Chestnut Ridge 40, Berlin Brothersvalley 12

Chestnut Ridge 40, Berlin Brothersvalley 12

138-Derrick Claar, CR, pinned Ryan Tressler, 1:12.

145-Levi Hobson, CR, dec. Kane McKenzie, 4-3.

152-Josh McGill, CR, dec. Nick Brown, 18-11.

160-Trent Crouse, CR, dec. Bryce Fochtman, 3-2.

170-Taylor Cahill, BB, dec. Colby Hillegass, 7-3.

182-Storm McDonald, BB, dec. Brandyn Beaver, 3-1.

195-Conner Buttry, CR, maj. dec. Toby Cahill, 12-2.

220-Shane Pepper, BB, dec. Jon Heming, 4-2.

285-Shane Davis, CR, dec. Anthony Collins, 8-4.

106-Dylan Williams, CR, forfeit.

113-Aaron Burkett, CR, maj. dec. Kyle Boyce, 17-3.

120-Luke Hobson, CR, maj. dec. Bryce Belcher, 16-2.

126-Justin McCoy, CR, maj. dec. Austin Lee, 10-2.

132-Joe Swank, BB, maj. dec. Morgan Deremer, 18-7.*

* – Berlin deducted 1 team point at 132.

I am in Berlin and doing live updates.There is a live feed on The Tribune-Democrat's website here http://www.tribdem.com/sports/chestnut-ridge-vs-berlin-brothersvalley---live-blog-from/article_4988c438-9ce5-11e4-9faa-3be6029d3a69.html.

It should be including my tweets, pics and maybe even videos. The problem is that I can't see it on the website, so I'll also post results here. If you can, please check it out on the Tribune site, as that's what pays the bills.

You can tweet me @Eric_Knopsnyder and I'll try to answer questions as best I can.

We're a few minutes away from the start of the varsity match. Ridge dominates junior high, winning 85-10.
Kinda figured it goes without saying at this point ... but no Braden Fochtman for Berlin. Sounds like he won't even be here watching.
By the way, my prediction is 39-18 Ridge

Wild one at 152, as McGill was up 15-2 near end of second, then got put on his back twice before winning 18-11.

Good action in Crouse-Fochtman match, but no points in final minute, as Crouse holds on for win.

Update: Makeup date set for Chestnut Ridge-Berlin match

Well, thanks a lot, Mother Nature.
Classes at all Bedford County schools were canceled today, meaning that we won't get the big Chestnut Ridge-Berlin Brothersvalley match we were waiting for. It has been postponed, and Ridge coach Greg Lazor tells me that it will be made up on Jan. 15.
Until then, check out my preview of the match in The Tribune-Democrat and my analysis of the matchup.
Berlin's dual meet with HOPE for Hyndman, originally scheduled for Jan. 15, has been pushed to Feb. 10. That means the Mountaineers will wrestle Ridge on Thursday, then compete in the Escape the Rock tournament on Saturday and Sunday while the Lions will head to the Brookville Ultimate Duals on Saturday. Not an easy week for either team.

Chestnut Ridge at Berlin preview

Tuesday night is the match that most of District 5 (and even wrestling fans outside of the district) have been waiting for, as Chestnut Ridge travels to Berlin.
I wrote a preview of it for The Tribune-Democrat. You get a limited number of free views each month, so even if you don't have a subscription (and why don't you?), please check it out. We track pageviews and the more hits wrestling stories get, the more ammunition I have in pushing for more coverage of the sport.
As for predictions on the dual, that's not my thing at all, but I have tried to take a look at it. I've gone back and forth on it - not the outcome, as I still see Chestnut Ridge as the favorite, but it might be closer than I expected.
I spoke with Chestnut Ridge coach Greg Lazor, who told me that his lineup will look similar to what it did at POWERade, and to Berlin coach Jason Cornell, who told me ... well, not much. Not that I blame him. The mystery surrounding Braden Fochtman and the "will he or won't he" wrestle gives the match intrigue more fitting for "WWE Monday Night Raw" than Tuesday night in Berlin. More importantly, it gives his team a little bit of an edge in determining matchups, which the Mountaineers will need if they hope to win.
I don't have any inside information on whether or not Fochtman will wrestle. My gut feeling is that he won't, or if he does, it will be much heavier than when we last saw him. The best Berlin could hope for would be to have him at 170, Taylor Cahill at 160 and Bryce Fochtman at 152, but I don't know if that's even possible. I believe that Cahill is certified at 160, but he told me earlier this season that he feels good at 170 and doesn't plan to drop. As for Bryce Fochtman, I'm not sure that he's even certified for 152.
But if all those things were to happen, it would be a huge boost for Berlin, although I'm not sure that Braden Fochtman would be in wrestling shape anyway, as I don't think he's practiced more than a handful of times this season.
Berlin hasn't wrestled since the WestPAC tournament more than two weeks ago, so the Mountaineers could have juggled their weights in a number of different ways.
Here's a look at how the teams match up if they were to wrestle each other straight up, with no shifting and the lineups the way that have recently been.
The table includes state rankings via PA Power Wrestling, records for this season and career records. I also included my predicted results at right.

