As the wrestling season nears (Monday is official start of practice), I have broken down the schedules for each of my local teams this year and below is a look at some of the bigger duals and tournaments. I will try to have more on each as I receive schedules and more info on who may be attending:
Saturday, December 7
Claysburg Pizza Tournament
UPDATE — Hearing this tournament will not be held this year, per discussions I had this week.
Thursday, December 12
Westmont-Hilltop at Bedford
Chestnut Ridge at Philipsburg-Osceola
Central at Northern Bedford
Quick Points: Though lineups are obviously far from finalized, these three duals spark some interest for the first full week of action. Bedford and Westmont are usually two of the top programs in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference, while Chestnut Ridge travels to Philipsburg in a independent contest. Central at Northern Bedford is intriguing from a coaching standpoint, as Mike Shippy and Jan Clark lead the Dragons into Loysburg. Shippy took over at Central last year after a successful run as Northern's junior high coach. Obviously, Clark is a living legend in NBC's hearts, having won three state titles in the late 1970's, and he also coached the Black Panthers until two seasons ago. Further, former Claysburg varsity coach Dave Marko is now running Central's junior high program.
Friday/Saturday, December 13 and 14
Bedford at King of the Mountain Tournament
Chestnut Ridge at Athens Tournament
ICC Duals at Tussey Mountain
Quick Points: The highlight here is the King of the Mountain, one of the top events annually in Pennsylvania. Bedford has done very well in its KoM appearances, though the Bisons are still looking for an individual champion at the tournament, hosted by Central Mountain. Jonathan Gabriel and Ryan Easter were finalists last December, and Easter is a three-time runner-up. This year's participants are expected to include defending champion Bethlehem Catholic, Benton, Cumberland Valley, Fort LeBoeuf, Kittanning, and Latrobe. Ridge visits the Athens Tournament, while Tussey Mountain hosts the ICC Duals that features the North and South Division teams meeting each other. Look for Moshannon Valley and West Branch to be the top teams there.
Saturday, December 21
Bedford at Chestnut Ridge
Quick Points: The annual regular season battle between these rivals takes place at Chestnut Ridge the weekend before Christmas. Last year, the Lions beat the Bisons twice, including for the D5 team title that allowed them to get to the PIAA Duals in Hershey for the first time, where they finished fourth.
Friday/Saturday, December 27 and 28
Bedford at Boiling Springs Tournament
Chestnut Ridge at Powerade Tournament
Northern Bedford at Southmoreland Holiday Classic
Quick Points: I've said that Greg Lazor has done an outstanding job of scheduling his Chestnut Ridge Lions in better and better events, and it doesn't get much better than the Powerade Tournament at Canon-McMillan late next month. A bevy of talent is here each year. Teamwise, the field for this one includes host Canon-Mac, Benton, Brookville, Franklin Regional, Kittanning, Latrobe, Westmont, and Walsh Jesuit of Ohio. Also there this year will be Collins Hill of Georgia, who is often ranked among the best teams in the nation. Individuals expected include Chance Marsteller of Kennard-Dale, an undefeated three-time Class AAA state champ who recently committed to Oklahoma State after previously verballing to Penn State. Meanwhile, Bedford goes to Boiling Springs for its annual holiday tournament, while the Southmoreland Classic features Northern Bedford from the county and a few other D5 schools, including Meyersdale, North Star, and Somerset for this year. It is a kind of a preview for the Southwest Regional, though it does have some AAA schools in it too.
Friday, January 3
Berlin at Chestnut Ridge
Quick Points: Tabbed as the two best teams in D5 this preseason, Berlin at Chestnut Ridge is a date to circle on the calendar. The Mountaineers already had a very good roster and the transfer of state qualifier Taylor Cahill and his brother Toby from Conemaugh Township only added to it.
Friday/Saturday, January 10 and 11
HOPE for Hyndman at Winner's Choice Tournament
Bloody Run Tournament at Everett (Saturday only)
Locals involved: Everett, Tussey Mountain
The others: Central Cambria, Forest Hills, James Buchanan, Juniata Valley, Marion Center, Meyersdale, United
Quick Points: There's a new look of sorts this year at Everett's tournament, where several holdovers are joined by some new teams in a mix of squads from different leagues. HOPE for Hyndman competes in the Winner's Choice Tournament in Fairmont, West Virginia over this weekend.
Saturday, January 18
Chestnut Ridge at Brookville Ultimate Duals
The others: Brookville, Boiling Springs, Burrell, Reynolds, Saegertown
Quick Points: Like previously mentioned, Lazor has upped the schedule again at Chestnut Ridge, as the Lions will attend Brookville's Ultimate Duals for the first time. All of these schools were involved in the PIAA Team Duals last year.
Friday/Saturday, January 24 and 25
Thomas Tournament
Locals involved: Bedford, Chestnut Ridge, Claysburg, Everett, Northern Bedford, Tussey Mountain
Quick Points: One of the local highlights each year is the Thomas Tournament at Bedford. Six of the local schools are involved. This year, others expected include Berlin, Central, Jefferson-Morgan, South Fayette, and West Branch. New teams I have heard will attend are Burrell and Mount Union, while North Schuylkill is back after a few years.
Tuesday, February 11
Latrobe at Bedford
Quick Points: One last chance to catch a bunch of good kids in a dual meet before the postseason begins. Gabriel and Easter highlight Bedford, while Latrobe features studs Luke Pletcher and Zack Zavatsky, and has some other high level talent on its roster.
Friday/Saturday, February 14 and 15
District 6-AA Tournament at Altoona
Friday/Saturday, February 21 and 22
District 5 Tournament at Windber
Friday/Saturday, February 28 and March 1
Southwest Regional Tournament at Johnstown
Thursday/Friday/Saturday, March 6, 7, and 8
PIAA State Tournament at Hershey
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