The Sheetz Holiday Classic begins today at Penn Cambria High School in Cresson. Here's a quick overview of the 19-team tournament.
Who's in: Conemaugh Township, Corry, Greater Johnstown, Hempfield, Huntingdon, Trinity.
Who's out: Hyndman, Jamestown, United.
Familiar faces: Altoona, Berlin Brothersvalley, Cambria Heights, Central Cambria, Forest Hills, Hollidaysburg, Ligonier Valley, Mount Pleasant, Northern Cambria, Penn Cambria, Portage, Penns Valley, Saint Marys.
Returning champions: 103-Justin Patrick, Ligonier Valley. 112-T.J. Brandt, Altoona. 130-Ben Rager, Central Cambria. 135-Nick Szala, Penn Cambria. 145-R.J. Brydon, Forest Hills. 152-Tony Risaliti, Central Cambria. 171-Tyler Crawford, Cambria Heights.
Weight class to watch: 132 pounds. Rager, a returning champion, is the top seed while Greater Johnstown's Malcolm Harris is the second seed. Rager beat Harris 6-4 last weekend in a dual meet, but there is some quality depth at this weight that should make it exciting.
Name to know: Ryan Diehl, Trinity. A two-time West Virginia state champion, Diehl is ranked seventh nationally at 113 by Intermat. I know Pennsylvanians tend to look down their noses at state champions from states like West Virginia, but Diehl sounds like, pardon the pun, the real deal. He won the prestigious Super 32 tournament this fall to cement his place as one of the nation's best. His addition makes the 120-pound bracket one of the toughest in the tournament.
Schedule: Begins at 4:30 this afternoon with wrestling through the quarterfinal round. Saturday's action begins at 9 a.m. I haven't heard a starting time on the finals, but it's generally
Trinity PA?
ReplyDeleteYes. There are two Trinitys in Pa. This is the one around Harrisburg. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but here's a link to a message board post about how he came to wrestle for Trinity. http://wrestlingreport.com/current_news/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30852
ReplyDeletecan diehl win pa state 120?
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen him yet, but if he won the Super 32, he's obviously very good. He's in AA, which means that he avoids three of the top 20 wrestlers ranked by Intermat.
ReplyDeleteProblem is, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country is Nick Roberts of North Star, who will be at that weight. If he's at 113, which is where Intermat has him ranked, he'll likely have to go through Kittanning's Jason Nolf, who is ranked a spot ahead of him nationally.
Either way, he'll certainly get another chance to prove himself against some of the nation's best.