easton
#23 Matthew Velez, Parkland
State #1: Max Tacini, Perkiomen Valley (wide open)

Albanese getting a ton of respect as a freshman for the state rankings folks. Fenner feels low, though will have #3 tonight in his second varsity match, so he may move up very quickly. Velez sounds like he’ll be at 114.

114
#7 Gabe Ballard, Northampton
#12 Reef Dillard, Bethlehem Catholic
#13 Remy Trach, Nazareth
#25 Jasiah Pagan, Liberty
State #1: Kaedyn Williams, Manheim Township (solid favorite)

Trach had a nice postseason after and up and down season. Ballard and Dillard are two freshman who will be really good right away. Salamone (see 121) weighed in at 114 for Top Hat this weekend, so he’ll move down here, and I’d expect the Easton state medalist to slot in at #5 at 114.

121
#1 Keanu Dillard, Bethlehem Catholic
#6 Nick Salamone, Easton
#16 Blake Dergham, Parkland
#21 Zack Berwick, Stroudsburg
State #1: Dillard (solid favorite with two great competitors)

Looks like Salamone is moving down. Dillard is the clear favorite here, though Mason Ziegler (Quakertown/Lehigh commit) and freshman phenom Landon Sidun (Norwin) will be great foils for him in the postseason. Berwick making it to Hershey finally would be well deserved.

127
#23 Dom Rizzotto, Nazareth
State #1: Eren Sement, Council Rock North (really competitive at the top)

Weak weight here for D11. Wouldn’t be shocked if Wagner or Kelly ended up down here for the postseason. Also may be room for freshman to surprise.- Nick Lyden from Freedom, Mason Thomas from Bethlehem Catholic, or Evan Carss from Easton.

133
#5 Trey Wagner, Northampton
#8 Chris Kelly, Easton
#14 Ryder Campbell, Bethlehem Catholic
State #1: Andrew Binni, Connellslville (wide open)

Wagner and Kelly are both great chances at state medals, though one may move down for a clearer path to states. But both 127 and 133 feel wide open state wide, so there could be late season fireworks from either.

139
#1 Tahir Parkins, Nazareth
#4 Ben Fanelli, Easton
#7 Marco Frinzi, Bethlehem Catholic
#14 Kam Abboud, Liberty
State #1: Parkins (solid favorite)

Parkins-Fanelli is a possible district, regional, and state final. Parkins is one of the best wrestlers in the country and rightfully starts the year at #1. Frinzi is getting tons of respect in his first year as a full time varsity wrestler.

145
#7 Jack Campbell, Nazareth
#8 Shane McFillin, Bethlehem Catholic
#18 Austin Noe, Northampton
State #1: Pierson Manville, State College (also national #1, but two great competitors)

Killer weight state-wide. Campbell and McFillin are probably a year away from being in finalist conversation, but will be a nice rivalry all year.

152
#1 Kollin Rath, Bethlehem Catholic
#10 Keegan Demarest, Pocono Mountain East
#12 Parrish McFarland, Pottsville
#18 Cade Campbell, Nazareth
State #1: Rath, but #2 Collin Gaj is a returning state champ and also a top 5 wrestler in America

Rath is one of the best wrestlers in America. Right now, fellow state champ and Red Hawk alum Collin Gaj (Quakertown/Virginia Tech) is also at 152. Would be one of the best postseason match ups in Pennsylvania in some time.

160
#2 Nick Kunstek, Pottsville
#6 Charlie Scanlan, Bethlehem Catholic
#9 James Geiger, Easton
#24 Jesse Scott, Emmaus
State #1: Asher Cunningham, State College (wide open)

Best chance for three medalists out of D11, depending on how Geiger recovers from knee surgery. Kunstek is a great bet to win a state title, an Scanlan has been knocking on the door of elite for two years, he very well might make the jump.

172
#9 Terrell McFarland, Pottsville
#18 Noah MacIlory, Freedom
State #1: Shawn Taylor, West Allegheny (three major contenders)

McFarland is super decorated in the Olympic styles and has tons of national level success. He may be the biggest mover of the D11 guys if he hits his potential.

