Holiday Odds and Ends

   There were plenty of wrestling goings on this week as we get closer to the new year. Here's what I'm looking at:

Cornell's Excellence
  It was a mere formality going into the season that Everett's Garret Cornell would become his school's all-time wins leader, as he only needed 10 more to do so. But the way he accomplished the feat was impressive to say the least.
  On Saturday at the Panther Holiday Classic, Cornell used a strong first period to beat Bedford's Kaden Cassidy, 4-2, for the 132-pound title in a battle of high state placewinners (Cornell - 3rd at 126 last season; Cassidy - 3rd at 106 in 2017).
  Then on Tuesday night, Cornell handed Glendale's Brock McMillen a 13-0 defeat. McMillen was the 113-pound state runner-up in March. The loss was by far the most lopsided in McMillen's short varsity career to date. And it gave Cornell the school record, eclipsing Tom Brambley's mark of 112 victories set in the early years of this century.
  I wasn't at Mount Aloysius on the weekend or at Glendale on Tuesday, but I caught up with Cornell last night as the Warriors routed Claysburg-Kimmel. My feature on Cornell's achievement is in today's edition of the Bedford Gazette. And until the end of February, the website is completely free access to anyone, as we have undergone updates to our writing and page design systems.

Lions pass test from Rangers
  I also wasn't able to attend Tuesday's Forest Hills at Chestnut Ridge dual meet due to my son's Christmas concert at his school, so I'll leave my thoughts brief as I didn't cover it. The Lions used their heavy advantage on paper in the upperweights to build a lead, then got enough points down low to secure a victory before the Ranger middleweights could have a chance at the upset. I say upset just because of Chestnut Ridge's recent history, but surely the tide in the area could certainly shift to Forest Hills in the near future.

Dropping names
   During his heralded youth and scholastic wrestling career, former Bedford standout Ryan Easter had the chance to compete against wrestlers such as Jason Nolf, Darian Cruz, Vincenzo Joseph and many other high-profile names.
   In a Q & A piece with Barstool Sports that was published on Thursday afternoon, two-time NCAA champion Joseph was asked a series of 21 questions, ranging from his plans after college to more lighter topics like thoughts about his current Penn State teammates and if he has any superstitions.
   Back to Easter, who was brought up in Joseph's answer to the final question. Joseph mentions that Easter pinned him with a spladle in the North Hills Open 12 and under event back in their days as youth wrestlers. He jokes that Easter had an unfair advantage because he was a year older. I took a photo of the question and the answer in its entirety, which you can view below.

Q&A with Vincenzo Joseph on barstoolsports.com

Holiday Tournament Time
   Two big events at the end of next week will close out the 2018 portion of the wrestling schedule. Three county teams — Bedford, Northern Bedford, and Tussey Mountain — are entered in the Southmoreland Holiday Classic. And Chestnut Ridge will again be competing at the Powerade Tournament.
   Below are tournament fields for each event:
Southmoreland Holiday Classic - Bedford, Bethel Park, Burgettstown, Butler, Beth-Center, Chartiers Houston, Ellwood City, Frazier, Fort Cherry, Greensburg Salem, Hermitage, Indian Land (SC), Jefferson-Morgan, Lee Davis (VA), Ligonier Valley, Marion Center, Mount Pleasant, Meyersdale, Northern Bedford, North Star, Somerset, Southmoreland, South Park, South Side, Tussey Mountain, United, Union City, Upper St. Clair, Valley

Powerade Tournament - Belle Vernon, Benton, Burrell, Camden Catholic (NJ), Canon-McMillan, Cedar Cliff, Chestnut Ridge, Connellsville, Council Rock North, DePaul Catholic (NJ), Derry, DuBois, Erie Prep, Franklin Regional, Freedom, Hampton, Hempfield, Howell (NJ), Kiski Area, Latrobe, Malvern Prep, Mason (OH), McGuffey, Mifflin County, Moeller (OH), Montoursville, Mount Lebanon, North Hills, Norwin, Oak Park-River Forest (IL), Palisades, Parkersburg (WV), Parkersburg South (WV), Penfield (NY), Penn Trafford, Pine Richland, Pottsville, Quaker Valley, Trinity, Pope John Paul II, Reynolds, Saegertown, Seneca Valley, Shaler, St. Albans (WV), St. Joseph's Academy, St. Pauls Prep (MD), Stroudsburg, Thomas Jefferson, Waynesburg, West Allegheny

Midweek Thoughts

   The wrestling season is off and running, as some key early duals have taken place and the first big weekend of tournament action is coming up.
   With that in mind, here's some reviewing and previewing:

From My Eyes
   I've covered two duals so far for the Bedford Gazette, North Star's win at Everett on Friday and Northern Bedford's triumph over Everett last night. Both were tight matches each decided by five points.
   I mentioned in my "Preseason Storylines" last week that while Northern Bedford may not have the superstar name(s) yet on its roster, a lot of experience was returning to the Black Panther room. Two of the lesser knowns may be Colby Imler and Austin Mowry, but the pair came up with back-to-back pins at 160 and 170 pounds to push the Panthers to victory, 34-29. Mowry is a returning regional qualifier, but still seems to be flying under the radar. A clincher like he pulled out last night could certainly build into bigger things for the senior.
   On Friday, North Star's Colby Vinisky earned a key win, a pin, in what was regarded as a toss-up bout at 170 with Everett's Quinton Spade. The other highlight for the Cougars was Hunter Tremain recording his 100th career victory. In my opinion, Tremain would have climbed the podium in Hershey last March had he not been injured. Instead, he had to sit on 99 wins and wait until the opening match of his senior year.

North Star fans react to Hunter Tremain's 100th win on Friday night.

Photo by Ryan Spring

   North Star coach Tim Rosa told me after the match that his squad was still battling some minor injury issues and had a couple of potential starters out of the lineup. All three of these teams, along with others like Berlin and Tussey Mountain, should be in the upper echelon of District 5.
   And while Everett is 0-2, it doesn't mean the Warriors have looked bad at all. If they would have swung one bout in either match their way, they win, so that's how close the margin has been between 2-0 and where they are.
   Continuing with the Warriors, one wrestler I've come away impressed so far is Cody Rock. The junior was at heavyweight on Friday and pinned North Star's Noah Livingston, then wrestled 220 and beat NBC's Jay Ebersole, 4-3. In each bout, Rock has looked aggressive and energetic. Down the road, the upperweights (220 and 285) could be a logjam among many talented D5 wrestlers, and Rock will be a name worth watching.

Looking Forward
   A full slate of dual meet action around Bedford County takes place again tomorrow night. Bedford visits Chestnut Ridge in what is usually an entertaining affair no matter the outcome, and brings a lot of passionate fans from both sides to the gym.
   The Glendale at Tussey Mountain match also bears watching. Glendale is perhaps one of the favorites in the District 6-AA team race, and I've said that I think Tussey could have one of its better years in recent history.
   Then on Friday and Saturday, tournament action takes center stage. Locally, Bedford and Everett are at the Panther Holiday Classic at Mount Aloysius, with a number of top wrestlers and teams from the region and a few from outside the region expected to be on hand.
   Chestnut Ridge is again at the King of the Mountain Tournament at Central Mountain, where the Lions won the team title last year with three individual champions, including returnee Jared McGill. While it is a tournament setting, the 33-team field features three of the top five in Pa. Power Wrestling's top five Class AA dual meet rankings (No. 3 Muncy, No. 4 Burrell, and No. 5 Chestnut Ridge) among many other bigtime wrestling schools.
 

