PIAA AAA Wrestling State Tourney - Preview and Thread

[RoverNation05]

106​

The Favorite
Kurt Phipps, Norwin (So. 36-0)
Phipps, the top seeded regional champ, was seventh here last year as a freshman. This season, he comes in undefeated and ranked #17 nationally by Intermat. Phipps owns wins over most of the contenders here, though his matches with the cadre of talented WPIAL freshman have gotten progressively less close.

Regional Champs
Southwest: Kurt Phipps, Norwin (So. 36-0)
South Central: Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley (So. 36-7)
Northwest: Matt Sarbo, Altoona (Fr. 30-5)
Southeast: Kyle Waterman, Council Rock South (So. 41-5)
Northeast: Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic (Fr. 23-8)
Monn spent most of the season up at 113 or even 120 before cutting down to 106 for the postseason. He’s been a buzzsaw since getting down to weight. Sarbo won a junior high state title last year in one of the toughest weight classes in the tournament, beating Mayer in semifinals and Gary Steen of Reynolds in finals, who is the favorite to win the title in 2A this weekend. Waterman dropped matches to Kyle Hauserman of Council Rock North in sectionals and districts before winning last week’s regional. Mayer spent much of the season up at 113, but was thrust into the lineup when state #3 Nate Lackman pulled out of the postseason. Mayer has been undefeated since getting down to 106.

Freshmen
Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic
Matt Vulakh, Pope John Paul II
Vincent Rinella, Meadville
Matt Sarbo, Altoona
Sam McMonagle, WC Henderson
Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley
Aidan Lewis, Cedar Cliff
Kyle Hauserman, Council Rock North
Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional
Not uncommon at 106. There is a lot of talent in this weight, with Mayer, Sarbo, Herrera, and Dibert all looking like guys who could win titles in the coming years and lots of future medalists here.

Best Thursday Matches
Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley vs. Brady Sherback, Greater Latrobe
Matt Sarbo vs. Tal-Reese Flemming, Liberty
Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley vs. Adam Jacob, East Pennsboro
Kyle Hauserman, Council Rock North vs. Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional
Hauserman/Dibert winner vs. Kyle Waterman, Council Rock South
In a wide open weight class, there is a lot of intriguie in this afternoon’s matches. Monn is a popular pick to win, but has to get through a tough senior in Brady Sherback, who snagged the 4th spot in the brutal Southwest Region. Herrera and Dibert are two of the most talented freshman in the state, and both have experienced foes in their openers. If Dibert can get past Hauserman, he has a date with Waterman in the round of 16. That’s a full tour of the Council Rock school district for the freshman. If Hauserman wins, he gets his third chance to knock off his rival from South.

Predicted Semis
Kurt Phipps, Norwin (D7) vs. Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley (D3)
Matt Sarbo, Altoona (D6) vs. Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional (D7)
Phipps has a tough match with Peyton Brown of Emmaus in his first round, then likely Andrew Brest in quarters, but he’s a solid favorite in both. Not making semis would be a surprise. Monn will have two wars with Sherback and Mayer, but size matters, and I think he’ll be too physical for each when its all said and done. In the bottom half, it’s really anybody’s guess. Sarbo will have Tal-Reese Flemming and Alejandro Herrera in his first two matches, any of those three could make finals, frankly. I’m picking Dibert to get past the two Council Rock matches then have a relatively easier quarter, likely with Cedar Cliff’s Aidan Lewis.

Predicted Final
Kurt Phipps, Norwin (D7) vs. Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional (D7)
I like Dibert to beat Sarbo in the match up of freshman, largely based on schedule. Phipps and Monn could be a final, but Monn will have to settle to wrestling back for 3rd. In finals, Dibert has three losses to Phipps this year (2-1, 7-0, 7-2) and I don’t see the freshman quite closing the gap.

Predicted Champion: Kurt Phipps, Norwin (1st title)

 

[RoverNation05]

113​

The Favorite
Ryan Sullivan, Shaler (Jr. 38-1)
Sullivan was the state runnerup last year at 106 and has been the most consistent guy at the weight class this year. His only loss is to Nick Bouzakis of Lake Highland Pre (FL) in the PowerAde final. Beyond that, he’s untouched, including a pair of wins over state #2 Frankie Bonura of Moon. This is one of the only weights without a nationally ranked wrestler.

Regional Champs
Southwest: Ryan Sullivan, Shaler (Jr. 38-1)
Southcentral: Will Betancourt, Manheim Central (So. 32-0)
Northeast: Matt Maloney, Liberty (Jr. 34-2)
Southeast: Max Mendez, Council Rock South (Jr. 33-7)
Northwest: Christian Fisher, Mifflin County (Jr. 31-7)
Sullivan came through the toughest region, finishing ahead of potential state finalists Frankie Bonura and Kyle Burkholder of Hempfield. Betancourt continues an undefeated season with a shutout of returning state qualifier Cole Wilson in the D3 final. Maloney missed states by one match in 2017, but has been on a tear in his junior campaign. He looked awesome in a 10-6 revenge win over Nick Onea of Pottsville last week (who beat him in the district final). Max Mendez has had a very up and down junior season, but has roared through the postseason. Definitely peaking at the right time. Christian Fisher is the 5 seed amongst regional champs after winning the Northwest, and will have a tough opening match.

Freshmen
Evan Gleason, Easton (Fr. 30-13)
Zach Martin, Neshaminy (Fr. 32-11)
Kind of amazing the drop in young bucks between 106 and 113. Gleason wasn’t seeded to make it out of districts (admittedly a really tough weight class in D11), but knocked off Dillon Murphy of Becahi for D11’s 5th spot in regionals. Last weekend, he reversed regular season losses to Liam Logue of Father Judge, Andrew Smith of Nazareth, and a tough win over TJ England in the blood round match to get to Hershey. Martin also was a surprise state qualifier, but put together a good series of postseason weekends.

Best First Round Match Up
Matt Maloney, Liberty vs. Cole Wilson, Northeastern
Frankie Bonura, Moon vs. Killian Delany, WC Henderson
Nick Onea, Pottsville vs. Luke Lucerne, Council Rock North
Andrew Smith, Nazareth vs. Christian Fisher, Mifflin County
Another wide open weight class with a lot of solid first round matches. Maloney and Wilson is a battle f experienced guys that will have a really good shot at semis if they can win the opener. Bonura is a consensus finals contender, but has to deal with a really talented sophomore in Delany in the opening round. Onea and Lucerne are both district champions who had to settle for region 2nds last week, and both have what it takes to knock off Betancourt in a quarter. And Smith majored Fisher at team states, making Fisher the most vulnerable regional champ in tonight’s first round.

Predicted Semis
Ryan Sullivan, Shaler (D7) vs. Matt Maloney, Liberty (D11)
Frankie Bonura, Moon (D7) vs. Will Betancourt, Manheim Central (D3)
Up top, Sullivan has a nice path to semis, whereas Maloney will have to survive wars with Wilson and Max Mendez. Still, I like the Liberty junior a lot to advance through. Once we get here, Sullivan has a little more well rounded game and I like him to make his second straight finals trip. The bottom of this bracket is anybody’s guess. Bonura and Betancourt are the two most likely guys to meet in semis, but Delany, Smith, Onea, Luceren, and even Hempfield’s Kyle Burkholder could find themselves in this spot.

Predicted Final
Ryan Sullivan, Shaler (D7) vs. Will Betancourt, Manheim Central (D3)
Betancourt has a ton of offense, while Sullivan is tough to takedown and a great mat wrestler. This will be a fun contrast in styles. Betancourt was injured last year at states, so this weekend will really be his coming out party at the state level. Still, I think Sullivan is a little more experienced and will be comfortable in his second state final.

Predicted Champion: Ryan Sullivan, Shaler (1st title)

 

[RoverNation05]

120​

The Favorite
Logan Macri, Canon McMillan (Sr. 35-2)
Macri, younger brother of state champ and UNC wrestler Dalton Macri, was 5th here two years ago. He beat both Louis Newell and Doug Zapf at PowerAde on his way to a championship, who are major contenders here. His lone losses are to national #1 Patrick Glory of Delbarton (NJ) and Nazareth’s Sean Pierson, a potential finals opponent.

