Why isn't the Flood City Showdown more popular?

I wrote a story in today's Tribune-Democrat about the Flood City Showdown, which is being held tonight at Westmont Hilltop.
I've included a detailed breakdown of the matchups below.
I have a question for all of my readers: Why isn't this event more popular than it is?
Personally, I think it's a great event. It matches up the Laurel Highlands' best senior wrestlers against their counterparts from the WestPAC and Heritage Conferences. There is the potential for some truly outstanding matches in this. Unfortunately, a number of wrestlers turn down the opportunity to compete in it each year.
Why is this?
I understand some of the potential reasons. For instance, Somerset's Jacob Nickelson dealt with a serious shoulder injury for the final two months of the season. I completely understand why he wouldn't want to risk further injury to compete in an all-star meet. And I can also understand why someone like Forest Hills' Cody Law might turn down the opportunity. Even though he is not getting scholarship money to go to Penn State, Law is a recruited walk-on who hopes to one day earn a scholarship from the Nittany Lions. While the odds are slim that he would get hurt in this, I can understand if he didn't want to risk it for an all-star match.
Keep in mind, that I'm not sure if these are the reasons that either have given. It could have been a conflict of interest, such as the fact that tonight's event is on the same day as the freestyle/Greco qualifier at UPJ and that competing in that as well as the all-star event tonight would be too much.
A few wrestlers also opted out of this year's event because it is being held on Good Friday. That's also understandable.
The biggest issue I have is that this isn't a one-time issues. Organizer Matt Beaujon has had the event on a number of different dates and run into similar problems with each one. There are always conflicts with baseball (which one wrestler listed as a reason for not wrestling this year, even though there is snow on the ground and I doubt anyone was playing on Good Friday anyway) or other wrestling events.
Would it help if the date is determined even earlier in the year and coaches/wrestlers are informed of it and the possibility that they will be invited to participate? As it is, Beaujon sent out invitations almost three weeks prior to the event.
Is it that wrestling is too demanding? I understand that it's a difficult sport, but this is hardly the state tournament we're talking about. Wrestlers get 12 pounds and they only wrestle a 4-minute match. Even guys that haven't wrestled in two or three weeks should be able to handle that.
(As I'm writing this, I was just notified that another wrestler scratched from tonight's event).
It's not just the wrestlers that disappoint me every year, it's also the fans. Why is there no turnout for the event? It saddens me when only a few dozen people show up to watch some of our region's best wrestlers go head to head.
Is it a lack of publicity about the event? I know I got a couple of emails asking about it, but there never seems to be a buzz surrounding it. As a journalist, my job isn't to generate publicity for an event, but as a wrestling supporter, I try to do what I can for the sport.
I always try to do a preview on it and cover the event itself (although that hasn't always happened in the past).
I don't really do anything more than that for any other events during the season, such as the Sheetz Holiday Classic or the District 5 tournament. Yet they have people talking well before they happen.
I can't do much on it in advance because the lineups are always so fluid. Until it becomes such an established event that kids don't back out at the last minute, it's hard to write about it ahead of time.
So, readers, I'm asking you: What needs to happen to make this event bigger?
I've spoken with Beaujon about this a few times and he's adamant that he'll continue to have the event as long as kids want to wrestle in it. He's not making money on it and he's giving up his free time to allow these seniors one more chance to wrestle. There's no ulterior motive to it. I'm sure he'd like to know as much as I would how the event can grow into one that fans and wrestlers look forward to ever year.
Any suggestions?

119	Steven Zipf – Westmont Hilltop Career: 47-49 2012 – District VI 4th 2013 – District VI 6th Parents: Ken & Betsy Zipf College: Penn State	vs	Bill Charlton – Meyersdale Career: 80-32 2011 – District V 3rd 2013 – District V 1st Parents: Bill & Melissa Charlton Future Plans: Workforce (HVAC)
*130	Josh Patrick – Ligonier Valley Career: 113-20 2010 – District VI 1st, SW Regional 3rd 2011 – District VI 2nd, SW Regional 3rd,, PIAA 4th 2012 – District VI 1st, SW Regional 3rd,, PIAA 5th 2013 – District VI 1st, SW Regional 1st, PIAA 5th Parents: Robert & Cheryl Patrick College: Rutgers  Major: Criminal Justice	vs	Chris Miller – Berlin Brothersvalley Career: 113-37 2010 – District V 3rd 2012 – District V 4th 2013 – District V 1st Parents: Ira & Missy Smith College: Shippensburg  Major: Physical Therapy
141	Mike Walsh – Westmont Hilltop Career: 79-44 2011 – District VI 6th 2012 – District VI 2nd 2013 – District VI 5th Parents: Tim & Lisa Walsh College: Temple	vs	Noah Tarr – Blairsville Career: 139-23 2010 – District VI 4th, SW Regional 4th 2011 – District VI 4th 2012 – District VI 3rd,, SW Regional 2nd 2013 – District VI 1st, SW Regional 3rd Parents: Dave Tarr & Heidi Sulkosky College: Undecided
170	Zack Pinkas – Forest Hills Career: 2011 – District VI 5th 2012 – District VI 6th 2013 – District VI 3rd , SW Regional 5th Parents:   Future Plans:	vs	Cody Kephart – Portage Career: 65-42 2013 – District VI 4th Parents:  Dave & Elise Kephart College: Undecided  Major: Nursing
172	Michael Brett – Bedford Career: 82-33 2011 – District V 3rd 2012 – District V 2nd 2013 – District V 2nd, SW Regional 6th Parents: Pat Brett & Marney Imler College: Undecided	vs	Bill Dunbar – Meyersdale Career: 69-34 2012 – District V 3rd 2013 – District V 3rd Grandparent: Rodger Most Future Plans: US Air Force
220	Don Shovestull – Westmont Hilltop Career: 75-31 2011 – District VI 3rd 2012 – District VI 5th 2013 – District VI 2nd, SW Regional 3rd Parents: Don & Barb Shovestull College: US Naval Academy (NAPS)	vs	Mitchell Walker – Berlin Brothersvalley Career: 36-17 2013 – District V 3rd , SW Regional 4th Parents: George & Susan Walker College: Undecided

NCAA All-Americans from Pa.

I've been covering the NCAA championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Here's my latest story on former United wrestler Evan Henderson earning All-American honors.
I thought I'd take a look at Pennsylvania wrestlers who did the same. It might not be a complete list, as I'm going off of memory here. Feel free to weigh in via the comments section if I missed any or got a school wrong.

125
Nico Megaludis - Penn State (Franklin Regional)

133
A.J. Schopp - Edinboro (Tyrone)

141
Mitchell Port - Edinboro (Bellefonte)
Evan Henderson - North Carolina (United/Kiski Prep)

149
Jordan Oliver - Oklahoma State (Easton)

157
James Fleming - Clarion (West Mifflin)

165
None

174
Mike Evans - Iowa (from Enola, Pa., wrestled for Blair Academy)

184
Ed Ruth - Penn State (Susquehanna/Blair Academy)
Steve Bosak - Cornell (State College)
Jimmy Sheptock - Maryland (Northampton)

197
Quentin Wright - Penn State (Bald Eagle Area)
Matt Wilps - Pitt (Chariters Valley)

285
Mike McMullan - Northwestern (Easton/Wyoming Seminary)

Is proposal for the LHAC tournament dead?

Much was made earlier about the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference tournament this season. Ryan Spring was all over it when the tournament was canceled less than 48 hours before it was to be held at Bedford.

Through some serious miscommunication, no one had ever gotten approval from the District 6 committee for the tournament in 2012-13. That meant that any tournament entered by the teams would have cost each of them scheduling points.

This week, the matter was finally brought up before the District 6 Committee ... and promptly rejected. Here's the link to the minutes from the meeting.

And here is the paragraph from the meeting:

Communications
The District 6 Committee received a request from the LHAC requesting an approval of wrestling tournament crowning an individual and a team champion. On a motion by Kim Hubler and Kathy Getz the request was denied based on the fact that it is not a true championship and it extends the numbers of events. The vote was 13-2.