Preseason Storylines

   The moment many have waited for is just days away as the 2018-19 local wrestling season gets going on Friday night.
   And around Bedford County and beyond, there are a number of intriguing storylines. Here's some things I'm looking at, first from a team perspective and then individually:

Lions still on top?
   We won't know until early February if Chestnut Ridge can claim what would be a seventh straight District 5 Duals championship, but the Lions are certainly the favorites again to do so. Yes they lost Justin McCoy, a 2017 state champion and the county's all-time winningest wrestler (167-18), and several other veterans to graduation. However, Ridge is at the point in its program where it reloads rather than rebuilds more often than nought. This is another year I think that is true. The Lions will be very good down low and up top, meaning if a dual starts at say 170, they could easily win all or most of the first 6-8 bouts and have commanding leads on anyone. A lot of high-profile names dot this roster, first and foremost Jared McGill. The Pitt commit was unbeaten until the state semifinals last March and will surely be aiming at the top of the podium (see more below).

County Pride
   Elsewhere around the county, I think it's going to be a pretty good year. Numbers and enthusiasm are higher at places like Bedford and Tussey Mountain, while Everett and Northern Bedford both return a sizable number of starters.
   Bedford - New head coach Joel Easter inherits a bigger roster that includes Kaden Cassidy and Cole Lingenfelter this year. Cassidy (see more below) is back in the Bison practice room after two years away, which included a state medal. Lingenfelter competed for Claysburg-Kimmel the past two seasons.
   Everett - The Warriors welcome back a lot of their talent from a year ago, most notably state medalist Garret Cornell (see more below). Upperweight Shane Clark is also returning after taking the last two years off. Everett has an interesting early schedule with duals against North Star (Friday) and Northern Bedford (next Tuesday) to begin the season.
   Northern Bedford - At NBC, excitement is also running high. The Black Panthers may not have the "superstar" wrestler on their roster, yet, but they'll have nine starters back from last season. On paper, it appears like Northern should have good balance in its lineup. Among those to keep an eye on are Alex Fouse, who wrestled 132 two years ago but is set to go 182 this winter, and middleweight Ian Sherlock, who was 12-2 before being shut down last year because of injury.
   Tussey Mountain - This might be one of the more anticipated wrestling seasons in quite some time in Saxton. The Titans, who will be guided by former Northern Bedford wrestler Mason Replogle, should have quite a bit of balance as well. Brady Villa is a returning state qualifier, while Tussey also has a group of newcomers that should be strong. That includes PJW medalist and freshman Matt Watkins at heavyweight.

Gold on their minds
   I mentioned McGill, Cassidy, and Cornell above, and those are the three most decorated local wrestlers heading into the year. That's not to say there won't be some surprises, as there always are, but this trio is the preseason headline among individual talent.
   Jared McGill - I think most everyone thought McGill was the wrestler to beat come Hershey last season. Unfortunately, the Chestnut Ridge star got beat in the semifinals, putting a damper on what was a brilliant season where he finished 46-1 and won everything except the state's Class AA gold medal at 160 pounds. He'll at least be starting at 182 as a senior and is one of if not the favorite again. McGill has 120 career wins and is 47 behind McCoy for the school and county record. He can also join McCoy as a four-time state placewinner. He owns plenty of big wins, including several over former state champs.
   Kaden Cassidy - The homecoming of Cassidy to Bedford has been much talked about during the summer and fall, and he made more recent news by committing to wrestle at George Mason University after he graduates in 2020. Cassidy was a decorated youth wrestler and he had a strong freshman season at Bishop McCort that culminated with a third-place state medal at 106 pounds. Last year, he won the King of the Mountain Tournament for Chestnut Ridge, but was sidelined shortly after with an injury and didn't compete the rest of the season. If you look at the postseason results at 113 and 120, surely Cassidy would have been right in the mix for the state title as he owned previous victories over a few of the high medalists. He is likely to be at 132 this winter.
   Garret Cornell - Cornell saved his best for last as a junior by winning four straight bouts in Hershey to finish third at 126, perhaps a little unnoticed given that four-time state champion Gavin Teasdale was in the same weight class. That was his first state medal after two previous trips came up empty. Cornell could be back at 126 again and will be a contender. Like Cassidy above, Cornell has either beaten or come really close to some of the higher finishers in the state over the past two years.

Other Tidbits from around Pennsylvania
   - Bald Eagle Area and Philipsburg-Osceola will be in Class AA. The two District 6 schools have long voluntarily competed up in Class AAA. BEA was slated to have state finalist Gage McClenahan back, but he suffered a bad injury in football and probably won't see the mat this season.
   - This season begins a new cycle of enrollment numbers as well. Notably going up to Class AAA are Susquehanna Township and South Fayette. For Susquehanna Township, that means two-time state champion Edmund Ruth will try to win his second state medal in each class (They were AAA three years ago, when Ruth placed eighth). Ruth being in the other class means that he and McGill won't face each other in the postseason, should they even be at the same weight. Ruth was expected to be the favorite to win a third straight title in Class AA. McGill beat Ruth in a consolation round of the NHSCA Junior Nationals in April. South Fayette's jump means that some of the best wrestlers from that school that we'll see in January's Thomas Tournament will be up a class for the postseason.
   A number of high placers in the Class AAA field will also be down to Class AA. They include Pope John Paul's Ryan Vulakh (third at 145) and Matt Vulakh (eighth at 106), and Hopewell's Jacob Ealy (fifth at 126).
   - Tom Housenick of The Morning Call in Allentown reported today that reigning 145-pound Class AA champion Nathan Haubert will miss the regular season with a knee injury. Haubert, who almost spoiled McCoy's run to the 145 title two years ago, won it last year after placing fourth for Palisades in 2017. He is hopeful of a return for the postseason events.

Previews, Previews, Previews
   Full previews complete with rosters will be in Friday's special Winter Sports pullout edition of the Bedford Gazette. Wrestling preview information from both the Altoona Mirror and Johnstown Tribune-Democrat should be out during the middle of the week. Support all of us by picking up a copy.

Schedule Highlights for 2018-19

   Below are some of the important and intriguing matches and tournaments for the upcoming high school wrestling season around the local area:

December 7
   North Star at Everett - Opening Night for Winter Sports, and this could be a good match to kick off the new season between two of the upper echelon teams in District 5.

December 11
   Forest Hills at Bedford - A bunch of new faces, and familiar ones in new spots. Joel Easter makes his head coaching debut at Bedford, who will also have Kaden Cassidy in its lineup as the former junior high standout in Bison colors returns home. Meanwhile, it will be an early chance to see a few of the highly anticipated freshmen expected to be in the lineup for the Rangers.

December 14-15
   Panther Holiday Classic, King of the Mountain Tournament - The first big tournament weekend hits with events at Mount Aloysius and Central Mountain. Chestnut Ridge will attempt to win a second straight KOM team title.

December 18
   Forest Hills at Chestnut Ridge - Expect a full house in Fishertown on this night, which could ultimately determine the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship. While Chestnut Ridge does have to replace most of its middleweight portion of its lineup, it's a chance to see how good Forest Hills is against one of the top programs in the state over the last half-dozen years.

Holiday Week Tournaments
   Southmoreland Classic, Powerade Tournament - In the past, Northern Bedford was the only team from the county to go to Southmoreland, which is not Powerade level but still a solid event between a lot of Class AA and AAA schools from the Southwest Regionals. Bedford and Tussey Mountain join the fold this year. Meanwhile at Canon-Mac, Chestnut Ridge's Jared McGill will be the local highlight as he goes for two straight Powerade titles against a top-notch field.

January 5
   Everett Duals - Everett hosts its dual-meet event again, with other teams including Cambria Heights, Central, and Forest Hills among others on hand.

