Southwest Regional Class AA pairings

PIAA Southwest Regional Tournament

Class AA 

At Cambria County War Memorial

Friday-Saturday

Here are the pairings for this weekend's regional tournament at the War Memorial in Johnstown, which begins at 1 p.m. Friday. Here is a link to the regional brackets.

I'll try to do a preview of it this week, but I'm honestly not sure if I'll be able to or not. We had a tragedy over the weekend, as my oldest brother, Mark, lost his 30-year-old son, Jared. As much as I love wrestling and it's been a huge part of my family, it's not something I can give my full concentration to at the moment.

Maybe by Thursday I'll be able to put something together for this weekend.

106 

6-1 Justin Patrick 10 Ligonier Valley 32-1, bye

7-5 Richie McGinnis 10 Chartiers-Houston 30-11 vs. 7-3 Brendan Howard 9 Jefferson-Morgan 35-5

5-2 Cody Guyer 12 Northern Bedford 22-10 vs. 7-7 Jake Rothka 10 Bentworth 33-9

6-4 Triston Law 9 Forest Hills 27-8 vs. 7-2 Austin Griffiths 9 Southmoreland 29-3

7-1 Pat Dewitt 10 Valley 32-9 vs. 5-3 Jabel Warren 10 Bedford 23-13

7-6 Cody Charles 10 Yough 26-12 vs. 6-2 Josh Brown 11 Claysburg-Kimmel 28-4

6-3 Sage Moist 10 Mount Union 31-8 vs. 7-4 Austin McDermitt 9 Burgettstown 29-8

5-1 Derrick Claar 9 Chestnut Ridge 33-7, bye

113 

7-1 Jason Nolf 10 Kittanning 36-0, bye

7-5 Josiah Hughes 11 Valley 23-15 vs. 6-3 Hunter Harris 12 Juniata 31-7

5-2 Trent Crouse 9 Chestnut Ridge 25-11 vs. 7-4 Seth Carr 11 South Fayette 30-5

7-6 Matt Vickless 10 Bentworth 28-14 vs. 6-2 Ryan Dupas 12 Cambria Heights 21-4

6-1 Joshua Patrick 11 Ligonier Valley 14-1 vs. 7-7 Teddy Charletta 10 Yough 25-13

5-3 Mason Replogle 11 Northern Bedford 25-7 vs. 7-2 John Demaske 10 Jefferson-Morgan 33-3

7-3 Zach Swarrow 11 Beth-Center 26-7 vs. 6-4 Bradley Taylor 10 Central Cambria 26-9

5-1 Ryan Easter 10 Bedford 33-4, bye

120 

5-1 Nick Roberts 12 North Star 37-1, bye

6-4 Clayton Claar 11 Claysburg-Kimmel 21-11 vs. 7-3 Jason Miller 10 Jefferson-Morgan 37-7

7-2 Brett Beltz 9 Keystone Oaks 28-10 vs. 5-3 Collin Day 11 Meyersdale 30-8

7-6 Nate Robb 11 Kittanning 29-11 vs. 6-2 Joseph Davis 10 Cambria Heights 25-2

6-1 Jared Woomer 12 Bellwood-Antis 27-1 vs. 7-7 Kendric Moore 10 Highlands 22-10

7-4 Darion Trimmer 9 Avonworth 23-15 vs. 5-2 Garrett Thomas 10 Bedford 32-5

6-3 Dylan Knable 12 Mount Union 31-8 vs. 7-5 Trevor Wood 11 Bentworth 33-11

7-1 Nate Reckner 11 South Side Beaver 35-4, bye

126 

7-1 Jimmy Gulibon 12 Derry Area 18-1, bye

7-5 Wade Blackmon 11 West Greene 25-13 vs. 6-3 Ryan Wilson 12 Mount Union 34-3

6-2 Brad Thomas 11 Cambria Heights 17-7 vs. 7-4 Vince Vahaly 11 Bentworth 40-5

7-6 Shane Black 12 Jefferson-Morgan 26-21 vs. 5-2 Shane Pfaunmiller 12 Chestnut Ridge 31-9

5-1 Toby Brett 10 Bedford 31-6 vs. 7-7 Omar Boozer 11 Summit Academy 23-13

6-4 Brandon Heberling 10 Marion Center 30-8 vs. 7-2 Nick Zanetta 11 Keystone Oaks 35-2

7-3 Aaron Toth 12 Charleroi 31-2 vs. 5-3 Tanner Hetrick 10 Meyersdale 35-5

6-1 Ben Rager 12 Central Cambria 33-0, bye

132 

6-1 James Dodson 12 Claysburg-Kimmel 34-0, bye

5-3 Tevin Mostoller 9 North Star 25-17 vs. 7-3 Shane Gentry 10 South Side Beaver 37-6

7-2 Steven Edwards 10 Burrell 33-11 vs. 6-4 Kenny Corle 12 Forest Hills 22-7

7-6 Christian Emminger 11 Kittanning 10-12 vs. 5-2 Damian Corle 11 Northern Bedford 18-10

5-1 Stephen McKenzie 12 Meyersdale 32-4 vs. 7-7 Jason Stay 9 Beth-Center 25-16

7-4 Ryan Zalar 10 Jefferson-Morgan 19-8 vs. 6-2 Brennon Shields 11 Southern Huntingdon 32-7

6-3 John Hayles 11 West Branch 29-12 vs. 7-5 Ryan Abbott 12 Burgettstown 25-19

7-1 Josh Kwasny 12 Charleroi 33-2, bye

138 

6-1 Nick Szala 12 Penn Cambria 33-2, bye

7-5 Ethan Charlesworth 9 Mount Pleasant 28-12 vs. 7-3 Philip Marra 11 Burrell 33-10

5-2 Seth Deist 10 Meyersdale 23-13 vs. 7-7 George Rogers 10 Washington 27-7

6-4 Ty Dively 12 Claysburg-Kimmel 32-2 vs. 7-2 David Dedola 12 Carlynton 24-8

7-1 Nick Gavazzi 10 Charleroi 32-1 vs. 5-3 Mike Laue 10 Somerset 27-11

7-6 Tyler Minarchin 12 South Allegheny 19-11 vs. 6-2 Trevor Helsley 12 Bellwood-Antis 32-3

6-3 Noah Tarr 11 Blairsville 36-3 vs. 7-4 Nick Kusich 9 Avella 24-14

5-1 Drew Gartland 11 Northern Bedford 24-5, bye

145 

6-1 Zach Beitz 12 Juniata 35-1, bye

5-3 Chris Eichelberger 10 Everett 27-6 vs. 7-3 Grant Fetchet 10 South Fayette 34-12

7-2 Boe Bonzo 11 Freedom 36-4 vs. 6-4 Owen Peters 12 Huntingdon Area 18-18

7-6 Matt Johnston 11 West Greene 27-12 vs. 5-2 Bryce Fochtman 9 Berlin-Brothersvalley 28-15

5-1 Tanner Cahill 11 Conemaugh Township 35-4 vs. 7-7 John Nice 12 Summit Academy 23-8

7-4 Taylor Wentzel 11 South Park 23-11 vs. 6-2 Richard Brydon 12 Forest Hills 30-1

6-3 Dylan Weston 12 Tyrone Area 31-5 vs. 7-5 Taylor Jack 11 Kittanning 26-13

7-1 Tanner Sutton 11 Chartiers-Houston 23-1, bye

152 

5-1 Cory Berchick 12 Conemaugh Township 38-1, bye

7-4 Connor Payne 11 South Side Beaver 30-13 vs. 6-3 Phil Crook 10 Marion Center 25-8

6-2 Josh Bafia 12 Huntingdon Area 29-9 vs. 7-6 Kurt Struwe 11 Beaver Area 20-13

5-3 James Otten 12 Shade 32-8 vs. 7-2 Troy Braddock 12 Blackhawk 34-4

7-1 Jared Walker 9 South Fayette 33-11 vs. 6-4 DJ Wunder 11 Tyrone Area 25-10

7-7 Marcus Davenport 10 Valley 28-15 vs. 5-2 Josh Darr 12 Somerset 24-9

7-3 Kevin Best 12 Burrell 27-10 vs. 7-5 Cole Murtha 12 Mount Pleasant 22-15

6-1 Andrew Doak 9 Blairsville 36-5, bye

160 

7-1 Francis Mizia 12 Bentworth 37-2, bye

7-5 Matt Abbott 11 Burgettstown 20-11 vs. 6-3 Martin Tyler 12 Moshannon Valley 31-5

6-2 Cody Law 11 Forest Hills 29-1 vs. 7-4 Brandon Lesko 12 Jefferson-Morgan 36-15

7-6 Aidan Talorico 10 Beaver Area 17-13 vs. 5-2 Bradie Bollman 11 Chestnut Ridge 21-12

5-1 Michael Sutton 10 Somerset 31-3 vs. 7-7 Dylan Clark 10 Valley 27-15

6-4 Lucas Kristofits 11 West Branch 30-9 vs. 7-2 Mike Fetchet 11 South Fayette 35-7

7-3 Wade Durbin 12 West Greene 28-11 vs. 5-3 Matt Sollenberger 12 Northern Bedford 22-7