Regional Champs
Southeast: Doug Zapf, Downingtown West (Sr. 44-4)
Northwest: Paniro Johnson, Erie Cathedral Prep (Fr. 24-6)
Southcentral: JJ Wilson, Cedar Cliff (Jr. 38-4)
Northeast: Sean Pierson, Nazareth (Jr. 35-5)
Southwest: Logan Macri, Canon McMillan (Sr. 35-2)
Zapf is a returning state champion, winning down at 106 last year. The Penn recruit has dropped matches to Pierson and Macri this year, but is the only one who has stood on top of a Hershey podium. Johnson was a surprise champion out of the Northwest, though has a brutal round 1 draw with two-time state finalist Louis Newell of Seneca Valley, who was runner-up to Macri in the Southwest. Wilson is a Cornell recruit who is a three-time state qualifier with a long winning streak. Pierson beat Macri in the season’s opening weekend, but spent most of the year up at 126, where he took a handful of losses. However, since cutting down to 120, he’s been a buzzsaw, undefeated with wins over Zapf, Newell, and Spring-Ford’s Brandon Meredith.

Freshmen
Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg (Fr. 39-10)
Paniro Johnson, ECP (Fr. 24-6)
Matt Leehan, General McLane (Fr. 27-8)
Henson moved to Waynesburg from West Virignia this year and was instantly one of the best freshman in the state. He’s been very successful against a strong schedule. Johnson was a surprise champ, but wrestles in one of the best rooms in the state. Leehan also came out of the Northwest region and is getting great experience in Hershey.

Best Thursday Match Up
Cam Enriquez, Stroudsburg vs. Wyatt Henderson, Waynesburg
Logan Macri vs. Brandon Meredith, Spring-Ford
Enriquez really pushed Pierson last week in Northeast regional finals, losing in sudden victory. Enriquez medaled here last year and nearly knocked off Sam Hillegas, the state champ at 113, in overtime in semis. He has the precocious Hensen in the first round. Macri and Meredith was a possible state final and instead it’s a first round match up! Meredith, a Penn State recruit, was upset in semis at Southeast Rgionals and dropped all the way to a pigtail round. This is the toughest round of 16 match in the tournament, and the winer will have survived a war.

Predicted Semis
Cameron Enriquez, Stroudsburg (D11) vs. Louis Newell, Seneca Valley (D7)
Sean Pierson, Nazareth (D11) vs. Logan Macri, Canon-McMillan (D7)
Going out on a limb taking Enriquez, but I think Easton alum Sean Richmond will have him ready again for states. He’ll have Zapf in quarters, who is talented, but slightly undersized at 120. Enriquez has wrestled a monster schedule and I think he wins a couple tough matches this weekend. Newell, who was runner up at 106 as a sophomore and 113 as a junior, will have a tough quarter with either Brandon Kassis of Parkland or JJ Wilson, but the Pitt signee is one of my favorites in the bracket. Down below, I think Pierson cruises to semis, while the Macri-Meredith winner will do the same.

Predicted Finals
Louis Newell, Seneca Valley (D7) vs. Sean Pierson, Nazareth (D11)
This could be an all D7 or all D11 final, neither would shock me. My gut tells me that the Pierson-Macri/Meredith winner is going to win the whole thing, while Newell, who I feel pretty strongly will come out of the top half, with have to settle with being a rare three-time bridesmaid.

Predicted Champion: Sean Pierson, Nazareth (1st title)

 

[RoverNation05]

126
Favorite
Sammy Hilegas, North Hills (So. 29-1)
Hillegas, the defending state champion from 113 pounds, is ranked 11th nationally, with the only loss of his high school career coming in PowerAde finals to #2 Beau Bartlett of Wyoming Seminary. Other than that, Hillegas has dominated his high school career and is one of the best sophomores in the country, regardless of weight class. He’s the first really strong favorite we have in this tournament.

Regional Champions
Sammy Hilegas, North Hills (So. 29-1)
Chris Wright, Central Dauphin (Sr. 45-1)
Gunnar Fuss, Harry S Truman (Jr. 33-2)
Kenny Hermann, Bethlehem Catholic (So. 29-10)
Ed Scott, DuBois (So. 33-2)
Really good set of regional champs at this weight. Hillegas is the top seed and is having another greatyear. Wright is ranked #14 in the country by Intermat and would be favored in almost any other weight class. He’s brutal on top with the cross-wrist tilt, a staple of CD wrestling. Hermann has a ton of losses against a brutal schedule, but is really athletic and could be a breakout guy at states. Scott is another precocious sophomore who took 3rd her as a freshman. Fuss rounds out the champs, after spending a lot of the year up at 132, where he owns a win over one of the title favorites (Patrick Gould).

Freshmen
Jack McGill, Spring-Ford (Fr. 37-16)
Jagger Condomitt, Northampton (Fr. 34-9)
McGill has had an up and down freshman year, but has wrestled a really tough schedule. He snaked the last spot out of the Southeast region. Condomitti looks like Northampton’s next superstar. He trains with former Northampton state champ and Oklahoma All American Jeff Ecklof and has the same type of physicality and confidence. He’s been right there with Pierson and Hermann all year and I’d put money on him being a future state champ.

Best Thursday Match
Jagger Condomitti, Northampton vs. Caleb Morris, Waynesburg
Speaking of Condomitt, he has the best match of the day with a first round tussle with four-time state qualifier Caleb Morris. Morris beat him in SV back at Beast of the East, but both wrestlers have really grown. It’ll be an interesting match up between a superstar freshman in his first state tourney against an experienced guy who has been to Hershey three times but is looking for his first medal.

Predicted Semis
Sam Hillegas, North Hills (D7) vs. Kenny Hermann, Bethlehem Catholic (D11)
Chris Wright, Central Dauphin (D3) vs. Ed Scott, DuBois (D10)
Hillegas is going to roll to semis, not a lot of intrigue there, though he’s a ton of fun to watch. Hermann and Gunnar Fuss will be an awesome quarter, but I think Hermann will benefit from Becahi wrestling one of the best schedules in America. On the bottom half, don’t be surprised if Condomitti shocks Chris Wright in quarters, but I’m being conservative (and trying to avoid total D11 homer syndrome) and taking the senior to move on. On the bottom, Ed Scott seems pretty solid to move through.

Predicted Finals
Sam Hillegas, North Hills (D7) vs. Ed Scott, DuBois (D10)
Now here’s the Wright upset. Ed Scott is one of my favorites in the sophomore class state wide, and I’m always skeptical of CD kids, they can all ride and score from top, but sometimes at states you need to wrestle in all three positions to win. Scott can take Wright on his feet. Hillegas, again, should beat Hermann comfortably and should handle Scott in finals. These are two really good sophomores, but Hillegas is on a different level.

Predicted Champion: Sam Hillegas, North Hills (2nd title)

 

[16th&Georgetown]

Top notch work Rover!! The lighter weights this season are loaded. On the flip side I'm actually looking forward to the 285lb class. There's a lot of talented big guys.

 

[RoverNation05]

132

Favorite
Andrew Wert, Central Dauphin (Sr. 41-3)
Wert is not a scoring machine, but is nearly impossible to take down, and can ride like you’d expect from a Central Dauphin Ram. Still, this is almost a weight class without a favorite, as any of the top 6 or so could win this without me raising an eyebrow.

Regional Champs
Andrew Wert, Central Dauphin (Sr. 41-3)
Ben Radner, Council Rock South (Sr. 31-10)
Jeffrey Boyd, Erie McDowell (Jr. 32-2)
Colton Camacho, Franklin Regional (Jr. 37-2)
Patrick Gould, East Stroudsburg South (Jr. 28-3)
Wert and Camacho are 1-2 in the state rankings and have been the entire year. Camacho missed his freshman year with an injury, then was a qualifier here last year. Those two met up at Super 32 before the season, with Camacho winning. Boyd cut down from 138 and cruised through the northwest. Radner is a returning state qualifier. Gould won a whale of a region, the Northeast had 6 of the top 10 guys in the state rankings. Gould has a pair of state medals, and also could be considered a co-favorite with Wert and Camacho. He’s been a step behind in state rankings becaue the D11 group has all beaten each other this year.

