The field: Bellwood-Antis, Conemaugh Township, Greater Johnstown, North Star, Tyrone, United, West Greene, Westmont Hilltop.
The format: Individual round-robin.
The schedule: Starts at 9, with rounds to follow. If memory serves, final round usually begins around 5-ish.
Returning champs: Nathan Thomas, Conemaugh Township (106), Aaron Griffith Conemaugh Township (113), Drake Dorian, Westmont Hilltop (126), Nick Mical, Westmont Hilltop (138), Dillion Charlton, North Star (170), Hunter Connor, North Star (182), Andrew Deitman, United (285) and North Star (team).
The favorite: Westmont Hilltop. The Hilltoppers finished 35 points behind North Star last year, but with what might be the best freshman class that the area has seen in years added to a couple of returning champs, I expect Matt Beaujon's team to return to the top of the holiday tournament.
Fun fact: The tournament's most accomplished wrestler - United's Tyler Oliver (seventh-place finish in PIAA Class AA last season) was a runner-up last season. The highlight match of last year's tournament was the final-round showdown between Oliver and Tyrone's Jared Beckwith. Beckwith got the better of Oliver in Davidsville, scoring an overtime takedown for a 3-1 victory, but Oliver avenged the loss with a 6-4 win at the Richland tournament, and pinned Beckwith for the District 6 title. I doubt Oliver will face as stiff of a test on Saturday.
Final thoughts: This isn't the strongest field, but it's my favorite of the opening, because it's the often the first chance for me to see a number of my local teams in action. I'm excited to see the newcomers such as Westmont's Carnell Andrews and Anthony Walters. Unfortunately, Greater Johnstown's lineup will be greatly reduced, as neither Terrell Williams nor Austin Barber will be in the lineup this season.
There won't be a ton of regional-level matches in this one, but it's a nice introduction to the season.
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