6-1 Anthony Risaliti 12 Central Cambria 31-2, bye

170 

7-1 Dustin Conti 11 Jefferson-Morgan 40-0, bye

7-5 Zac Croyle 11 Kittanning 22-15 vs. 6-3 Matthew Swartz 12 Penns Valley 31-3

5-2 Cody Yingling 12 Bedford 25-11 vs. 7-4 Eli Holt 11 Mount Pleasant 28-16

7-6 Zach Simonelli 11 Avella 18-14 vs. 6-2 Ross Inzana 12 Cambria Heights 25-4

6-1 John Blankenship 12 United 30-0 vs. 7-7 Jack Previte 10 South Fayette 28-9

5-3 Billy Dunbar 11 Meyersdale 22-7 vs. 7-2 Garrett Vulcano 11 Chartiers-Houston 38-4

7-3 Derrick Beattie 10 Burrell 34-13 vs. 6-4 Tyler Ickes 12 Claysburg-Kimmel 27-3

5-1 Tyler Dibert 11 Chestnut Ridge 34-4, bye

182 

7-1 Dakota DesLauriers 11 Burrell 39-0, bye

7-5 Joe Phillips 12 Jefferson-Morgan 30-11 vs. 6-3 Jared Beckwith 10 Tyrone Area 26-9

5-2 Michael Brett 11 Bedford 31-7 vs. 7-4 Dakota Datz 11 Southmoreland 25-8

7-6 Joey Congie 12 Chartiers-Houston 32-11 vs. 6-2 Dylan Ludwig 12 Moshannon Valley 20-1

6-1 Scott Thompson 12 Blairsville 34-6 vs. 7-7 Justin Tkach 12 Fort Cherry 17-8

5-3 Matt Dull 12 Chestnut Ridge 20-9 vs. 7-2 Terrell Fields 10 Valley 32-11

7-3 Zeke Stroupe 12 Freedom 36-4 vs. 6-4 Phillip Kyle 10 Mount Union 31-7

5-1 Jacob Nickelson 11 Somerset 23-8, bye

195 

7-1 Jordan Kitta 12 Southmoreland 29-1, bye

7-5 Seth Hitchens 9 South Allegheny 12-12 vs. 6-3 Nathan Shope 12 Huntingdon Area 31-10

6-2 Jake Beach 12 Cambria Heights 23-7 vs. 7-4 Allan Cratsenberg 10 Highlands 22-6

7-6 Dylan Shultz-Terling 11 Chartiers-Houston 8-15 vs. 5-2 Kyle Drenner 12 Conemaugh Township 28-9

5-1 Dan Albright 11 Chestnut Ridge 33-6 vs. 7-7 Tyler Cousins 11 Freedom 22-17

6-4 Keith Shawley 11 Bellwood-Antis 21-9 vs. 7-2 Kyle Gray 12 Mapletown 22-5

7-3 Jacob Temple 10 Avella 31-4 vs. 5-3 Andrew Lenhart 12 Meyersdale 21-12

6-1 James Stodart 11 Moshannon Valley 35-0, bye

220 

6-1 John Rizzo 12 Richland 35-1, bye

7-5 Kyle Givens 12 Summit Academy 25-7 vs. 7-3 Cody Jacobs 11 West Greene 27-9

5-2 Jacob Krupa 12 Bedford 31-8 vs. 7-7 Zach Holmes 12 Beth-Center 21-14

6-4 Patrick Fitzgerald 12 Juniata 22-13 vs. 7-2 Jonah Long 9 Mount Pleasant 31-7

7-1 Greg Kumer 12 Fort Cherry 26-2 vs. 5-3 Jake Bennett 10 Hyndman 32-5

7-6 Thomas Sever 9 Yough 17-10 vs. 6-2 Jacob Ludwig 11 Moshannon Valley 26-2

6-3 Seth McLendon 10 Penn Cambria 29-9 vs. 7-4 Jake Fordyce 11 Bentworth 30-11

5-1 Jacob Craig 12 Berlin-Brothersvalley 33-3, bye

285 

7-1 Corey Garry 12 Fort Cherry 27-1, bye

7-5 Nik Sappie 12 Carlynton 31-9 vs. 6-3 Nikolas Smith 10 Mount Union 22-10

5-2 Jake Hayman 12 Somerset 29-3 vs. 7-4 Kenyatta McCloud 10 Summit Academy 30-6

7-6 Christian Williams 11 Yough 22-11 vs. 6-2 Titus Feathers 12 Claysburg-Kimmel 27-8

6-1 Dylan Powell 12 Juniata 31-3 vs. 7-7 Jake Barker 12 Bentworth 22-18

5-3 Austin Buttry 10 Chestnut Ridge 31-10 vs. 7-2 Nate Grandelis 12 Chartiers-Houston 31-9

7-3 Kyre Strickland 12 Valley 21-4 vs. 6-4 Kyle Weakland 12 Glendale 19-16

5-1 Quinton Hixson 12 Northern Bedford 27-1, bye

District 5 Day 2 results

It's hard to keep up with results on here, as I'm also hosting a live chat at www.tribdem.com/tdlive, but I've finally gotten caught up. I'll try to update them as I can.

Semifinals

106-Claar, CR, pinned DeArmitt, BB, 1:45; Guyer, NB, pinned McKenzie, MY, 5:02.

113-Easter, BD, pinned Ofsanko, CT, 2:52; Crouse, CR, dec. Replogle, NB, 7-0.

120-Roberts, NS, tech. fall Day, MY, 17-2 (4:47); Thomas, BD, dec. Miller, BB, 7-2.

126-Pfaunmiller, CR, pinned Logsdon, HY, 3:23; Brett, BD, dec. Hetrick, MY, 8-1.

132-McKenzie, MY, dec. Mostoller, NS, 7-5; Corle, NB, pinned Knotts, CT, 2:51.

138-Gartland, NB, pinned Dudek, BD, 1:05; Deist, MY, dec. Rock, EV, 4-0.

145-Cahill, CT, dec. Lohr, SO, 8-2; Fochtman, BB, dec. Eichelberger, EV, 11-8.

152-Berchick, CT, dec. Revak, NS, 7-2; Darr, SO, dec. Otten, SH, 2-1.

160-Sutton, SO, dec. Berkley, MY, 4-2; Bollman, CR, dec. Sollenberger, NB, 5-1.

170-Dibert, CR, maj. dec. Gibbons, EV, 12-2; Yingling, BD, dec. Billy Dunbar, MY, 15-8.

182-Brett, BD, maj. dec. Sterling, EV, 14-0; Nickelson, SO, pinned Dull, CR, 1:14.

195-Albright, CR, pinned Benedict, NS, 5:01; Drenner, CT, dec. Baer, SO, 3-1.

220-Krupa, BD, pinned Blough, SO, 2:52; Craig, BB, dec. Bennett, HY, 7-2.

285-Hixson, NB, pinned Hall, TM, 4:28; Hayman, SO, dec. Buttry, CR, 3-2.

Consolation Semifinals

106-Warren, BD, pinned Brady McKenzie, MY, 2:11; Foster, SO, dec. Tommy DeArmitt, BB, 11-5.

113-Replogle, NB, pinned Damian Jano, SO, 2:47; Ofsanko, CT, pinned Tyler DeArmitt, BB, 1:59.

120-Miller, BB, pinned Chris Gibbner, EV, 1:32; Day, MY, pinned Colby Hillegass, CR, 4:12.

126-Hetrick, MY, maj. dec. E.J. Custer, BB, 12-3; Logsdon, HY, pinned Tayte Mostoller, :26.

132-Corbin, TM, dec. Kris Knotts, CT, 14-10; Mostoller, NS, maj. dec. Caleb Grimes, BD, 12-4.

138-Lepley, NS, dec. Ejai Rock, EV, 3-0; Laue, SO, dec. Zach Dudek, BD, 7-0.

145-Eichelberger, EV, dec. Austin Connor, NS, 2-0; Lohr, SO, dec. Kyle Winegardner, CR, 3-1.

152-Otten, SH, pinned Richard Moskey, HY, 2:26; Revak, NS, dec. Trace Heffner, BB, 3-1.

160-Sollenberger, NB, dec. Josiah Koontz, BD, 5-2; Berkley, MY, pinned Ryan Shifflett, CT, 2:15.

170-Dunbar, MY, maj. dec. Ben Miller, BB, 11-1; Gibbons, EV, dec. Neil Yoder, NS, 9-6.

182-Dull, CR, pinned Andrew Gowarty, CT, 1:55; Sterling, EV, dec. Andre Dauphinais, BB, 2-1 (RO).

195-Baer, SO, dec. Stew Trulick, BB, 1-0; Lenhart, MY, pinned Brett Benedict, NS, 4;08.

220-Bennett, HY, pinned Eli Claycomb, 2:05; Fochtman, CR, dec. Pat Blough, SO, 4-2 (OT).

285-Buttry, CR, dec. Dylan Emerick, HY, 14-9; Hall, TM, pinned Ty Smith, MY, :49.

Consolation Quarterfinals
106-Warren, BD, pinned Colton Gennett, NS, 2:45; Foster, SO, pinned Pakstis, SH, 4:34.

113-Jano, SO, pinned Robby Snyder, HY, :25; DeArmitt, BB, pinned Mike Manges, SH, 4:50.

