Results and analysis for Thursday, 12/19/13

It was a big night for Districts 5 and 6, with some entertaining duals on the docket. I didn't make it to any, but I've been able to find most of the scores.

West Branch 39, Mount Union 24

170-Conor Myers, WB, maj. dec. Devon Kyler, 10-2.

182-Robert Pearce, WB, pinned D.J. Brookwalter, 1:50.

195-Phil Kyle, MU, dec. Vincent McDowell, 14-7.

220-Buzzy Maines, WB, tech. fall Darrian Stapleton, 22-7 (5:17).

285-Nik Smith, MU, pinned Morgan Selepack, 5:48.

106-Joseph Couteret, WB, maj. dec. Bryton Stidfole, 12-0.

113-Wyatt Sankey, WB, maj. dec. Mason Craig, 15-3.

120-Sage Moist, MU, forfeit.

126-Jake Boozel, MU, pinned Hunter Parks, 1:06.

132-Robbie Steel, MU, dec. Jacob Brown, 4-3.

138-Kaleb Quick, WB, dec. Curtis Jury, 10-7.

145-Parker Bumbarger, WB, maj. dec. Sam Estep, 12-3.

152-Luke Slippey, WB, pinned Dylan Smith, 5:39.
160-Clayton Green, WB, dec. Austin Low, 5-1.

Records: West Branch 3-0; Mount Union 3-1.

Analysis: This one was all the talk of the District 6 message board heading into the match, and rightfully so. It was a rematch of last year's championship match, which also was won by West Branch. If you believe the chatter, this was a preview of the 2014 title match. That could be true, but I still think Huntingdon will have something to say about that.
It stands to reason that a match between two good teams like this will have a number of highlight matches, and that held to be true. The big surprise (no pun intended) came at 285 pounds, where Mount Union's Nik Smith pinned Morgan Selepack, an eighth-place medalist at states last season. Smith was a regional qualifier, so he's certainly a capable wrestler, I just wouldn't have seen a pin coming there.
I haven't found any published articles on the dual but according to that same District 6 message board, the 152-pound bout between a pair of 30-match winners in West Branch's Luke Slippey and Mount Union's Dylan Smith. Slippey was able to come up with a late fall that opened the meet score even more.
There also were a couple of toss-up matches in there between some of the lesser-knowns in the lineups, so it's not completely inconceivable that Mount Union could find a way to beat West Branch should the two meet again, but it still looks to me like the Warriors have a better squad top to bottom.

Bedford 38, Cambria Heights 33
145-Raymond Niebauer, CH, pinned Devon Karns, :59.
152-Toby Brett, B, dec. Richard Legros, 9-5.
160-Levi Niebauer, CH, pinned Ryan Wertz, 1:05.
170-Daniel Brett, B, pinned Jason McDevitt, :14.
182-Dennis Link, CH, pinned Chance Williams, 3:53.
195-William Hoover, CH, pinned Brayden Crawley, 1:38.
220-Anthony Mezzello, CH, pinned Matt Kline, 1:59.
285-Aaron Gill, CH, dec. Nate Shoemaker, 4-2.
106-Noah Baughman, B, forfeit.
113-No match.
120-Johnathan Gabriel, B, pinned Mark Zabinski, 1:26.
126-Jabel Warren, B, pinned Brody Mezzello, :47.
132-Ryan Easter, B, pinned Daniel Wilkie III, :17.
138-Garrett Thomas, B, tech. fall Eric Kuskoski, 19-4.
Records: Bedford 2-0; Cambria Heights 2-1.

Analysis: Bedford might not get any style points for its first two matchs, but it's 2-0. This time, the Bisons had an unlikely hero in the form of 170-pounder Daniel Brett. The sophomore was just 1-3 and had given up at least a major decision in each of his losses when he stepped on the mat with his team trailing 12-3. Still, he needed just 14 seconds to get a huge pin for his team.
That became even bigger when Dennis Link pinned Chance Williams at 182 and William Hoover, Tony Mezzello and Aaron Gill followed with victories for Cambria Heights. Link is now 7-2 and proving to be an important piece in the Highlanders' lineup. Gill improved to 6-0, but couldn't put up any bonus over Nate Shoemaker, who looks to be much improved.
For the second straight match, Bedford was able to pull out a victory thanks to a strong finishing kick from its light and middleweights.

Chestnut Ridge 46, North Star 21
106-Aaron Burkett, CR, forfeit.
113-Blake Dunlap, CR, forfeit.
120-Colton Gennett, NS, pinned Luke Hobson, 3:42.
126-Dustin Ickes, CR, forfeit.
132-Morgan Deremer, CR, maj. dec. Brady Gardner, 10-0.
138-Sam Shank, CR, dec. Michael Baker, 8-2.
145-Derrick Claar, CR, dec. Tevin Mostoller, 8-2.
152-Corey Fritch, NS, dec. Colby Hillegass, 5-3.
160-Trent Crouse, CR, dec. Gus Strasiser, 6-0.
170-Dillion Charlton, NS, pinned Ben Clark, 1:23.
182-Kyle Winegardner, CR, dec. Hunter Connor, 4-2.
195-Conner Buttry, CR, pinned Ray Burley, 1:03.
220-Kevin Horner, NS, pinned Jon Heming, 1:12.
285-Austin Buttry, CR, pinned Brady Vinisky, :43.
Records: Chestnut Ridge 2-0; North Star 1-2.