		No. 3 Chestnut Ridge							No. 6 Berlin Brothersvalley						CR	BB
106	Aaron Burkett	No. 2	13	2	83	19		Andrew Hoover		2	1	2	1		6
113	Dylan Williams		9	2	9	2		Kyle Boyce		1	0				9
120	Luke Hobson		4	8	13	13		Bryce Belcher		3	0				12
126	Justin McCoy	No. 19	8	3	8	3		Austin Lee		6	2	6	2		16
132	Morgan Deremer		9	4	27	17		Joe Swank	No. 8	9	1	55	15			3
138	Derrick Claar	No. 15	7	3	105	32		Ryan Tressler		3	4	3	4		22
145	Levi Hobson		5	5	5	5		Kane McKenzie		7	5	32	23			6
152	Josh McGill		0	2	2	6		Nick Brown		1	5	1	5		28
160	Trent Crouse	No. 4	11	2	101	31		Bryce Fochtman	No. 9	9	1	109	32			9
170	Colby Hillegass	HM	9	3	69	56		Taylor Cahill	No. 6	10	0	112	29			13
182	Brandyn Beaver		5	3	11	12		Storm McDonald		7	2	27	21			16
195	Conner Buttry	No. 4	12	3	65	29		Toby Cahill	No. 14	11	0	40	11		31
220	Jon Heming		4	5	13	22		Shane Pepper		6	3	45	34			19
285	Shane Davis		3	4	16	13		Anthony Collins	No. 19	8	2	49	21			25

If the matchups went this way, I have Chestnut Ridge winning 31-25. That's a pretty low-scoring match, as I wasn't too adventurous on bonus points. One thing I learned last year is that Chestnut Ridge was much better at getting (and saving) bonus points. With that being said, I'd think that the Lions should probably be favored by 8 to 10 points as opposed to 6.
But, again, the lineups won't turn out exactly like this.
No matter how they look, it should be fun.
If you're planning to go, get there early. I'd expect a packed house, although Jan. 6 might be the busiest date on the wrestling calendar this season, so the number of out-of-towners in Berlin might be limited.
If you can't make it, I plan to provide live updates on a blog post beginning around 6 p.m. (or whenever I can get weigh-in sheets).

Looking for great wrestling photos?

As the first month of the wrestling season nears its end, I wanted to point out an opportunity that might appeal to a number of local schools.
For the past few seasons, my wife, Tami, has taken photos for some teams in districts 5 and 6, notably Berlin Brothersvalley and West Branch. She takes photos at a number of competitions and then uses hundreds of individual photos to make up one large mosaic.
The mosaics have proved quite popular as gifts to senior wrestlers from booster clubs. I often think how I would have loved to have something like that from my career rather than a sweatshirt or whatever it was that I got and eventually outgrew. With the right frame, the mosaics could be a nice keepsake for years to come. 
Teams could also order one large one in the shape of a logo, such as the one she did for the Tomahawks, which is one of my personal favorites.
Not only does Tami make a mosaic for each senior wrestler, she also supplies each one with the photos used in the mosaic. She charges $50 for each mosaic ordered before Feb. 1. It takes quite a lot of time and effort and, of course, the earlier they are ordered, the more opportunities she'll have to take photos.
Knop's Knotes also benefits indirectly from your orders, as the more wrestling events she attends the more I can attend without getting too much grief for it. So, contact her at torainy@yahoo.com with your orders, get an awesome keepsake, some great digital images and more coverage of your team on my blog. What could be better?

Things to know for this weekend's Sheetz Holiday Classic

The Sheetz Holiday Classic is the first big tournament in the area, and it's getting bigger. The field has been expanded from 23 to a whopping 29 teams. It will be held Friday and Saturday at Penn Cambria High School in Cresson. Here's a look what you need to know for the tournament:


Familiar faces: Altoona, Berlin Brothersvalley, Cambria Heights, Central Cambria, Colonial Forge (Va.), Conemaugh Township, Forest Hills, Hazleton Area, Hollidaysburg, Ligonier Valley, Mercer, Mount Pleasant, Penn Cambria, Portage, Richland, St. Joseph's Academy, St. Marys, South Park, Tyrone, Williamsport.