120-Gibbner, HY, pinned Jon Reynolds, SH, 2:28; Hillegass, CR, pinned Mickey Sanders, CT, 4:40.

126-Custer, BB, pinned Alex Deffibaugh, NB, 1:37; Mostoller, NS, maj. dec. Tyler Walker, SO, 10-2.

132-Corbin, TM, pinned Zach Etterman, CR, 2:49; Grimes, EV, dec. Jon Fabian, SO, 5-4.

138-Lepley, NS, dec. Taylor Cahill, CT, 9-2; Laue, SO, dec. Blake Miller, 8-6 (OT).

145-Connor, NS, pinned Cody Gibbner, HY, 3:45; Winegardner, CR, maj. dec. Jesse Martin, BD, 9-1.

152-Moskey, HY, pinned Devin Clark, BD, 1:57; Heffner, BB, pinned Dylan Shipley, NB, 2:16.

160-Koontz, BD, pinned Mason Jamieson, NS, 1:54; Shifflett, CT, pinned Cody Sheeder, EV, 4:31.

170-Miller, BB, pinned Jusdan Griffith, CT, 4:56; Yoder, NS, dec. Logan Eller, SO, 4-0.

182-Gowarty, CT, pinned Ty Mayhugh, MY, 2:39; Dauphinais, BB, dec. Duelin Douglas, NB, 4-1.

195-Trulick, BB, pinned Christian Barnhart, EV, 3:54; Lenhart, MY, inj. forfeit over Eric Grace, NB.

220-Claycomb, EV, pinned Luke Gindlesperger, CT, 2:46; Fochtman, CR, dec. Shane Supanick, NS, 3-2.

285-Emerick, HY, pinned Kody Martin, BB, 4:37; Smith, MY, pinned Robbie Mills, CT, 2:33.

Live chat from D5

I wasn't planning on it, but there is no live chat anywhere else today, so I'll do it at www.tribdem.com/tdlive

District 5 Day 1 Recap and lookahead

You can find the updated brackets here.
I covered the tournament for The Tribune-Democrat, but I'll do a quick recap of the weights and a look ahead to the semifinals, which begin at 10 a.m., here:

106
This weight was a sign of things to come for Meyersdale and Somerset, as the Red Raiders' Brady McKenzie -the sixth seed - pinned the Golden Eagles' third-seeded Garret Foster in a match that Foster was leading 6-1 at one point. The rest of the seeds held true.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Claar (CR) vs. 4. DeArmitt (BB); 6. McKenzie (MY) vs. 2. Guyer (NB).

113
Another Golden Eagle fell to a lower-seeded wrestler here, as Conemaugh Township's Kody Ofsanko beat Damian Jano in a 4-5 matchup, although I'm not sure I really consider that an upset. The semifinal in the bottom half of the bracket should be one of the highlights of the morning session.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Easter (BD) vs. Ofsanko (CT); 3. Replogle (NB) vs. Crouse (CR).

120
The top four seeds held true here, although there was more misery for Somerset. Sheldon Wagner was sick and couldn't make weight, so the Golden Eagles won't pick up any points here.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Roberts (NS) vs. 4. Day (MY); 3. Thomas (BD) vs. 2. Miller (BB).

126
The top four advanced, but still found a way to surprise me. I expected No. 4 Brady Logsdon of Hyndman vs. No. 5 E.J. Custer of Berlin to be the best match of the quarterfinals. I knew Logsdon had pinned Custer in 26 seconds in the dual meet, but figured this would be a much better test. Well, at least it took 12 seconds longer this time. Logsdon pinned him again. I didn't get a chance to see Toby Brett, who I've heard has stitches in his hand. If so, it didn't seem to affect him in a first-period pin of Somerset's Tyler Walker.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Pfaunmiller (CR) vs. 4. Logsdon; 3. Hetrick (MY) vs. 2. Brett (BD).

132
Conemaugh Township's Krist Knotts made a name for himself in the Thomas Tournament by pinning second-seeded Kody Osselburn of Northern Garrett in that event. He enhanced his reputation on Friday by pinning third-seeded Jon Fabian of - you guessed it - Somerset. The sixth-seeded Knotts, who wasn't able to build on his big win in Bedford, gets Northern Bedford's Damian Corle this morning. There was a minor upset in the top half of the bracket as well, with North Star's Tevin Mostoller, the fifth seed, pinning No. 4 Josh Corbin of Tussey Mountain.
Semifinal matchups: 1. McKenzie (MY) vs. 5. Mostoller (NS); 6. Knotts (CT) vs. 2. Corle (NB).

138
Think there were some early upsets? You ain't seen nuthin' yet. This weight was all about the upset. Top-seeded Drew Gartland of Northern Bedford was the only one of the top four to make it out unscathed. Second-seeded Mike Laue of Somerset lost 4-3 to Everett's Ejai Rock on a stalling call in overtime in the biggest upset of the night. Moments before that, fifth-seeded Zach Dudek of Bedford beat No. 4 Taylor Cahill of Conemaugh Township and No. 6 Seth Deist knocked off third-seeded Blake Miller of Berlin after having lost to him twice in the regular season. That means either Deist or Rock is guaranteed a spot at regionals while Laue, Miller and Cahill are left to battle it out in the consis. At least two of those three will see their season end today.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Gartland (NB) vs. 5. Dudek (BD); 6. Deist (MY) vs. 7. Rock (EV).

145
Somerset was finally on the right end of an upset, even if it was only a minor one. Landon Lohr scored five third-period points for a 7-2 victory over fourth-seeded Cody Gibbner of Everett. The rest of the seeds held true here.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Cahill (CT) vs. 5. Lohr (SO); 3. Eichelberger (EV) vs. 2. Fochtman (BB).

152
Pretty straightforward here. The top four all advance, making for some great semifinal pairings.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Berchick (CT) vs. 4. Revak (NS); 3. Darr (SO) vs. 2. Otten (SH).

160
No surprises as all four top seeds advanced, all with pretty solid efforts.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Sutton (SO) vs. 4. Berkley (MY); 3. Bollman (CR) vs. 2. Sollenberger (NB).

170
More of the same here, as the top four advanced. Bedford's Cody Yingling, the third seed, looked like he was going to make it interesting for awhile. He trailed No. 6 Neil Yoder of North Star 4-2 in the second period, but Yingling turned up the pressure on top and cruised to a 16-4 victory.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Dibert (CR) vs. 4. Gibbons (EV); 3. Yingling (BD) vs. 2. Dunbar (MY).

182
The biggest surprise here was how nobody seemed to want the third seed. Max Strasiser of North Star held that spot in the bracket that I got at the beginning of the week but dropped out to concentrate on his training for the Navy SEALS program. Shade's Phil Aikey moved up to the third seed, but he pulled out yesterday as well. Not sure exactly why on that, but I know that he also had missed some time at the end of the regular season. The beneficiary was Chestnut Ridge's Matt Dull, who vaulted to a third seed. He and the rest of the top four took care of business in the quarters.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Brett (BD) vs. 4. Sterling (EV); 3. Dull (CR) vs. 2. Nickelson (SO).

195
The top four do it again. My upset special pick - No. 7 Eric Grace of Northern Bedford over No. 2 Jon Baer of Somerset - didn't happen. Baer made a third-period escape hold up until the final seconds, when he added a takedown off a Grace shot for a 3-0 victory.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Albright (CR) vs. 4. Benedict (NS); 3. Drenner (CT) vs. 2. Baer (SO).

220
There was a slight upset in the top of the bracket, as No. 5 Pat Blough of Somerset pinned No. 4 Eli Claycomb of Everett, but the top three seeds advanced.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Krupa (BD) vs. 5. Blough (SO); 3. Bennett (HY) vs. 2. Craig (BB).

285
Another 4-5 upset here, as Tussey Mountain's Mitchell Hall pinned No. 4 Dylan Emerick of Hyndman. The top three didn't face any such problems.
Semifinal matchups: 1. Hixson (NB) vs. 5. Hall (TM); 3. Buttry (CR) vs. 2. Hayman (SO).

UPJ at Super Region I tournament

I did a short story for The Tribune-Democrat on UPJ's performance at the Super Region I Tournament in Pembroke, N.C., on Friday.
I won't rehash all of it here. The big news was that Penn Cambria grad Ryan Link isn't competing in the tournament for "personal reasons." Not sure exactly what that means, but that was the answer I got from coach Pat Pecora and assistant Jody Strittmatter. Too bad for the Mountain Cats and Link, who was an All-American last year.
Among local grads, Forest Hills' Dave Fogle and Penn Cambria's Nathan Link (Ryan's older brother) each advanced to the semifinals while Bdford's Josh Krupa was eliminated.
UPJ is in second place, 15 points behind Newberry, entering Day 2.
Here's a link to the updated brackets.

