UPDATED Thursday Night Recap 2/2/2012

The District 5 Dual-Meet tournament started with a bang. The No. 1-ranked wrestler in the state lost, the top-seeded team almost did and we had a reversal of fortune in the Meyersdale-Conemaugh Township match.
I covered the Bedford-Berlin match for The Tribune-Democrat, wrote a roundup on the other three duals.

No. 1 Bedford 34, No. 8 Berlin Brothersvalley 31

182-Ben Miller, BB, pinned Dylan Evans, 3:58
195-Michael Brett, BD, pinned Andre Dauphinais, 1:47.
220-Jacob Craig, BB, pinned Jacob Krupa, 3:24.
285-Stew Trulick, BB, pinned Justin Easter, 1:33.

106-Tommy DeArmitt, BB, maj. dec. Jake Warren, 11-1.

113-Ryan Easter, BD, pinned Tommy DeArmitt, 3:45.

120-Garrett Thomas, BD, dec. Chris Miller, 5-0.
126-Toby Brett, BD, maj. dec. E.J. Custer, 9-1.

132-Caleb Grimes, BD, dec. Cole Butler, 4-1.

138-Blake Miller, BB, pinned Zach Dudek, 3:15.

145-Tanner Williams, BD, dec. Bryce Fochtman, 3-1.

152-Eric Darr, BB, dec. Jesse Martin, 4-0.
160-Josiah Koontz, BD, dec. Trace Heffner, 5-2.
170-Cody Yingling, BD, forfeit.

Analysis: I knew Bedford was wary of this matchup and that Berlin felt the Mountaineers had a chance, but I wasn't really sure about it. I started believing quickly, though. Ben Miller getting a pin for Berlin at 182 was huge, but Jacob Craig getting a pin at 220 was huge. Craig had struggled with Jacob Krupa for years before beating him 3-0 in the Thomas tournament semifinals on Saturday. And this time, Krupa was coming at Craig instead of the other way around. Krupa nearly had a first-period takedown off a Craig shot, and Krupa went up 1-0 in the second. I believe Krupa shot in but got caught standing straight up, Craig tripped him to his back and, after a bit of a struggle pinned him.
I don't really know what to expect out of District 5 106-pounders - there seem to be a half-dozen that beat on other on a random basis - and this just clouded the situation further. Jake Warren pinned Tommy DeArmitt at the Thomas tournament, but DeArmitt dominated this one from the outset in an 11-1 victory.
With Ryan Easter up, I expected Bedford to get going, but when he was up 13 points in the second, I wondered if Berlin might expect with just a technical fall, but Easter secured a big pin to make 22-12.
I thought if Berlin could win of the next two matches, the upset might just happen, but Garrett Thomas and Toby Brett made sure it didn't. Less than a week after beating Chris Miller 1-0, Thomas extended the margin a bit in a 5-0 victory at 120 pounds, and Brett beat E.J. Custer 9-1 at 126. There was a key sequence at the end of the first period at 126 when it looked like Brett was going to his back. Instead, he powered his way through it and put Custer on his back for a 5-0 lead that altered the direction of the match - and the dual - significantly.
Bedford tied it with Caleb Grimes' 4-1 victory over Cole Butler, before Berlin went back in front with Blake Miller's pin of Zach Dudek at 138.
Tanner Williams, who I've said before might be the most improved wrestler in my coverage area, delivered a huge win for Bedford at 145. A great defensive wrestler, Williams scored off a Bryce Fochtman shot with 10 seconds left int he second period, then held on for a 3-1 victory.
Eric Darr - who wrestled 132 for most of the year - moved all the way up to 152 for a 4-0 victory over Jesse Martin.
Since Berlin was forfeiting 170 pounds, all of the pressure fell on 160-pounders Josiah Koontz and Trace Heffner. Like Williams two matches earlier, Koontz relied on his defense to stop Heffner - the sophomore said he wasn't sure if he took a shot the entire match - and picked up the crucial 5-2 victory.
It was a great dual meet, as it showcased the depth that District 5 has this season. It would have been nice to have seen a little bigger crowd, but with four other D5 duals going on, there were few neutral parties in the gym.
By the way, I know Michael Eichelberger has gotten some love on a message board for his willingness to sacrifice his body to save the wrestlers, and this was clearly on display on Thursday night. He literally bent over backwards to protect the wrestlers at 145. Williams and Focthman went barreling out of bounds and toward the scorer's table. As he so often is, Eichelberger was in perfect position to stop them, but the wrestlers' momentum carried him into the table, which he crashed into with the small of his back. It drew a gasp from the audience and took him a few seconds to recover - long enough for me to wonder what would happen if he was too hurt to resume his duties - but, thankfully, was able to continue. To his credit, he still made sure he was in position to catch the wrestlers on out-of-bounds calls the rest of the way (even if he was understandably a little quicker on whistles at the edge).
Jobs well done by Eichelberger, Bedford and Berlin.

