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.