District 6 AAA Day 1

I haven't been able to find full results from Altoona yet - hopefully they'll be updated by morning - but I was able to speak with Westmont coach Matt Beaujon and Johnstown coach Bill Bassett for a story I did for The Tribune-Democrat.
Westmont still has all 14 of its wrestlers alive in the tournament, including eight in the semifinals. Seven of those were seeded in the top, so the Hilltoppers took care of business where they were supposed to and got a minor upset at 195 from fifth-seeded Eric Kowalewski.
Beaujon said that he thought Westmont was in third place after the first day. Things will obviously get much tougher in the semifinals, as Ryan Burnheimer and Josh Duplin are the only Hilltoppers seeded first and Mike Walsh is seeded second.
If Walsh does manage to make it to the 132-pound finals, he'll likely encounter a familiar face in Johnstown's Malcolm Harris, who is the top seed. Harris scored a tech fall in the quarterfinals and "is on a mission," according to Bassett.
Harris is one of two semifinalists for Johnstown, which only took six wrestlers to Altoona. Trey Leeth also advanced at 145 for the Trojans.
Gervon Simon, who was only seeded sixth at 195 despite a 13-0 record, didn't fare so well. He lost to Bald Eagle Area's Aaron Varner in the quarterfinals and will now have to try to wrestle back to the consolation finals in order to advance to next week's Northwest Regional tournament in Altoona.

District 5 tournament live updates Day 1`

We're completely done for Day 1. Here are the full results from three rounds of action.

Semifinalists by team

Chestnut Ridge (8) – 106, 113, 126, 160, 170, 182, 195, 285

Bedford (7) – 113, 120, 126, 138, 170, 182, 220

Meyersdale (7) – 106, 120, 126, 132, 138, 160, 170

Somerset (7) – 145, 152, 160, 182, 195, 220, 285

Northern Bedford (6) – 106, 113, 132, 138, 160, 285

Conemaugh Township (5) – 113, 132, 145, 152, 195

Berlin (4) – 106, 120, 145, 220

Everett (4) – 138, 145, 170, 182

North Star (4) – 120, 132, 152, 195

Hope for Hyndman (2) – 126, 220

Shade (1) – 152

Tussey Mountain (1) – 285

Team standings after Day 1

1. Bedford (BD) 60.5.

2. Chestnut Ridge (CR) 57.5.

3. North Star (NS) 45.

4. Northern Bedford (NB) 43.5.

5. Conemaugh Township (CT) 42.

6. Somerset (SO) 41.

7. Meyersdale (MY) 39.5.

8. Berlin Brothersvalley (BB) 34.5.

9. Everett (EV) 25.

10. Hyndman (HY) 20.

11. Shade (SH) 17.

12. Tussey Mountain (TM) 10.

Quarterfinals

106-Derrick Claar, CR, pinned Colton Gennett, NS, 3:22; Tommy DeArmitt, BB, dc. Jake Warren, BD, 8-3; Brady McKenzie, MY, pinned Garret Foster, SO, 2:59; Cody Guyer, NB, pinned Joe Pakstis, SH, 1:15.

113-Ryan Easter, BD, pinned Dylan Park, TM, :33; Kody Ofsanko, CT, pinned Damian Jano, SO, 4:29; Mason Replogle, NB, pinned Mike Manges, SH, 4:24; Trent Crouse, CR, pinned Tyler DeArmitt, BB, 3:25.

120-Nick Roberts, NS, pinned Jon Reynolds, SH, :43; Collin Day, MY, pinned Chris Gibbner, HY, 2:47; Garrett Thomas, BD, pinned Mickey Sanders, CT, 1:28; Chris Miller, tech. fall Colby Hillegass, CR, 16-1 (4:46).

126-Shane Pfaunmiller, CR, pinned Alex Deffibaugh, NB, 2:46; Brady Logsdon, HY, pinned E.J. Custer, BB, :38; Tanner Hetrick, MY, pinned Tayte Mostoller, NS, 5:57; Toby Brett, BD, pinned Tyler Walker, SO, 1:33.

132-Stephen McKenzie, MY, tech. fall Zach Etterman, CR, 16-0 (2:39); Tevin Mostoller, NS, pinned Josh Corbin, TM, 4:50; Kris Knotts, CT, pinned Jon Fabian, SO, 5:26; Damian Corle, NB, dec. Caleb Grimes, BD, 2-0.
138-Drew Gartland, NB, dec. Luke Lepley, NS, 6-0; Zach Dudek, BD, dec. Taylor Cahill, CT, 7-4; Seth Deist, MY, dec. Blake Miller, BB, 8-2; Ejai Rock, EV, dec. Mike Laue, SO, 4-3.
145-Tanner Cahill, CT, pined Austin Connor, NS, 1:22; Landon Lohr, SO, dec. Cody Gibbner, HY, 7-2; Chris Eichelberger, EV, dec. Kyle Winegardner, CR, 7-6; Bryce Fochtman, BB, pinned Jesse Martin, BD, 1:43.
152-Cory Berchick, CT, pinned Devin Clark, BD, 2:27; Tanner Revak, NS, dec. Richard Moskey, HY, 7-4; Josh Darr, SO, dec. Trace Heffner, BB, 6-1; Wolf Otten, SH, pinned Dylan Shipley, NB, 1:45.

160-Michael Sutton, SO, pinned Tyler Clites, HY, 1:08; Gavin Berkley, MY, dec. Josiah Koontz, BD, 7-1; Bradie Bollman, CR, pinned Ryan Shifflett, CT, :15; Matt Sollenberger, NB, pinned Cody Sheeder, EV, 1:11.
170-Tyler Dibert, CR, pinned Jusdan Griffith, CT, 3:06; Isiah Gibbons, EV, dec. Ben Miller, BB, 6-1; Cody Yingling, BD, maj. dec. Neil Yoder, NS, 16-4; Billy Dunbar, MY, pinned Logan Eller, SO, 3:41.

182-Michael Brett, BD, pinned Andrew Gowarty, CT, :17; Ben Sterling, EV, dec. Ty Mayhugh, MY, 3-1; Matt Dull, CR, dec. Andre Dauphinais, BB, 4-2; Jacob Nickelson, SO, pinned Duelin Douglas, NB, 1:03.
195-Dan Albright, CR, pinned Christian Barnhart, EV, 2:50; Brett Benedict, NS, dec. Stew Trulick, BB, 5-4; Kyle Drenner, CT, pinned Andrew Lenhart, MY, 1:34; Jon Baer, SO, dec. Eric Grace, NB, 3-0.
220-Jacob Krupa, BD, pinned Luke Gindlesperger, CT, 2;28; Pat Blough, CT, pinned Eli Claycomb, EV, 1:48; Jake Bennett, HY, dec. Luke Fochtman, CR, 3-2 (RO); Jacob Craig, BB, pinned Shane Supanick, NS, 1:19.

285-Quinton Hixson, NB, pinned Kody Martin, BB, :40; Mitchell Hall, TM, pinned Dylan Emerick, HY, 1:33; Austin Buttry, CR, pinned Ty Smith, MY, 2:42; Jake Hayman, HY, pinned Robbie Mills, CT, 2:53.

First-Round Consolations

106-Gennett, NS, pinned Tanner Clites, HY, :36; Warren, BD, pinned Brent Leabhart, TM, :20; Foster, SO, bye; Pakstis, SH, pinned Neal Hammond, EV, :53.
113-Robby Snyder, HY, dec. Park, TM, 8-4; Jano, SO, bye; Manges, SH, bye; DeArmitt, BB, pinned Joey Bryner, EV.
120-Reynolds, SH, bye; Gibbner, HY, bye; Sanders, CT, bye; Hillegass, CR, tech. fall Raven Spahn, EV, 17-0 (3:33).
126-Deffibaugh, NB, bye; Custer, BB, bye; Mostoller, NS, by; Walker, SO, pinned Travis Robertson, TM, 4:58.
132-Etterman, CR, pinned Tylor Musselman, HY, 1:52; Corbin, TM, bye; Fabian, SO, bye; Grimes, BD, pinned Josiah Cogan, EV, :39.
138-Lepley, NS, pinned Dustin Bence, CR, 2:18; Cahill, CT, bye; Miller, BB, bye; Laue, SO, pinned Jim Kostick, SH, 3:57.
145-Connor, NS, pinned Matthew Duvall, TM, 4:59; Gibbner, HY, pined Marcus Crawford, NB, 3:07; Winegardner, CR, bye; Martin, BD, pinned Drew Yoder, MY, 2:15.
152-Clark, BD, dec. David Stanton, MY, 6-2; Moskey, HY, maj. dec. Teddy Albright, CR, 12-0; Heffner, BB, bye; Shipley, NB, pinned Josh Bonner, EV, 2:06.

160-Mason Jamieson, NS, pinned Clites, HY, 3:35; Koontz, BD, bye; Shifflett, CT, bye; Sheeder, EV, pinned Tyler Husick, TM, 1:45.
170-Griffith, CT, bye; Miller, BB, bye; Yoder, NS, bye; Eller, SO, dec. Matt Orner, SH, 1-0.

182-Gowarty, CT, pinned Ray Burley, NS, 2:17; Mayhugh, MY, bye; Dauphinais, BB, bye; Douglas, NB, dec. Oscar Miller, HY, bye.

195-Barnhart, EV, bye; Trulick, BB, bye; Lenhart, MY, bye; Grace, NB, bye.

220-Gindlesperger, CT, bye; Claycomb, bye; Fochtman, CR, bye; Supanick, NS, pinned Justin Brunner, NB, 1:50.

285-Martin, BB, bye; Emerick, HY, bye; Smith, MY, bye; Mills, CT, dec. Justin Easter, BD, 5-1.