January 19
   Ultimate Duals - Chestnut Ridge returns again to Brookville's Ultimate Duals, where the Lions have fared rather well over the years against a field that includes defending state duals champion Reynolds, host Brookville, Burrell, and others. This year, Conneaut Area and Freedom are also slated to be there.
 
January 25-26
   Thomas Tournament - It wouldn't be a wrestling season around here without the annual Thomas Tournament, which features a number of programs from Districts 5 and 6 along with some from Districts 3, 7, 10, 11 and Maryland.

February 2
   District 5 Duals - Chestnut Ridge has owned the district team duals title for six straight years - can anyone knock the Lions off? This is the day for that to be determined.

February 7-9
   Class AA, Class AAA state duals - Hershey's Giant Center plays host to its first of two annual wrestling championships as the team duals take center stage first. Reynolds (Class AA) and Bethlehem Catholic (Class AAA) are defending champs.

February 15-16
   District 5, District 6-AA Tournaments - Regional qualifiers in Class AA from District 5 and District 6 will be determined in separate events at UPJ's Sports Center and the Altoona Fieldhouse.

February 22-23
   Class AA Southwest Regional - IUP will be the place to be to see how many locals earn their place in the state tournament for the season.

March 7-9
   Class AA, Class AAA State Tournament - After a week off for area AA wrestlers, the state tournament in Hershey closes out what should be another strong season of local competition.

State Champs!

   A golden goal.
   For one unforgettable golden moment.
   What a season this Bedford girls soccer team put together.
   An undefeated record. So many goals. So few goals given up. And in the end early this afternoon, the biggest thing these Lady Bisons will cherish forever - a state championship.
   Through 80 minutes of regulation in the Class AA final against Lewisburg, nobody could break through as the title would be settled in overtime or a penalty kick shootout.
   But less than a minute of game time later, it was over with Amber Thomas connecting on a PK after teammate Abby Donaldson was fouled in the box.
   Thomas tallied her 58th goal of the year on a low shot to the left side of the net, and the celebration was on for Bedford, who finishes 22-0 this fall.
   The Lady Bisons had everything this year, from scoring to defense to the little things that can’t be taught or coached. That’s what it takes to win state titles.
   Bedford coach Jeff Thomas is an outstanding 81-6 in four years coaching the girls team. He deserves a lot of credit, though I know he doesn’t care about that. Each time I covered Bedford this season, he would always discuss how hard the team has worked since losing in the state semifinals a year ago.
   Jeff’s not a rah-rah type of coach on the sideline, but he obviously gets the job done. And he’s got good assistants, and first and foremost a very talented group of players. Watching the video of today’s winning goal, I got a little chuckle out of seeing Jeff’s reaction, the usual unassuming handshake from other coaches like it was any other win.
   Of course, it was not any other win, or any other day.
   Congratulations to the entire Bedford girls program for producing this moment in history.
———
   Bedford Gazette Sports Editor Codi Weyant was on scene today and will have a story and plenty of photos in Monday’s edition. Be sure to grab a print copy or visit www.bedfordgazette.com.
 

Wrestling Notes - Early November

   Wrestling is here for the 2018-19 season.
   Official high school practices begin in less than two weeks, while the college season began for many teams in the past few days. And many high schoolers from the region, state, and beyond took part in the first-annual The Surge yesterday at UPJ's Sports Center. I wasn't there, but it appeared to be a wide-ranging success, so a hat tip to my friends at PA Power Wrestling.
   Here's some short tidbits from my files as we get closer to the season around here:

Cassidy makes commitment
   Bedford junior Kaden Cassidy announced on Sunday night (he broke the news to me first) that he had made a verbal commitment to George Mason University. I have a story on this for tomorrow's Bedford Gazette. While I won't give away everything in my story, getting Cassidy is another piece of George Mason's strong recruiting push into Pennsylvania. Make sure you get a copy of the paper on Tuesday.

McCoy wins Hokie Open
   The winningest wrestler in Bedford County history began his collegiate career over the weekend with a title in the Freshman/Sophomore Division at the Hokie Open. Competing at 157 pounds, University of Virginia true freshman Justin McCoy went 5-0 in the event, which included a pair of technical falls. In the finals, the former state champ defeated George Mason freshman Kolby Ho by a 9-7 decision. Ho was a Class AAA state finalist for DuBois last March, while McCoy won a Class AA title in 2017 and was a finalist last year at Chestnut Ridge.
   McCoy told me last week that he is likely to redshirt this season. In a dual on Saturday, Virginia beat Indiana, which included a technical fall by former Ligonier Valley standout Robby Patrick (174).

Gabriel up to 141 for Navy
   Former Bedford state champion Jonathan Gabriel will likely be at 141 pounds at the Naval Academy this year. He told me about a month ago that he would be there and would have to beat two-time NCAA qualifier Nick Gil for the starting spot. The Midshipmen wrestled Ohio State in their opener on Saturday night. Gil lost, 3-2, to second-ranked and NCAA All-American Joey McKenna.

Harbaugh in at Millersville
   Millersville defeated Delaware Valley, 21-14, in its season opener on Saturday. At 141 pounds, we saw the debut of Chestnut Ridge grad Seth Harbaugh. Harbaugh, who won 86 bouts in high school, lost to Del Val's Kordell Rush by technical fall.

Football playoffs getting close

   We're just over a week away from the postseason beginning in many of the fall sports, and many local teams are going to be playoff-bound. Let's take a look at where things stand currently in football, and where things may go with two weeks of regular season action remaining:

Football: District 5-A
   Currently at the top of the standings are unbeaten Shade and one-loss Tussey Mountain. It appears that those two will be the hosts for semifinal games, though Shade (8-0) will face a very good Ligonier Valley squad next week, while Tussey Mountain (7-1) is at Bellwood-Antis this Friday. Conemaugh Township (6-2) could make a play for the second seed and a home game, and Windber (5-3) will likely be the fourth seed. Northern Bedford (2-6) has played better than its record but has been eliminated from contention.

Football: District 5-AA
   Chestnut Ridge (8-0) keeps rolling along and has locked up the top seed for the playoffs here. Everett (5-3) and Meyersdale (4-4) are next in line, with Berlin (3-5) in fourth place. Everett will be heavily favored this week against Williamsburg and a win on Friday will go a long way toward the Warriors being the second seed.

Football: District 5-8-9 AAA Subregional
   Bedford (4-4) is heading up this group right now, and could end up 6-4 with wins over Cambria Heights and Greater Johnstown. District 8 teams Westinghouse and Perry are both 3-5, with Somerset (D5) and Punxsutawney (D9) both at 2-6. St. Mary's (D9) is 0-8. The top four teams after next week will qualify for the playoffs, but there is also a stipulation that each district is guaranteed at least one representative. For example, if the D9 teams end up fifth and sixth in the standings, as they very well could, the fifth-place team would jump over whoever is fourth and into the bracket.

Football: District 6-A
   Claysburg-Kimmel sits at 6-2 and is fourth in the D6-A standings with two weeks left. The Bulldogs have two tough matchups with Southern Huntingdon and Everett left on the schedule. There will be as many as 12 squads in the playoffs here, so if CK can stay in the top four, it would likely get a bye week.

The Surge is fast approaching

   If you’re a wrestler looking for a great, and close by, chance to get some big time competition before the high school season begins, The Surge is the place for you.
   And time is running out on the opportunity to be involved. Early registration for the event ends TOMORROW. The early registration cost is $45, compared to a $60 cost beginning on Tuesday.
   Registration is open to any wrestler in grades 8-12, and there will be a four-pound weight allowance. You can sign up on Flo Arena by visiting www.arena.flowrestling.org.
   The Surge will be held November 3-4 at the UPJ Sports Center.
   I don’t have any official involvement with the tournament, but just as a fan of the sport beyond my journalistic role related to wrestling, this is a great idea to bring some of the best scholastic wrestlers from this region, the state, and anywhere else together in a preseason format. Kudos to Eric Knopsnyder and others associated with the event’s creation.
   Act now on your chance to be part of The Surge.
 