189
#4 Jared Karabinus, Freedom
#8 Brayden Zuercher, Nazareth
#10 James DeLuise, Bethlehem Catholic
State #1: Tucker Hogan, Daniel Boone (heavy favorite)

Fun weight – though Zuercher is down at 172 for the Cumberland Valley Kickoff, so expect him to clear out. Karabinus takes the baton from CJ Horvath as Freedom’s state level contender, it feels like they always have one.

215
#10 Brandon Stiehler, Pocono Mountain West
State #1: Dillon Bechtold, Owen J. Roberts (solid favorite)

Great seeing PMW in the rankings. Stiehler is a load.

285
#1 Sean Kinney, Nazareth
#20 Michael Gavrilesku, Parkland
State #1: Kinney (heavy favorite)

Kinney is the safest preseason bet in Pennsylvania.

 

[RoverNation05]

Fenner feels low

Fenner is the preseason #20, just tech-falled #9 19-2 in the second period. Has #3 up in semis

 

[Relayer]

Nazareth
Head Coach: Dave Crowell (301-80 at Nazareth; 588-145-1 overall)
2023 State Finish: 2nd
Consecutive Top 10 Finishes: 10
Consecutive Years With a State Champ: 2
2023 State Dual Finish: 2nd
Last State Dual Championship: 2020

Projected Lineup
107: Michael Good (Fr.)/Derek Fulmer (So.)
114: Remy Trach (So.): 26-16, D3, RQ
121: Cooper Wenrich (Fr.): JHD2
127: Dom Rizzotto (Sr.): 20-15, D6
133:
139: Tahir Parkins (Jr.; Rutgers): 28-4, D1, R1, S4
145: Jack Campbell (So.): 34-13, D3, R2, SQ
152:
160: Cade Campbell (So.): 28-17, D4, R6
172: Elijah Simak (So.): JHD1, JHD1
189: Brayden Zuercher (So.): 32-18, D3, R4, SQ
215: Vinny Giacobbe (Jr.): 5-3
285: Sean Kinney (Sr.): 35-0, D1, R1, S1

This is probably the softest Blue Eagle lineup in some time, though it has anchors that would make any team in Pennsylvania envious. They're also likely the preaseason #1 team in the state, thanks to five potential state medalists and two favorites to win state championships.

Sean Kinney is maybe the most impactful wrestler in the state. He’s gunning for his third state title and fourth trip to the state final – the only heavyweight ever to accomplish that feat in Pennsylvania history. He’s nearly an automatic pin, as he had falls in the first period of 25 matches, and won by pin in 32 of 35 matches last year. Only Nick Pavlehcko (State College) held him to a decision, and that was the 7-0 state final. He’s good. He also comes in on a 53 match win streak and should be in position to become the second ever D11 wrestler with a 90 match streak on his resume (Jack Cuvo being the other).

Tahir Parkins also is back after taking 4th last season. He was one of the favorites to make finals as a freshman, but had a curious 0-2 in the tournament, so the rebound last year for a strong finish in a good weight class was just the thing his confidence needed, particularly after missing a huge chunk of the season with a knee injury suffered at Beast of the East. He’s nationally ranked and fully healthy this year, and should be a threat to win a state title, probably with a postseason descent to 133.

The Campbell twins and Brayden Zuercher all had fantastic freshman seasons and should build on that. Jack Campbell was the best of the bunch, punching through to qualify for states by knocking off Easton’s Oliver Fairchild in semis, one week after losing 7-1. Zuercher also got the incredible experience of qualifying for states as a freshman upper weight. All three could go from solid state qualifiers to stars this year, with the biggest question being what weight they all end up at (the Morning Call noted Zuercher could be anywhere from 172 to 215 and Jack Campbell and Parkins are sorting out 139/145 between the two of them).

The rest of the lineup is going to have to get a whole lot better quickly. Rizzotto has been a solid varsity wrestler who hovers around .500 his whole career. Trach had a surprise postseason where he got to the second weekend in an admittedly thin 107 class in D11 last year. There are two weight classes that are anyone’s guess and probably filled by an inexperienced upper classman.