Preliminary Round

106-Gennett, NS, pinned Hammond, EV, 3:20; McKenzie, MY, pinned Leabhart, TM, :14; Pakstis, SH, pinned Clites, HY, :44.

113-Park, TM, pinned Bryner, EV, 4:36; DeArmitt, BB, pinned Snyder, HY, 4:37.

120-Reynolds, SH, pinned Spahn, EV, 3:16.

126-Deffibaugh, NB, tech. fall Robertson, TM, 17-1 (4:52).

132-Etterman, CR, pinned Cogan, EV, :26; Grimes, BD, pinned Musselman, HY, :35.

138-Lepley, NS, pinned Kostick, SH, :14; Rock, EV, pinned Bence, CR, 3:49.

145-Connor, NS, pinned Yoder, MY, 2:40; Martin, BD, pinned Duvall, TM, 4:17.

152-Clark, BD, tech. fall Bonner, EV, 17-2 (5:18); Heffner, BB, pinned Albright, CR, 4:46; Shipley, NB, dec. Stanton, MY, 8-2.

160-Clites, HY, pinned Husick, TM, 1:25; Sheeder, EV, pinned Jamieson, NS, :59.

170-Griffith, CT, dec. Orner, SH, 8-2.

182-Gowarty, CT, pinned Miller, HY, 2:49; Douglas, NB, dec. Burley, NS, 6-3.

195-No matches.

220-Gindlesperger, CT, pinned Brunner, NB, 3:38.

285-Martin, BB, dec. Easter, BD, 6-3.

District 5 tournament preview and predictions

Disclaimer: These picks are all made in good fun and are not meant to discredit any of the competitors. Best of luck to all.

The rumors are getting louder and louder that this might be the last year for the District 5 tournament at Windber. I don't know if they're true or not, but the Graham Avenue gymnasium certainly has become like a second home to me over the 30 years or so that I've been attending this tournament.

If it is the event's final year in Windber, it certainly has the potential to go out with a bang. A number of teams could be in the thick of the race for the team title if things go right and this is arguably the best depth the tournament has ever had.

With that being said, here's a weight-by-weight preview of what should be a memorable two days in Windber:

106

There aren't a ton of weight classes with a clear-cut favorite, but I'd say Chestnut Ridge's Derrick Claar is one here. The top seed majored second-seeded Cody Guyer of Northern Bedford and a major and a pin of third-seeded Garret Foster of Somerset. After that, it gets pretty confusing. Guyer has beaten Foster, but split with fifth-seeded Jake Warren of Bedford. Berlin's Tommy DeArmitt, the fourth seeed, also has split a pair of matches with Warren and seventh-seed Joe Pakstis of Shade. DeArmitt has lost twice to Foster, although he has been wrestling much better in the second half of the season, and beat No. 6 Brady McKenzie of Meyersdale in winning the WestPAC tournament title.
Prediction: Despite all of the confusion, I'm going with the seeds: 1. Claar. 2. Guyer. 3. Foster. 4. DeArmitt.

113

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Chestnut Ridge's Trent Crouse (left) has a pair of victories
over Bedford's Ryan Easter, but he'll likely have to beat
Northern Bedford's Mason Replogle in order to get a shot
at Easter in the championship.

There's more madness here. Top-seeded Ryan Easter of Bedford has been beaten twice by second-seeded Trent Crouse of Chestnut Ridge, who has lost to third-seeded Mason Replogle of Northern Bedford and fourth-seeded Damian Jano of Somerset. Despite Jano's win over Crouse and the 22-5 record of fifth-seeded Kody Ofsanko of Conemaugh Township, I really see this as a three-man race. The smart money is probably on Crouse, who has been wrestling very well since dropping to 113, or Easter, who placed at states last season and just beat Boiling Springs' Joey Byers, who was undefeated at the time. But I just wonder how much of a problem Replogle - who is probably the tallest wrestler I've ever seen at such a light weight - can cause with his height.
Prediction: Going out on a limb here: 1. Replogle. 2. Easter. 3. Crouse. 4. Ofsanko.

120

Forget what I said at 106. There's definitely a clear-cut favorite here in two-time PIAA champ Nick Roberts. Assuming he makes weight and is healthy, he wins this class - not just here, but likely at regionals and states as well. The real battle is for the other two regional-qualifying spots. Berlin's Chris Miller is the second seed despite a pair of losses to third-seeded Garrett Thomas of Bedford. Miller does have an 11-5 victory over Collin Day of Meyersdale, the fourth seed.
Prediction: Roberts becomes the 10th wrestler to win four D5 titles -- the second straight from North Star -- on his way to being named the Outstanding Wrestler. 1. Roberts. 2. Thomas. 3. Miller. 4. Day.

126

Shane Pfaumiller won the the 125-pound title a year ago, but the Chestnut Ridge wrestler faced plenty of questions after a rough start to the season. Of course, there's a big difference between wrestling 145 - where he started the season - and 126. The question now might be, how will Pfaunmiller react to making 126 for the first time this season? He's got plenty of competition if he wants to win a second district title, as this is one of the better weights in the tournament. I originally had second-seeded Toby Brett of Bedford beating Pfaunmiller in the championship, but rumors have been swirling out of Bedford that Brett suffered a hand injury that required stitches and won't be at his best this weekend. That's not good news for any wrestler, but it could be especially devastating for one that relies on the cradle as much as Brett does. Now, I'm not sure Brett gets past third-seeded Tanner Hetrick of Meyersdale, who is 32-4. And the 4-5 match between Hope for Hyndman's Brady Logsdon and Berlin's E.J. Custer might be the bout of the night on Friday. Logsdon pinned Custer earlier this season, but I'm not sure it will be so easy this time around. And either of those could provide a stiff test for Pfaunmiller in the semifinals. This should be a fun weight to watch.
Prediction: Chaos. I really don't know what to expect here, especially if the rumors of Brett's injury are true. 1. Pfaunmiller. 2. Hetrick. 3. Custer. 4. Brett.

132

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Meyersdale's Stephen McKenzie (left) will be looking to
add a third District 5 title on Saturday.

Stephen McKenzie will be favored to win a third consecutive D5 title, but since the only wrestlers he's faced in this bracket are seeded fifth, seventh and ninth, it's hard to tell exactly what to expect. Second-seeded Damian Corle is just 16-9, but he spent much of the season at 128 and he's won five in a row including victories over third-seeded Jon Fabian of Somerset and fifth-seeded Tevin Mostoller of North Star. Mostoller does have a victory over fourth-seeded Josh Corbin of Tussey Mountain.
Prediction: McKenzie becomes Red Raiders' first three-time district champ since Michael Warnick. 1. McKenzie. 2. Corle. 3. Fabian. 4. Mostoller.

138

Northern Bedford's Drew Gartland was a runner-up at 130 last season, as he lost to Tanner Cahill of Conemaugh Township in the finals.  Now, Gartland will likely have to get past freshman Taylor Cahill just to get to the finals. There have been plenty of complaints about how the seeding points ignore head-to-head matchups, and with a pair of victories - including one by major decision - over third-seeded Blake Miller, Taylor Cahill certainly can make that case. Instead of being in the bottom half of the bracket against second-seeded Mike Laue of Somerset, whom he lost to 8-4 in a dual meet, he'll likely get Gartland, who pinned him in the Thomas Tournament. Meanwhile, Laue could get Miller in the semifinals - assuming Miller beats sixth-seeded Seth Deist of Meyersdale. Miller, who is perhaps the most unorthodox wrestler I've ever seen, has beaten Deist twice this season.
Prediction: Cahill gets to state his case against Miller, but not until the consolation finals. 1. Gartland. 2. Laue. 3. Cahill. 4. Miller.

145 

Tanner Cahill is the favorite here after winning the 130-pound title last season, but things could get very interesting in pursuit of the second- and third-place spots. It would be even more interesting if Bedford's Tanner Williams wouldn't have gotten injured in the PIAA duals. Second-seeded Bryce Fochtman has victories over No. 3 Chris Eichelberger of Everett and fifth-seeded Landon Lohr of Somerset, but both were very tight matches and could easily have gone the other way. Fourth-seeded Cody Gibbner of Hyndman could be in the mix, as could No. 6 Kyle Winegardner of Chestnut Ridge, who beat Lohr after losing to him twice earlier in thie season and wrestled Williams well in the D5 dual-meet championship.
Prediction: I've gone back and forth on this one a couple of times. 1. Cahill. 2. Eichelberger. 3. Fochtman. 4. Lohr.

152

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Conemaugh Township's Cory Berchick has victories over
the next three highest seeds at 152, including Somerset's
Josh Darr, who is show here during their dual meet.

This is the best weight class in the tournament, which is saying something this year. How good? Well, there are a pair of 2011 District 5 champs and a returning runner-up here. And none of them got the top seed. That goes, deservedly, to Conemaugh Township's Cory Berchick. The Indians senior will be looking to atone for last year, when he came in as the top seed but finished third while wrestling with what he eventually found to be mono. Berchick is a combined 7-0 against No. 2 Wolf Otten of Shade, No. 3 Josh Darr of Somerset, No. 4 Tanner Revak of North Star and No. 6 Trace Heffner of Berlin. Oddly enough, his most difficult match out of that group came in the WestPAC tournament against Revak, who he could face in the semifinals. Berchick trailed Revak until the final minute and was getting frustrated before coming up with a late takedown for a 7-5 decision. Defending champs Darr and Otten likely will meet in the other semifinal, although Heffner does have wins over Darr and Otten this season.
Prediction: The third time isn't a charm for Otten, who already has dropped a pair of closes matches to Berchick. 1. Berchick. 2. Otten. 3. Darr. 4. Revak.