Who's in: Bellwood-Antis, Chartiers Valley, HOPE for Hyndman, James Wood (Va.), Kempsville (Va.), Mifflinburg, Redbank Valley, Riverbend (Va.), Williams Valley.


Who's out: Canandaigua (N.Y.) Academy, Huntingdon, Northern Cambria,


Returning champions: Max Murin, Central Cambria (106), Jimmy Hoffman, Hazleton Area (120), Adam George, Richland (126), Tommy Opdenhoff, Central Cambria (132), Jake Wentzel, South Park (138), D.J. Hollingshead, Altoona (152), Patrick Grayson, Colonial Forge (220). Click here to see last year's results.
2012 champs Triston Law, Forest Hills (113), D.J. Hollingshead, Altoona (132), Mike Eckenrode, Penn Cambria (138) and Taylor Cahill, Berlin Brothersvalley (152) also return. Click here to see 2012 results.


Returning Pa. state placewinners:
Altoona – D.J. Hollingshead (4^th at 152 AAA)
Cambria Heights – Levi Niebauer (6^th at 160)
Central Cambria – Max Murin (5^th at 106)
Forest Hills – Triston Law (5^th at 120; 6^th at 106 in 2013)
South Park – Jake Wentzel (3^rd at 138; 8^th at 132 in 2013)
Mifflinburg – Cole Walter (3^rd at 152; 7^th at 132 in 2013)

Returning Pa. regional placewinners (not listed above)
Altoona – Cole Manley (NW-3 106)
Berlin Brothersvalley – Joe Swank (SW-5 120), Taylor Cahill (SW-4 152) Bryce Fochtman (SW-4 160)
Central Cambria – Tommy Opdnhoff (SW-3 126)
Hazleton Area – Jimmy Hoffman (NE-3 AAA 120)
Hollidaysburg – Dalton Long (NW-4 132)
Penn Cambria – Nolan Link (SW-2 106)
Redbank Valley – Tanner Altobelli (NW-3 126)
Richland – Adam George (SW-6 126)
St. Marys – Derek Taylor (NW-4 182)
South Park – Dallas Bulsak (SW-3 106)
Williams Valley – William Girard (SE-4 106)
Williamsport – Roshaun Cooley (NW-2 AAA 120)

Returning Va. state placewinners
Kempsville –Shimels Stone (4th 220)
James Wood –Aaron Black (1st 113)
Colonial Forge –Marc Garofalo (3rd 120), Josh Nail (1st 126), Clay Smith (5th 132), Jeff Stone (2nd 138), Anthony Carter (5th 170), Robert Winters (5th 182), Cameron Houston (8th 195), Patrick Grayson (1st 220).

Name to know: Jared Lough, Colonial Forge (145). He might only be a freshman, but the Virginia wrestler has already experienced success in our area, as he won a 135-pound FloNationals Middle School title at the Kovalchick Center in Indiana in April. He also captured a NHSCA national title. I'll be interested to see how he fares against some of the more experienced wrestlers in Cressson this weekend.


Weight to watch: 126 – There should be plenty of depth here. Hazelton's Jimmy Hoffman is here after capturing the 120-pound Sheetz title last year, as is Colonial Forge's Josh Nail, who he beat in the finals last year. Roshaun Cooley of Williamsport was a AAA state qualifier last year while Redbank Valley's Tanner Altobelli and South Park's Dallas Bulsak each went to Hershey in Class AA. That should make for some interesting quarterfinals, to say nothing of the semifinals and championship.


Tentative schedule – The schedule is a bit different this year, as the quarterfinals have moved from Friday night to Saturday morning. Also, all four mats (the fourth is in the wrestling room upstairs) will be used up to the placement round, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Friday, Dec. 12
4:45 p.m. Pigtails
5:45 p.m. Preliminaries/1st round consolations
8:30 p.m. Second-round consolations
10 p.m. Expected finish
Saturday, Dec. 13
8:30 a.m. Quarterfinals/Third-round consolations
10:45 a.m. Fourth-round consolations
12:15 p.m. Semifinals/Fifth-round consolations
2:15 p.m. Consolation semifinals
5:30 p.m. 3rd-, 5th- and 7th-place matches
6:45 p.m. Parade of champions
7 p.m. Finals

Seating – I know many have questioned how 29 teams and their fans will fit in Penn Cambria's gymnasium. I discussed this with Penn Cambria coach Todd Niebauer and address that in The Tribune-Democrat preview, which I'll post online shortly. He did say that there will be a live feed of the bout board in the cafeteria, so that wrestlers and/or fans can be there and still know when a match is on deck

The Semifinal 12-16-2012

The first full week of the regular season included some great wrestling as well as some surprises. For those of you new to the blog, the semifinal is my weekly recap/lookahead to wrestling in the Cambria/Somerset/Bedford area. Its name comes from the fact that many wrestling insiders will tell you that the semifinal round often features the best wrestling because too many guys tighten up in the finals. So, here’s the best of what I saw (or read about) from the past week.