Freshmen
Domenic DeFalco, Quakertown (Fr. 33-10)

Best Thursday Match Up
Nick Coy, Penn Trafford vs. Jonathan Miers, Easton
Ben Radner, Council Rock South vs. Devon Britton, Northampton
Colton Camacho, Franklin Regional vs. Ryan O’Grady, Nazareth
This is where things get fun. This is a deep weight class with lots of great matches tonight. Coy, brother of 3x state champ Cameron Coy, gave Camacho fits and took hi to OT last week in the regional final. Miers beat Gould for a D11 title, but lost last weekend to Devon Britton in semis. Miers is really solid in all three positions. Britton is the most likely guy to take out a regional champ tonight. He’s been ranked in the top 5 in the state all year, and knocked off Miers with a takedown in the last 10 seconds last weekend. Camacho is a trendy pick to win, but has a tough match with Nazareth’s Ryan O’Grady in the first round. O’Grady is a multi-time state qualifier who has wrestled a national schedule for his entire career.

Predicted Semis
Jonathan Miers, Easton (D11) vs. Devon Britton, Northampton (D11)
Colton Camacho, Franklin Regional (D7) vs. Patrick Gould, East Stroudsburg South (D11)
D11 hasn’t had three in semis since 2004 at 112 when Josh Oliver, Tim Darling, and Steve Mytych all were in Saturday morning’s round (and finished 2, 3, 4). I think we see something similar this year. Miers has the biggest task, beating Wert in quarters, but more on his feet and can go toe-to-toe on the mat. He and Britton wrestled a classic last weekend, and an Easton-Northampton match this deep into states will be something special. On the bottom half, I’m pretty confident that Gould and Camacho will advance through, though O’Grady will make Camacho earn it in quarters.

Predicted Finals
Jonathan Miers, Easton (D11) vs. Patrick Gould, East Stroudsburg South (D11)
I think Miers turns the tables on Britton, he had that match all but won before Britton his a beautiful single in the waning moments of the match. Gould has had disappointing state performances (8th and 8th), but I think has a big weekend. He’s beaten Miers 4 of the 5 times they’ve wrestled, but Miers won most recently, a 3-2 decision in D11 finals. I think Miers gets him again, he had all of the scoring opportunities the last time they wrestled and is a little better on the mat. But it’s a razor thin margin and could be a classic final.

Prediction: Jonathan Miers, Easton (1st title)

 

[RoverNation05]

Top notch work Rover!! The lighter weights this season are loaded. On the flip side I'm actually looking forward to the 285lb class. There's a lot of talented big guys.

I love 285 this year. There are 5 or 6 college heavyweights in the class. I'm a huge Kuwan Deboe fan, I think he's going to be a monster at the next level, Reid is obviously a national caliber guy, Brown, and Woflgram both really move well. Devine and Zobel are both football guys, but have some real skills and will be match up problems. Leyland is like 7'4. I love Pineda's motor from Easton, kind of wish he made the cut to 220, but he's fun to watch up here. It's the deepest heavyweight class in a long time.

 

[RoverNation05]

106
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Tal-Reese Flemming absolutely hammered Matt Sarbo (14-0), knocking off my darkhorse pick to make a run. Kyle Waterman also comfortably dispatched Carter Dibert. Being a freshman at states is hard.
Quarterfinals
Kurt Phipps, Norwin vs. Brennan McBride, Coatesville
Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic vs. Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley
Tal-Reese Flemming, Liberty vs. Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley
Dave Evans, Tunkhannock vs. Kyle Waterman, Council Rock South
Really good set of quarters here. Phipps is a heavy favorite in the first QF and in the bracket in general. He looked the part yesterday with a second period pin of Peyton Brown (Emmaus) in his only match. He should handle McBride, a surprise quarterfinalist with his win over Andrew Brest (General McLane) yesterday. Mayer and Monn is a barn burner. Bethlehem Catholic had a terrible, no good, very bad day yesterday, and Mayer will be critical to turn around some momentum if they want to win the team trophy. Flemming and Herrera is the best match of the bunch here. I think the winner makes finals from the bottom half. Waterman and Evans also is worth the price of admission.
Toughest Consy Match
Peyton Brown and Kyle Hauserman have both spent a lot of the year in the state top 10. Now, they’re in an elimination match on Friday afternoon in Hershey. States are hard.
Semi Picks
Phipps vs. Mayer
Flemming vs. Waterman

113
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Will Betancourt was undefeated and a popular pick to make finals out of the bottom of the bracket. But Hempfield Area junior Kyle Burkholder scored the only offensive points in a 3-1 win in the first round. That really opens up the bottom half of the bracket.
Quarterfinals
Ryan Sullivan, Shaler vs. Timothy Uhler, New Oxford
Matt Maloney, Liberty vs. Jordan Watters, West Allegheny
Christian Fisher, Mifflin County vs. Killian Delaney, WC Henderson
Luke Lucerne, Council Rock North vs. Kyle Burkholder, Hempfield Area
No idea what to think about these match ups. Sullivan looked the part as the favorite yesterday, cruising 10-3 over Upper Perkiomens’s Jared Kuhns. Like Phipps, he’s solidly favored in his quarter with Uhler. Maloney unexpectedly dominated Cole Wilson in a really good round for the Liberty lightweights. Watters upset Max Mendez of CRS, stopping his postseason winning streak. Fisher turned the tables on Nazareth’s Andrew Smith, winning 9-2 after getting majored at team states. Delaney won a tight decision over title contender Frankie Bonura of Moon, and might be the favorite now int eh bottom half. Lucerne won a thriller with NE regional champ Nick Onea, scoring back points in tie-breakers in one of the best matches in the round.
Toughest Consy Match
Nick Onea, Pottsville vs. Will Betancourt, Manheim Central
A pair of regional champs will meet in an elimination match this afternoon. Both are talented enough to wrestle back for third, but one isn’t even going to medal. And what’s crazy is, the winner will see the Andrew Smith-Frankie Bonura winner, meaning only one of these four will finish with a medal. States are hard.
Semi Picks
Sullivan vs. Maloney
Delaney vs. Lucerne

120
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
None of the results here surprised me, but the best day 1 match here was freshman Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg) beating returning state medalist Cam Enriquez (Stroudsburg) in tie-breakers by riding him out for 30 seconds. One of those matches that it was a shame somebody had to lose.
Quarterfinals
Doug Zapf, Downingtown West vs. Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg
Louis Newell, Seneca Valley vs. JJ Wilson, Cedar Cliff
Sean Pierson, Nazareth vs. Shane Hanson-Ashworth, Council Rock South
Rafael Portilla, Carlisle vs. Logan Macri, Canon-McMillan
Zapf, a returning state champ, is on upset alert against the very polished freshman Henson. Louis Newell crushed regional champ Paniero Johnson (ECP) yesterday and JJ Wilson looked really good against Escape the Rock champ Brandon Kassis (Parkland). That will be the best quarter in this bracket. Pierson hung on for a 1-0 win over Tyler Kocack of Hampton. HE’s beaten Hanson-Ashworth a few times this year. Macri cruised past Penn State recruit Brandon Meredith and looks poised to set up a semifinal showdown with Pierson.
Toughest Consy
Paniero Johnson of Erie Cathedral Prep takes on Brandon Kassis of Parkland. Johnson is the Northwest Regional Champ and Kassis has spent a lot of the year ranked in the top 5 in the state and owns a win over 2A favorite and defending champ Jaret Lane.
Predicted Semis
Henson vs. Newell
Pierson vs. Macri

126
Biggest Day 1 Surprises
I had DuBois sophomore Ed Scott pegged for finals after his third place finish at 113 a year ago and a really good sophomore campaign against a tough schedule. Instead, Scott got upset by fellow sophomore Gabe Wilochell of Greater Latrobe, 6-4. Hopewell junior Jacob Ealy blitzed Nick Tewell in prelims (20-5), then erased a huge defecit to stun Becahi’s Kenny Hermann, 11-8, knocking the regional champ and returning state medalist into the consolations. It was the first leg to come off the Becahi stool, which had an awful 2-6 opening round.
Quarterfinals
Sam Hillegas, North Hills vs. Dalton Rohrbaugh, Spring Grove
Gunnar Fuss, Harry S. Truman vs. Jacob Ealy, Hopewell
Chris Wright, Central Dauphin vs. Caleb Morris, Waynesburg
Lukas Ritchie, Downingtown East vs. Gabe Wilochell, Greater Latrobe
Hillegas was on the mat for 41 seconds yesterday and is a heavy favorite against Rohrbaugh, who also won his first round match by fall. Fuss takes on the Cinderella Ealy, and needs to withstand the his pace and gas tank to move on. Wright and Caleb Morris is the best of the bunch. Morris survived a 3-2 nailbiter with freshman Jagger Condomitti of Northampton (who shockingly went 0-2) and is looking for his first state medal in this his fourth trip to Hershey. Ritchie and Wilochell is anybody’s guess in the bottom quarter.
Toughest Consy
Nick Dolak of Parkland and Ed Scott of DuBois is going to leave a really talented guy off of the podium.
Picks for Semis
Hillegas vs. Fuss
Wright vs. Wilochell