160

After wrestling 152 almost all season, Northern Bedford's Matt Sollenberger - who won the 140-pound title last season - jumped up a weight class, presumably because it's not as difficult to earn a spot at regionals here. It was a good move for Sollenberger, but not so good for Meyersdale's Gavin Berkley, who got bumped to a fourth seed despite his 33-6 record. That means Berkley is in the upper half of the bracket with Somerset's Michael Sutton. Meanwhile, Sollenberger is on the bottom with Chestnut Ridge's Bradie Bollman, who is the third seed despite getting majored by fifth-seeded Josiah Koontz early in the season.
Prediction: Sutton won't score many points, but it will probably be enough. 1. Sutton. 2. Sollenberger. 3. Berkley. 4. Koontz.

170

This isn't one of the better weight classes here. Top-seeded Tyler Dibert of Chestnut Ridge is very good, but I think there are some question marks after that. Meyersdale's Billy Dunbar falls into that category, as he's 19-6 but nearly a third of his matches have come against out-of-state competition. Third-seeded Cody Yingling of Bedford is 23-10, but just 7-7 in his past 14 matches. Fourth-seeded Isiah Gibbons of Everett is 18-4, but one of those losses was by major decision to Yingling, and he hasn't face much in the way of top-flight competition. No. 5 Ben Miller of Berlin was the top seed at the WestPAC Tournament, but went just 2-3 there.
Prediction: Lots of indecision after the champion. 1. Dibert. 2. Yingling. 3. Dunbar. 4. Gibbons.

182

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Bedford's Michael Brett (left) will be looking to lock up
more opponents in the District 5 tournament this weekend.

This weight was OK when I first saw it, but after I just noticed that the updated brackets don't include Max Strasiser of North Star, who was the originally the third seed. Understandably, Strasiser - who will leave soon for the Navy SEALS training program - decided not to risk injury in the postseason. His withdrawal makes this weight much weaker. Top-seeded Michael Brett is a legitimate contender for a PIAA medal, in my opinion, and second-seeded Jacob Nickelson is pretty solid. Shade's Phil Aikey is now the third seed. Aikey is 12-5 and has some impressive wins, but he's still somewhat of an unknown as he missed time this season. One of Aikey's victories is over Chestnut Ridge's Matt Dull, who is the fourth seed. Dull is 17-8 but has lost four of his final six matches. Fifth-seeded Ben Sterling of Everett already has a win over Dull and will get a chance for another on Friday.
Prediction: If Nickelson can avoid Brett's cradle, he could win this weight, but not many have been able to do that this season. 1. Brett. 2. Nickelson. 3. Aikey. 4. Dull.

195

In my mind, this is the weakest weight class not only in the district, but probably in the region as well. Chestnut Ridge's Dan Albright is the top seed at 30-6, which is an impressive record, especially when you consider the fact that he doesn't have much experience. Albright is strong and hard to score on. Four of his victories are over second-seeded Jon Baer of Somerset, who is the second seed. Baer was the runner-up at 170 last season. Conemaugh Township's Kyle Drenner is 26-8 with two of his losses coming to Baer. The next five seeded wrestlers are all right around .500, with No. 6 Andrew Lenhart of Meyersdale posting the best record at 18-11. Someone to watch out for: Northern Bedford's Eric Grace, who was injured for much of the season. His 9-7 record doesn't look like much, but he's wrestled better competition than just about anyone else at this weight.
Prediction: I'm going out on a limb here - someone on a blog questioned my sanity for this pick - but there always seems to be at least one major upset in the D5 tournament. I'm taking it, with Grace over Baer in the quarterfinals, then beating Drenner in the semis. 1. Albright. 2. Grace. 3. Baer. 4. Drenner.

220

This is one of the best weight classes in the tournament. Eight of the nine wrestlers have winning records, with No. 7 Shane Supanick of North Star sporting a 23-13 record. His reward? A quarterfinal matchup with 2010 champion Jacob Craig of Berlin. Craig has beaten all but one wrestler in the weight - unseeded Justin Brunner of Northern Bedford - and has pinned every one but third-seeded Jake Bennett, whom he majored. But, because of the points system, Craig is the second seed behind Bedford's Jacob Krupa, who he has beaten twice. Everett's Eli Claycomb, Somerset's Pat Blough and Chestnut Ridge's Luke Fochtman could also be in the mix.
Prediction: After seeing how dominant Craig has been this season, it's hard to go any other way. 1. Craig. 2. Krupa. 3. Bennett. 4. Claycomb.

285

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Northern Bedford's Quinton Hixson (left) and Jake Hayman
could very well meet for the third time in the finals on
Saturday night.

This is probably the best field of District 5 heavyweights in years. Northern Bedford's Quinton Hixson has been the top-ranked 285-pounder in the state all season according to the Pennsylvania Wrestling Rankings. His only loss this season came to Somerset's Jake Hayman, as they split a pair of matches. Chestnut Ridge's Austin Buttry is the only wrestler other than Hixson to beat Hayman this season, although Hayman has won the past two matches with Buttry. Fourth-seeded Dylan Emerick of Hyndman and fifth-seeded Mitchell Hall of Tussey Mountain each have 20-plus victories while sixth-seeded Ty Smith of Meyersdale, who has 19 wins.
Prediction: Good heavyweights often come down to overtime or rideout, as Hixson-Hayman I and II each have. No reason to expect an early end to the evening here either. 1. Hixson. 2. Hayman. 3. Buttry. 4. Hall.

Team race

I figured going into it that Chestnut Ridge is probably the favorite to win the team title, with Bedford second. Oddly, when I looked at how my predictions played out, I have Northern Bedford with SEVEN wrestlers in the finals, with three champs. I have Chestnut Ridge with four champs, but no runners-up and Bedford with one champion and four second-place finishers. Hard as it is for me to believe, that would seem to mean I'm picking the Panthers to win the team race. Somerset should be in the mix as well, with - according to my projections - one champ, three runners-up and eight total qualifiers, which would be the most in the tournament.

UPDATED The Semifinal 2/23/2012

Note: I updated this a few hours after I published it. I realized that I had a glaring omission from the Stars and studs category: Cambria Heights.

Back by popular demand - or at least by Joe Strittmatter's Twitter request (@strittmatterj) - it's The Semifinal.
It's been a busy week for me outside of the wrestling arena, but I should be able to concentrate on "the world's oldest and greatest sport" for the next three days. I'll have a preview of Pitt-Johnstown at the regional tournament for The Tribune-Democrat on Friday. I'll also be at the District 5 tournament in Windber on Friday and Saturday and probably will be in contact with people at the District 6 AAA tournament in order to get updates on Westmont and Johnstown. I'm hoping to post blog previews on both high school tournaments today.

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Central Cambria's Tony Risaliti won
the Outstanding Wrestler Award at
the District 6 Class AA tournament.

First Period

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Richland's John Rizzo pinned all four
of his opponents on his way to the
220-pound championship.

COURTESY OF TKO PHOTOS
Penn Cambria's Nick Szala won the
title at 138 pounds, considered to be
the toughest weight.

Stars and studs: There are no shortage of candidates here. Seven wrestlers from The Tribune-Democrat's coverage area won District 6 Class AA titles on Saturday night in Altoona, but I'm going to concentrate on the three that I thought had the most impressive tournaments. Central Cambria's Tony Risaliti won the Outstanding Wrestler Award after beating Forest Hills' Cody Law - his friend and on-mat nemesis. Risaliti had lost to Law twice earlier, which helped the Forest Hills wrestler rocket to the top spot in the Pennsylvania Wrestling Rankings. Risaliti did what he needed to do to slow down Law's always-on-the-attack style in the 7-4 victory. Of course, he might get to do it another time or two this season. ... Richland's John Rizzo could have just as easily have been named OW in Altoona. Saying that the two-time state champion was dominant on his way to his fourth District 6 title - this one at 220 pounds - would be a huge understatement. None of Rizzo's opponents made it out of the first period. See video of his eight-second pin here. In fact, he needed just 3 1/2 minutes to record four pins. ... Penn Cambria's Nick Szala also was in the mix for the OW award after he won what most considered to be the toughest weight. What might have hurt Szala in the voting was the fact that he didn't get a chance to knock of top-seeded Ty Dively of Claysburg-Kimmel, who entered the tournament with a 29-0 record. Instead, Bellwood-Antis' Trevor Helsley did that in the semifinals, beating Dively 6-2. Meanwhile, Szala beat Blairsville's Noah Tarr 7-3. Szala then beat Helsley 4-2 in the championship on a somewhat controversial reversal at the end of the second period. Even after the tournament, all four are in the top 10 of this week's edition of Off the Mat Rankings. Dively is fourth, Szala is fifth, Tarr is eighth and Helsley is 10th, which shows just how competitive the weight class was. ... Cambria Heights coach Mike Eckenrode deserves a nod here for the job that he and his staff have done. The Highlanders nearly pulled off what would have been a huge upset, finishing just five points behind Mount Union in the team race. Cambria Heights had a tournament-best five finalists: Ryan Dupas (113), Joe Davis (120), Brad Thomas (126), Dom Inzana (170) and Jake Beach (195). Even though none of them was able to win a title, it was still a tremendous showing by Cambria Heights.

