Preview - Chestnut Ridge at Bedford

Chestnut Ridge at Bedford

Saturday, 7 p.m. (Varsity Only)

Probable Lineups (Chestnut Ridge wrestlers listed first)

NOTE: Records are as of before this week's matches

106 - So. Dylan Williams (5-0) vs. Jr. Noah Baughman (3-3)
113 - Jr. Aaron Burkett (5-0) or Fr. Seth Harbaugh (1-0) vs. So. Grant Browell (0-5)
120 - Jr. Blake Dunlap (2-3) vs. No entry
126 - Fr. Justin McCoy (5-0) vs. Jr. Jonathan Gabriel (5-2)
132 - Sr. Luke Hobson (1-4) vs. Sr. Kyle Mehle (1-3)
138 - So. Morgan Deremer (4-1) vs. Jr. Will Hartman (1-0) or Sr. Kenny Collins (1-3)
145 - Sr. Derrick Claar (4-1) vs. Collins or Jr. Uriah Costal (1-3)
152 - Fr. Levi Hobson (3-2) vs. Costal or So. Jacob Mehle (1-3)
160 - Sr. Trent Crouse (5-0) vs. J. Mehle or Jr. Ryan Wertz (2-3)
170 - Sr. Colby Hillegass (4-1) vs. Jr. Dan Brett (5-2)
182 - Jr. Brandon Clark (0-1) vs. Sr. Ty Zimmerman (0-1) or Jr. Matt Kline (0-2)
195 - Jr. Conner Buttry (5-0) vs. Jr. Brayden Crawley (2-3)
220 - Sr. Jon Heming (2-2) vs. So. Jorge Canales (1-3)
285 - Sr. Shane Davis (0-0) or Jr. Landon Kensinger (3-3) vs. Sr. Nate Shoemaker (4-2)

   Analysis: Chestnut Ridge visits Bedford on Saturday night in the annual battle between the rivals. On paper, the high powered Lions are heavily favored. The visitors have the edge at 106, 113, 138, 145, 152, 160, and 195. Certainly, a potential Gabriel-McCoy bout at 126 is very intriguing — a defending state finalist and veteran against one of the most talked about varsity newcomers. McCoy had a solid debut in winning the Jarvis Memorial Tournament. Gabriel didn't place at King of the Mountain, but a look at that bracket shows how tough the event in general is. The final at 126 there pitted the #10 and #12 seeds against each other. The #1 seed, Luke Karam, lost in the semifinals after the #2 (Grant Bond), #3 (Gabriel), and #4 (Collin Glorioso) seeds lost in the quarterfinals. Karam, a defending state champion and two-time state finalist, hasn't even been to the KOM finals yet. He was third this year and last, and didn't compete in 2012. Back to Saturday, where I would give Gabriel an edge at 126, while 170, 182, 220, and 285 are toss-ups.

   Prediction: Chestnut Ridge, 49-12