State Duals Thursday recap

   Chestnut Ridge got off to a good start in its second appearance at the PIAA Class AA Team Duals, defeating Montoursville 37-22 to advance to Friday's quarterfinals against Boiling Springs. For my full review of the match, pick up a copy of the www.bedfordgazette.com, or subscribe online.

   The Lions won four of the first five and four of the last five bouts to earn the win.

   While that was going on, here are some other sights and notes from the day.

   Deep, Deep, Deep — I had already surmised that the Class AA field this year was deeper than past years, and that is certainly true. Throw out Bethlehem Catholic at the top, and Lower Moreland and Western Wayne at the bottom, and everyone else is solid. It's going to be fun seeing how the quarterfinals and beyond play out.

   Feeling slighted — If Hamburg was feeling a bit jilted as a result of the debate over last weekend's District 3 Duals, where Boiling Springs and Bermudian Springs had to wrestle a loser-go-home semifinal after both were ranked in the top five in the state, the Berks County team was probably using it as motivation. I watched most of Hamburg's win over Burrell and came away quite impressed. Chris Kummerer's 7-5 decision over J.R. Andrejcik at 132 pounds made the ultimate difference. Kummerer was losing 5-0 early after being caught in a cradle, but he rallied for a big win.

   Can I buy a win? — It's hard not to feel bad for Lower Moreland. The District 1 squad has now been completely shut out in three straight matches. Bethlehem Catholic won in Thursday's opener, 73-0. That's coming off last year's tournament where Lower Moreland was beaten 81-0 by Becahi and 79-0 by Central Columbia. 0-42 in bouts and a team score deficit of 233-0.

   Looking ahead to the quarterfinals for Chestnut Ridge, it will be a tough match with Boiling Springs, but one I think could be winnable. Straight up, I think the Lions have a good chance at bonus points at 106, 113, and 182. Boiling Springs is very good and has flexibility between 120-152, and that's where the Lions will have to save points where they can to have a chance.

   The prospects for Chestnut Ridge winning a second straight state medal are better if it defeats Boiling Springs, though nothing is guaranteed as again, this AA bracket is a grinder. If the Lions lose to the Bubblers, my best guess for the consolation rounds, in order, would be Burrell, Huntingdon, and Brookville. Ridge and Burrell was a nailbiter last month (31-29), while Brookville defeated Ridge (41-28 without Austin Buttry). Huntingdon is a tough matchup for the Lions. The Bearcats are so balanced, and their two weakest weights, 106 and 285, are two of Chestnut Ridge's stronger ones, so that doesn't help much.