Thoughts on Bedford-Central Cambria

   As stated in my Tuesday Recap post from late last night, I attended Bedford's opening dual at Central Cambria, a 45-16 win for Bedford, and obviously covered it for the Bedford Gazette. Here are a couple of thoughts I came away with:

   — It is definitely a new look this year at Bedford as expected, and it will be interesting to see how the Bisons progress through their schedule. That is no picnic early, with five more dual meets plus the King of the Mountain and Boiling Springs Tournament all before the new year rings in. That said, those events will give Bedford's younger kids experience that can be used later on.

   — Two Bison wrestlers that fall into the inexperienced varsity category for now provided me with some good impressions. First was Will Hartman at 138, who picked up a 2-0 win over Hunter Kish for his first varsity victory. I'll admit I knew nothing about Hartman going into the match. Then again, I can't kill myself too bad over that one since he's in the same weight area where Bedford stars Ryan Easter and Garrett Thomas, among others, have resided for the last few seasons. All Easter and Thomas did for four years was win 262 bouts and five state medals combined.
   But I liked what I saw from Hartman. Did he benefit a little from Central Cambria's decision to bump standouts Ian Ostrowski and Tommy Opdenhoff up to start the match? (Hartman likely draws Opdenhoff straight up) Probably, but that doesn't change the fact that I thought Hartman controlled the bout despite the low-scoring affair. Bedford coach Brian Creps says he's a dedicated kid that works hard in the practice room. That can be half the battle right there.
   Also for Bedford, keep an eye on 220-pounder Jorge Canales. Now, I did know a little about the sophomore, as he reached the quarterfinals of the PJW Tournament last season and fell one win short of a medal. Canales, who tallied a first period pin yesterday, also had a decent year for Bedford's football team and that experience will probably translate to the mat for him. If you saw the Gazette today, I captured him in a look that would make the Bison football coaching staff proud — Canales in a three-point stance as he views opponent Tom Howell.