132
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Patrick Gould gave up a 4 point move in the second period, then got taken down and pinned in OT by Zack Zeamer of Manheim Central. Gould, ranked #3 in the state coming in, was my pick to make finals from the bottom half. Instead, he’ll have to go entirely through the consies to earn his third state medal.
Quarterfinals
Andrew Wert, Central Dauphin vs. Jonathan Miers, Easton
Devon Britton, Northampton vs. Jeffrey Boyd, Erie McDowell
Colton Camacho, Franklin Regional vs. Michael Cassidy, Cedar Cliff
Tyler Williams, Souderton vs. Zack Zeamer, Manheim Central
Super unbalanced bracket now, with four of the five major title contenders in the top half. Wert and Miers will be a chess match, two guys who are really hard to score on and can really ride. Miers won a tough opener with Nick Coy of Penn Trafford, riding him out in the second period and winning 1-0. Britton and Boyd will be more wide open, but both are real title contenders. On the bottom half, Camacho benefitted from the worst call in the tournament, when he was given a reversal “at the buzzer” (or about 3 seconds after) to beat Nazareth’s Ryan O’Grady 4-3. The Gould pin really clears his path in the bottom half, as there are a lot of upstarts and surprises left.
Toughest Consy Match
There aren’t any that stand out in this round. However, Gould will face the loser of Boyd/Britton if he moves on this afternoon, which will leave one of those three off of the podium.
Predicted Semis
Miers vs. Britton
Camacho vs. Zeamer

138
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Jackson Henson, ranked in the top 20 nationally and a two-time West Virginia state champion (who moved to Waynesburg this year), went 0-2 at the state tournament and is eliminated. He dropped a tough opener to returning state medalist Zack Ortman of Parkland, then got shut out by Nate Swartz of Holidaysburg in his wrestle back. Pennsylvania states are hard.
Quarterfinals
Seth Koleno, Bald Eagle Area vs. Zach Ortman, Parkland
Paul Feite, Northern York vs. Cameron Robinson, Council Rock North
Noah Levett, Kiski Area vs. Leno Ciotti, Erie McDowell
TT Elhajj, Lower Dauphin vs. Ryan Anderson, Bethlehem Catholic
Pretty chalk here outside of Ortman’s win over Henson. This should be a really good round, every match but the Anderson one is a toss up. Ortman-Koleno is a contrast in styles. Koleno is a handfighter and a brawler, while Ortman is all funk all the time. Feite looked great in his win over Nazareth sophomore Nathan Stefanik and Robinson also really took care of business against tough freshman Ty Linsenbigler of Hempfield. Levett-Ciotti both dominated yesterday and the winner will have the privilege of taking on Anderson, who looked every bit like the #3 guy in America at this weight in a second period tech fall of Tim Hritsko.
Toughest Consy
Nathan Stefanik (Nazareth) and Ty LInsenbigler (Hempfield Area) is a battle between two really good underclassmen (sophomore vs. freshman) and the future of middle weights in Pennsylvania. Neither is going to spend a lot of time in consy brackets going forward, and the winner will have a really good shot to earn their first state medal.
Predicted Semis
Koleno vs. Feite
Levett vs. Anderson

 

[RoverNation05]

145
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Alex Hornfeck of Mars knocked off Bethlehem Catholic sophomore Cole Handlovic, ranked #3 in the state coming in and one of the few wrestlers who has lasted a full match against Sammy Sasso. Again, this was part of an awful Becahi round as Hornfeck shut out the Golden Hawk sophomore.
Quarterfinals
Sammy Sasso, Nazareth vs. Tate Nichter, Chambersburg
Ryan Vulakh, Pope John Paul II vs. Cam Conner, Kiski Area
Micah Hoffman, Northern York vs. Alexander Hornfeck, Mars
Jobe Chishko, Penn-Trafford vs. Kolby Ho, DuBois
Nichter is one of the best freshman in the state and looked awesome with a 21-5 tech fall in his first match at states. However, Sasso is the top ranked wrestler in the country at 145 and as big of a favorite as there is in the state tournament. Nichter will have his day, but its not this afternoon. Vulakh had a tough 4-0 win yesterday in his first match at states since 2016 after sitting out all of last year due to an athletic transfer. He’ll have a tough match with Conner, who was part of an awesome round for Kiski, who put themselves in position to win the tournament. Down below, Kolby Ho is your favorite after taking care of business in the opening round. Chishko and Hoffman both won comfortably yesterday.
Toughest Consy
Tate Nichter will drop down to see Cole Handlovic if he loses to Sasso. A really tough tour through D11 for the freshman, but could deal a crushing blow to Becahi’s title hopes if he can knock Handlovic out of the tournament.
Predicted Semis
Sasso vs. Vulakh
Hoffman vs. Ho

152
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Regional champ and Fargo All American Luca Frinzi was stunned in sudden victory by Ty McGeary of West Allegheny. In the bottom half, Luke Kemerer, ranked #1 in the state at 145 most of the year, continued his rough postseason with a 4-2 OT loss to Dan Mancini of OJR. Kemerer bumped up when Sasso dropped down, but was upset both in regional semis last week and then in the first round of states yesterday.
Quarterfinals
Gage McLenahan, Bald Eagle Area vs. Dillon Sheehy, Council Rock North
Jack Blumer, Kiski Area vs. Ty McGeary, West Allegheny
Dan Mancini, Owen J. Roberts vs. William Evanitsky, Scranton
Lenny Pinto, Stroudsburg vs. Clayton Ulrey, Lower Dauphin
McLenahan rolled through Bangor’s Eddie Hay and is beginning to look like the favorite here. If he isn’t Jack Blumer is, who was a giant killer last week at WPIALs and survived a 3-2 match. What’s shocking is how young this bracket is. McLenahan, Sheehy, Blumer, and Ulrey are sophomores, Pinto is a freshman, and the only senior still alive is Evanitsky. Evanitsky had to survive a sudden victory match with freshman Trey Kibe of Mifflin County. Pinto dominated fellow super frosh Cole Spencer (future Pine-Richland QB) in a 12-5 match. Pinto and Ulrey is a fantastic QF between two future stars.
Toughest Consy
The roughest consy in the tournament is Luke Kemerer vs. Trey Kibe. Both were in the conversation to win state titles, particularly Kemerere, who is as much of a favorite as there is in this class. Kibe is widely regarded as the best freshman in AAA regardless of weight class. One’s season will be over this afternoon.
Predicted Semis
McLenahan vs. Blumer
Evanitsky vs. Pinto

160
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Not a surprise per say, but Becahi regional champion and American University recruit Mikey Lewis had to default out of the tournament after failing skin check. Again, anything that could have gone wrong did for the Golden Hawks yesterday.
Quarterfinals
Carter Starocci, Erie Cathedral Prep vs. Nick Delp, Kiski Area
Gerrit Nijenhuis, Canon-McMillan vs. Ethan Barney, South Western
Luke Stout, Mount Lebanon vs. Jacob Burgette, Scranton
Caden Wright, Emmaus vs. Zach Hartman, Belle Vernon
Really good set of quarters. Starocci is top 10 wrestler in the country and big favorite, but Delp will scrap with him. Nijenhuis is a beneficiary of the Lewis default, as he should cruise past Barney, who had to beat the D1 5th place finisher then got a forfeit from Lewis. Stout and Burgette is the highlight bout of the round, with Stout winning a tough match yesterday over regional champ AJ Wilson of Solanco. Wright is a darkhorse, a really good sophomore from a program without a ton of wrestling history (Emmaus has just one state champ) and he might have Hartman on upset alert, though Hartman has been awesome consistent all year.
Toughest Consy
This weight class is really top heavy, which makes for a great championship side, but leaves consys wide open.
Predicted Semis
Starocci vs. Nijenhuis
Stout vs. Hartman