First Period

Stars and studs: Greg Lazor’s Chestnut Ridge team earns a spot here thanks to a dual-meet demolition of North Star as well the Lions’ weekend performance, which resulted in the Mount Carmel tournament title. Six Lions – Aaron Burkett (106), Derrick Claar (126), Trent Crouse (132), Tyler Dibert (182), Dan Albright (220) and Austin Buttry (285) – captured individual championships. … Like Chestnut Ridge, Berlin Brothersvalley picked up an impressive dual-meet victory as well as the tournament title at the Sheetz Holiday Classic. The Mountaineers didn’t have any individual champs, but had 10 of their 13 wrestlers (an injury forced them to wrestle without a heavyweight) placed in the top seven in the 21-team tournament. … Ligonier Valley’s Josh Patrick, who recently committed to wrestle for Rutgers, rolled through the Sheetz tournament, including a dominating, 10-0 victory over Cambria Heights’ Brad Thomas in the 126-pound finals. … Bedford didn’t bring home a tournament title – team or individual – but the second-place performances by freshman Jonathan Gabriel and junior Ryan Easter are impressive, considering the caliber of the competition at the King of the Mountain tournament. Gabriel didn’t disappoint in his varsity debut, as he went 4-1, with his lone loss coming to Joe Wheeling of General McLane in the 106-pound finals. Easter also went 4-0 in the tournament before falling to Will Koll – son of Cornell coach Rob Koll – in the 126-pound championship.

Upset-minded: Penn Cambria’s Mike Eckenrode was unseeded but went on to win the 138-pound title at the Sheetz Holiday Classic. Eckenrode had three falls – including one over top-seeded Vinny Romeo of Canandagiua Academy – and knocked off second-seeded Rodney Brant of Mercer in the finals. … Conemaugh Township’s Taylor Cahill won the Sheetz tournament title at 152 pounds from the third seed. The sophomore took advantage of upsets by Cambria Heights’ Levi Niebauer – who beat top-seeded Mitch Fisher of Canandagiua Academy – and Portage’s Caleb Kephart – who knocked off second-seeded Ethan Charlesworth of Mount Pleasant.

Second Period

On deck: Despite a few days without any matches on our schedule, there are some intriguing matches on top. The biggest is on Tuesday night, when Chestnut Ridge travels to Bedford. This one is always a big one, but it takes on added importance this year, as the Lions look to knock off their nemesis. Also on Tuesday, Westmont Hilltop visits Cambria Heights, which could test my statement in an earlier blog that the Highlanders might be the best team in Cambria County.

Friday brings the second edition of the WestPAC tournament, which will be held at North Star.

Monday

None

Tuesday

Chestnut Ridge at Bedford, 7 p.m.

Westmont Hilltop at Cambria Heights, 7 p.m.

Richland at Forest Hills, 7 p.m.

Penn Cambria at Greater Johnstown, 7 p.m.

North Star at Ligonier Valley, 7 p.m.

Marion Center at Portage, 7 p.m.

Berlin Brothersvalley at Somerset, 7 p.m.

Blairsville at United, 7 p.m.

Conemaugh Township at Shade, 7:15 p.m.

Wednesday

None

Thursday

Portage at North Star, 6 p.m. 

United at Central Cambria, 7 p.m.

Shade at HOPE for Hyndman, 7 p.m. 

Forest Hills at Penn Cambria, 7 p.m. 

Cambria Heights at Somerset, 7 p.m. 

Friday

WestPAC Tournament at North Star

United at Ligonier Valley, 6 p.m. 

Central Cambria at Richland, 7 p.m. 

Bedford at Westmont Hilltop, 7 p.m. 

Saturday

Claysburg-Kimmel at Chestnut Ridge, 5:30 p.m.

Third Period

While there is plenty of action that I’d like to see this week, I’m not sure how much of it I’ll be able to make it to in person. It looks like I’ll miss Tuesday night’s action altogether. I’ll have to check on the start time for the WestPAC Tournament on Friday, but I’m afraid it’s early in the day, which could limit my chances of attending it as well.

I’ll be depending on readers and other media outlets to keep up-to-date on what’s happening.