---

Upset-minded: Portage's Chase Fox was one of the big stories of the tournament on Friday. The 10th seed at 132 pounds, Fox beat No. 7 Luke Nanna of Juniata in his first match, then upset second-seeded J.P. Hayles of West Branch in the quarterfinals. I have to admit I'm a little partial to this upset, as I told my wife to make sure she got photos of Fox-Hayle because I had a feeling there might be a surprise in store for us. But I had no idea what was coming from Fox on Saturday. He lost three straight - getting pinned by Southern Huntingdon's Brennon Shields and Forest Hills' Kenny Corle before being majored by Richland's Nick Naglic - and finished in sixth place.

Second Period

On deck: Now that the postseason is officially in full swing, the early part of the week was quiet. But we'll make up for it with a jam-packed weekend. As I said earlier, the District 5 Class AA, District 6 Class AAA and NCAA Division II Super Region I tournaments will all be contested this weekend.
Friday
College
UPJ at Super Region I
Session I, 4 p.m.
High School
District 5 Class AA Tournament
At Windber
Preliminary Round, 2 p.m.
Quarterfinals, approximately 3:30 p.m.
District 6 Class AAA Tournament
At Altoona
Preliminary Round, 5:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals, 7 p.m.
Second-Round Consolations, 9:30 p.m. (Note: There are no First-Round Consolations).

Saturday
College
UPJ at Super Region I
Session II, 11 a.m.
Session III, 2:30 p.m.
High School
District 5 Class AA Tournament
At Windber
Semifinals, 10 a.m.
Consolation Finals, 6 p.m.
Finals, approximately 7 p.m.
District 6 Class AAA Tournament
Quarterfinals and Third-Round Consolations, 5:30 p.m.
Consolation Semifinals, 1:45 p.m.
Consolation Finals, 5:30 p.m.
Finals, 7 p.m.

Third Period

Keeping up with everything that's going on this weekend could be very difficult. Trust me, I know, as I'll probably be trying to write about all three tournaments for The Tribune-Democrat. I haven't decided  yet if I'll be doing a live chat from District 5 or not. I know that people enjoy them, but they've very time-consuming, and if I have to cover all three, it might be too much. If I do end up holding a chat, I'll be sure to post it on here and on The Tribune-Democrat's website. At the very least, I'll post updated results here on a regular basis.
If anyone knows of a D6 AAA chat being held, please let me know. The more I can keep up with what's happening in Altoona, the more likely it will be that I can chat from Windber. I wouldn't hold my breath, however, as the people at Altoona don't make it easy. They won't allow media to access the school's wireless network. Thankfully, Windber is much more media friendly.
It looks like UNC Pembroke's website will have everything to keep you informed about the Super Region I tournament, including a live chat.

Off the Mat Rankings Feb. 22, 2012

The usual disclaimer - I don't create these, I just publish them.