170
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Pretty chalk first day.
Quarterfinals
Trent Hidlay, Mifflin County vs. Nehemiah Diggs, Harrisburg
Max Hale, Downingtown West vs. Scott Joll, Belle Vernon
Cade Wilson, Nazareth vs. Jason Montgomery, Bethel Park
Kyle Homet, Waynesburg vs. Luke Nichter, Chambersburg
Hidlay took his time with a tech in 5:04 yesterday and should have similar results today with Diggs, who won a war with Easton freshman Dominic Falcone yesterday to advance to quarters. Hale and Joll both won tough first round match ups yesterday and it doesn’t get any easier hitting each other in this round, followed by Hilday is they survive. Wilson has been wrestling as well as anybody in the state, particularly on top. He should be able to handle Montgomery and advance to a really tough semi with the Nichter-Homet winner. Nichter was 6th as a freshman at 160 and is a rising star. Homet is the key to Waynesburg’s outside shot at winning the team title.
Toughest Consy
The Homet-Nichter loser will drop to see the Ben Root/Cole Painter winner. All are ranked in the top 8 in the state, and at least one will not medal.
Predicted Semis
Hidlay vs. Joll
Wilson vs. Nichter

 

[RoverNation05]

182
Biggest Surprise of Day 1
A trio of regional champs were surprisingly knocked off, with Damen Moyer (Liberty – NE Champ) losing to Brendan Shaffer (Lower Dauphin) in a crazy, sloppy, 9-6 match that featured a ton of back points in both directions, and Blake Barrick (Big Spring) losing a tight, 5-3 match to Max Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) on a late takedown to break a 3-3 deadlock, and Christian Sequete (Butler – a surprise champ) getting decked in the second period by Shikellamy’s Josh Krieger.
Quarterfinals
Josh Stillings, Pennridge vs. Donovan Ball, Cedar Cliff
Josh Krieger, Shikellamy vs. Brendan Shaffer, Lower Dauphin
Max Shaw, Thomas Jefferson vs. Andrew Kidd, Delaware Valley
Tim Wallace, Albert Gallatin vs. Luigi Yates, Erie Cathedral Prep
Stillings and Ball is a fun match up top. Ball split matches with Barrick at sectionals and regionals and is a solid football player and a great athlete. Stillings, however, is nationally ranked and a returning state finalist – he’s the man to beat here. Stillings will be a heavy favorite against whoever advances between Krieger and Shaffer, both surprise names in the QF line. On the bottom half, Shaw blew up the top quarter with his win over Barrick and we’ll see a surprise semifinalist between Shaw and Kidd. The bottom quarter is the clear highlight – Yates and Wallace have been ranked 2 and 3 in the state for most of the year, but Wallace was upset in the WPIAL finals by Sequete and slots in the bracket with Yates in quarters. The winner of that match is the very likely to meet Stillings in finals.
Toughest Consy
Blake Barrick and Donovan Ball will likely meet for the third time on three weeks, this time with a state medal on the line, if Barrick can advance past Jacob Miller of Boyertown in his consy this afternoon and Ball falls to Stillings on the front side.
Predicted Semis
Stillings vs. Krieger
Shaw vs. Wallace

195
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
The bottom of this bracket was screwy. Robert Spezza (Bethlehem Catholic) lost to Nathan Mankey (North Hills) in a stunner that was the final nail in the coffin for Becahi’s round of 16. At the same time, Jake Koser, regional champ from Northern York, got disqualified for an illegal hammerlock against Dorian Crosby of Erie Cathedral Prep. Koser was certainly in the conversation to make finals and was a potential champ.
Quarterfinals
Cole Urbas, State Colleg vs. Mithcell Talbott, Central Dauphin
Nate Stine, Blue Mountain vs. Nate Ansell, Connellsville
Elijah Jones, Boyertown vs. Luke McGonigal, Clearfield
Nathan Mankey, North Hills vs. Dorian Crosby, Erie Cathedral Prep
Urbas and McGonigal wrestled a classic in their regional final last weekend, but will have to survive some land mines to meet again this week. Urbas should roll this afternoon against Talbott, but will face a really tough opponent in Stine or Ansell. Stine, the Northeast Regional champ, is a pinner who is really tall for the weight and uses his leverage really well. Ansell is a brawler from a traditional power in Connellsville. Down below, Jones will really test McGonigal, he’s been in the top 5 in the state all year. Crosby is an excellent sophomore and a solid favorite over Mankey.
Toughest Consy
Spezza and Koser are in meeting in the consy round this afternoon. Not a lot fun for two of the best wrestlers in the state. One’s season will be over in about two hours.
Predicted Semis
Urbas vs. Stine
McGonigal vs. Crosby

 

[RoverNation05]

220
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Pretty chalk first day
Quarterfinals
Ian Edenfield, Laurel Highlands vs. Denny Karas, Exeter Township
Nate Schon, Selinsgrove vs. Hunter Catka, Sun Valley
Cole Forrester, Shippensburg vs. Jake Slinger, Upper St. Clair
Parker McClellan, Altoona vs. Greg Bensley, Pocono Mountain West
Tons of non-traditional powers represented in this weight class. Edenfield is the favorite, the only member of the Laurel Highlands wrestling team, he’s a returning finalist should hand Karas this afternoon. Schon is the talk of the tournament, an awesome freshman that is doing things we rarely see from a 9th grader at 220. He has a tough match with Catka, a really good sophomore. This will be a rivalry for years to come. Forrester/Slinger will be a great one, Slinger has pushed Edenfield at WPIALs and Forrester is the presumed challenger to Edenfield come finals time. And at the bottom, Bensely, an all state caliber football player, will have a great match up with McClellan, who are both returning medalists.
Toughest Consy
I think all the quarterfinalists should medal.
Predicted Semis
Edenfield vs. Schon
Forrester vs. Bensley

285
Biggest Day 1 Surprise
Not a whole lot of surprises. Derek Devine and Ryan Stewart was an awesome pigtail match, with Stewart riding out in tiebreaks to knock of the UVA football recruit.
Quarterfinals
Isaac Reid, Kiski Area vs. Kyle Wuestner, Lower Dauphin
Garrett Zobel, LaSalle vs. Ryan Stewart, Warwick
Michael Wolfgram, Central York vs. Gerald Brown, West Mifflin
Nick Cooper, Bensalem vs. Kawaun Deboe, Erie Cathedral Prep
Another loaded set of quarters. There are tons of good future college heavyweights here and this is the deepest I can remember the class in Pennsylvania. Reid is a top 5 heavy in the country and is the lone big favorite in quarters. Zobel, a Villanova football recruit, and Stewart, will be a match up of two really good athletes with Division I size. Wolfgram and Brown is the highlight. Wolfgram is undefeated and one of the best junior heavyweights in America and Brown has been the #2 wrestler in the state all year, with his only losses coming to Reid. Deboe is the rare heavyweight on track to win 4 state medals, and is also one of the premier junior heavies in the country. He’ll have a great match up with Cooper, a really good athlete who survived on a last second reversal in his opening round match.
Toughest Consy
Michael Leyland of Roman Catholic hits Derek Devine of North Allegheny in the opening consy round today. Both are 6’6 and monsterous heavyweights. Stylistically, this is a clash of giants, and will be a really godo match. The winner likely gets Wuenster of Lower Dauphin, who has been on fire in the postseason.
Predicted Semis
Reid vs. Zobel
Brown vs. Deboe

 

[RoverNation05]

103
Phipps pins McBride in 3:02
Monn beat Mayer 6-4 SV
Herrera beats Flemming 2-0
Waterman beats Evans 4-3
Best and most controversial match was Monn-Mayer. Monn gets a flash takedown in the last 10 seconds to tie the match, then scores in OT to move on.
113
Sullivan pins Uhler 3:29
Maloney beats Watters 7-5
Delaney beats Fisher 4-2
Burkholder beats Lucerne 2-1
120
Zapf beats Henson 3-1 SV
Wilson beats Newell 4-0
Pierson beats Hanson-Ashworth 2-1
Macri techs Portilla 23-8 (4:03)
Zapf and Henson was as good as advertised, senior got a tough takedown in OT to survive. Newell losing is a shocker to me, but Wilson looks awesome.
126
Hillegas pins Rohrbaugh 1:06
Ealy beats Fuss 8-6 SV
Wright beats Morris 4-2
Willochell pins Richie 2:15
Wright-Morris was a classic, with Wright scoring in the final 15 seconds to break a 2-2 tie and advance. Ealy continues his Cinderella run with a OT win over Fuss
132
Wert beats Miers 1-0
Boyd beats Britton 8-4
Camacho beats Cassidy 11-1
Williams beats Zeamer 6-1
I loathe the Central Dauphin style. Wert blocked for two periods, then put in double grape vines and rode Miers out in the third. Got hit with one stall warning, but nobody forces the home team to wrestle at states. No real attempt to turn Miers, just threw in boots and held his belly to the mat. Very frustrating. Britton looked awesome for two periods then melted down. Boyd showed a lot of character with a big third period win.
138
Feite pins Robinson 3:24
Koleno beats Ortman 5-3
Levett beats Ciotti 8-3
Anderson techs Elhajj 19-4 (3:36)
No big surprise here. Koleno won a tough match with Ortman, a pair of TDs from Koleno was the difference. Anderson looks like a man on a mission.

