The semifinal 1-28-2013

Another slight delay in posting the semifinal, thanks to a long weekend in Bedford.

First Period

Stars and studs: There are any number of candidates here, with seven local wrestlers winning titles at the Thomas Subaru tournament. Richland's Nick Naglic certainly deserves a spot after winning what was arguably the deepest weight in the tournament: 138. As the fifth seed, Naglic didn't have an easy path to the finals. He needed to beat Dalton Klinger, who was 15-5, in his opening match, then pinned Jefferson-Morgan's Jason Miller - a state qualifier a year ago - just to make it to the semifinals.Then, he avenged a loss from a week earlier by beating Blairsville's Noah Tarr to reach the finals. Naglic then beat Bedford's Toby Brett 9-3 for the second time in a week. Tarr, Miller and Brett were in the top 13 of the weight class according to the Pa. Power Rankings. ... Somersest's Jacob Nickelson nearly pinned his way to the 195-pound title. The senior recorded falls over Newport's Trey Gehr, Tussey Mountain's Shad Brunbaugh and South Fayette's Zach Walker. He locked up his best move, a crossface cradle, against Chestnut Ridge's Dan Albright in the finals, but couldn't quite get the fall. Albright broke the hold, but Nickelson still held on for a 7-4 victory. ... Bedford freshman Jon Gabriel showed a flare for the dramatic on Saturday to beat two state-ranked wrestlers. His takedown with 5 seconds left in the third period gave him a 2-1 victory over Huntingdon's Collin Glorioso, who was No. 7 according to Off the Mat. Then, he rallied from a 4-0 deficit to pin No. 10 Brendan Howard of Jefferson-Morgan. ... Chestnut Ridge showed its depth by winning the Thomas crown without an individual champion.

Second Period

It doesn't get much bigger than this week, at least as far as dual meets go. It starts on Tuesday, with four schools from my coverage area in the District 6 Class AA duals. The duals continue on Wednesday. Unfortunately, all four locations (West Branch, Huntingdon, Mount Union and Juniata) are at least an hour and a half drive from me in Johnstown.
There's a big District 5 match a little closer to home as Berlin Brothersvalley visits rival Meyersdale on Tuesday night for a meet that will determine the No. 3 seed in the district duals. North Star's match at Somerset is arguably even bigger, as the Golden Eagles need a victory to qualify for the postseason.
The District 5 duals begin on Thursday, although the schedule won't be clear until after Tuesday night.
Both District 5 and District 6 will crown their champions on Saturday. Chestnut Ridge will host the D5 semifinals and final while Tyrone does the same for District 6.
I'll try to update this schedule as it becomes clearer.

Tuesday

District 6 Class AA Duals

First Round

Claysburg-Kimmel vs. Westmont Hilltop at Huntingdon, 6 p.m.

Claysburg-Kimmel-Westmont Hillttop winner at Huntingdon, 8 p.m.

Penn Cambria vs. Penns Valley at Juniata, 6 p.m.

Penn Cambria-Penns Valley winner at Juniata, 8 p.m.

Regular Season

Altoona at Greater Johnstown, 7 p.m.

North Star at Somerset, 7 p.m.

Berlin Brothersvalley at Meyersdale, 7:15 p.m.

Tussey Mountain at Chestnut Ridge, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday

District 6 Class AA Duals

First Round

Blairsville vs. Ligonier Valley at Mount Union, 6 p.m.

Blairsville-Ligonier Valley winner at Mount Union, 8 p.m.

Cambria Heights vs. Moshannon Valley at West Branch, 6 p.m.

Cambria Heights-Moshannon Valley winner at West Branch, 8 p.m.

Thursday

District 5 Class AA Duals

TBD

Regular Season

Shade at North Star, 7 p.m.

Portage at Northern Cambria, 7 p.m.

Cambria Heights at United, 7 p.m.

Saturday

District 5 Class AA Duals

At Chestnut Ridge High School

TBD

District 6 Class AA Duals

At Tyrone Area High School

Semifinals, 10 a.m.

Consolation/Championship, noon

Third Period
As most of you know, I love to cover wrestling. I have plenty of friends and longtime contacts in the sport and enjoy getting to interact with them and give wrestling the coverage it so richly deserves.
Unfortunately, there are times when I have to cover stories that aren't so much fun.
A couple of those popped up this week. There was controversy regarding Blairsville's match at Westmont. I wrote about it because there clearly were some hard feelings about what happened. But I never imagined it would continue to be talked about throughout the weekend. And I didn't think that my blog would be a spot where people would start bashing one coach or another.
That certainly wasn't my intent when I started the blog and it wasn't what I expected when I wrote the story.
I've known Westmont coach Matt Beaujon for a few years now and I've gotten to know Blairsville coach D.J. Doak over the past two years. I respect both of them and believe that each thought that he was doing what was right for his team. All involved seem to believe that it's time to move on. I agree completely, but did want to say that, as an objective observer, I understand why both coaches reacted as they did.
The other story that I've been pursuing over the past week is in regard to the suspension of the Conemaugh Township coaches. I have known Jarod Feathers and Pat Berzonski for years and have always found them to be excellent coaches who care very much about their wrestlers. I know there are plenty of rumors going around about exactly what happened, but I'm not sure any of us know the full truth about it, and we shouldn't pass judgment until we do. I'll continue to follow the situation and dig for the truth because it's my job, but I'll be glad when I can get back to what's happening on the mat instead of off it.