OFF THE MAT AA STATE RANKINGS

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 7

February 22nd, 2012

106

     1.  DARIAN CRUZ            11        Bethlehem Catholic       11

     2.  JUSTIN PATRICK        10        Ligonier Valley  6

     3.  KORBIN MYERS         09        Boiling Springs  3

     4.  JARYD FLANK            11        Wilson Area      11

     5.  TYLER VATH               09        Saegertown      10

     6.  DEVON BENTLEY      10        Trinity   3

     7.  JOSH GIORGIO           09… Schuylkill Valley   3

     8.  COLIN MASHACK     10… Tamaqua 11

     9.  JOSH BROWN             11… Claysburg-Kimmel   6

     10.  TRENT NEELY           11… Smethport            9

     11.  CODY BLANKENSHIP         10        Kane    9

     12.  AUSTIN GRIFFITH    09        Southmoreland 7

     13.  TRISTON LAW          09… Forest Hills          6

     14.  RICH MCGINNIS      10        Chartiers-Houston        7

     15.  NOAH KUBA 09… Mifflinburg           4

     16.  TYRUS HAMBLIN     10… Williamson           4

113

     1.  JASON NOLF  10        Kittanning         7

     2.  RYAN DIEHL    11… Trinity      3

     3.  JOSH PATRICK            11… Ligonier Valley     6

     4.  VITO PASONE 12… Elmer L. Meyers  2

     5.  DAVID SHEESLEY      12        Mifflinburg        4

     6.  JOEY BYERS    12        Boiling Springs  3

     7.  MATT WILLIAMS        11        Pen Argyl         11

     8.  MATT WELLIVER        11… Benton     4

     9.  TRENT CROUSE         09… Chestnut Ridge    5

     10.  RYAN EASTER           10        Bedford            5

     11.  SHAWN NITCZNSKI            10        Sullivan County 4

     12.  WILLIS GRUVER       10        Redbank Valley            9

     13.  TREY CONSTABALE            12… Brookville            9

     14.  GEORGE MCGUIRE  10        Fort LeBoeuf    10

     15.  JOHN DEMASKE      10        Jefferson Morgan          7

     16.  DAN MAY                  12… Biglerville 3

120

     1.  NICK ROBERTS          12        North Star        5

     2.  BRAD FARLEY            12… Bermudian Springs           3

     3.  ZEKE MOISEY            10        Bethlehem Catholic       11

     4.  JARRAY NORRIS        11… Sharon     10

     5.  COLE WALTER            09… Mifflinburg           4

     6.  NATE RECKNER         11… South Side Beaver           7

     7.  BRYAN ISRAEL           12… Saucon Valley      11

     8.  SAM OBERLANDER   12… Palmerton            11

     9.  KENT LANE                 09… Southern Columbia          4

     10.  DAULTON ZIMMERMAN..  09… Brookville            9

     11.  NATE SCHWAB         12… Smethport           9

     12.  LOGAN EVERETT     11… Williamson           4

     13.  JARED WOOMER     12… Bellwood-Antis   6

     14.  JOE DAVIS                 10… Cambria Heights  6

     15.  JASON MILLER         10… Jefferson Morgan 7

     16.  ANTHONY DEE         11… Salisbury  11

126

     1.  JIM GULIBON 12… Derry Area          7

     2.  ARTIE WALSH 12… Valley      3

     3.  BEN RAGER     12… Central Cambria  6

     4.  COREY BUSH  12… Ridgway  9

     5.  IAN BROWN   10… Hanover  3

     6.  ZANE HELLER 12… Bethlehem Catholic          11

     7.  AARON TOTH 12… Charleroi 7

     8.  ROBERT RITSCHARD 12… Oley Valley          3

     9.  VINCE VAHALY          11… Bentworth            7

     10.  NICK ZANETTA        11… Keystone Oaks    7

     11.  KARL LIGHTNER      11… Smethport            9

     12.  BRANDON PUCKLY            12… Fort LeBoeuf       10

     13.  AUSTIN HARRY        10… Lake Lehman      2

     14.  TREVOR HERNANDEZ        12… Biglerville 3

     15.  RITCHIE CEREBE      10… Phil-Montco Academy     1

     16.  MASON ZIMMERMAN        12… Line Mountain     4

132

     1.  RANDY CRUZ 12… Bethlehem Catholic          11

     2.  COLT COTTON           11… Benton     4

     3.  LAIKE GARDNER       12… Biglerville 3

     4.  DYLAN D’URSO         12… Reynolds 10

     5.  JAMES DODSON        12… Claysburg-Kimmel   6

     6.  MATT BRYER   12… Cochranton         10

     7.  JAKE KELLER 12… Curwensville        9

     8.  SETH LANSBERRY     11… Line Mountain      4

     9.  JOSH KWASNY           12… Charleroi 7

     10.  SHANE GENTRY       10… South Side Beaver           7

     11.  ANREW SCHULTZ    12… Wyomming Area  2

     12.  MARK LENTZ           12… Boiling Springs     3

     13.  SHAWN PHILLIPS    12… Oley Valley          3

     14.  BRENNON SHIELDS            11… Southern Huntingdon        6

     15.  RYAN ZALAR            10… Jefferson Morgan 7

     16.  TRENT CLIFFORD    12…Pottstown 1

138

     1.  AUSTIN MATTHEWS  11        Reynolds          10

     2.  MIKE RACCIATO        11… Pen Argyl 11

     3.  DAVID BATKOWSKI  12… Montoursville       4

     4.  TY DIVELY       12… Claysburg            6

     5.  NICK SZALA   12… Penn Cambria      6

     6.  BROCK ZACHERL      10… Brookville            9

     7.  SHARRON TOWNSEND        12… Milton Hershey    3

     8.  NOAH TARR    11… Blairsville 6

     9.  BLAKE BOWMAN      11… Tri Valley 11

     10.  TREVOR HELSLEY   12… Bellwood-Antis   6

     11.  ZACK GREEN            12… Notheast Bradford           4

     12.  DREW JACKSON      12… Pequea Valley      3

     13.  RILEY SMITH            12… Fort LeBoeuf       10

     14.  RICHARD CRUZ        12… Bethlehem Catholic          11

     15.  SEAN HEGGS            11… East Juniata          4

     16.  NICK GAVAZZI         10… Charleroi 7

145

     1.  ZACH BEITZ    12        Juniata  6

     2.  KYLE BARNES            11… Hughesville          4

     3.  KODY PACE    12… Fort LeBoeuf       10

     4.  EVAN DELONG           10… Kane       9

     5.  RICH BRYDON            12… Forest Hills          6

     6.  JOE HIBBLER  12… Seneca    10

     7.  RYAN TODORA           11… Bethlehem Catholic          11

     8.  ADAM KRITZER          12… Line Mountain     4

     9.  ANTHONY FAROLE   12… Lehighton            11

     10.  TY HERZOG   11… Northern Lehigh   11

     11.  TANNER CAHILL      11… Conemaugh Township      5

     12.  TANNER SUTTON    11… Chartiers-Houston           7

     13.  BO BONZO    11… Freedom  7

     14.  ROBBIE MORETZ     11…Halifax      3

     15.  JOE CHAMPLUVIER 12… Wyalusing            4

     16.  CHRIS SHMID           12… Pequea Valley      3

152

     1.  CODY COPELAND     12        Greenville         10

     2.  PETER RENDA            11… Brandywine Heights         3

     3.  RYAN PREISCH           10… Milton     4

     4.  TY SHOFFSTALL        11… Tri Valley 11

     5.  CLAY KOCSIS 11… Fairfield   3

     6.  ZACH RIPIC     12… Towanda 4

     7.  TYLER LIEBERUM      11… Biglerville 3

     8.  COREY BERCHICK    12… Conemaugh Township      5

     9.  ANDREW DOAK         09… Blairsville 6

     10.  CODY GROHOTOLSKI        12… Palmerton            11

     11.  JEFF KASUNIC         10… Benton    4

     12.  JARED WALKER       09… South Fayette      7

     13.  MATT SOLLENBERGER       12… Northern Bedford            5

     14.  CONNOR PAYNE     11… South Side Beaver           7

     15.  TANNER HANNOLD            12… Keystone 9

     16.  ZACK VROMAN       10… Brookville            9

160

     1.  TY WALTER     11        Mifflinburg        4

     2.  SAM SCHEIB   12… Tri Valley 11

     3.  TYLER FITZKEE          12… Bermudian Springs           3

     4.  ADAM MACKIE          11… Brandywine Heights         3

     5.  ANTHONY RISALITI  12… Central Cambria  6

     6.  CODY LAW      11… Forest Hills          6

     7.  MITCHELL BALL        12… Pequea Valley      3

     8.  KURT MESKE 12… Central Columbia 4

     9.  FRANCIS MIZA           12… Bentworth           7

     10.  COLE SHIREY           11… Redbank Valley    9

     11.  BRETT SMITH            12… Brookville            9

     12.  MICHAEL FECHET   11… South Fayette      7

     13.  KYLE CAGGIANO    12… Ridgway  9

     14.  TRAVIS BUDDOCK  11… Saucon Valley      11

     15.  TYLER MARTIN        12… Moshannon Valley           6

     16.  NICK SHELLEY        12… Lake Lehman      2

170

     1.  ELLIOTT RIDDICK     12        Bethlehem Catholic       11

     2.  DUSTIN CONTI           11… Jefferson Morgan 7

     3.  TRISTAN SPONSELLER         10… Bermudian Springs           3

     4.  CRAIG CIHON            11… Fort LeBoeuf       10

     5.  TROY HEMBURY        11… Muncy     4

     6.  GARRETT VULCANO 11… Chartiers-Houston           7

     7.  TIM VARGO     11… Union City           10

     8.  AUSTIN ANDREWS    11… Cochranton          10

     9.  JOHN BLANKENSHIP            12… United     6

     10.  MICHAEL BALLIET  12… Lehighton            11

     11.  ROSS INZANA          12… Cambria Heights  6

     12.  TYLER DIBERT          11… Chestnut Ridge    5

     13.  DONALD ENGLISH  12… Milton     4

     14.  GARRETT SHNYDER            12… Montgomery        4

     14.  SAM DICKEY            11… Saucon Valley      11

     14.  KYLE GREENWALD 12… Northern Lehigh  11

182

     1.  WESLEY PHIPPS         12        Grove City       10

     2.  DAKOTA DESLAURIERS       11… Burrell     7

     3.  TYLER LANDFRIED   12… Greenville            10

     4.  JACOB MANKEY       12… Benton    4

     5.  DYLAN EVANS           12… Pen Argyl            11

     6.  LEVI VEPPERT            12… Northwestern Lehigh       11

     7.  MIKE BRETT             11… Bedford   5

     8.  BRETT PRZEKOP        12… Mount Carmel     4

     9.  JOE HURDA                  10… Biglerville 3

     10.  ANTHONY CLARK   12… Wyalusing            4

     11.  ALEX COOLEY          11… Eastern York        3

     12.  JOE PHILLIPS            12… Jefferson Morgan 7

     13.  SCOTT THOMPSON 09… Blairsville 6

     14.  DYLAN LUDWIG      12… Moshannon Valley           6

     15.  JOSE ORTIZ   10… Bethlehem Catholic          11

     16.  JOEY HINES  11… Hickory   10

195

     1.  RYAN SOLOMON       11… Milton      4

     2.  RAY O’DONNELL       11        Saucon Valley   11

     3.  DEREK WOLFORD     12… Hanover  3

     4.  JORDAN KITTA          12… Southmoreland    7

     5.  BRANDON SMITH      11… Lewisburg            4

     6.  ALEX SVETZ                12… North East           10

     7.  LUKE GARNER           12… Catasauqua         11

     8.  LOGAN MURPHY       12… Boiling Springs     3

     9.  RYAN LONGENBERGER        12… Bloomsburg         4

     10.  AARON BURNSIDE  12… Cameron County 9

     11.  LOGAN STOUT         12… Brookville            9

     12.  JAMES STODART     11… Moshannon Valley            6

     13.  KYLE GRAY                12… Mapleton 7

     14.  DAN ALBRIGHT        11… Chestnut Ridge    5

     15.  JAKE TEMPLE           10… Avella      7

     16.  LYLE TROUTMAN    12… Tri Valley 11

220

     1.  JOHN RIZZO   12        Richland           6

     2.  ERIC LAYTOS 12… Lackawanna Trail            2

     3.  EVAN DALEY  11… Fort LeBoeuf       10

     4.  MATT MONGERA       12… Seneca    10

     5.  CAM CYPHERT           11… Cochranton          10

     6.  NATHAN STETTLER   12… North Penn          4

     7.  JACOB CRAIG 12… Berlin Brothers Valley      5

     8.  DYLAN OTIS   09… Wyalusing            4

     9.  ERIC MCCRACKEN   12… Central Columbia 4

     10.  JACOB KRUPA          12… Bedford   5

     11.  JOSH ALPHA 10… Bethlehem Catholic          11

     12.  BRADY MUTTON     10… Pen Argyl            11

     13.  GREG KUMER           12… Fort Cherry         7

     14.  MIKE ROSZKOWSKI           11… Palisades 11

     15.  KANE KRALIK         12… Palmerton            11

     16.  BUCK KAUFFMAN  12… Eastern York        3

285 

     1.  COREY GARRY           12        Fort Cherry      7

     2.  QUINTON HIXSON    12… Northern Bedford            5

     3.  NAZAR MIRONENKO           10… Mifflinburg           4

     4.  BLAKE HEIM   12… Reynolds 10

     5.  NATE GRANDELIS      11        Chartiers-Houston        7

     6.  DEREK ERNEST          12… Hughesville          4

     7.  LEE RUSSELL  12… Cranberry            9

     8.  JOE INGAGLIO           12… Western Wayne   2

     9.  JOSH KIBBIE   12… Kane       9

     10.  KIRBY MUTTON       12… Pen Argyl            11

     11.  JAKE HAYMAN         12… Somerset 5

     12.  TREVOR STOVER     11… Biglerville 3

     13.  MALCOM WHITE     12… Wyomissing         3

     14.  OMRI JOHNSON      12… Milton Hershey    3

     15.  AUSTIN BUTTRY      10… Chestnut Ridge    5

     16.  TYLER WENTZEL     12… Boiling Springs     3

TOP 20 TEAMS

     1.  BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC                   11

     2.  BOILING SPRINGS                              3

     3.  FORT LEBOEUF                                  10

     4.  BROOKVILLE                                      9

     5.  BEDFORD                                           5

     6.  REYNOLDS                                        10

     7.  PEN ARGYL                                       11

     8.  BERMUDIAN SPRINGS                      3

     9.  WYALUSING                                       4

     10.  CENTRAL COLUMBIA                     4

     11.  BIGLERVILLE                                    3

     12.  MOUNT UNION                                6

     13.  BURRELL                                            7

     14.  JEFFERSON MORGAN                     7

     15.  SAUCON VALLEY                            11

     16.  TRI VALLEY                                      11

     17.  CHESTNUT RIDGE                           5

     18.  SOMERSET                                       5

     19.  MIFFLINBURG                                  4

     20.  WEST BRANCH                                6