A Busy Offseason

   The offseason in high school wrestling has been busy to say the least, with a number of headlines ranging from coaching moves to transfers and things in between.
  — Locally, among those changes will be seeing Kaden Cassidy back at Bedford. I wrote about this last month - Cassidy back in Bedford colors. A former PJW champion for the Bison program, Cassidy will be looking to get back to the PIAA podium after missing most of last season.
   Cassidy will be wrestling under a new head coach at Bedford in Joel Easter, who takes over after the long and successful run of Brian Creps. Easter has a wealth of experience in coaching at Bedford, and this should make it an easy transition as the Bisons continue to rebuild the program to what it once was.
   Also, Tussey Mountain has a new coach in Mason Replogle, the former Northern Bedford wrestler who was an assistant in the Titans' system a year ago.
   There have been some moves around District 6 as well. Bishop McCort will get a pretty good wrestler in Noah Roulo. He'll be a senior at McCort, and he brings three state medals with him from Virginia, including a title two years ago.
   St. Joseph's Academy is making news as well, as I'm hearing some of its better wrestlers won't be there. That said, the private school did gain one with the addition of junior Tyler Stoltzfus. Stoltzfus was a fifth-place PIAA medalist for Mifflinburg last season.
  — Plenty of news has come out of the wrestling-rich Lehigh Valley this summer. In my opinion, though biased here, the biggest of which was Bethlehem Catholic hiring Rick Thompson out of a short retirement to take over for Jeff Karam.
   Thompson is well-traveled in his coaching career, but was easily most successful in three stints at Phillipsburg High School in New Jersey. He won 268 dual meets and eight team state titles with the Stateliners, and was most recently at Bangor in District 11. After one year off, Thompson was hired by Becahi after being turned down for two other jobs.
   It's not always easy to replace a great coach with another one, but the Golden Hawks have done it. I could wax poetic about what Thompson means to me personally, but I'll leave it at this: He's one of a kind - a master motivator, supremely dedicated to coaching and teaching kids on and off the mat, and a coach who is worth the price of admission just to see him on the bench. It's tremendous to have him back in the sport.
   One of Bethlehem's other schools, Freedom, also made a coaching move in the offseason by hiring Dante Terenzio, who had been at Western Wayne in District 2. Terenzio takes over for former Tussey Mountain wrestler Brandon Hall, who had a nice run at Freedom, but the school decided to go in a different direction.
   Among those D11 kids that take the mat, the nation's top ranked freshman will be suiting up for Notre Dame-Green Pond this winter. Ryan Crookham came up through the Bethlehem Catholic program and was expected to attend Saucon Valley for his freshman season. Crookham won the prestigious Super 32 Tournament as an eighth-grader at 113 pounds last fall.
   While Saucon Valley missed out on keeping a future stud in house, Class AAA's Easton lost one of its as well, with the messy departure of Jonathan Miers to prep program Wyoming Seminary.
   Miers was unfortunately at the center of controversy at the state tournament in March, when he missed weight on the final day of the event. That led to Easton coach JaMarr Billman, a former state champion at the school, reportedly being verbally and physically attacked by family members of Miers.
   Following the season, Billman had been notified that the school district wouldn't be renewing his contract, but days later, he was reinstated after uproar within the community over the matter.
   Dashawn Farber, a former PJW medalist who moved to Georgia and became a two-time state champion down south, is returning to Pennsylvania and will be at Nazareth, another Lehigh Valley powerhouse.

 

Spring's Spotlight - Macen Akers

   Macen Akers spends very little time on the sideline during an Everett football game.
   It seems to suit the Warriors' senior just fine.
   He plays quarterback. He plays defensive back. He's the team's punter, and he'll return punts and kicks as well.
   And he's become one of Everett's leaders, on and off the field, as the Warriors are off to a 2-1 start to the season.
   In Friday's 28-26 victory over Glendale, Akers was in the middle of many big situations.
   Glendale had the ball up 7-0 late in the second quarter, and Akers intercepted Jacob Jasper's deep pass attempt, and brought the ball back some 40 yards to set the Warriors up in position to either tie or take the lead.
   He converted a third down by running for 24 yards, then score a touchdown on the next play, and also ran in a two-point conversion.
   In the third quarter, with the Vikings ahead 13-8, Akers engineered a 15-play drive that lasted over six minutes and went nearly 80 yards. He handed the ball off to Logan Propst for the touchdown, before scoring another two-pointer himself. Early in the fourth, Akers scored his second rushing touchdown to give Everett a 22-13 lead.
   Glendale inched closer, but Akers again had an answer, on a fourth down from the Viking 6-yard line. He took the snap and didn't hesitate in running for the end zone, beating the defense to the goal line on the near side of the field.
   "A lot of times, Coach (Winston Redman) and I might see the same call," Akers said when asked if the play was by design. "It's just what we see out there, and it came off perfectly there to get a big touchdown."
   Everett is playing with heavy hearts this year, after former coach Tom Waltman passed away unexpectedly in July. Waltman was a football coach at many levels in the Warrior program, and was very close to many of the current players because he was a physical education teacher in the district, and beloved in the community.
   The team held a "Red Out" in the home opener, wearing shirts that had the letters TW and the number 23 with angel wings on either side, and they also run onto the field with the same design on a flag.
   "We have someone watching over us this year," said Akers. "That's always going to be behind us and with us all season. If we have nothing else to play for, that's what we play for. We play for Tommy Waltman, our family, and our community."

Spring's Spotlight - Cole Weist

   Cole Weist and his Tussey Mountain teammates were more than excited to put the pads and helmets on for real Friday night.
   And when they did, their performance was quite exciting as well.
   Weist ran for 121 yards with a touchdown and a pair of two-point conversions, in helping the Titans defeat Claysburg-Kimmel, 42-28.
   "Every football team talks about how much preparation they put into the season," said Weist, one of six seniors for Tussey Mountain. "I believe that we worked for this. The anxiety and excitement for this was unbelievable."
   Weist is one of the upperclassmen that has been through some tough times with the Titan program of late, as only three wins over the past two seasons was on the record prior to Friday.
   Tussey decided to go a different way in the offseason, bringing in Anthony Sottasante as the team's new head coach. Sottasante previously coached on the scholastic level at Columbia High School in District 3.
   Along with a very uptempo type of offense, Sottasante also introduced the term "WADL" to the Titans. It stands for "Win All Day Long," and goes beyond whatever happens on the football field.
   "It means that not only are we respectful on the field win or lose, but we accomplish daily tasks off the field," said Weist. "We're not just athletes, we're student athletes, and students first."
   Tussey Mountain will look for a 2-0 start when it hosts Everett, also 1-0, this Friday.

NOTE: This is the first piece of a new series, entitled "Spring's Spotlight," that I expect to continue throughout the school year, and involve not only football but other sports.
 