That certainly doesn't seem to bode well for the tournament. But I spoke with Penn Cambria coach Todd Niebauer on Saturday and he said that the situation might not be as dour as it might seem.
"They turned it down for now, but there is a chance if we can go for a true, end-of-year thing," Niebauer said. "Maybe we can wrestle the top five or six. They want to make it a true championship, not an open tournament."
I understand Niebauer's willingness to to cooperate with the committee. It sounds like the only way the LHAC can have a tournament is to acquiesce to the committee. But the committee's reasoning for rejecting the tournament is ridiculous. The "not a true championship" holds no water, at least for individuals.
It would be the only championship for the LHAC, at least in terms of individuals. If the committee doesn't want to crown a team champion at the tournament, I get that. I can buy the argument that the team champion is crowned via dual meets. The WestPAC doesn't keep team standings at its tournament, and it doesn't seem to take much away from the event.
But an individual (or pool) tournament would be the best way to determine the best wrestlers. I don't know who all of the committee members are, but I'm guessing that they don't know much about wrestling. They don't understand how dual meets work and that just because you're a 126-pounder doesn't mean you'll wrestle each of the other LHAC's 126-pounders. They don't know that you didn't get a chance to wrestle the top 126-pounder in the conference because you bumped up to 132 in that meet in order to help your team win the dual. And they don't know that in another dual meet the opposing team gave you a forfeit and bumped their 126-pounder up to avoid you.
To them, it probably seems redundant to have the same teams that wrestle in a dual meet face off again in a tournament. But to those of us who know wrestling understand that it's not the same at all.
One of the other things that the committee apparently didn't like was the proposed date of the tournament - Jan. 5. They want it to be closer to the end of the season, although the first proposed would conflict with the Thomas tournament. Obviously, Bedford wouldn't want any part of that, and I can't see many of the other schools wanting it then either.
One final thing that might save the idea of an LHAC tournament is limiting to the top few wrestlers in each weight instead of opening it up to every wrestler. This is part of their "not a true championship" talk. Again, it's the shortsighted logic of non-wrestling people voting on wrestling matters. The District 6 tournament is open to all wrestlers, whether they have an 0-20 record or a 20-0 record. And that's considered a "true championship."
At any rate, it sounds like there is still a chance that the LHAC tournament could happen, even if it's not the way that I'd like to see it.

Previewing the PIAA placement round matches

Here's a look at the medal-round matches for local wrestlers:

Finals

120

SW-2 Ryan Easter, Jr., Bedford, 36-2 vs. SE-1 Darian Cruz, Sr., Bethlehem Catholic, Jr., 44-1

• Cruz won the 106-pound title last year, beating Boiling Springs' 13-4 in the championship bout. Cruz, who picked up his 150th career win this weekend, placed third at 103 pounds as a sophomore. He has committed to wrestle at Lehigh.
• Easter is a two-time placewinner, having finished fifth at 103 pounds as a freshman and sixth at 113 as a sophomore. He is looking to become Bedford's first champion since Ron Hamilton in 1964. 
• Cruz is ranked third nationally by Intermat. His only loss this season came to Blair Academy's Matthew Kolodzik, who is ranked second.
• They didn't have any common opponents during the regular, but Cruz beat Ligonier Valley's Josh Patrick 10-5 in the state semifinals. Patrick beat Easter 4-3 in tiebreaker in the regional finals last week.

160

SW-1 Cody Law, Sr., Forest Hills 33-0 vs. NW-1 Evan Delong, Jr., Kane, 29-1

• Delong finished seventh at 145 last season.
• Law placed second last year, losing to Bentworth's Francis Mizia - who he beat at regionals a week earlier - in the 160-pound final.
• Delong beat Redbank Valley's Cole Shirey 13-5 on Dec. 28. Law, who complained that wrestlers aren't opening up against him this weekend, beat Shirey 9-3 in the quarterfinals on Friday. 
• Delong's lone loss came at 170 pounds to Union City's Tim Vargo, the same wrestler who beat Chestnut Ridge's Tyler Dibert 4-2 in the quarterfinals on Friday. Delong beat Tri-Valley's Ty Schoffstall, who is familiar to Thomas tournament fans, 7-6 in the semifinals on Friday night.
• Law is ranked 17th nationally by Intermat and has committed to wrestle at Penn State.

Third-Place Match

113

SW-3 Justin Patrick, Jr., Ligonier Valley 37-5 vs. SE-1 Korbin Myers, So., Boiling Springs, 45-2

• Myers beat Patrick 3-1 in the quarterfinals on Friday morning thanks to a takedown with 16 seconds remaining.
• Myers placed second at 106 last season.
• Patrick finished fourth at 106 a year ago.

Fifth-Place Matches

106

SW-2 Triston Law, So., Forest Hills, 32-6 vs. SW-3, Austin Griffiths, So., Southmoreland, 35-6

• Griffiths beat Law on Jan. 18. Interestingly, Law's NWCA page says it was 12-0. Griffiths says 7-0.
• Law beat Griffiths 7-5 at the Southwest Regional tournament last week.
• Griffiths finished third at 106 last year, coming all the way back from a first-round loss.
• Law is making his PIAA debut.

120

SW-1 Josh Patrick, Sr., Ligonier Valley 29-2 vs. Matt Williams, Sr., Pen Argyl, 34-10

• Patrick has lost two consecutive matches after winning his first 29. Williams dropped his opener  on Thursday but won three in a row until the consolation semifinals on Friday night.
• Patrick, a Rutgers recruit, finished fourth at 112 in 2011 and fifth at 113 last year.
• Williams was in Patrick's weight last year but went 1-2. He finished sixth at 103 in 2010.

285

SW-4 Austin Buttry, Jr., Chestnut Ridge, 39-8 vs. SE-4 Andrew Dunn, So., Bethlehem Catholic, 36-13

• Two fourth-place regional finishers are wrestling for fifth in the state.
• Both are making their PIAA debuts.

Seventh-Place Matches

170

SW-3 Tyler Dibert, Sr., Chestnut Ridge, 40-7 vs. SE-4 Josh Asper, Sr., Biglerville 36-12

• A four-time District 5 champion, Dibert had never won a match at the state individual tournament until Thursday.
• Asper has never placed before and did not wrestle in the PIAA tournament last year.
• Asper was beaten 10-2 in the opening round by Union City's Tim Vargo, who beat Dibert 4-2 in the quarterfinals.
• Dibert has committed to wrestle for Clarion, according Ryan Spring of the Bedford Gazette.

195

SW-5 Jacob Nickelson, Sr., Somerset, 31-6 vs. NE-2 Skylar Ebner, Sr., Muncy, 36-11

• Neither wrestler has placed at the state tournament before and neither qualified last season.
• Both wrestlers were beaten by Trinity's Adam Geiger here. Geiger pinned Nickelson in 1:52 and beat Ebner 15-7.

PIAA semifinals

I'll update local guys. See the full brackets here.

Austin Buttry's bid for a state final fell a bit short. He lost 4-3 to Port Allegany's Nicholas Budd in the semifinal. Budd scored a first-period takedown. Buttry escaped, rode him out in the second and then tied it with a third-period escape. But Budd scored another takedown in the final 20 seconds. Buttry escaped but couldnt match the late drama of his semifinal victory. He'll face Southeast Regional champion Brett Sterner of Susquenita tonight. He pinned Sterner in the opening round.

Forest Hills' Cody Law is back in the state finals. He beat Mifflinburg's Ty Walter 5-1 in the 160-pound semifinals. Law scored a first-period takedown on a go-behind and rode out Walter for the final 30 seconds. He added a second-period escape and, though Law couldn't add to his lead, he maintained the 3-0 edge into the third. Walter escaped almost immediately. Law got a stall wrning with 1:13 left, but sealed the win with a takedown at the 15-second mark.
Law will face Northwest Regional champion Evan Delong in the championship tomorrow afternoon.