 

[RoverNation05]

145
Sasso techs Nichter 17-2 (3:05)
Vulakh beats Conner 4-0
Hoffman beats Hornfeck 3-2
Ho beats Chishko 3-2
A pair of tight matches on the bottom and a pair of comfortable wins for favorites on top. Hoffman needed a late score to stop the Hornfeck Cinderella run.
152
McClenahan techs Sheehy 18-2 (3:48)
McGeary beats Blumer 8-6
Evanitsky beats Mancini 5-4
Ulrey beats Pinto 9-8
Awesome set of quarters here. McGeary continues his hot weekend with a win over Blumer. Ulrey survived getting put on his back by Pinto to storm back and gas out the freshman in a one point win, and Evanitsky wrestled a tight, tactical match to move on. Really fun weight class this weekend.
160
Starocci beats Delp 9-3
Nijenhuis pins Baney 1:16
Stout beats Burgette 9-7
Hartman beats Wright 6-0
The big four all won here pretty comfortably. Tomorrow morning is the time to tune in at 160 for an excellent set of semis.
170
Hidlay tech Diggs 21-8 (5:19)
Joll beats Hale 5-1
Wilson beats Montgomery 3-2
Nichter beats Homet 3-1 SV
Hidlay did Hidlay things, everywhere else great matches. Cade Wilson got taken down, then ridden out for an entire period, and had to start 3P on top. He responded with a set of three back points and rode the whole period for a 3-2 win. Nichter gritted out an OT win against a very game Kyle Homet.
182
Stillings beats Ball 8-1
Krieger beats Shafer 9-2
Shaw beats Kidd 5-2
Wallace pins Yates 0:34
I missed the Wallace/Yates pin, which was the big excitement of this bracket. Collision course between him and Stillings continues.
195
Urbas pins Talbott 1:32
Ansell beats Stine 11-7
McGonigal beast Jones 13-3
Crosby beats Mankey 3-1
Urbas and McGonigal were both dominant, Crosby did enough to survive and advance. Ansell and Stine was all over the place, with Stine scoring points, but all of his runs were to catch up, and Ansell got him every time Stine forced himself into bad position.
220
Edenfield beats Karas 5-1
Catka beast Schon 8-3
Forrester beats Slinger 8-6
McClellan beats Bensley 6-4
McClellan overcame an early deficit to top Bensley, Forrester stayed comfortably ahead of Slinger, Catka showed the freshman what an extra year of experience (and weight training) can do, and the favorite Edenfield cruised.
285
Reid pinned Wuestner 1:11
Stewart beat Zobel 7-2
Wolfgram beat Brown 13-2
Deboe pinned Cooper 5:14
Holy lord Michael Wolfgram made a statement. Absolutely dominated Gerald Brown in all positions, really looked like a title threat. Stewart also looked great in handling Zobel. Deboe and Reid did as expected, though Cooper was hanging around with Deboe for most of the match.

 

[RoverNation05]

State Medalists (with Pre-State Rankings from PaPower Wrestling)

106
#1 Kurt Phipps, Norwin (So. D7)
#2 Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley (So. D3)
#4 Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley (Fr. D7)
#3 Kyle Waterman, Council Rock South (So. D1)
#7 Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic (Fr. D11)
#9 Matt Sarbo, Altoona (Fr. D6)
#14 Matt Vulakh, Pope John Paul II (Fr. D1)
#10 Tal-Reese Flemming, Liberty (Jr. D11)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #5 Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional

113
#1 Ryan Sullivan, Shaler (Jr. D7)
#10 Matt Maloney, Liberty (Jr. D11)
#6 Killian Delaney, WC Henderson (So. D1)
#8 Kyle Burkholder, Hempfield Area (Jr. D7)
#3 Will Betancourt, Manheim Central (So. D3)
#13 Andrew Smith, Nazareth (So. D11)
#7 Cole Wilson, Northeastern (So. D3)
#14 Christian Fisher, Mifflin County (Jr. D6)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #2 Frankie Bonura, Moon

120
#3 Doug Zapf, Downingtown West (Sr. D1)
#7 JJ Wilson, Cedar Cliff (Jr. D3)
#2 Sean Pierson, Nazareth (Jr. D11)
#1 Logan Macri, Canon-McMillan (Sr. D7)
#4 Louis Newell, Seneca Valley (Sr. D7)
#6 Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg (Fr. D7)
#20 Paniro Johnson, Erie Cathedral Prep (Fr. D10)
#5 Cameron Enriquez, Stroudsburg (Jr. D11)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #10 Brandon Meredith, Spring-Ford

126
#1 Sam Hillegas, North Hills (So. D7)
#15 Jacob Ealy, Hopewell (Jr. D7)
#2 Chris Wright, Central Dauphin (Sr. D3)
#11 Gabe Willochell, Greater Latrobe (So. D7)
#7 Gunnar Fuss, Harry S Truman (Jr. D1)
#5 Dalton Rohrbaugh, Spring Grove (Sr. D3)
#4 Kenny Hermann, Bethlehem Catholic (So. D11)
#6 Caleb Morris, Waynesburg (Sr. D7)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #3 Ed Scott, DuBois

132
#2 Andrew Wert, Central Dauphin (Sr. D3)
#6 Jeffrey Boyd, Erie McDowell (Jr. D10)
#1 Colton Camacho, Franklin Regional (Jr. D7)
#15 Tyler Williams, Souderton (Jr. D1)
#4 Devon Britton, Northampton (Jr. D11)
#5 Jonathan Miers, Easton (So. D11)
#11 Ben Radner, Council Rock South (Sr. D1)
#7 Nick Coy, Penn-Trafford (Jr. D7)
Biggest Surprise not to Medal: #3 Patrick Gould, East Stroudsburg South

138
#2 Seth Koleno, Bald Eagle Area (Sr. D6)
#7 Paul Feite, Northern York (Sr. D3)
#4 Noah Levett, Kiski Area (Sr. D7)
#1 Ryan Anderson, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. D11)
#13 Cameron Robinson, Council Rock North (So. D1)
#5 Zach Ortman, Parkland (Sr. D11)
#11 Nathan Stefanik, Nazareth (So. D11)
#6 Leno Ciotti, Erie McDowell (Sr. D10)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #3 Jackson Henson, Waynesburg

145
#1 Sammy Sasso, Nazareth (Sr. D11)
#2 Ryan Vulakh, Pope John Paul II (Jr. D1)
#7 Micah Hoffman, Northern York (Sr. D3)
#3 Kolby Ho, DuBois (Sr. D10)
#5 Cam Conner, Kiski Area (Jr. D7)
#4 Cole Handlovic, Bethlehem Catholic (So. D11)
#6 Job Chishko, Penn Trafford (Sr. D7)
#8 Alex Hornfeck, Mars (Sr. D7)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #11 Tate Nichter, Chambersburg

152
#1 Gage McClenahan, Bald Eagle Area (So. D6)
#11 Ty McGeary, West Allegheny (Jr. D7)
#9 William Evanitsky, Scranton (Sr. D2)
#6 Clayton Ulrey, Lower Dauphin (So. D3)
#3 Luke Kemerer, Hempfield Area (Sr. D7)
#5 Luca Frinzi, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. D11)
#10 Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland (Fr. D7)
#7 Dan Mancini, Owen J. Roberts (Jr. D1)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #2 Jack Blumer, Kiski Area

160
#1 Carter Starocci, Erie Cathedral Prep (Jr.)
#3 Gerrit Nijenhuis, Canon-McMillan (So.)
#4 Luke Stout, Mount Lebanon (So.)
#2 Zach Hartman, Belle Vernon (Sr.)
#5 AJ Wilson, Solanco (Sr.)
#9 Jacob Burgette, Scranton (Sr.)
#8 Patrick O'Neill, North Penn (Jr.)
#16 Ethan Baney, South Western (So.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #6 Nick Delp, Kiski Area