 

Countdown to Kickoff

   We're now less than 48 hours from the opening whistle of the 2018 high school football season. Despite all the rain over the late spring and summer, Friday night's forecast as of now is for near-perfect weather, which is also a welcome sign.
   And there's plenty of intrigue around my coverage area for the Bedford Gazette. By the way, the Gazette's annual preview insert comes out on Friday (I didn't do much for the issue, so forward any comments/concerns to others not named Ryan Spring, LOL).
   Here's some of the top storylines in my opinion:

Chestnut Ridge to the Laurel Highlands
   The Lions, who have been very good of late, find themselves back in a league this fall as a full member of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference. They will have a lot of new faces in the skill positions, and their development will be key. I've heard some people saying that Ridge will struggle in the LHAC, but to that point, I'll make two counterpoints.
   First, I would argue that Chestnut Ridge's independent scheduling over the past decade has been just as rigorous as any league team. The Lions have faced opponents such as Berks Catholic, Fort Hill and Allegany from Maryland, Musselman from West Virginia, plus more regional powers like Berlin, Portage, Tyrone and others.
  Second, in the 10 seasons against many of those above, Chestnut Ridge has had only one losing season, and that was 5-6 in 2009.
  Sure, like mentioned above, Max Shoemaker will have a lot of new people on his first string offense and defense, but it is one of the stronger football programs from top to bottom around right now. The Lions draw one of the LHAC favorites, Forest Hills, right out of the box on Friday night in Sidman, and while I'm not sure they could pull out an upset in that one, I wouldn't sleep on them over the rest of the fall.

Rest of the LHAC
   Bedford, my other team in the league, has had a couple down years of late, but I expect the Bisons to be better. That said, I think they're still a year or two away from contending. They do avoid Bishop Guilfoyle on the schedule this season, which helps.
   It appears as if Forest Hills and Bishop Guilfoyle are the preseason favorites, while it could be a battle between several teams for the next slot or two.

New Coaches
   There's two new head coaches in my area, and they'll face each other in two days as Claysburg-Kimmel visits Tussey Mountain.
   After winning its first playoff game in nearly 30 years, the Bulldogs gave the reigns to Matt Bilchak, who is the head man for the first time anywhere. He was an assistant to Dan Foor previously. Bilchak has a nice nucleus of starters back and expectations are up in CK country.
   Meanwhile, the Titans went with Anthony Sottasante, who previously coached at Columbia in District 3.
   Tussey Mountain has only three wins in the past two years, but rumors are a scrimmage this past weekend with perennial WestPAC power Portage went better than expected. A scrimmage is a scrimmage, so I don't know what can be taken out of it. But it's at the very least some positive vibes for the Titan faithful.

Inter-County Glory
   It's a broken record, but it seems again like the road to an ICC title goes through Bellwood-Antis. Despite the fact that legendary coach John Hayes retired, the Blue Devils should be strong again, as assistant Nick Lovrich moved up to Hayes' spot.
   The contenders could include Juniata Valley, Claysburg, and Southern Huntingdon.
   Northern Bedford isn't getting a lot of press, but that's probably how Black Panthers' coach Garry Black likes it, coming off a district championship in 2017. Like Chestnut Ridge, Black will have a lot of skill position changes from a year ago. Central and Southern Huntingdon in the first two weeks will be challenges, but could also pave the way for success later on in the season. By the way, the Southern Huntingdon game is on a Thursday if you saw that and thought it was a misprint. The game is at Southern next Thursday, August 30.
 

Cassidy back in Bedford colors

   With two promising years left as a varsity wrestler, Kaden Cassidy is returning to his roots as a member of Bedford's team.
   A former junior wrestling standout in the Bison program, Cassidy was a PIAA third-place finisher at 106 pounds for Bishop McCort as a freshman. Last season at Chestnut Ridge, Cassidy began on a high note by winning the King of the Mountain Tournament, but missed the rest of the season due to injuries.
   Cassidy won a Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling (PJW) state title in 2016 for Bedford, and will certainly be a nice building block for new Bisons' coach Joel Easter.
   Cassidy and his family moved back into the Bedford Area School District over the summer. The transfer between the two county schools was approved at the recent District 5 meeting, and the new PIAA rules regarding transfers sitting out postseason events do not apply in this case, as Cassidy's move was prior to the state's August 6 deadline.

PIAA's new transfer rules — Are they enough?

   It's no secret that the PIAA has been under a lot of scrutiny for some time regarding the issue of competitive balance between public and private, or non-boundary, schools.
   Earlier today, the state's athletic association Board of Directors broke its protocol to enact new transfer rules which take effect on August 6, one week before official practices for the fall sports season begin.
   Here's a quick breakdown:
   1) If any student athlete in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade decides to transfer to another school, he or she is permitted to compete in regular season competition, but will be banned from all postseason play in any sport that they competed at the year before at the previous school.
   2) The board also approved a new competitive balance formula, based on postseason success and number of transfers. Schools will receive points for certain advancement in PIAA playoff brackets, and those points along with a given number of transfers over a two-year period will require a move up in classification. The numbers will be used to determine 2020-21 classifications. Keep in mind that this formula is only being used for two sports — football and basketball.
   This is the biggest step that the PIAA has made in regards to trying to "level the playing field." And I do think the Board of Directors deserves credit for tightening up the transfer rules, and for suspending its protocol to enact the first measure as early as this year.
   That said, it's not near a total fix of the issues regarding public vs. private. While I did not speak with anyone on the record about the PIAA's new rules, I gather that many public districts will see this as a band-aid type of measure that won't produce their desired long-term solutions.
   Next Tuesday, superintendents and other administrators from over 100 public school districts are expected to be in attendance at a meeting set up in State College. The public vs. private debate is at the heart of the matter, and who knows where it leads.
   It should be noted that many of the schools named on a list of probable attendees (published Tuesday on pennlive.com) are from the central and western parts of the state. A number of administrators from schools in the east, notably Districts 3 and 11, have already been quoted as saying that they would not attend next week's gathering.
   In the past 10 years, the non-boundary schools have won 64 percent of team championships in boys basketball and 59 percent in girls basketball, with football basically at a 50-50 split between public and private programs.
   While those numbers might not be as high as thought by some on the outside, it's a rallying call by many public districts to at least get together and discuss options, with the list of meeting attendees rising drastically since such a meeting was proposed.
   The Centre Daily Times reported that the Bellefonte school board, at its meeting last night, passed a resolution calling on the PIAA to consider separating public and private postseason competition. The resolution says that the state should put public schools in four classes (A, 2A, 3A, 4A) with private schools in two classes (5A, 6A).
   At the very least from the public school angle, the time for complaints seems over and a call to action is imminent.
   Will it eventually mean separate playoffs? Will it mean schools leaving the PIAA and creating a new governing body for state athletics?
   Obviously, I can't answer that. But what I can say is this topic is as hot as hype is for the upcoming sports season itself.

Cambria County Legion Playoff Preview

   The 2018 Cambria County American Legion league playoffs begin on Thursday with a pair of best-of-three semifinal series. Bedford is the top seed and will host fourth seed Somerset in Game 1, while the other matchup features second seed Claysburg hosting third seed St. Michael.
    The winners of the semifinal series' will play one nine-inning game at the higher seed to determine the CCAL champion. Both finalists advance to the Region 7 Tournament, which begins on Friday, July 20. Hempfield East is the regional host this year and games will be played at Hempfield Area High School.
   Below is a closer look at the Cambria league tournament:

1. Bedford (21-3) vs 4. Somerset (14-9)
Game 1 - Thursday at Bedford, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 - Friday at Somerset, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3 (x) - Saturday at Bedford, TBA
   x - if necessary

   Notes: Bedford won all three regular season meetings with Somerset this season. All three of Bedford's losses were by one run. Bedford has advanced to the regional tournament the past two years and three of four heading into 2018. Somerset's last appearance at Region 7 was in 2013, when Post 181 hosted that event.

2. Claysburg (20-4) vs 3. St. Michael (19-5)
Game 1 - Thursday at Claysburg, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 - Friday at St. Michael, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3 (x) - Saturday at Claysburg, TBA
   x - if necessary

   Notes: St. Michael, which had a chance to be a higher seed and thus have home field advantage before losses to Bedford and Lilly this past Sunday, won two of three games against Claysburg this summer. Claysburg's four defeats in the league's regular season were by six runs in total. Claysburg is looking for its fifth straight trip to the Region 7 Tournament, while St. Michael most recently made it in 2015.