Bedford has the first local finalist, as Ryan Easter beat South Side Beaver's Nathan Reckner 9-2 at 120 pounds.
It wasn't nearly as easy as the score might indicate. After a scoreless first period, Reckner got a second-period takedown. He rode Easter for a bit, but at the first time Easter stood, Reckner released him. I couldn't figure why he would do that. There were 39 seconds left in the period. If he would have been able to ride out Easter, the 2-0 lead would have been huge.
Instead, Easter escaped nine seconds into the third to tie it. Then, Reckner tried a throw, which Easter countered, momentarily putting Reckner on his back. Easter didn't get any nearfall points for it, but he did tilt him twice in the period.
This was the most points out of Easter, who managed just five total in his first two victories. He's only given up five in three matches, but his defense will be put to the test in tomorrow afternoon's final as he faces Bethlehem Catholic's Darian Cruz, who beat Ligonier Valley's Josh Patrick 10-5 in the other semifinal.
I was concentrating on Easter's match and didn't see Patrick's, but Cruz took him down quite a few times. Patrick will have Benton's Matt Welliver in tonight's consolation round.

PIAA evening consolation rounds

Third-Round Consolations (winners wrestle again tonight; losers go for seventh tomorow)
Chestnut Ridge's Tyler Dibert lost another tight one to South Fayette's Mike Fetchet, 3-2 in tiebreaker. I haven't had a chance to look it up, but I believe this was their third meeting, all of which went to overtime, with Fetchet winnning the last two. In this one, Fetchet got a second-period reversal but Dibert escaped to make it 2-1. A third-period escape tied it and neither wrestler could come up with a takedown there or in the sudden-victory period. Fetchet escaped in the first half of the tiebreaker and got legs in when he was on top. Dibert almost came up with a reversal at the end. It was close, but in my estimation, the ref got it right.

Ligonier Valley's Justin Patrick pinned Redbank Valley's Willis Gruver in 33 seconds. Patrick locked up a low-leg cradle and got the quick fall. Patrick had his knee wrapped for the match and was limping noticeably when he left the mat.

Forest Hills' Triston Law advances to consi semifinals with 5-0 victory over Cameron Newman at 106. Law is now guaranteed a top-six finish while Bishop McDevitt's Tyshawn White, who teched him in opening round, can't finish higher than seventh. Nice way to bounce back for the sophomore, who will wrestle Palisades' Jacob Wasser later tonight. Wasser beat Newman 10-4 in opening round.

PIAA quarterfinals

Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the blog a bit more today than yesterday. I have eight guys in the quarterfinals and, even though there will be a few up at a time, I should have a better chance of posting updates on the matches here.

Quarterfinals

113

SW-2 Justin Patrick, Jr., Ligonier Valley 34-4 vs. SE-1 Korbin Myers, So., Boiling Springs, 43-1

Myers 3, Patrick 1: Myers deserved to win this, but I didn't agree with how he won it. The first period was scoreless, although it shouldn't have been. I'm quite sure Myers had a takedown but didn't get the call before Patrick funked out of it. In the second, Myers stood up a few times (getting a stall warning on Patrick once) before eventually escaping. Myers rode Patrick for the first minute of the third, but Patrick escaped with 56 seconds left. Myers got in on another shot and before he could score a takedown (in my eyes) Patrick called for injury time. It drew a loud chorus of boos from the crowd, as it looked like an attempt to avoid the takedown. The ref gave the 2 with 16 seconds left, then the injury time. Patrick gets Southeast Regional fifth-place finisher Stephen Maloney of Bethlehem Catholic in the consolation round.

120

SW-1 Josh Patrick, Sr., Ligonier Valley, 28-0 vs. NE-3 Collin Edsell, Fr., Wyalusing, 34-5

Patrick 11, Edsell 3: I didn't see much of this, as I was watching the younger Patrick. I saw Patrick was up 2-0, then 6-2, then 11-2, so it wasn't really much of a match. Patrick will face a very difficult semi with top-ranked Darian Cruz of Beth Catholic. 

SW-2 Ryan Easter, Jr., Bedford, 34-2 vs. NW-1 Tyler Vath, So., Saegertown, 44-4

Easter 4, Vath 2: Good win for Easter. He got a first-period takedown (also missed that, as I was still on Patrick's match). He got ridden for most of the second, but escaped anyway for a 3-0 lead after one. He rode Vath for most of the third, but gave up a reversal with about three seconds left on the boundary. Vath put him up with three seconds left, but couldn't score.

Easter will take on South Side Beaver's Nathan Reckner, whom Josh Patrick beat 5-0 at the Southwest Regional last week, in the semifinals. The finals are a real possibility for Easter.

138

SW-2 Nick Naglic, Jr., Richland 317 vs. NW-1 Brock Zacherl, Jr., Brookville, 33-4

Zacherl 13, Naglic 4: Zacherl is looking very good. Just like he did in Thursday's 15-4 victory over Braden Fochtman of Berlin Brothersvalley, the Northwest Region champ attacked from the opening whistle. He shot at the very start of the match and had two takedowns in the first 21 seconds. Zacherl turned Naglic twice in the second. Zacherl looks like he might be the second-best in the weight class next to Benton's Zain Retherford. It's a shame they'll meet in the semis. Naglic gets a very tough consolation match against Southeast Regional champ Ryan Todora.

160

SW-1 Cody Law, Sr., Forest Hills, 31-0 vs. NW-3 Cole Shirey, Sr., Redbank Valley, 34-6

Law 9, Shirey 3: Law scored three takedowns in the opening period to make sure this was never really a match. An escape and a takedown made it 9-2 after two. Shirey escaped in the third but never came close to a takedown. Law gets Northeast Regional champ Ty Walter of Mifflinburg in the semis.

170

SW-3 Tyler Dibert, Sr., Chestnut Ridge, 39-5 vs. NW-1 Tim Vargo, Sr., Union City, 24-1

Vargo 4, Dibert 2: A minute into this match I thought Dibert might win easily. He hadn't scored, but got in deep on a couple of shots and looked like the better wrestler. But Vargo got into a scramble and came up with a headlock for a takedown. A second-period escape put Dibert down 3-0 and Vargo had just enough funkiness to keep him off-balance. He got a third-period reversal and immediately let Vargo up to try to take him down. The strategy nearly worked as he popped his head out for what would have the tying takedown, but the official blew the whistle for a stalemate at the same time. Dibert will wrestle Franklin's Chris Matthews in the consolation round.

195

SW-4 Dan Albright, Sr., Chestnut Ridge, 37-6 vs. NW-1 Ryan Morris, Jr., Corry, 26-5

Croyle 2, Albright 1: For the past two years, the talk about Albright has been how inexperienced he is. He only started wrestling in eighth or ninth grade. Unfortunately, that inexperience hurt him here. Leading 1-0 in the third, Albright was called for locking hands. When Croyle escaped with 14 seconds remaining, he effectively won the match. Albright will wrestle Somerset's Jacob Nickelson in an all-District 5 consolation match.

285

SW-4 Austin Buttry, Jr., Chestnut Ridge, 38-6 vs. Mitchell Hall, Sr., Tussey Mountain, 32-3

Buttry 7, Hall 4: I don't say it often, but this was a great heavyweight match. After the typical scoreless first, the action picked up in the second. Buttry was the victim of a horrible stalling call in the second. Hall stood up, Buttry brought him back down and ended up on his stomach, holding on to a single leg with Hall's 250-ish pounds on top of him. Somehow, the official decided that when nothing happened in 20 seconds that it was stalling on Buttry stalling instead of a stalemate. A second stall call with 121 seconds left in the period gave Hall a 1-0 lead going to the third. Buttry reversed him but was called for locking hands to tie it at 2. When Hall got a reversal with 28 seconds left, it looked like he would beat Buttry for a fourth time. Buttry escape with 9 seconds left, but it looked like a formality. Instead, he showed the heart that has been a staple, hitting a low single that I thought he scored on at the buzzer. But again, I must have been wrong, because he was awarded two backpoints for a 7-4 victory. Port Allegany's Nicholas Budd upset top-ranked Nazar Mironenko of Mifflinburg, meaning that Buttry has a real shot to be in the finals. 

