Holiday Tournament Previews

   Wrestling action continues over the holiday break for a few of my local teams. Highlighting the festivities will be the 48th annual Powerade Tournament at Canon-McMillan, which features Chestnut Ridge for the second straight year. Other events include the Southmoreland Holiday Classic, where Northern Bedford and a few other District 5 and 6 schools go to. And Bedford will be attending Boiling Springs for its holiday tournament. Next Tuesday, Claysburg hosts Mount Union in a regular season dual. Below are tournament capsules:

Boiling Springs Holiday Tournament
Saturday
   Teams: Bedford, Boiling Springs, Middletown, Spring Grove
   What to watch for: This is only scheduled to be a four-team tournament this year. On paper, the hosts are major favorites as the Bubblers are a prime contender for the team title in both state events in Hershey later this winter. The weight to keep an eye on is 126, where Bedford's Jonathan Gabriel and Boiling Springs' Grant Bond should meet. The two were high seeds at the King of the Mountain but did not wrestle each other. Gabriel was a state finalist at 113 last year, while Bond took fifth place at 126.

Powerade Tournament
Monday and Tuesday
   Teams: Admiral Farragut (FL), Altoona, Archer (GA), Belle Vernon, Benton, Bethel Park, Blue Mountain, Brookville, Buchanan (CA), Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Cedar Cliff, Chestnut Ridge, Connellsville, Delbarton (NJ), Derry, Erie McDowell, Father Ryan (TN), Fort LeBoeuf, Franklin Regional, Good Counsel, Greater Latrobe, Hempfield, Huntington (WV), Jefferson Morgan, Kittanning, Mifflin County, Mifflinburg, Moeller (OH), Mount Lebanon, Norwin, Parkersburg (WV), Parkland, Penn Trafford, Peters Township, Pine Richland, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Reynolds, Saegertown, Saint Pauls (MD), South Park, Strasburg (VA), Trinity, Walsh Jesuit (OH), Waynesburg, Westmont.
   What to watch for: Last year in my preview, my first line was what isn't there to watch for. Ditto that again, as this tournament is one of the best in the country year in and year out. Just getting on the medal stand is quite the achievement in this two-day extravaganza. Just from Pennsylvania, you have Class AAA powers Franklin Regional, Belle Vernon (who beat FR in a recent dual, though the defending champs were without Michael Kemerer), Greater Latrobe, and Erie McDowell. From Class AA, there's Burrell and Reynolds along with local Chestnut Ridge. Others to be on hand include Georgia power Archer and California's Buchanan. Archer is ranked fifth in the nation, while Buchanan is 15th. Frankly, there's way too many individuals to mention in a preview here, so if you're going to this tournament, enjoy!

Southmoreland Holiday Classic
Monday and Tuesday
   Teams: Albert Gallatin, Baldwin, Beth Center, Blairsville, Burgettstown, Butler, Corry, Ellwood City, Forest Hills, Frazier, Freedom, Gateway, Greenville, Grove City, Hollidaysburg, Jeannette, Knoch, Laurel Highlands, Ligonier Valley, Marion Center, Meyersdale, Mount Pleasant, North Star, Northern Bedford, South Side Area, Southmoreland, United, Valley, West Greene
   What to watch for: This tournament combined with January's Thomas Subaru Tournament at Bedford usually gives me a nice feel for what the Southwest Regional may look like in late February/early March. Along with many Class AA teams from this part of the state, there are also some Class AAA teams mixed in. This year from Districts 5 and 6, we have Blairsville, Forest Hills, Hollidaysburg, Ligonier Valley, Marion Center, Meyersdale, North Star, Northern Bedford, and United. Individually, look for Burgettstown's Austin McDermitt, Blairsville's Andrew Doak and Scott Thompson, Mount Pleasant's Austin Mears, and Southmoreland's Jake Beistel, among others.