No. 5 Meyersdale 45, No. 4 Conemaugh Township 26

195–Kyle Drenner, CT, forfeit.
220–Ty Smith, M, pinned Luke Gindlesperger, 2:06.
285–Nick Holsopple, CT, forfeit.
106–Brady McKenzie, M, pinned Ryan Smolk, :38.
113–Kody Ofsanko, CT, forfeit.
120–Billy Charlton, M, pinned Mickey Sanders, 1:08.
126–Collin Day, M, pinned Casey Berchick, 4:40.
132–Tanner Hetrick, M, pinned Kris Knotts, 1:17.
138–Stephen McKenzie, M, dec. Taylor Cahill, 6-3.
145–Tanner Cahill, CT, tech. fall Drew Yoder, 18-1.
152–Seth Diest, M, dec. Ryan Grosik, 12-7.
160–Cory Berchick, CT, dec. Gavin Berkley, 6-0.
170–Billy Dunbar, M, pinned Jusdan Griffith, :43.
182–Tyler Mayhugh, M, dec. Andrew Gowarty, 4-3.
Records: Meyersdale 13-4; Conemaugh Township 12-5.

Analysis: This one went much differently than when Conemaugh Township beat Meyersdale 37-31 on Jan. 5.  Despite giving up three forfeits - as opposed to giving up two and getting one that night - the Red Raiders came away with a comfortable victory. Ty Smith pinned Luke Gindlesperger - who he lost to in the first meeting - at 220 pounds. Billy Charlton pinned Mickey Sanders at 120 after getting a major over him the first time to pick up two more bonus points. Drew Yoder and Seth Deist flip-flopped from their opponents the first time, which paid big dividends. Rather than getting 11 points at 145 and 152, as the Indians did in the first meeting, they only ended up with 2 net points this time. Billy Dunbar and Gavin Berkley also changed spots in the lineup to great effect. Rather than giving up 6 points to get 5, as they did earlier, the Red Raiders gave up 3 for 6. Tyler Mayhugh then reversed the outcome of his 4-3 match with Andrew Gowarty.
Berchick and Berkley at 160 looks like it was a good one. Berkley, by the way, could rival Bedford's Tanner Williams for most improved wrestler in the area. Berchick tied one of my contemporaries, Chris Speranza, for the school record with 117 career victories, but the team loss means he won't be going for it at Bedford on Saturday. Instead, the Red Raiders will get their shot at the host school in the semifinals.
Here's a story on it by Jeff Maurer of the Daily American.

 No. 3 Chestnut Ridge 42, No. 6 North Star 23

170-Tyler Dibert, CR, pinned Neil Yoder, 1:13.

182-Max Strasiser, NS, dec. Matt Dull, 11-9.

195-Dan Albright, CR, dec. Brett Benedict, 7-4.

220-Luke Fochtman, CR, pinned Ryan Horner, 5:31.

285-Shane Supanick, NS, dec. Austin Buttry, 4-1.

106-Derrick Claar, CR, pinned Colton Gennett, 5:47.

113-Trent Crouse, CR, pinned Lenny Beeman, :38.

120-Nick Roberts, NS, tech. fall Colby Hillegass, 2:44.

126-Zach Etterman, CR, pinned Tayte Mostoller, 3:12.

132-Tevin Mostoller, NS, pinned Dustin Bence, 4:51.

138-Shane Pfaunmiller, CR, dec. Luke Lepley, 5-0.