170
#1 Trent Hidlay, Mifflin County (Sr.)
#3 Scott Joll, Belle Vernon (Jr.)
#2 Cade Wilson, Nazareth (Sr.)
#5 Luke Nichter, Chambersburg (So.)
#13 Max Hale, Downingtown West (So.)
#16 Tyler Mousaw, Unionville (So.)
#7 Ben Root, Solanco (Sr.)
#8 Jesse Quatse, Greensburg-Salem (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #4 Kyle Homet, Waynesburg

182
#1 Josh Stillings, Pennridge (Sr.)
#12 Josh Krieger, Shikellamy (Sr.)
#9 Max Shaw, Thomas Jefferson (Jr.)
#7 Tim Wallace, Albert Gallatin (Sr.)
#18 Brendan Shaffer, Lower Dauphin (Sr.)
#4 Donovan Ball, Cedar Cliff (Jr.)
#14 Mason McCready, Hollidaysburg (Jr. D9)
#6 Christian Sequete, Butler (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #2 Luigi Yates, Erie Cathedral Prep

195
#1 Cole Urbas, State College (Jr.)
#8 Nate Ansell, Connellsville (Sr.)
#2 Luke McGonigal, Clearfield (Sr.)
#5 Dorian Crosby, Erie Cathedral Prep (So.)
#4 Jake Koser, Northern York (Sr.)
#19 Mitch Talbott, Central Dauphin (Sr.)
#16 Yusef Aladinov, William Tennant (Sr.)
#3 Elijah Jones, Boyertown (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #6 Nate Stine, Blue Mountain

220
#1 Ian Edenfield, Laurel Highlands (Sr.)
#7 Hunter Catka, Sun Valley (So.)
#2 Cole Forrester, Shippensburg (Sr.)
#6 Parker McClellan, Altoona (Sr.)
#9 Greg Bensley, Pocono Mountain West (Sr.)
#3 Jake Slinger, Upper St. Clair (Jr.)
#4 Dennis Karas, Exeter Township (Sr.)
#5 Nate Schon, Selinsgrove (Fr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #8 Nick Chapman, Hatboro-Horsham

285
#1 Isaac Reid, Kiski Area (Sr.)
#19 Ryan Stewart, Warwick (Sr.)
#4 Michael Wolfgram, Central York (Jr.)
#3 Kawaun Deboe, Erie Cathedral Prep (Jr.)
#9 Michael Leyland, Roman Catholic (Sr.)
#2 Gerald Brown, West Mifflin (Sr.)
#7 Garrett Zobel, LaSalle (Sr.)
#5 Ryan Cody, North Penn (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #6 Nick Cooper, Bensalem

Team Scores after Medal Round
1. Nazareth - 49 (3/2)
2. Erie Cathedral Prep - 45 (3/1)
3. Kiski Area - 37 (2/1)
4. Bethlehem Catholic - 32 (1/4)
5. Canon McMillan - 29.5 (2/0)

 

[Relayer]

Thanks Rover, great work. Tough couple days for the CR guys.

 

[Relayer]

Bo Nickal with the exclamation point!! Wow!! PSU wins the their 7th national title in 8 years.

 

[newman107]

The dude is so freaking cocky, but damn can he wrestle.

 

[kragb]

Nice work Rover, I really enjoy your commentary. The 195 pound class became a mess when that illegal arm bar call dropped Koser into the 3rd place bracket, I had him taking 2nd to McGonigal. Koser took out kids that should have been medalists, like Stine. I saw Stine beat Talbot (took 8th) easily in regular season at a tournament. If Koser would have beaten Crosby in the first match (like he did so quickly when they met the second time) the PA Power Rankings would have almost been spot on for medals. Great job this season, thanks!

State Medalists (with Pre-State Rankings from PaPower Wrestling)

106
#1 Kurt Phipps, Norwin (So. D7)
#2 Ben Monn, Cumberland Valley (So. D3)
#4 Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley (Fr. D7)
#3 Kyle Waterman, Council Rock South (So. D1)
#7 Matt Mayer, Bethlehem Catholic (Fr. D11)
#9 Matt Sarbo, Altoona (Fr. D6)
#14 Matt Vulakh, Pope John Paul II (Fr. D1)
#10 Tal-Reese Flemming, Liberty (Jr. D11)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #5 Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional

113
#1 Ryan Sullivan, Shaler (Jr. D7)
#10 Matt Maloney, Liberty (Jr. D11)
#6 Killian Delaney, WC Henderson (So. D1)
#8 Kyle Burkholder, Hempfield Area (Jr. D7)
#3 Will Betancourt, Manheim Central (So. D3)
#13 Andrew Smith, Nazareth (So. D11)
#7 Cole Wilson, Northeastern (So. D3)
#14 Christian Fisher, Mifflin County (Jr. D6)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #2 Frankie Bonura, Moon

120
#3 Doug Zapf, Downingtown West (Sr. D1)
#7 JJ Wilson, Cedar Cliff (Jr. D3)
#2 Sean Pierson, Nazareth (Jr. D11)
#1 Logan Macri, Canon-McMillan (Sr. D7)
#4 Louis Newell, Seneca Valley (Sr. D7)
#6 Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg (Fr. D7)
#20 Paniro Johnson, Erie Cathedral Prep (Fr. D10)
#5 Cameron Enriquez, Stroudsburg (Jr. D11)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #10 Brandon Meredith, Spring-Ford

126
#1 Sam Hillegas, North Hills (So. D7)
#15 Jacob Ealy, Hopewell (Jr. D7)
#2 Chris Wright, Central Dauphin (Sr. D3)
#11 Gabe Willochell, Greater Latrobe (So. D7)
#7 Gunnar Fuss, Harry S Truman (Jr. D1)
#5 Dalton Rohrbaugh, Spring Grove (Sr. D3)
#4 Kenny Hermann, Bethlehem Catholic (So. D11)
#6 Caleb Morris, Waynesburg (Sr. D7)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #3 Ed Scott, DuBois

132
#2 Andrew Wert, Central Dauphin (Sr. D3)
#6 Jeffrey Boyd, Erie McDowell (Jr. D10)
#1 Colton Camacho, Franklin Regional (Jr. D7)
#15 Tyler Williams, Souderton (Jr. D1)
#4 Devon Britton, Northampton (Jr. D11)
#5 Jonathan Miers, Easton (So. D11)
#11 Ben Radner, Council Rock South (Sr. D1)
#7 Nick Coy, Penn-Trafford (Jr. D7)
Biggest Surprise not to Medal: #3 Patrick Gould, East Stroudsburg South

138
#2 Seth Koleno, Bald Eagle Area (Sr. D6)
#7 Paul Feite, Northern York (Sr. D3)
#4 Noah Levett, Kiski Area (Sr. D7)
#1 Ryan Anderson, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. D11)
#13 Cameron Robinson, Council Rock North (So. D1)
#5 Zach Ortman, Parkland (Sr. D11)
#11 Nathan Stefanik, Nazareth (So. D11)
#6 Leno Ciotti, Erie McDowell (Sr. D10)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #3 Jackson Henson, Waynesburg

145
#1 Sammy Sasso, Nazareth (Sr. D11)
#2 Ryan Vulakh, Pope John Paul II (Jr. D1)
#7 Micah Hoffman, Northern York (Sr. D3)
#3 Kolby Ho, DuBois (Sr. D10)
#5 Cam Conner, Kiski Area (Jr. D7)
#4 Cole Handlovic, Bethlehem Catholic (So. D11)
#6 Job Chishko, Penn Trafford (Sr. D7)
#8 Alex Hornfeck, Mars (Sr. D7)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #11 Tate Nichter, Chambersburg

152
#1 Gage McClenahan, Bald Eagle Area (So. D6)
#11 Ty McGeary, West Allegheny (Jr. D7)
#9 William Evanitsky, Scranton (Sr. D2)
#6 Clayton Ulrey, Lower Dauphin (So. D3)
#3 Luke Kemerer, Hempfield Area (Sr. D7)
#5 Luca Frinzi, Bethlehem Catholic (Jr. D11)
#10 Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland (Fr. D7)
#7 Dan Mancini, Owen J. Roberts (Jr. D1)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #2 Jack Blumer, Kiski Area

