Class AA State Tournament Breakdown

   The final weekend of the high school wrestling season is fast approaching. Below is the tournament schedule and a look at each weight class in Class AA.
    For more coverage, check out the Bedford Gazette each day this week for previews and full coverage of the tournament by yours truly.
   In Tuesday's edition: Feature on returning state placewinners Ryan Easter and Austin Buttry
   In Wednesday's edition: Feature on trio of sophomore qualifiers
   In Thursday's edition: Capsule preview for each of the eight locals plus my tournament picks

PIAA Class AA Tournament Schedule

Thursday

   9 a.m. - Preliminary Round, 1st Round consolations

Friday

   9 a.m. - Quarterfinals, 2nd Round consolations

   6:30 p.m. - Semifinals, 3rd and 4th Round consolations

Saturday

   2 p.m. - 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th place bouts

Link to brackets: http://live.pa-wrestling.com/2013-2014/piaa-class-aa/

Tournament Glance

   106 - In my opinion, this weight is fairly wide open with a number of possible finalists. Athens freshman Brian Courtney and Central Cambria freshman Max Murin are unbeaten and on opposite sides of the bracket, but it's no sure thing that either of them reach the final. Bishop McDevitt's Jon Pipa, on Murin's side, is highly regarded. Tri-Valley's Sammy Hepler won the Thomas Subaru Tournament, which included victories over Chestnut Ridge's Aaron Burkett and Penn Cambria's Nolan Link. Link has given Murin all he's wanted in the District 6 and SW Region finals. Hepler, Burkett, and Link are all in the top half. Burkett drew Brockway's Ryan Carlson, whom he beat 4-2 at the Ultimate Duals.

   113 - The favorite here is Bethlehem Catholic's Luke Karam, though just slightly maybe over Palisades' Jacob Wasser. Karam, who beat Wasser 2-1 in the SE Region final, was the 106-pound runner-up last year while Wasser was fourth at the same weight. Wasser against Southmoreland's Austin Griffiths could be a dandy of a quarterfinal. Huntingdon's Collin Glorioso suffered two straight losses, his first two of the season, on Saturday and finished fifth in the SW Region. His prize for that: Drawing Karam in Thursday's opening round. Last year, Karam beat Glorioso in the 106 semifinals, 11-0. Bedford's Jonathan Gabriel is in his first state tournament and will see Line Mountain's Cameron Newman, the NE champ, first.

   120 - The first returning state champion is here with Derry's George Phillippi, who won it all at 113 as a freshman. Boiling Springs' Korbin Myers is on the opposite side all the way at the bottom of the draw. That quarter of the bracket could be the toughest one, featuring Myers, Forest Hills' Triston Law, Warrior Run's Zack LeBarron, and Berlin's Joey Swank. Up top, the first round winner between Redbank Valley's Willie Gruver and Tri-Valley's Caleb Bordner could make a lot of noise.

   126 - The question here is whether Bethlehem Catholic's Zeke Moisey, a two-time defending finalist, can finally win a state title. In a not-so-surprising spoiler alert to my picks in Thursday's Gazette, I'm going with Moisey. A likely semifinal opponent in the top half of the bracket is Jefferson-Morgan's unbeaten John Demaske, though his first foe, Tamaqua's Colin Mashack, is no slouch. Hard to read the bottom half here, as several could get out to the final.

   132 - This is a deep weight with a lot of good wrestlers. Right now, unbeaten Ian Brown of Hanover, a three-time medalist, has to be the favorite. Bedford's Ryan Easter could get him in the quarterfinals. Three years ago when they were freshmen, Brown defeated Easter twice in Hershey. That was a long time ago though, but it's worth pointing out for the record. The bottom half is loaded, with South Fayette's Mike Carr, Saegertown's Tyler Vath, Boiling Springs' Kyle Shoop, and Montoursville's Keith Batkowski included.

   138 - Brookville ace Brock Zacherl is favored here on paper. Should Bedford's Garrett Thomas win his opener, he gets Zacherl on Friday morning barring a major upset by Annville-Cleona's Jeff Inman. Like other weights before, I think the bottom half has several possibilities. 

   145 - Will anyone stop Jason Nolf? In another spoiler alert, I'll say no way, as he should finish with a career record of 176-1 and three state titles. An interesting bout in the top half of this bracket is Reynolds' Levi Stoyer vs. Huntingdon's Jacob Oliver. Stoyer, a state medalist last year, handed Oliver his first loss at the time in last month's state duals, a close bout where Oliver had a late chance to win it. Also up top is unbeaten Billy Barnes of Williamson, though the sleeper could be Michael Comunale of Pius X, whom I've heard is a very dangerous mat wrestler.

   152 - The two big favorites are in the top half with Burrell's Steven Edwards and Mifflinburg's Cole Walter a decent bet to meet in the semifinals. Down below, it wouldn't shock me to see a SW Region battle between Blairsville's Andrew Doak and South Fayette's Grant Fetchet in the other semifinal.

   160 - I think this weight is pretty wide open. The likely players in no order are South Fayette's Jared Walker, Milton's Ryan Preisch, Coudersport's Kyle Bova, and Bermudian Springs' Briton Shelton, who are the four regional champions. Keep an eye on Benton's Jeric Kasunic, too.

   170 - Kane's Evan Delong is unbeaten and a returning state finalist. Also on the bottom side is Penns Valley's Corey Hazel, who had a huge pin of Jefferson-Morgan's Bill Bowlen in the SW Region finals. Up top, Bowlen could be in the mix with NE champ Garrett Hoffman of Montoursville and SE champ Nick Cortopassi of Bethlehem Catholic.

   182 - This is a solid group of qualifiers that may not get the talk of other weights. Lancaster Catholic's Stephen Loiseau is the only unbeaten in the bracket. Also up top is Saegertown's Dylan Reynolds, a returning placewinner. Down below, Valley's Terrell Fields served notice that he should be a prime contender with a strong SW Region performance. Fields defeated Blairsville's Scott Thompson, another former placer, in the region final. Thompson could get Loiseau in the quarterfinals. Chestnut Ridge's Conner Buttry drew NE Region winner Isaiah Bobotas of Montgomery for a first rounder.

   195 - Unbeaten Tristan Sponseller of Bermudian Springs appears as the favorite here at 195. There are two other region champions with just one loss — HOPE for Hyndman's Jake Bennett (SW) and Canton's Garrett Wesneski (NE). The other region winner is NW first placer Ryan Morris of Corry.

   220 - SW Region champ Jake Temple of Avella is unbeaten, after an overtime victory over West Branch's Reynold Maines for the title on Saturday. A likely semifinal pits Temple against Bethlehem Catholic's Andrew Dunn, who placed sixth at heavyweight last year. Maines is in the bottom half of the draw along with Reynolds' freshman Cole Rickert and Kittanning's Jacob Robb.

   285 - Lakeview's Sam Breese, the defending 285-pound champion, is unbeaten and at the very bottom of this bracket. He could see Burrell's Allan Beattie in a semifinal. Pen Argyl's Brady Mutton has one loss and won the SE Region. Chestnut Ridge's Austin Buttry, fifth last year, could see Mutton in the quarterfinals. I think the other semifinalist up top will come from the first round winner between Southmoreland's Jake Beistel and Reynolds' Gene Ringer.