145-Kyle Winegardner, CR, dec. Austin Connor, 11-9.

152-Bradie Bollman, CR, dec. Tanner Revak, 7-2.

160-Lance Shawley, NS, pinned Kavan Holderbaum, 5:44.

Records: Chestnut Ridge 25-5; North Star 7-5.

Analysis: Very solid win for Chestnut Ridge, which beat North Star 39-28 on Dec. 16. This one looked little like that one, however, as there were only four repeat matchups. North Star won three of those matchups the last time, but Ridge was able to reverse to of them this time. Kyle Winegardner beat Austin Connor at 145 and, in the big surprise of the night, Zach Etterman pinned Tayte Mostoller at 126. That's a 12-point swing from the first meeting. Shane Supanick beat Austin Buttry again at heavyweight, which means maybe I've been underestimating Supanick all season, and Luke Fochtman pinned Kevin Horner again at 220. Good wins for Max Strasiser at 182 pounds and Bradie Bollman at 152 pounds.

No. 2 Somerset 53, No. 7 Northern Bedford 23

182-Jacob Nickelson, S, pinned Duelin Douglas, 1:30.

195-Jon Baer, S, pinned Justin Brunner, 2:49.

220-Patrick Blough, S, forfeit.

285-Jake Hayman, S, dec. Quinton Hixson, 3-1 (2OT).

106-Cody Guyer, NB, pinned Garret Foster, 1:41.

113-Damian Jano, S, tech. fall Matthew Gochnour, 15-0.

120-Mason Replogle, NB, pinned Sheldon Wagner, 3:00.

126-Tyler Walker, S, dec. Alex Defibaugh, 12-5.

132-Damian Corle, NB, pinned Jon Fabian, 3:56.

138-Mike Laue, S, pinned Brendan Over, 1:23.

145-Landon Lohr, S, pinned Marcus Crawford, 1:37.

152-Matt Sollenberger, NB, forfeit.

160-Michael Sutton, S, forfeit.

170-Logan Eller, S, forfeit.

Records: Somerset 17-3. Northern Bedford 7-7.

Analysis: The highlight of the night was pretty obvious: Jake Hayman beating Quinton Hixson at 285 pounds. Though he probably was giving up 60 pounds or more, Hayman is very athletic at this weight. He gave Hixson, who was unbeaten and No. 1 in the Pennsylvania Wrestling Rankings, a solid test in the Thomas tournament finals. This time, he was able to do a little more, scoring a reversal in the second overtime period that proved to be the match-winner.
The second-biggest surprise to me would be Damian Corle's pin of Jon Fabian at 132 pounds.
The Golden Eagles picked up more bonus points here than they normally do, as they're often a decision or major decision type of team. Somerset was still without the injured Josh Darr, which deprived us of a Thomas tournament rematch with another defending District 5 champion in Matt Sollenberger.

It would be nice to see Somerset at full strength for Saturday morning's semifinal with Chestnut Ridge at Bedford.

Regular Season

Ligonier Valley 33, Penn Cambria 23

106-No match.
113-Justin Patrick, LV, forfeit.
120-Mitchell Brown, LV, pinned Nathan Gates, 1:57.
126-Dan Croyle, LV, pinned Zach Rhone-Hatch, :19.
132-Michael Eckenrode, PC, maj. dec. Tyler Smith, 13-5.
138-Nick Szala, PC, maj. dec. Jonathan Davis, 16-3.
145-Derek Croyle, LV, pinned Matt Wyland, :58.
152-Jon Stoy, PC, pinned Dylan Youngblood, 1:16.
160-No match.
170-Jeremy Withrow, LV, forfeit.
182-Henry Schlosser, PC, forfeit.
195-Dakota Peters, LV, dec. Jonathan Wilkinson, 12-6.
220-Seth McLendon, PC, dec. Brandon Layden, 12-4.
285-No match.
Records: Penn Cambria 2-14.

Analysis: These are two teams that are undoubtedly looking forward to ending the dual-meet season and getting into the individual postseason, as both have some outstanding individuals but have been hurt by a lack of depth this year. No major surprises here, other than the fact that Seth McLendon was down to 220 pounds after wrestling 285 all season.