Remembering Tom Waltman

   Small school districts like the ones I live in and around tend to have someone like Tom Waltman.
   Everett certainly did with Waltman himself, who unexpectedly passed away on Friday at the age of 54. A health and physical education teacher at Everett, Tom also coached for many years, most notably in football.
   I heard about Tom’s passing on Friday afternoon, and after Jeff Maurer’s death on Monday, it’s another person I consider a friend that I won’t get to see once the high school sports season begins, and my heart goes out to Tom’s family and the Everett Area School District.
   I can remember meeting Tom for the first time in Everett’s parking lot in the summer of 2006. I believe it was photo day for the football team as the season was fast approaching. The next time I saw him was probably three weeks or so later at a soccer game, and as I entered the stadium, Tom came up to me and said (12 years ago, so probably not verbatim here) “Hi Ryan, how are you?”
   Honestly, I would have expected just a “ Hi” or “Hey, you’re the new guy at the Gazette, right?”
   I know that seems so trivial to most, but it meant a lot that it seemed so personal from him, and though I can’t remember most things I did an hour ago or a day ago, I’ll think of that time when I think of Tom.
   One other thing about Tom was his interviews. Whether it was a game story, preseason talk, or postseason awards, he was great with information. I’d ask about half a question and he’d start chiming in with his thoughts. And it wasn’t done in a negative way like he was trying to control the interview. I think he was just happy and excited to discuss whatever the topic was. Win or lose, he was always upbeat, had a smile on his face, and had something positive to say.
   Even after he wasn’t the varsity coach anymore, Tom stayed very active around Everett sports. I’d reason that nine times out of ten when I was at a Warriors’ basketball game, or a soccer or volleyball match, there was Tom, sitting in the front row supporting the kids he knew and loved.
   And every chance I had, I would at least say “hello”, because out of the so many great people I met in my decade-plus around this area’s local sports scene, Tom Waltman ranks in the top of my list.
   Like I said with Jeff in my last blog post, I’m saddened that I won’t get to chat with Tom at an event this fall, but I know that my life is better just for knowing him the little bit that I did.

Remembering Jeff Maurer

   Monday was officially my first day back in a full-time role at the Bedford Gazette, but it became bittersweet as I heard late in the evening that we had all lost a friend in the local sports business - Jeff Maurer, the sports editor at the Somerset Daily American.
   Jeff passed away at the too young age of 39, and with myself being just a little older, it's another reminder of how much I know I take for granted every day without knowing what lies ahead.
   Jeff and I got to know each other through our mutual coverage of high school wrestling, mostly when it came to the postseason events. We would often swap team scores and individual results with each other to make sure we had it right for our respective newspapers. And we would at times be called upon by the other to cover a match, or a football game, or whatever else was needed. In 2009, Jeff asked me to help the Daily American with its first two days of coverage of the state wrestling tournament, which is where I first enjoyed talking with, and interviewing the late Nick Roberts.
   One of the things I thought most about Jeff was his quiet, unassuming demeanor. In that way, I'm cut from quite the same cloth. And in social media postings and such throughout the past few days, almost everyone has mentioned his quiet professional personality in their reflective thoughts.
   My last interaction with Jeff came in early February at the District 5 Duals. I was there covering the matches for the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. Jeff and I sat next to each other at the media table, again trading some scoring back and forth as we always had. One of his first comments to me was asking how my son was doing, and that always means so much to me coming from colleagues.
   Also in those postings I've seen, you can tell from people who know Jeff a lot better than I did that he truly cared about the people he worked with and was friends with.
   Jeff would have certainly been one of the fellow journalists I would have interacted with during this upcoming high school season. I'm saddened that I can't sit next to him at these events anymore, but I'm thankful that I knew him.
 

Back to the Sports Business

   When I left the Bedford Gazette's sports editor post late in 2016, I wrote in my farewell column in the paper that local sports were in my blood for good, and I knew I wouldn't ever go very far from them.
    And here we are a year and a half later, and you'll soon be seeing my name back in the pages of the Gazette, as I have decided to return full-time to the sports desk. I will not be the sports editor, as that title still holds with Codi Weyant, who replaced me in that role when I departed. That's exactly the way it should be, and frankly was one of my stipulations upon a potential return. Codi and I had a great working relationship in the five-plus years before, and she's done a great job as the editor.
   I didn't return to step on anyone's toes. Aside from my faith and family, this industry has brought me my greatest passion, and I am delighted to get back to hanging out on the fields of play around Bedford County and beyond. Plain and simple, that's why I'm here writing this tonight.
   Do I regret leaving on December 16, 2016?
   Absolutely not.
   I wanted to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone, and I'm so glad that I did. It was only a year and a half, but I learned a lot about myself in that time, things that I believe I can use in a return to journalism.
   It was also great to be able to take my son, who is now four years old, to some games and just sit and watch. He's becoming a fan of certain sports himself, and he and I cherished those moments and will surely do so in the future as well. And to see it from the perspective of not having to hold a pen and paper and take down a lot of information was also quite valuable in my opinion.
   As for this blog, I began it several years ago with the hope of adding more content across all sports to what I was already doing at the Gazette. That happened but just for a short while as it eventually boiled down to mainly the wrestling season. That was in part because of my duties at the paper as sports editor, so without that responsibility now, it may lead to more opportunities online here to focus on other things. And I already have some ideas, but I'll have to see how it plays out with the work that pays my bills. As much as I would still rather have a print copy of a newspaper in my hand, the digital age of information keeps going and keeps growing, so my hope is to bring you more on that end.
   Again, I'm glad to be back, and thankful to Bedford Gazette publisher Joe Beegle for affording me the opportunity. Let the games begin!

McGill takes third in national tourney

   Jared McGill continues to prove he belongs among the best wrestlers in Pennsylvania, and the entire nation.
   McGill's latest achievement is a third-place medal at the NHSCA Junior Nationals this weekend in Virginia Beach. The Chestnut Ridge star has now finished third at 170 pounds in each of the past two years.
   He finished the event off this morning with an 8-2 decision over Troy Fisher of Kansas in the third-place bout. That avenged a 4-2 loss to Fisher in the quarterfinals. Fisher is a Kansas state champion from one of that state's top programs, Goddard High School, and is being recruited by Oklahoma State among others.
   Today's win over Fisher came after another eye-opening victory for McGill, a 6-5 consolation triumph over Susquehanna Township's Edmond Ruth, who won his second straight PIAA Class AA title two weeks ago at 170. Ruth also won the 160-pound bracket at the Sophomore Nationals last March.
   Not only did McGill beat Ruth, he had to rally from a 5-1 deficit to do so, which included the winning points in the final 20 seconds of the bout. The two were at different weights in the Pennsylvania postseason. As mentioned, Ruth became a two-time champ, while McGill competed at 160 and placed third in Hershey for his third state medal.
   "I felt like I had an awesome tournament," he said. "I beat some tough kids this weekend. I feel like I stepped up my game and redeemed myself from a tough quarterfinal match. Beating that same kid for third place feels great."
   Everett's Garret Cornell, third in the state at 126 earlier this month, also went to the Junior Nationals and posted a 4-2 record at that same weight.
 