PIAA updates

Obviously, this project ran out of steam midway through the first round. Trying to take photos, score each match, write two stories and the blog was too much. But I'll leave this portion up anyway. I see no reason to get rid of this even though I couldn't finish it.

145-Zach Heeter, Midd-West, dec. Tanner Cahill, Conemaugh Township,5-3.
Heeter scored a first-period takedown. Cahill made it 2-1 in the second, but let Heeter up to start the third. Heeter got another crucial takedown in the third. Cahill escaped and had a chance to tie it with a headlock, but couldn't get Heeter's hips over and they went off the mat.

138-Brock Zacherl, Brookville, maj. dec. Braden Fochtman, Berlin Brothersvalley, 15-4.
Zacherl scored four takedowns and a set of backpoints in the first period to put this one out of reach.
Fochtman will face Hanover's Tyler Shafer later today.

Nick Naglic, Richland, dec. Tyler Shafer, Hanover, 3-2.
I missed the first period, but I'm guessing Naglic got a takedown and gave up an escape. He escaped in the second to make it 3-1. Shafter escaped in the third but couldn't come up with the takedown that he needed.
Naglic will face Brookville's Brock Zacherl in the quarterfinals.

126-Jarray Norris, Sharon, dec. Collin Day, Meyersdale, 13-7.
Norris scored a couple of takedowns in the first and another in the second, but was only up 6-3 until Norris hit a cement job in the closing seconds of the second period for an 11-3 lead.
Day draws Wyoming Area's Andrew Schutz, who lost 2-1 to Beth Catholic's Zeke Moisey, in the first round.

120-Josh Patrick Ligonier Valley, maj. dec. Josh Giorgio, Schuylkill Valley, 13-3.
It took Patrick most of the first period to score on a go-behind, but he Giorgio was never a threat to score. A reversal and three backpoints extended the lead in the second, although Patrick was called for three consecutive cautions to give Giorgio a point. Two more sets of nearfalls in the third turned it into a route. Giorgi got a late reversal and Patrick escaped.
Patrick will face Wyalusing freshman Collin Edsell in the quarterfinals.

Ryan Easter, Bedford, dec. Bryan Israel, Saucon Valley, 1-0 (UTB).
Not much to say here. Easter and Israel were both tough on top. The difference was a coin flip before the rideout period. Easter won it and Israel never came close to escaping.

113-Justin Patrick, Ligonier Valley, dec. Eric Hunt, Warrior Run, 9-2.
Patrick got a quick takedown and had Hunt in a cradle for about a minute and a half but couldn't pin him. He cruised after that.
Patrick's real test comes in the quarterfinals tomorrow morning, when he faces Boiling Springs' Korbin Myers.

106-Tyshawn White, Bishop McDevitt, tech. fall Triston Law, Forest Hills, 23-8 (5:27).
This match was 4-2 with about 15 seconds left in the first period, but Law took a bad shot, ended up on his back and it went downhill from there. White had 10 takedown and they were almost evenly split between shots and counters.
Law will face Burgettstown's Austin McDermitt in the consolations later today.

Big news out of PIAA weigh-ins

I've been told by multiple coaches that Beth Catholic 182-pounder Jose Ortiz didn't make weight. That means that even if Meyersdale's Gavin Berkley loses his opener he'll get a bye in the consis and advance to tomorrow.
Word is that Ortiz thought it was 185 today, got something to drink and weighed in at 184.4.

Tickets for AAA finals

My brother won't be able to make it to the finals. Anyone interested in buying them at face value?
They're Section 104, Row U, Seats 1-2 (aisle)

If you're interested, email me at eknopsnyder@tribdem.com and I'll put you in touch with him.

Breaking down the PIAA brackets for local wrestlers

106

SW-2 Triston Law, So., Forest Hills, 23-5 vs. SE-3 Tyshawn White, Fr., Bishop McDevitt, 29-5

            White’s NWCA page only includes 17 matches. Hard to believe he’s gone 10-1 in the posteason. He was ranked No. 11 last week by Off the Mat. Here’s a link on his regional quarterfinal loss to Wilson’s Jaryd Flank.

            The winner here gets either Saegertown’s Devin Brown, who OTM has ranked first, or Burgettstown’s Austin McDermitt, who was ranked second but has since dropped to sixth. Not a good draw, to say the least. Law is ranked fifth.

            Huntingdon’s Collin Glorioso got a much better draw thanks to his win over Law in the regional final. He could end up in the semifinals against No. 2 Luke Karam of Beth Catholic.

113

SW-4 Josh Brown, Sr., Claysburg-Kimmel, 27-7 vs. NE-1 Ethan Calkins, Jr, Troy, 33-6

            No common opponents that I see, but OTM has Calkins at No. 13, which makes this look like a very good draw. Of course, Calkins won the Northeast Regional as a sixth seed, so he’s already knocked off some guys that were ranked ahead of him. Still, it’s hard to ask for a better draw for a fourth-place finisher. Brown is ranked fourth by OTM.

SW-2 Justin Patrick, Jr., Ligonier Valley, 33-4 vs. NE-2 Eric Hunt, So., Warrior Run, 35-5

            Hunt was the second seed in the Northeast Region but lost 4-2 to Calkins, who Brown has in the first round. Again, no common opponents that I can find. OTM has Hunt at No. 12, so it certainly appears to be a winnable match for Patrick. But the rest of the bracket doesn’t line up well for him. The regional final loss to Seth Carr really hurts. He could meet top-ranked Korbin Myers of Boiling Springs in the quarterfinals.

            Patrick is ranked fifth.

120

SW-1 Josh Patrick, Sr., Ligonier Valley 27-0 vs. SE-4 Josh Giorgio, Schuylkill Valley, 35-7

            Another Patrick, another less-than-perfect draw. Giorgio is pretty decent. He won 42 matches and just missed out on a trip to states last year. This year, he is ranked ninth by OTM and lost to Pen Argyl’s Matt Williams in the Southeast Regional, where he eventually finished fourth. It’s certainly a match Patrick should win. The bad news is that he’s on the same side of the bracket as Beth. Catholic’s Darian Cruz. That’s a scenario that Patrick told me that he (understandably) was hoping to avoid. It’s not that he’s afraid of Cruz. He was just hoping to meet him in the finals.

            OTM ranks Patrick third.

SW-2 Ryan Easter, Jr., Bedford 33-2 vs. SE-3 Bryan Israel, Sr., Saucon Valley, 40-5

            Israel might have finished third in District 11, but this is no easy matchup for Easter. Israel has split a pair of matches with Williams and lost 4-2 to Cruz. Easter’s reward for a victory likely will be Saegertown’s Tyler Vath, who is ranked second by OTM, in the quarters. If he makes it to the semis, he could face Benton’s Matt Welliver, who beat him in Hershey last year.

            Easter is ranked fifth.

126

SW-5 Collin Day, Sr., Meyersdale, 38-10 vs. NW-1 Jarray Norris, Sr., Sharon, 35-2

These two have a common opponent in Berlin Brothersvalley’s E.J. Custer. They each pinned him in a little more than a minute early in the season, although Day did only beat Custer 15-5 in the dual. They were in the same weight class last year at states, with Norris going a disappointing 1-2 despite his 39-0 record entering the tournament. Day went 0-2 and they each lost to Smethport’s Nate Schwab – Day 9-2 and Norris 14-5. That’s a somewhat encouraging sign for Day.

Norris is ranked seventh by OTM. Considering the other regional champs he could have gotten are defending champ Ryan Diehl and 37-0 Kent Lane, the draw is about as good as it could be for Day, who is ranked 16th.

