The Semifinal 1/16

First Period

Stars and studs: Westmont Hilltop's Josh Duplin has been on this list once before, but when you win an event like the Escape the Rock tournament, it warrants another selection. Duplin went 4-0 to win the championship. Plus, he received a super cool belt like the one above as a prize. ... Bedford's Tanner Williams never gets the headlines - not with state-ranked wrestlers like Ryan Easter and Jacob Krupa as teammates - but he's taken a giant step forward this season. After going 17-13 last season, Williams is 12-4 this season and all four of his losses are to wrestlers he won't see in the postseason (three are in AAA, one is from Ohio). Then, he beat Matt Sollenberger - a District 5 champion a year ago - in Saturday night's dual meet with Northern Bedford. ... North Star's Max Strasiser would deserve placement here even if he was 0-12. The senior isn't - he's an impressive 8-4 despite not having wrestled since elementary school - but he's wrestling mainly to get himself ready for the Navy SEALS training program. (You can read my story about him here). That's a stud in my book, no matter what.

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Upset-minded: Forest Hills' Ean Bopp was just 3-12 when he stepped onto the mat last week with Bedford's Zach Dudek, who was 8-6 while wrestling a very difficult schedule. It didn't matter, as Bopp beat Dudek 8-2 to help the Rangers stay within 22 points of the Bisons in a dual where they gave up 18 points on forfeits.

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Second Period

We're already more than a month into the season, but make no mistake about it: The marquee local events are about to begin. No more leisurely Saturday afternoons on the couch or at the mall. From here until mid-March, local wrestlers will be involved in big matches every weekend, most within a fairly short drive of Johnstown.

Before we get to the weekend, there's one dual meet that stands above all the rest this week: Westmont Hilltop at Somerset. In reality, it's probably a battle for second place in the Laurel Highlands - Bedford's just that good. But, this should give us an idea of whether or not the Golden Eagles will be able to challenge the Bisons when they meet next week. (For those of you still following my Giant Wrestling Calendar, the Bedford-Somerset dual originally scheduled for Thursday night was moved to Jan. 25).

The weekend brings the Richland Coaches' Duals. While the very best local teams aren't usually at Richland, it's still a great event. It provides an opportunity to see a ton of local wrestlers in action in one general location. (Plus, with UPJ hosting the Super Region I duals this weekend, you can even fit in some college matches with a short walk to the Sports Center). I'll have much more on the Duals soon, including the pool draws when they're released on Thursday.

On deck:

Tuesday

Richland at Bedford, 7 p.m.
Shade at Berlin Brothersvalley, 7 p.m.
Portage at Conemaugh Township, 7 p.m.
Cambria Heights at Greater Johnstown, 7 p.m.
Marion Center at Northern Cambria, 7 p.m.
Central Cambria at Penn Cambria, 7 p.m.
Westmont Hilltop at Somerset, 7 p.m.

Wednesday
Blairsville at Ligonier Valley, 7 p.m.

Thursday
Richland at Central Cambria, 7 p.m.
Conemaugh Township at Forest Hills, 7 p.m.
North Star at Portage, 7 p.m.
United at Westmont Hilltop, 7 p.m.
Everett at Chestnut Ridge, 7:30 p.m.

Friday
Richland Duals - Bellwood-Antis, Berlin Brothersvalley, Berwick, Blairsville, Cambridge Springs, Central, Central Cambria, Chestnut Ridge, Claysburg-Kimmel, Conemaugh Township, Dallas, Elderton, Glendale, Greater Johnstown, Huntingdon, Jamestown, Kittanning, Marion Center, Moshannon Valley, Northern Cambria, Penn Cambria, Richland, Shade, Somerset, Tussey Mountain, Tyrone, United and
West Branch, beginning at 1 p.m.

Saturday
Richland Duals - Bellwood-Antis, Berlin Brothersvalley, Berwick, Blairsville, Cambridge Springs, Central, Central Cambria, Chestnut Ridge, Claysburg-Kimmel, Conemaugh Township, Dallas, Elderton, Glendale, Greater Johnstown, Huntingdon, Jamestown, Kittanning, Marion Center, Moshannon Valley, Northern Cambria, Penn Cambria, Richland, Shade, Somerset, Tussey Mountain, Tyrone, United and
West Branch, beginning at 9 a.m.

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Third Period

Back-to-back beasts?: After Tuesday night, Bedford's Jacob Krupa might be able to make a claim that few in the history of Pennsylvania wrestling have. He might face two different wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the state in back-to-back matches. Krupa is normally the Bisons' 220-pounder, but he bumped up to 285 to wrestle Northern Bedford's Quinton Hixson, who is No. 1 at the weight according to the Pennsylvania Wrestling Rankings. Krupa lost 5-0, but it was good to see coach Brian Creps give him some great competition rather than picking up a forfeit victory.

That's one of the reasons Bisons are consistently good: Rather than opt for whatever will make for the best record, they're always looking to make themselves better by facing the top competition.

Because of that, I'd expect Krupa to get John Rizzo, the top-ranked 220-pounder in Class AA, when Bedford hosts Richland on Tuesday. Depending on the draw, there's always the possibility that Creps will bump Krupa away from Rizzo to ensure team success, but if the Bisons already have a lead, expect Krupa to get another chance to play giant killer.