Bedford seeking new leader

   Earlier this week, Bedford wrestling coach Brian Creps resigned after 14 seasons of leading the Bisons program.
   Creps posted an overall record of 182-63, with eight Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championships. Bedford also won five straight District 5 Dual Meet titles from 2008-12.
   Bedford placed fourth in the Class AA Duals in 2009, becoming the first D5 team to medal in the event up to that point. Creps also coached a number of standout individuals, including four-time state placer Ryan Easter, and 2015 state champion Jonathan Gabriel.
   Creps is underrated as a coach in my opinion. I believe he knew the strengths and weaknesses of his wrestlers as well as anyone, and his really good Bedford teams found ways to win matches where they were at least a slight underdog before the first whistle blew.
   A pair of examples of that come from the state duals. In 2008, Bedford’s first dual was against Shady Side Academy, a team that featured Dane Johnson, Matthew Cunningham, Roman San Doval, Geoff Alexander, and Frank Martellotti.
   Bedford’s Devin Cook scored the key win, 4-3 over Martellotti, to push the Bisons to a 34-32 upset. Bedford then beat Towanda to reach the semifinals against Bermuduan Springs. The locals fell just short there, but it helped pave the way to that 2009 fourth-place effort.
   In 2012, the Bisons pulled out a 30-29 quarterfinal victory against Pen Argyl despite strategically forfeiting to state medalists Matt Williams and Mike Racciato. With Bedford leading 21-12, Creps opted against an Easter-Williams battle and forfeited to the Green Knights. After Williams had his hand raised, he threw his headgear in disgust at not getting to wrestle Easter, and that cost Pen Argyl a team point. As the remainder of the match played out, the Bisons would lead by seven points at the end, and it was an easy call to forfeit to Racciato with no danger of losing the dual.
   Unfortunately, Bedford’s program has fallen on hard times in the past few years, without a state qualifier in either 2017 or 2018. But I would still think that the position should draw plenty of interest.

McCoy's career something to cherish

   Simply put, Justin McCoy's high school wrestling career is well...maybe that not simply put.
   Yes, the final result in today's state championship bouts didn't produce the perfect ending, but that should do nothing to dampen what the Chestnut Ridge star accomplished in four short years.
   Here's a brief glimpse at the numbers:
   * Career Record of 167-18
   * Four-time District 5 champion
   * Two-time Southwest Regional champion
   * 2017 state champion (145 pounds)
   Furthermore, McCoy's the first wrestler from Chestnut Ridge to win four state medals, and only the third from Bedford County schools to do so. Northern Bedford's Jan Clark, who won three titles in the late 1970's, and Bedford's Ryan Easter (2011-14) are the only others.
   All of that puts McCoy in very exclusive company. Along the way of this 45-2 senior season, he smashed through both his school and District 5 win records. Aaron Burkett held Ridge's previous mark at 152, while North Star's Chris Lascari had 154 victories and had been the D5 leader for a number of years.
   The four-time district champions is a who's who list of local wrestlers, while there's only been six other state champions from the county. (Northern Bedford's aforementioned Clark, Bedford's John Heacock, Ron Hamilton, and Jonathan Gabriel, Chestnut Ridge's Gary Pfahler, and Everett's Paul Clark)
   McCoy also bookended his scholastic career by helping the Lions to two of their three state team medals, second place in the Class AA Duals in 2015 and third place a month ago.
   "My career at Chestnut Ridge is one I will never forget," he said earlier tonight. "Not only the success that I've had has made it great, but being with my teammates and the success we've had had made it even better. I'm so thankful for all the people who have helped me in my career, and thankful that God gave me these opportunities."
   Personally, my opinion was that McCoy's career took a turning point two years ago at the state tournament, when he lost in the quarterfinals against Cole Wetzel of Boiling Springs and went on to place seventh at 138 pounds. That's not to say at all that his first two seasons in a varsity uniform were bad in any way. You can't say that about someone who was already a two-time state medalist and well on his way to becoming one of the area's all-time greats.
   I just think it made him work that much harder to achieve his ultimate dream, that state championship. And I think he knew what he needed to work on.
   Even though I departed the Bedford Gazette in the first week of the wrestling season last year, so I didn't get to cover him as much in person, the moments I got to watch McCoy and the chats I had with him told me there was going to be different results over the final two seasons.
   Obviously, those results were different. Always a very technically sound wrestler, I saw a much more aggressive McCoy than ever. He was determined to dominate opponents from the neutral position, and go harder after bonus points when he was on top.
   Come Hershey last year, the bottom line was that McCoy was not only able to win, he was ready to win. He was down early to Bishop McDevitt's John Pipa in the 145-pound final, but scored five points in the second period of his 5-2 victory for the championship. That aggressiveness showed in putting Pipa on his back for the winning points.
   This year, more of the same. And he added a tournament title early in the season at the King of the Mountain. McCoy was strong throughout the winter, and he walked into the Giant Center on Thursday with a 42-1 record. And in his first three bouts in his final high school event, McCoy posted a pair of 11-1 major decisions and a win by injury default. That set up a regional final rematch with Frazier sophomore Thayne Lawrence, with the gold medal on the line.
   McCoy won that regional final two weeks ago by a 10-1 count. This one was far different, though. Let's give Lawrence, an 8-1 winner, all the credit for that. We've seen plenty of regional rematches in state finals before, but not very often one where a lopsided score one way turns completely around.
   "What was different this time was I just didn't start the match well," said McCoy. "If I get a takedown in the first period, I can get on a roll. I wasn't able to do that and I was fighting back the whole match."
   While I laud Lawrence for what he did this afternoon, I give a big thumbs up to McCoy as well - for his entire career. The University of Virginia is getting a really great wrestler, but it's also getting a really great person.
   "In college, I want to be the best I can be, be a multiple-time NCAA All-American and a champion," he said. "I'm looking forward to trying to reach my goals and make many more memories with my new teammates."
   I started hearing about Justin McCoy years before he was at the high school level. And in the blink of an eye, he's moving on to his next challenge.
   A blink of an eye, but wow, what a blink it was.

Cornell, McGill earn third-place medals

   Garret Cornell and Jared McGill closed out the state tournament this weekend with a lot in common.
   Both of them placed third in their respective Class AA brackets, each doing so with strong finishes after disappointing losses. And both have next year to improve their position on the podium.
   Everett's Cornell won his first medal in three trips to the Giant Center in Hershey. The junior 126-pounder won four straight consolation bouts after dropping a 5-2 quarterfinal decision against Saucon Valley's Josh Jones. Included in that run were a pair of overtime wins, the latter of which a 5-3 victory over Cambridge Springs' Tye Varndell to place third at the weight.
   Cornell is the highest Everett placewinner at the PIAA Tournament since Paul Clark won the program's lone state title to date in 1983. He also is the first Warrior to finish in the top four since Travis Karns in 1989.
   "It feels really good to finally get on the podium this year," said Cornell, who went 39-4 for the season. "A lot of hard work has paid off. I feel that I improved this year both mentally and on my feet. My coaching staff and practice partners were a big help to me."
   While Cornell was in the same weight class as eventual four-time champion Gavin Teasdale, McGill was labeled as one of the pre-tournament favorites at 160.
   And the Chestnut Ridge junior served notice early in the event why that was the case. Unbeaten heading into the tournament, McGill knocked off returning state champion Creighton Edsell, 4-2, in Friday's quarterfinals. But an early deficit against Port Allegany's Jacob Kallenborn was too much to overcome in the semifinals, which ended 8-7 and dashed the local's dream of gold this time around.
   Still, McGill persevered by winning by major decision in the consolation semifinals, and then pinning Wyalusing's Edsell in the third-place bout. Kallenborn lost to Northwestern Lehigh's Caleb Clymer in the finals.
   McGill will go into his senior season with three state medals (6th, 4th, 3rd) and posted a record this year of 46-1. Should he reach the medal stand again, he'll join teammate Justin McCoy as Chestnut Ridge's only four-time state placewinners.
   "It feels good to come back and finish third," he said. "It's not what I was working for all year, but sometimes things don't go how you want them to. It was important to me to finish strong because I wanted to prove to everyone that I was the best in the bracket."
   Cornell and McGill are also both looking forward to what lies ahead.
   "I just need to work on relaxing if I'm losing a match," said McGill. "The semifinal was the first time I was losing all year. It stinks that I got caught on my back, but things happen, and I want to work on coming back if that happens."
   "My goals for next year are to finish higher on the podium, and break my school's win record," said Cornell, who also eclipsed the 100-win mark in the state tournament.