132

No local entries

138

SW-4 Braden Fochtman,, Fr., Berlin Brothersvalley, 32-1 vs. Brock Zacherl, Jr., Brookville, 32-4

Zacherl beat Burrell’s Steve Edwards 9-3 on Dec. 28. That’s the same Steve Edwards who beat Fochtman twice at the Southwest Regional tournament. Zacherl placed seventh at 138 last year and was ranked third by OTM, but has since dropped to No. 8. Three of his four losses came at the Powerade Tournament, where he finished sixth and the other was by medical forfeit. In the Northwest Regional, Zacherl teched Saegertown’s Matt Humes, who OTM has ranked 13^th. A loss here would pit No. 16 Fochtman against the loser of …

SW-2 Nick Naglic, Jr., Richland, 30-7 vs. SE-3 Tyler Shafer, Jr., Hanover, 27-7

            OTM had Shafer ranked ninth, which is a spot lower than Naglic. I’m not sure what to make of Naglic after the Southwest Regional tournament. He looked great in handing Nick Gavazzi his first loss, but then got majored by Sean Heggs, who had struggled to beat him in the District 6 finals two weeks earlier.

            No common opponents here. Both of these wrestlers made big steps forward from a year ago, as Shafer was 24-12 last year and didn’t qualify for states. This definitely seems like a winnable match for Naglic, who is ranked sixth. It wouldn’t stun me to see him in the semifinals against Benton’s Zain Retherford.

145

SW-3 Noah Tarr, Sr., Blairsville 37-3 vs. NE-2 Billy Barnes, So., Williamson, 35-2

Tarr and Barnes have a common opponent in Penns Valley’s Seth Decker. Barnes beat Decker 12-6 on Dec. 29 while Tarr beat him 6-4 in the District 6 championship. Barnes didn’t qualify as a 126-pounder last year while Tarr went 1-2. Barnes is ranked fifth by OTM while Tarr is eighth. Barnes lost 5-3 to No. 2 Colt Cotten of Benton in the Northeast Region finals. If No. 8 Tarr wins he’d likely get Northwest Region champ Levi Stoyer of Reynolds. The good news is he wouldn’t see Mike Racciato, last year’s runner-up, until the semifinals or Cotten until the finals.

SW-2 Tanner Cahill, Sr., Conemaugh Township, 35-3 vs. NE-3 Zach Heeter, Sr., Midd-West, 38-5

            No common opponents here, but like Tarr and Barnes, Heeter wrestled Penns Valley’s Seth Decker. Unlike those two, Heeter was beaten – 7-2 – by Decker. Heeter got hot (sorry, couldn’t resist) at the Northeast Regional tournament, going from the seventh seed to the state tournament including a 10-3 thumping of second-seeded Manny Miralih of Western Wayne in the quarterfinals and another victory over him in the consolation final. Cahill, who is ranked seventh, should win this one, but then he runs into trouble in the form of No. 1 Mike Racciato of Pen Argyl.

152

SW-3 Tanner Williams, Sr., Bedford 34-5 vs. SE-2 Robbie Moretz, Sr., Halifax, 39-1

Moretz suffered his first loss in the Southeast Regional finals last week, where he fell 7-2 to Northern Lehigh’s Ty Herzog. Ten of Moretz’s victories have come via forfeit. There are two ways to look at that: 1. He is so good that other teams dodge him whenever possible. 2. Halifax is wrestling less-than-stellar competition that is probably giving up one or more forfeits anyway and juggles the lineup to give it to Moretz.

            There are no common opponents here, but Moretz did beat Penns Valley’s Cole Confer (8-1), Juniata’s Derek Beitz (3-1) and Tri-Valley’s Ty Schoffstall (injury default). I actually like the chances for Williams, who is ranked No. 12, here, but I’d feel more comfortable picking him if this wasn’t his first appearance at the state tournament (he was injured last season). If Williams does win, he’d likely draw No. 3 Ryan Preisch of Milton.

SW-2 Andrew Doak, So., Blairsville, 36-2 vs. SE-3 Travis Buddock, Sr., Saucon Valley, Jr., 35-7

            There’s one common opponent: South Fayette’s Grant Fetchet. Judging by scores, it doesn’t look good for Doak. Buddock majored Fetched, 17-5, in the state dual-meet tournament while Doak won 5-3 over Fetchet in the Southwest Regional. Of course, many of Doak’s matches are by decision, so I’m not sure that’s the best gauge. OTM has Doak ranked fifth and Buddock ranked sixth, so this could be a very good match. It’s hard to bet against Doak, who placed seventh as a freshman 152-pounder a year ago. Hard to see either one being able to get past the quarterfinals

SW-4 Taylor Cahill, So., Conemaugh Township, 34-7 vs. NW-1 Austin Matthews, Sr., Reynolds, 45-1

            Ouch. This is as tough as it gets for a local wrestler in the first round. Not only is Matthews a two-time runner-up looking for an elusive gold, he’s also ranked first by OTM and seventh nationally by Flowrestling. His only loss this season came to Russ Parsons of Blair Academy, who is ranked fourth.

            Cahill is ranked 16^th by OTM, and with the possibility of getting Matthews and then the Doak-Buddock loser, it’s going to take his best effort of the season to win a match.

160

SW-1 Cody Law, Sr., Forest Hills, 30-0 vs. Connor Hedash, Sr., Beth. Catholic, 44-7

            Law, who is ranked first by OTM and 10^th nationally by Flowrestling, might be the area’s best shot at gold this season, but he certainly didn’t get an easy path. Hedash was ineligible to wrestle last season after transferring to Beth Catholic from Northern Lehigh, where the Hedash name has quite a legacy. Hedash, who is ranked 13^th by OTM, was a disappointing fifth at the Southeast Regional last week, but he’s still a quality wrestler. He won 44 matches wrestling a very difficult schedule for Beca High.

            Assuming Law gets past Hedash, he’d get either No. 6 Nick Mort of Fairfield or No. 7 Cole Shirey of Redbank Valley in the quarterfinals and likely would face No. 3 Ty Walter of Mifflinburg in the semifinals. OTM projects him to face Tri-Valley’s Ty Schoffstall in the finals.

SW-4 Bryce Fochtman, So., Berlin Brothersvalley, 35-4 vs. NE-1 Ty Walter, Sr., Mifflinburg, 32-3

            This is a difficult first-round match, but there don’t seem too many easy ones in this weight. Penns Valley’s Corey Hazel, who beat Fochtman in the Southwest Regional consi final, didn’t get an easy draw either, as he faces Benton’s Jeric Kasunic. Walter is ranked third by OTM, but No. 11 Fochtman shouldn’t be intimidated, as he’s already wrestled No. 1 Law and No. 7 Cole Shirey. Walter beat Kasunic 1-0 in the Northeast Regional final.

            A loss here wouldn’t be the end of the world for Fochtman.

SW-5 Landon Lohr, Jr., Somerset 28-6 vs. SE-1 Ty Schoffstall, Sr., Tri-Valley, 30-3

            Schoffstall has become a familiar face at the Thomas Tournament in Bedford (he won it in 2012) but missed it this season due to injury. Schoffstall placed third in the state at 152 and is ranked second this year by OTM. Lohr, who is ranked 12^th, is making his Hershey debut.

            A loss here by Lohr could end up in a consolation rematch with South Fayette’s Jared Walker, who beat him at Bedford this season.

170

SW-3 Tyler Dibert, Sr., Chestnut Ridge, 38-5 vs. NE-2 Justin Knee, Sr., South Williamsport, 32-8

            This looks like a very winnable match for Dibert, who is ranked fourth. Knee is ranked 14^th, ahead of only Forest Hills’ Zack Pinkas and Bedford’s Caleb Grimes, both of whom Dibert beat last weekend in the Southwest Regional.

            A victory here would pit Dibert against either No. 7 Tim Vargo or No. 8 Josh Asper. I could see him winning that as well to reach the semifinals against No. 1 Pete Renda of Brandywine Heights.

SW-5 Zack Pinkas, Sr., Forest Hills, 30-8 vs. SE-1 Pete Renda, Sr., Brandywine Heights, 38-0

            Renda, who was a runner-up last year, is unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the state. How dominant has he been? Only five of his 38 victories have gone the distance this season (and one of those was a tech fall in six minutes). He has one regular decision this season (6-2 over Central Dauphin’s Colton Peppelman in his second match of the season) and majors over No. 5 Michael Ortiz of Northwestern Lehigh and No. 6 Tristan Sponseller of Bermudian Springs.