160
#1 Carter Starocci, Erie Cathedral Prep (Jr.)
#3 Gerrit Nijenhuis, Canon-McMillan (So.)
#4 Luke Stout, Mount Lebanon (So.)
#2 Zach Hartman, Belle Vernon (Sr.)
#5 AJ Wilson, Solanco (Sr.)
#9 Jacob Burgette, Scranton (Sr.)
#8 Patrick O'Neill, North Penn (Jr.)
#16 Ethan Baney, South Western (So.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #6 Nick Delp, Kiski Area

170
#1 Trent Hidlay, Mifflin County (Sr.)
#3 Scott Joll, Belle Vernon (Jr.)
#2 Cade Wilson, Nazareth (Sr.)
#5 Luke Nichter, Chambersburg (So.)
#13 Max Hale, Downingtown West (So.)
#16 Tyler Mousaw, Unionville (So.)
#7 Ben Root, Solanco (Sr.)
#8 Jesse Quatse, Greensburg-Salem (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #4 Kyle Homet, Waynesburg

182
#1 Josh Stillings, Pennridge (Sr.)
#12 Josh Krieger, Shikellamy (Sr.)
#9 Max Shaw, Thomas Jefferson (Jr.)
#7 Tim Wallace, Albert Gallatin (Sr.)
#18 Brendan Shaffer, Lower Dauphin (Sr.)
#4 Donovan Ball, Cedar Cliff (Jr.)
#14 Mason McCready, Hollidaysburg (Jr. D9)
#6 Christian Sequete, Butler (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #2 Luigi Yates, Erie Cathedral Prep

195
#1 Cole Urbas, State College (Jr.)
#8 Nate Ansell, Connellsville (Sr.)
#2 Luke McGonigal, Clearfield (Sr.)
#5 Dorian Crosby, Erie Cathedral Prep (So.)
#4 Jake Koser, Northern York (Sr.)
#19 Mitch Talbott, Central Dauphin (Sr.)
#16 Yusef Aladinov, William Tennant (Sr.)
#3 Elijah Jones, Boyertown (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #6 Nate Stine, Blue Mountain

220
#1 Ian Edenfield, Laurel Highlands (Sr.)
#7 Hunter Catka, Sun Valley (So.)
#2 Cole Forrester, Shippensburg (Sr.)
#6 Parker McClellan, Altoona (Sr.)
#9 Greg Bensley, Pocono Mountain West (Sr.)
#3 Jake Slinger, Upper St. Clair (Jr.)
#4 Dennis Karas, Exeter Township (Sr.)
#5 Nate Schon, Selinsgrove (Fr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #8 Nick Chapman, Hatboro-Horsham

285
#1 Isaac Reid, Kiski Area (Sr.)
#19 Ryan Stewart, Warwick (Sr.)
#4 Michael Wolfgram, Central York (Jr.)
#3 Kawaun Deboe, Erie Cathedral Prep (Jr.)
#9 Michael Leyland, Roman Catholic (Sr.)
#2 Gerald Brown, West Mifflin (Sr.)
#7 Garrett Zobel, LaSalle (Sr.)
#5 Ryan Cody, North Penn (Sr.)
Biggest Surprise Not to Medal: #6 Nick Cooper, Bensalem

Team Scores after Medal Round
1. Nazareth - 49 (3/2)
2. Erie Cathedral Prep - 45 (3/1)
3. Kiski Area - 37 (2/1)
4. Bethlehem Catholic - 32 (1/4)
5. Canon McMillan - 29.5 (2/0)

 

[Relayer]

The dude is so freaking cocky, but damn can he wrestle.

The next class coming in is nasty.

http://www.centredaily.com/sports/college/penn-state-university/psu-wrestling/article203835249.html

The Jeff Byers call of the Nickal match is an all time classic.

 

[Relayer]

Apparently there are some negative issues with FLO on the video, it's down (really?). However, Byers call of freshman Joseph's pin against 2 time champ Martinez from last year is even better. Joseph pulled the same move this year against Joseph, just ran out of space. Go to the 7:00 minute mark.

 

[RoverNation05]

My guess is that there may have been copyright issues with the video on Flo (particularly now that they partner with ESPN during the NCAA tournament, they're much better about making sure that copyrighted broadcast stuff doesn't go up). I know they've had network problems in the past for big live events, but videos like that going down is a sign of the site getting better, not worse. Full disclosure, I have done a ton of freelance work for Flo dating back to the site's founding, and know a lot of the Flo guys really well, so there's a level of bias to my commentary.

The Penn State class coming in is really good, but I'll be interested to see how they work out. Despite winning his 4th title last month, Teasdale's stock has dropped in the last year or so. Beard and Brooks I think are both going to be big-time impact guys very early in their career. Their big loss was Travis Whittlake decommitting and going to Oklahoma State instead. He's one of the top guys in the class and one of the more likely guys to be a national contender.

Michigan, Ohio State, and Minnesota all have really good classes coming in as well. The Big Ten is reloading. The Golden Gophers in particular did really well in this cycle - Gable Steveson is the best prospect to come in since Kyle Snyder and I think is an immediate favorite to win a national title at heavyweight next year. They also add Pat McKee at 125 and Brayton Lee at 149, both top 10 recruits nationally.

 

[Relayer]

As always Rover, thanks for the insight.

 

[yesman3]

My guess is that there may have been copyright issues with the video on Flo (particularly now that they partner with ESPN during the NCAA tournament, they're much better about making sure that copyrighted broadcast stuff doesn't go up). I know they've had network problems in the past for big live events, but videos like that going down is a sign of the site getting better, not worse. Full disclosure, I have done a ton of freelance work for Flo dating back to the site's founding, and know a lot of the Flo guys really well, so there's a level of bias to my commentary.

The Penn State class coming in is really good, but I'll be interested to see how they work out. Despite winning his 4th title last month, Teasdale's stock has dropped in the last year or so. Beard and Brooks I think are both going to be big-time impact guys very early in their career. Their big loss was Travis Whittlake decommitting and going to Oklahoma State instead. He's one of the top guys in the class and one of the more likely guys to be a national contender.

Michigan, Ohio State, and Minnesota all have really good classes coming in as well. The Big Ten is reloading. The Golden Gophers in particular did really well in this cycle - Gable Steveson is the best prospect to come in since Kyle Snyder and I think is an immediate favorite to win a national title at heavyweight next year. They also add Pat McKee at 125 and Brayton Lee at 149, both top 10 recruits nationally.

Rover,
Great analysis as usual..

I see where Teasdale's stock has dropped a bit, not totally sure why? He's still a 4-time PIAA and Cadet champion. Avenged one of only two career losses to Pat Glory last week. Glory was ranked #1 in that 126 wt class yet Teasdale holds 3-1 match victory advantage against him.

Teasdale going to PSU working with Cael and those lower weight class kids can only make him stronger?... and along with Bravo-Young, could see a dynamic lower weight class situation in what is already a PSU dynasty in progression.

 

[RoverNation05]

Rover,
Great analysis as usual..

I see where Teasdale's stock has dropped a bit, not totally sure why? He's still a 4-time PIAA and Cadet champion. Avenged one of only two career losses to Pat Glory last week. Glory was ranked #1 in that 126 wt class yet Teasdale holds 3-1 match victory advantage against him.

Teasdale going to PSU working with Cael and those lower weight class kids can only make him stronger?... and along with Bravo-Young, could see a dynamic lower weight class situation in what is already a PSU dynasty in progression.

Teasdale's stock has dropped because he took a pair of losses during the regular season after not losing in his first three years of high school. The first loss happens, in PowerAde finals to Wyoming Seminary super sophomore Beau Bartlett. That's two studs locking horns, somebody has to lose. But he also dropped a match in January to Caleb Rea from West Virginia, who was a DNP at Ironman and not on the national radar at all. Now, it's January, kids get sick, high school kids are unpredictable, etc. But really elite national guys like Teasdale don't tend to take losses like that.

From my own perspective, I worry about guys who are so polished and accomplished at such a young age. Teasdale was one of the most hyped kids I can remember entering his freshman year (and he's lived up to that hype, 4xers don't grow on trees). But I think the scuttlebutt around Teasdale is there is a little bit of a burnout risk - he's pushed really hard for a really long time. And for every Mark Hall or Spencer Lee there's a Pat McCaffrey, Chris Phillips, or even Jimmy Gulibon. Teasdale is really talented, obviously a hard worker, and from what I've heard a really good kid. But TMW (too much wrestling) is a real thing in college, and I think he's starting to get pegged as one of the candidates in this recruiting class.