The exciting piece is Simak, who will end up at one of the upper weights where Zuercher doesn’t fall. He won a pair of D11 junior high titles at 170, and according to Dave Crowell has really transformed his body to be a sleeker, more agile upper weight who can contribute as low as 172. He’s also a pinner and really unorthodox in ties.

The schedule here is tough, as always. They’ll open at the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic before dualing Easton in their home opener. They’ll hit the Hurricane Classic at Christmas and, as always, will be one of the favorites at Virginia Duals in mid-January, where they’ve been a staple since the tournament’s inception in the early ‘90s. The only big dual on their schedule besides the opener with the Rovers is Northampton right after New Year’s.

Dave Crowell is the greatest high school coach of all time - he'll win his 600th dual this winter and shows no signs of slowing down. He’ll figure it out and have Nazareth right in the thick of things for one of the State Duals spots in D11. But, like Bethlehem Catholic, the Blue Eagles don’t have the same margin for error they’ve had in years past. Save for the two possible state champs, of course, which include the greatest heavyweight in Pennsylvania history, by accolades. That part helps.

Rover, thanks for all this great info. Haven't seen many details, but it looks like the Trey Balasco era is off to a good start at CR-South. They won the CV tourney this weekend.

 

[RoverNation05]

Rover, thanks for all this great info. Haven't seen many details, but it looks like the Trey Balasco era is off to a good start at CR-South. They won the CV tourney this weekend.

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Anytime you can beat Nazareth in a tournament, it’s a great start! The Hawks put five in finals, got wins from Lenehan at 114 and Saddridinov at 171 and Nazareth melted down in the finals with Parkins getting upset by the Bishop McDevitt kid and both Campbells losing.

After Easton’s showing at Top Hat, I actually feel pretty good about the Rovers being able to knock off Nazareth in February. It won’t happen when they meet Thursday - Justin Cosover isn’t at 172 yet after football, so they’ll have a JV guy there, and ditto at 160 where state qualifier James Geiger is coming off of off-season knee surgery and won’t wrestle til January. They probably give up 2 pins with JV kids, but Cosover and Geiger both can win those matches in February when it counts.

Easton took third at Top Hat, one point behind Saucon Valley, but with a weird quirk. Top Hat lets you enter multiple kids at the same weight, but you have to designate who your point scorer is. Cosover is up at 189 coming off of football and Shae Linegar is their regular 189. They entered both there, but made Cosover the point scorer. Well, Linegar pinned Cosover in the blood round and ended up taking 3rd. 22 points for Easton that didn’t count.

Rovers had a great showing. Fenner took 2nd, beating state #3 Ty Kapusta from Hempfield, then falling to fellow stud freshman Emilio Albanese. Nick Salamone was runner up, losing a crazy match to nationally ranked Gabe Ballard, 8-6. Chris Kelly took 3rd, Ben Fanelli won it, Quentin Hammerstone came out of nowhere to beat a two time state medalist and take third, Linegar took third, sophomore 215 Kurtis Crossman lost his second match, then pinned his way through wrestle backs to the 3/4 match, and then beat the kid who beat him on the front side.

 

[RoverNation05]

Rover, thanks for all this great info. Haven't seen many details, but it looks like the Trey Balasco era is off to a good start at CR-South. They won the CV tourney this weekend.

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Forgot that I saw this the other day from Easton’s head coach. Iron sharpens iron

 

[RoverNation05]

Bethlehem Catholic junior state champ Kollin Rath commits to Missouri over Penn State, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and Rutgers.

Can’t remember the last time big-time Pennsylvania guy went to Missouri - Ashtin Primous back in 2006? Watching the broadcast, it sounds like Troy Dolan from Derry back in 2008, I was close. I don’t remember them being in on any Valley guys at all, other than coming in late on Alex Krom in ‘05 after he beat Adam Frey.

Rath is a monster, would not be surprised if he competes for NCAA titles. As complete a middleweight as we’ve had up here. He’s the top seed at Ironman this weekend, he won Super 32 in September, and he beat three different Pennsylvania state champs on his way to winning his state title last year. His dad played running back at Pius X in Roseto and took them to the Single-A state championship game in 2001 before a record setting career at Lehigh. Tough for Lehigh not to make the final five for his kid.