            It’s hard to imagine No. 16 Pinkas being the first wrestler to beat him this season.

SW-4 Caleb Grimes, Sr., Bedford, 26-12 vs. NE-1 Ben Minnich, Sr., North Penn, 33-5

            Grimes’ postseason run has been a great story but it’s got to come to an end soon, doesn’t it? The draw could have been much worse for Grimes. Minnich is ranked 10^th by OTM and has a common opponent with Grimes in Chestnut Ridge’s Dibert, who pinned the North Penn senior but has a pair of decisions over Grimes. Whether or not that means No 15 Grimes can pull another stunning upset remains to be seen, but if he does, I can’t see him getting past Sponseller in the quarterfinals.

182

SW-2 Scott Thompson, So., Blairsville, 15-1 vs. NW-3 Aarron Hook, Sr., Redbank Valley, 34-3

            It’s not a surprise that there are no common opponents here, as Thompson missed much of the season with a broken wrist. He’s come back strong, with his first loss coming in the Southwest Regional final to No. 1 Dakota DesLauriers of Burrell. Just a sophomore, Thompson placed sixth at this weight last year and is ranked fourth. Thompson beat Beth Catholic’s Jose Ortiz 7-2 in Hershey a year ago. Ortiz handed Hook one of his three losses this season.

            Thompson could run into a big roadblock in the quarterfinals in the form of No. 2 Troy Hembury of Muncy.

SW-5 Gavin Berkley, Jr., Meyersdale, 43-4 vs. NW-1 Dylan Reynolds, So., Saegertown, 42-4

            Reynolds is a very impressive sophomore. He hasn’t lost in 2013 and is ranked sixth by OTM. The one thing about Reynolds is I don’t see any real signature victories for him. While District 10 and the Northwest Region didn’t feature any household names. Berkley’s biggest victory probably came in the Thomas tournament finals, where he beat Tri-Valley’s Lyle Troutman. Berkley is ranked 14^th by OTM while Troutman is 15^th, so he doesn’t have a huge win, either, but the junior has opened some eyes this season. Berkley has wrestled some of one of the nation’s best, as he took on Jared Haught of Parkersburg, W.Va., earlier this season. Haught, who is ranked 12^th by Flowrestling, beat him 15-5, but Berkley is normally very hard to score on.

            If Berkley can pull off the upset he’d likely get Beth Catholic’s Jose Ortiz in the quarterfinals. A loss probably would pit him against Benton’s Logan Womelsdorf.

195

SW-4 Dan Albright, Sr., Chestnut Ridge, 36-6 vs. NW-1 Ryan Morris, Jr., Corry, 25-5

            Morris, who is ranked fourth by OTM, does have one common opponent with Albright in Berlin Brothersvalley’s Stew Trulick. Both pinned Trulick, so it’s hard to take much from that. Morris did take on a couple of wrestlers that local fans might be familiar with – losing 5-3 to Altoona’s Mante Barnes and pinning Avella’s Cody Jacobs, who finished second at 220 at the Southwest Region in Johnstown last weekend.

            Albright, who is ranked 13^th, rarely gets much credit statewide, but this looks like a touch matchup. A win likely would pit him against Williams Valley’s Jonathan Rummel in the quarterfinals while a loss could give him against Kittanning’s Zac Croyle, who beat him 5-3 last week.

SW-5 Jacob Nickelson, Sr., Somerset 29-4 vs. SE-1 Adam Geiger, Sr., Trinity, 28-2

            Nickelson spent most of the season in OTM’s top five, but his stock has dropped since a shoulder injury near the end of the regular season. Three of his four losses have come in the postseason, which is probably as much a reflection of a step up in competition as it is indicative of how the injury is affecting him. Nickelson is now ranked 11^th by OTM.

            Nickelson and Geiger share a common opponent in Penns Valley’s Maverick Swartz. Geiger teched him in January while Nickelson pinned him over the weekend. Geiger can score a lot of points, which could be a problem unless Nickelson can lock up his crossface cradle. A victory likely would give Nickelson No. 6 Trevor Beiter of Seneca while a loss could put him up against No. 15 Skylar Ebner of Muncy.

220

SW-3 Don Shovestull, Sr., Westmont Hilltop, 30-7 vs. NE-2 Dylan Otis, So., Wyalusing, 34-3

            Shovestull has flown under the radar for much of the year, as evidenced by the fact that OTM’s Mark Dugan didn’t have him getting out of the Southwest Region. He’s ranked 11^th this week, five spots below Otis. It doesn’t look like these two have any common opponents, but Shovestull has seen some quality competition thanks to the Hilltoppers’ entry in the POWERade and Escape the Rock tournaments.

            An Eagle Scout who is headed to the Naval Academy, Shovestull has a never-say-die attitude that helps him do some of his best work in the consolation rounds. Should he beat Otis – which wouldn’t be all that shocking – he’d likely run into Cochranton’s Cam Cyphert in the quarterfinals. If he does lose, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him make a run in the consolations.

SW-4 Mitchell Walker, Sr., Berlin Brothersvalley, 30-11 vs. NE-1 Brandon Smith, Sr., Lewisburg, 33-1

            Walker is a surprising story. I didn’t expect him to make it out of the District 5 tournament and here he is in the state tournament. He’s got some athleticism, a great work ethic and a ton of heart, but injuries has limited experience because of injuries.

            Still, it’s hard to see Walker knocking off Smith, who is ranked No. 1 by OTM and has won 32 straight matches. Like Shovestull, Walker could possibly do some damage in the consolation round by winning on heart alone – just like he did in Johnstown. He’d likely get Notre Dame GP’s Dennis Atiyeh in his second match.

285

SW-4 Austin Buttry, Jr., Chestnut Ridge, 37-6 vs. SE-1 Brent Sterner, Sr., Susquenita, 33-6

            These two have a couple of common opponent in Bermudian Springs’ Brady Linebaugh and Boiling Springs’ Noah Davis. Sterner beat Linebaugh 7-5 and 3-0 while Buttry beat him 8-2. They each pinned Davis. Buttry is ranked sixth – seven spots of Sterner – and certainly is talented enough to beat him. I’m not sure that Buttry is wrestling his best right now, as evidenced by his loss to Burrell’s Allan Beattie, whom he beat earlier in the season.

            Buttry could get yet another match with Tussey Mountain’s Mitchell Hall, either in the quarterfinals or the consolation round. If Buttry wrestles well, he could be in the semifinals against top-ranked Nazar Mronenko of Mifflinburg.

SW-3 Mitchell Hall, Sr., Tussey Mountain, 31-3 vs. NW-2 Jeff Burger, Sr., Union City, 26-3

            I’ve wondered whether or not the stage would get to big for Hall, but he keeps proving his mettle. All three of Hall’s losses have come to West Branch’s Morgan Selepack, so the stage certainly hasn’t been the problem for him. Burger is ranked fifth by OTM while Hall is 10^th. This looks like a winnable match for Hall, but as I’ve said before, anything can happen with heavyweights.

            As I said above, we could get another Hall-Buttry match, which would probably be just fine with the Tussey Mountain wrestler, who has beaten Buttry at the Thomas tournament, at districts and regionals.