Analysis: This one created plenty of chatter on the message boards, but I'm not really sure why. I briefly considered trying to get to it, but I didn't expect it to be very close and it wasn't.
Ryan Spring was there and wrote briefly about it on his blog and covered it for the Bedford Gazette, so you can pick up a copy of his paper for more info on it.
North Star forfeited three of the first four weights, which obviously didn't help matters for North Star. There were some interesting matchups after that, including 145, 152 and 160. I thought Tevin Mostoller had been wrestling pretty well this year, so Derrick Claar's 8-2 victory at 145 impresses me. Spring said on his blog that Colby Hillegass nearly pinned Fritch, who also has been wrestling well, at 152. The 160-pound bout looks like it was a good one featuring an impressive sophomore in Gus Strasiser and a proven stud in Trent Crouse, who is wrestling up 34 pounds from last year.
Kyle Winegardner's win at 182 pounds over Hunter Connor is a good sign for the Lions, who came into the season having to replace all of their starters between 152 and 285.

Penn Cambria 37, Ligonier Valley 18
182-Matt Wyland, PC, forfeit.
195-No match.
220-Joe Shaffron, LV, pinned Jacob Wineland, 1:11.
285-John Wilkinson, PC, forfeit.
106-No match.
113-Nolan Link, PC, pinned Carlos Chavez, 4:58.
120-No match.
126-Gordon Matson, LV, forfeit.
132-Zach Stevens, PC, dec. Max Caldwell, 11-6.
138-Dalton Clark, LV, pinned Jacob Wilkinson, :47.
145-Mike Eckenrode, PC, pinned Thomas Mauk, 1:42.
152-Austin Farabaugh, PC, dec. Dan Croyle, 9-6.
160-Dom Farabaugh, PC, dec. Joe Neiderheiser, 7-1.
170-Jacob Driskel, PC, maj. dec. Derek Croyle, 14-1.
Records: Penn Cambria 7-2; Ligonier Valley 0-2.

Analysis: I think Penn Cambria should be nicknamed The Little Team That Could. Coach Todd Niebauer has holes in his lineup, but his wrestlers keep finding ways to win. The fact that the Panthers are 7-2 right now is astounding. It's a credit to him and his wrestlers.
Of course, it helps when the other team also has holes, as Ligonier Valley did. Only eight of the 14 weight classes were contested.
The big surprise to me came in the final bout, as Jacob Driskel beat Derek Croyle, a 23-match winner a year ago, 14-1. Driskel won 21 matches last year, so a victory over Croyle wouldn't have shocked me, but I wouldn't have expected it to be so lopsided.
It wasn't a good night for the Croyles all around, as Austin Farabaugh beat Dan Croyle 9-6. The Ligonier Valley 152-pounder scored three takedowns in the first period and then nothing after that. Dan Croyle won 25 matches last season, so that's a nice victory for Farabaugh.
There were some encouraging signs for Ligonier Valley, which was without sophomore Nathan Trottier again. Dalton Clark, another sophomore, pinned Jacob Wilkinson at 138 and could be a wrestler to watch for the Rams.
Carlos Chavez also warrants a mention for the second time on this blog. He's still a mystery to me, but he took Nolan Link down in the first period and, from what I'm told, showed great athleticism. But the much more experienced Link was simply too much for him. Still, it sounds like Chavez could cause some headaches for local lightweights.

Somerset 51, Forest Hills 30
170-Landon Lohr, S, forfeit.
182-Ian Shugars, FH, pinned Casey Pyle, 1:46.
195-Nick Holto, S, forfeit.
220-Logan Eller, S, forfeit.
285-Jack Hause, S, pinned Jeff Leach, 3:32.
106-Quinn Cole, S, pinned Gage McCall, 3:45.
113-Tanner McCall, FH, forfeit.
120-Jake Keiper, FH, pinned Damian Jano, 3:02.
126-Triston Law, FH, pinned Garret Foster, 5:10.
132-Austin Hemminger, S, pinned Evan Wess, 1:51.
138-Jon Fabian, S, maj. dec. Josh Gould, 9-1.
145-Travis Templeton, FH, pinned Sheldon Wagner, 5:17.
152-Bailey Phillips, S, pinned Jacob Sewalk, :34.
160-Zac Halle, S, pinned Blake Custer, :54.
Records: Somerset 2-0; Forest Hills 1-2.

Analysis: Travis Templeton's 4-3 record might not jump out at you, but the Forest Hills 145-pounder has faced some strong talent early in the year. His three losses are to strong opponents at the Sheetz Holiday Classic, and he also has a victory over Penn Cambria's Mike Eckenrode. He followed up his strong weekend performance with a pin of Sheldon Wagner on Thursday night.
Like Wagner, Damian Jano is an experienced wrestler. Jake Keiper's pin of Jano at 120 caught my eye. Jano is a senior who has been above .500 in each of his three seasons as a starter while Keiper is a junior who continues to make strides. That's a nice win for Keiper, who pinned Berlin Brothersvalley's Tommy DeArmitt at the Sheetz Holiday Classic in a match that he was losing.
Somerset was without Mike Laue or Daniel Talley and the Golden Eagles really relied on some of their younger wrestlers in this one. Austin Hemminger and Jack Hause are two freshmen that I'm interested in seeing in person for the first time.

Other scores
Bellwood-Antis  36, Claysburg-Kimmel 30
Glendale 51, Juniata Valley 24
Mohannon Valley 63, Southern Huntingdon 12
Northern Bedford 57, Everett 15
Penns Valley 53, Hollidaysburg 27
Huntingdon 54, Bald Eagle Area 12