Off the Mat's PIAA tournament predictions

OFF THE MAT STATE RANKINGS AA

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 9

MARCH 5th, 2013 PROJECTED STATE PLACE WINNERS

106

1. DEVIN BROWN .............. 10…Saegertown ..................... 10

2. LUKE KARAM ................. 09…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

3. AUSTIN GRIFFITH ........... 10 ... Southmoreland ................ 7

4. COLLIN GLORIOSO ......... 09…Huntingdon ....................... 6

5. TRISTON LAW ................ 10…Forest Hills ......................... 6

6. AUSTIN MCDERMITT ..... 10… Burgettstown ................... 7

7. JARYD FLANK ................. 12…Wilson Area ..................... 11

8. CAMERON NEWMAN .... 10…Line Mountain ................... 4

9. BRENDAN HOWARD ...... 09…Jefferson Morgan .............. 7

10. TAYLOR ORTZ ................ 09…Brookville .......................... 9

11. ZACH LEBARRON ........... 09…Warrior Run ....................... 4

12. SETH HOGUE ................. 09…Reynolds .......................... 10

13. JACOB WASSER ............. 09…Palisades .......................... 11

14. TYSHAWN WHITE .......... 09…Bishop McDevitt ................ 3

15. BRIAN FRIERY ................ 09…Lewisburg .......................... 4

16. JOE LOBECK ................... 09…Lancaster Catholic ............. 3

113

1. KORBIN MYERS .............. 10…Boiling Springs ................... 3

2. SETH CARR ..................... 12…South Fayette .................... 7

3. GEORGE PHILLIPPI ......... 09…Derry Area ......................... 7

4. JOSH BROWN ................ 12…Claysburg-Kimmel ............. 6

5. JUSTIN PATRICK ............. 11…Ligonier Valley ................... 6

6. CODY BLANKENSHIP ...... 11…Kane .................................. 9

7. WILLIS GRUVER ............. 11…Redbank Valley .................. 9

8. JAKE ROTHKA ................ 11…Bentworth ......................... 7

9. DAVID PIPA .................... 10…Bishop McDevitt ................ 3

10. ALEC TORRES ................. 12…Wyomissing ....................... 3

11. CALEB BORDNER ........... 10…Tri Valley .......................... 11

12. ERIC HUNT ..................... 10…Warrior Run ....................... 4

13. ETHAN CALKINS ............. 11…Troy ................................... 4

14. MICHAEL BARTOLO ....... 10…Reynolds .......................... 10

15. STEPHEN MALONEY ...... 09…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

16. ANTHONY LUTON .......... 11…Wilkes-Barre GAR .............. 2

120

1. DARIAN CRUZ ................ 12…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

2. TYLER VATH ................... 10…Saegertown ..................... 10

3. JOSH PATRICK ................ 12…Ligonier Valley ................... 6

4. MATT WELLIVER ............ 12…Benton ............................... 4

5. RYAN EASTER ................ 11…Bedford ............................. 5

6. BRYAN ISRAEL ............... 12…Saucon Valley .................. 11

7. MATT WILLIAMS ........... 12…Pen Argyl ......................... 11

8. NATE RECKNER ............. 12…South Side Beaver ............. 7

9. JOSH GIORGIO ............... 10…Schuylkill Valley ................. 3

10. TRENT NEELY ................. 12…Smethport ......................... 9

11. JOSIAH HUGHES ............ 12…Valley ................................. 7

12. MATT WHEELER ............ 11…Northwestern .................. 10

13. GRANT BOND ................ 10…Boiling Springs ................... 3

14. MIKE CARR .................... 09…South Fayette .................... 7

15. COLIN EDSELL ................ 09…Wyalusing .......................... 4

16. ZACH FREY ..................... 09…Hughesville ........................ 4

126

1. RYAN DIEHL ................... 12…Trinity ................................ 3

2. ZEKE MOISEY ................. 11…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

3. KENT LANE..................... 10…Southern Columbia ........... 4

4. KYLE SHOOP .................. 10…Boiling Springs ................... 3

5. ANDREW SCHUTZ .......... 12…Wyoming Area................... 2

6. GREG BULSAK ................ 09…South Park ......................... 7

7. JARRAY NORRIS ............. 12…Sharon ............................. 10

8. JOHN DEMASKE ............. 11…Jefferson Morgan .............. 7

9. LOGAN EVERETT ............ 12…Williamson ........................ 4

10. PATRICK DEWITT ........... 11…Valley ................................. 7

11. DISON MYERS ................ 12…Southern Huntingdon........ 6

12. ANREW SUTTON............ 11…Pen Argyl ......................... 11

13. KYLE LUKOWICH ............ 11…Conneaut Area ................ 10

14. JAQUAN GORDAN ......... 12…Wyomissing ....................... 3

15. NICK MONICO ............... 09…Saegertown ..................... 10

16. COLLIN DAY ................... 12…Meyersdale ....................... 5

132

1. JASON NOLF .................. 11…Kittanning .......................... 7

2. NICK ZANETTA ............... 12…Keystone Oaks ................... 7

3. AUSTIN HARRY .............. 11…Lake Lehman ..................... 2

4. IAN BROWN ................... 11…Hanover ............................. 3

5. COLE WALTER ................ 10…Mifflinburg ........................ 4

6. KARL LIGHTNER……………12…Smethport ......................... 9

7. BRENNON SHIELDS ........ 12…Southern Huntingdon........ 6

8. DALTON ZIMMERMAN..10…Brookville ........................... 9

9. JEFFREY INMAN ............. 10…Annville Cleona ................. 3

10. JAKE WENTZEL .............. 09…South Park ......................... 7

11. LEE TODORA .................. 09…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

12. JOHN ANDREJCIK ........... 11…Burrell ................................ 7

13. ADAM FISH .................... 09…Seneca ............................. 10

14. MICHAEL COMUNALE ... 10…Pius X ............................... 11

15. CHASE SCHAEFFER ........ 09…Tri Valley .......................... 11

16. TREVOR MCWHORTER .. 11…Williamson ........................ 4

138

1. ZAIN RETHERFORD ........ 12…Benton ............................... 4

2. SETH LANSBERRY .......... 12…Line Mountain ................... 4

3. RYAN TODORA............... 12…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

4. SEAN HEGGS………………..12…Juniata ............................... 6

5. BROCK ZACHERL ............ 11…Brookville .......................... 9

6. NICK NAGLIC………………..12…Richland ............................ 6

7. HUNTER HARNER…………10…Tri Valley ......................... 11

8. STEVEN EDWARDS ........ 11…Burrell ................................ 7

9. NICK GAVAZZI………………11…Charleroi............................ 7

10. TYLER SHAFER………………11…Hanover ............................ 3

11. JASPER HANKEY…………..11…Biglerville ........................... 3

12. MICHAEL BONNER……….12…Sharon ............................. 10

13. MATT HUMES……………..11…Saegertown .................... 10

14. NICK HECK…………………..12…Wyoming Area ................... 2

15. BRADEN FOCHTMAN ..... 09…Berlin Brothersvalley...... 5

16. ALEX GALLAHER……….10…Camp Hill ....................... 3

145

1. MIKE RACCIATO ............ 12…Pen Argyl ......................... 11

2. COLT COTTEN ................ 12…Benton ............................... 4

3. TANNER SUTTON ........... 12…Chartiers-Houston ............. 7

4. BLAKE BOWMAN…………12…Tri Valley .......................... 11

5. LEVI STOYER .................. 11…Reynolds .......................... 10

6. BILLY BARNES ................ 10…Williamson ........................ 4

7. TANNER CAHILL ............. 12…Conemaugh Township ...... 5

8. NOAH TARR…………………12…Blairsville............................ 6

9. PHIL MARRA..................12…Burrell ................................ 7

10. ZACH VROMAN ............. 11…Brookville .......................... 9

11. BRITON SHELTON .......... 10…Bermudian Springs ............ 3

12. MATT JOHNSTON .......... 12…West Greene ..................... 7

13. ELI BRILL ........................ 12…Pine Grove ....................... 11

14. ZACH HEETER ................ 12…Midd-West ........................ 4

15. ROBERT BOOZER ........... 11…Cochranton ...................... 10

16. ZACH HOMAN ............... 12…Schuylkill Valley ................. 3

152

1. AUSTIN MATTHEWS ...... 12…Reynolds .......................... 10

2. KYLE BARNES ................. 12…Hughesville ........................ 4

3. RYAN PREISCH ............... 11…Milton ................................ 4

4. TY HERZOG .................... 12…Northern Lehigh .............. 11

5. ANDREW DOAK ............. 10…Blairsville ........................... 6

6. TRAVIS BUDDOCK .......... 12…Saucon Valley .................. 11

7. BO BONZO ..................... 12…Freedom ............................ 7

8. KYLE BOVA..................... 11…Coudersport ...................... 9

9. ROBBIE MORETZ ........... 12…Halifax ............................... 3

10. BLAKE MARKS ................ 09…Southern Columbia ........... 4

11. TAYLOR HARRINGTON... 12…Fort LeBoeuf .................... 10

12. TANNER WILLIAMS ........ 12…Bedford ............................. 5

13. ZACHARY GRAVER ......... 10…Palmerton........................ 11

14. GRANT FETCHET ............ 11…South Fayette .................... 7

15. MARK MALONEY ........... 12…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

16. TAYLOR CAHILL .............. 10…Conemaugh Township ...... 5

160

1. CODY LAW ..................... 12…Forest Hills ......................... 6

2. TY SHOFFSTALL .............. 12…Tri Valley .......................... 11

3. TY WALTER .................... 12…Mifflinburg ........................ 4

4. EVAN DELONG ............... 11…Kane .................................. 9

5. JERIC KASUNIC ............... 12…Benton ............................... 4

6. NICK MORT .................... 11…Fairfield ............................. 3

7. COLE SHIREY .................. 12…Redbank Valley .................. 9

8. COREY HAZEL ................ 10…Penns Valley ...................... 6

9. TAYLOR FOX .................. 12…Fort LeBoeuf .................... 10

10. QUINN FRASSETTA ........ 12…Camp Hill ........................... 3

11. BRYCE FOCHTMAN ........ 12…Berlin Brothers Valley ....... 5

12. LANDONLOHR ............... 11…Somerset ........................... 5

13. CONNOR HEDASH ......... 12…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

14. JARED WALKER .............. 10…South Fayette .................... 7

15. AUSTON HUMMEL ........ 11…North Schuylkill ............... 11

16. ISAIAH BOBOTAS ........... 11…Montgomery ..................... 4

170

1. PETER RENDA ................ 12…Brandywine Heights .......... 3

2. DUSTIN CONTI ............... 12…Jefferson Morgan .............. 7

3. MICHAEL FECHET .......... 12…South Fayette .................... 7

4. TYLER DIBERT ................ 12…Chestnut Ridge .................. 5

5. MICHAEL ORTIZ ............. 12…Northwestern Lehigh ...... 11

6. TRISTAN SPONSELLER ... 11…Bermudian Springs ............ 3

7. TIM VARGO ................... 12…Union City ........................ 10

8. JOSH ASPER ................... 12…Biglerville ........................... 3

9. NICK CORTOPASSI ......... 11…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

10. BEN MINNICH ................ 12…North Penn ........................ 4

11. CHRIS MATTHEWS......... 12…Franklin ............................ 10

12. ALEX LIEBERMAN .......... 11…Midd-West ........................ 4

13. ALEX GULAR .................. 12…Port Allegany ..................... 9

14. JUSTIN KNEE .................. 12…South Williamsport ........... 4

15. CALEB GRIMES .............. 12…Bedford ............................. 5

16. ZACK PINKAS ................. 12…Forest Hills ......................... 6

182

1. DAKOTA DESLAURIERS .. 12…Burrell ................................ 7

2. TROY HEMBURY ............ 12…Muncy ............................... 4

3. ADAM MACKIE .............. 12…Brandywine Heights .......... 3

4. SCOTT THOMPSON ....... 10…Blairsville ........................... 6

5. STEPHEN LOISEAU ......... 11…Lancaster Catholic ............. 3

6. DYLAN REYNOLDS ......... 10…Saegertown ..................... 10

7. TERRELL FIELDS ............. 11…Valley ................................. 7

8. MICHAEL ROGERS ......... 10…Penns Valley ...................... 6

9. JOSE ORTIZ .................... 11…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

10. AARON HOOK ................ 12…Redbank Valley .................. 9

11. GARRETT WESNESKI ...... 11…Canton ............................... 4

12. LOGAN WOMELSDORF…10…Benton .............................. 4

13. JAMAR HENRY ............... 12…Reynolds .......................... 10

14. GAVIN BERKLEY ............. 11…Meyersdale ....................... 5

15. LYLE TROUTMAN ........... 12…Tri Valley .......................... 11

16. KYLE TAYLOR ................. 11…Boiling Springs ................... 3

195

1. RYAN SOLOMON ........... 12…Milton ................................ 4

2. GARRETT VULCANO ...... 12…Chartiers-Houston ............. 7

3. ADAM GEIGER ............... 12…Trinity ................................ 3

4. RYAN MORRIS ............... 11…Corry ................................ 10

5. JON RUMMEL ................ 12…Williams Valley ................ 11

6. TREVOR BEITER ............. 12…Seneca ............................. 10

7. JOSH ALPHA .................. 12…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

8. JAKE JOHNSON .............. 12…Eisenhower ...................... 10

9. ZAC CROYLE ................... 12…Kittanning .......................... 7

10. JAMES STODART ........... 12…Moshannon Valley ............ 6

11. JAKE NICKOLSON ........... 12…Somerset ........................... 5

12. CONNOR ROSENSWEET 12…Western Wayne ................ 2

13. DAN ALBRIGHT .............. 12…Chestnut Ridge .................. 5

14. JUSTIN BLOBE ................ 11…Saucon Valley .................. 11

15. SKYLAR EBNER ............... 12…Muncy ............................... 4

16. AUSTIN BASHORE .......... 11…Hamburg ........................... 3

220

1. BRANDON SMITH .......... 12…Lewisburg .......................... 4

2. RAY O’DONNELL ............ 12…Saucon Valley .................. 11

3. JAKE TEMPLE ................. 11…Avella ................................. 7

4. CAM CYPHERT ............... 12…Cochranton ...................... 10

5. EVAN DALEY .................. 12…Fort LeBoeuf .................... 10

6. DYLAN OTIS ................... 10…Wyalusing .......................... 4

7. JOEY KAUFMAN ............. 12…Halifax ............................... 3

8. CODY JACOBS ................ 12…West Greene ..................... 7

9. CALVIN BARRICK ............ 12…Boiling Springs ................... 3

10. DENNIS ATIYEH.............. 12…Notre Dame ..................... 11

11. DON SHOVESTULL ......... 12…Westmont-Hilltop ............. 6

12. JACOB LUDWIG ............. 12…Moshannon Valley ............ 6

13. ERIC MCCRACKEN ......... 12…Central Columbia............... 4

14. JAYKUP DURLIN ............. 11…Youngsville ...................... 10

15. MITCHELL WALKER ........ 12…Berlin Brothersvalley ....... 5

16. TANNER DEAN ............... 12…North Schuylkill ............... 11

285

1. NAZAR MIRONENKO ..... 11…Mifflinburg ........................ 4

2. TREVOR STOVER ............ 12…Biglerville ........................... 3

3. SAM BREESE .................. 11…Lakeview .......................... 10

4. ALEX SHIBER .................. 12…Central Columbia............... 4

5. JEFF BURGER ................. 12…Union City ........................ 10

6. AUSTIN BUTTRY ............. 11…Chestnut Ridge .................. 5

7. ALLEN BEATTIE .............. 10…Burrell ................................ 7

8. JAKE BECKER.................. 12…Southern Columbia ........... 4

9. MORGAN SELEPACK ...... 11…West Branch ...................... 6

10. MITCHELL HALL ............. 12…Tussey Mountain ............... 5

11. NICHOLAS BUDD ........... 12…Port Allegany ..................... 9

12. BRADY MUTTON ........... 11…Pen Argyl ......................... 11

13. BRETT STERNER ............. 12…Susquenita ......................... 3

14. ANDREW DUNN ............ 10…Bethlehem Catholic ......... 11

15. JAKE BEISTEL ................. 09…Southmoreland ................. 7

16. BEN WERTZ ................... 12…Wyomissing ....................... 3