McCoy leads local state contingent

   It seems as if every time Justin McCoy’s name is mentioned when it comes to high school wrestling, it’s about breaking records and creating more history.

   That’s the case when you’ve had a career as great as the Chestnut Ridge senior has, and one last terrific moment could be in store this weekend at the PIAA Championships in Hershey.

   If McCoy repeats as a Class AA state champion - at 152 pound this year after winning 145 last March - he’ll be the first two-time champ at Chestnut Ridge, and only the second from the county and fifth from District 5 to ever win more than one state title.

   District 5 doesn’t always get the notoriety of some of the larger areas in the state, but it has a rich wrestling tradition. So what McCoy’s on the doorstep of accomplishing is really something to savor.

   Heading into Thursday’s opening round at the Giant Center, McCoy stands at 164-17 in his career, already a four-time district champion and two-time regional winner. That win total is also the new District 5 record.

   By the way, McCoy’s fan base grew by one in the last week as his sister Brooke and her husband welcomed a son into the world. A picture posted by the family on social media showed four baby onesies, one of which says on it “When I grow up, I want to wrestle like my uncle”.

   Time will obviously tell whether his nephew will follow his footsteps to the mat, but little Luke certainly won’t have to look past his uncle for a better role model.

McGill among favorites at 160

   McCoy’s Chestnut Ridge teammate Jared McGill would like nothing less than claiming his first state title. Having finished fourth at 170 last year, the undefeated junior decided to drop a weight this time around to go after the top prize.

   His physicality and mat wrestling ability makes McGill especially dangerous. He’ll be one to watch this weekend, but will face a tough task in a presumed Friday quarterfinal with returning champion Creighton Edsell of Wyalusing. Edsell suffered his first loss of the season in the regional finals.

   The other county wrestlers who qualified are Chestnut Ridge’s Levi Hobson (170) and Austin Crouse (182), Everett’s Garret Cornell (126), and Tussey Mountain’s Brady Villa (126). Cornell is a two-time qualifier, while the other three are making their first trip.

   Best of luck to all!

Class AA Champion Picks

106 - Pat Demark, Trinity

113 - Beau Bayless, Reynolds

120 - Jaret Lane, Southern Columbia

126 - Gavin Teasdale, Jefferson-Morgan

132 - Joe Klock, Muncy

138 - Cole Matthews, Reynolds

145 - Kollin Myers, Boiling Springs

152 - Justin McCoy, Chestnut Ridge

160 - Jared McGill, Chestnut Ridge 

170 - Edmond Ruth, Susquehanna Township

182 - Cody Mulligan, Saegertown

195 - Gavin Hoffman, Montoursville

220 - Anthony Walters, Bishop McCort

285 - Dan Scheib, Tri-Valley

   

Lions claim third in Hershey

   It was another special weekend for Chestnut Ridge in Hershey.
   Special, because competing at the Giant Center, the PIAA's grand stage for these events, is an accomplishment in itself.
   Special, since a win that was so elusive for years was finally theirs early Friday afternoon.
   And oh so special, because the Lions came home with their third medal in the last six years.
   Chestnut Ridge secured it with a 31-27 victory over Harbor Creek in the consolation semifinals, before beating Muncy 39-22 to finish in third place in the Class AA state duals.
   The Lions placed fourth in their first-ever trip in 2013, and were the tournament's runner-up two years later. After two years of near misses, the District 5 power can now hang another banner in its home gymnasium.
   Seniors Seth Harbaugh and Scotty Miller didn't take long to mention the word 'team' in celebrating a medal.
   "I'm just so happy how the team performed, and how we overcame the tough loss (30-27 to Southern Columbia) in the semifinals," said Harbaugh. "It feels great."
   "I love my team," added Miller. "We are a family, and I'm glad to be a part of this experience with them."
   Helping pave the way was a hard-fought 35-27 quarterfinal win over state duals nemesis Boiling Springs, who was 5-0 against Chestnut Ridge on the floor of the Giant Center. Tied at 27 with two bouts remaining, state champion Justin McCoy rolled up a technical fall before Brodie Harbaugh scored a decision to exorcise demons of the past.
   That put the Lions in the semifinals for the second time in history (2015), going up against Southern Columbia. The District 4 champions were a little too much and went on to give defending champion Reynolds all it could handle in a 30-25 title match.
   Chestnut Ridge's third medal gives District 5 four team placewinners in the 20-year history of the event. Bedford owns the other one, having finished fourth in 2009.
   "It feels good to finally come through as a team," said junior and two-time individual state placer Jared McGill. "I've been on two previous teams that were so close to getting that medal but fell short. The guys really stepped it up and I'm proud of everyone.
   "I also want to give a shoutout to our fans for coming down to cheer us on."
   While the Lions will lose a number of seniors, headlined by McCoy, they'll have McGill and a host of experience back. That will include state placewinner Kaden Cassidy, who had his sophomore season cut short due to a hand injury. And as the varsity squad was winning another state medal, Chestnut Ridge also won another Mountain Conference junior high tournament championship, putting seven wrestlers into the finals with two champions.

State Duals Tidbits
- I had posted on social media after the win over Boiling Springs that Chestnut Ridge was 13-7 overall at the state duals. That was an error on my part as I had missed one year of results. To date including this season now, the Lions are 17-10 in Hershey.

- Reynolds repeated as Class AA champion for the second time (2006 and 07) and won its fifth title in history.

- According to Williamsport Sun-Gazette writer Mitch Rupert, Muncy's fourth-place effort is the first team medal by a Lycoming County school. Coupled with Southern Columbia's finals appearance, it's the first time two District 4 teams have placed in the same season.

#KeatonStrong, D5 Duals Wrap-up

   The wrestling community comes together like no other.

   That was again the case over the past few days after word spread that North Star's Keaton Furry underwent brain surgery hours after competing with his teammates in the District 5 Duals on Saturday at Chestnut Ridge.

   Eric Knopsnyder has a story in today's Tribune-Democrat regarding the surgery and the prognosis for Furry, which is optimistic at this point. Doctors removed a cyst, which does not appear to be cancerous.

   That is wonderful news. Since the news broke, there were countless well wishes and prayers posted on social media, with many using the hashtag #KeatonStrong on Twitter. 

   Again, it's so great to see everyone come together, no matter what team you're on or root for, in times like these. My best to Keaton, his family, and the North Star community.

Lions roar again in D5 Duals

   I covered the District Duals at Ridge for the Tribune-Democrat, and led with the premise of the seniors on the Lions' team leading the way, as they have generally in the past.

   In this case, every one of the seniors that took the mat in Saturday's 63-12 finals win over North Star won their bout. 

   Seth Harbaugh was one of them, as he used two takedowns and a reversal in his 6-1 decision over Furry at 126 pounds.

   I spoke with Harbaugh afterward, and he was very happy to contribute and keep Chestnut Ridge's streak of District 5 Duals championships alive (now six).

   "Wrestling's an individual sport, but it's a team sport as well," he said. "It's nice to get the ball rolling as a team. One guy goes out and gets it done, and that makes all of us want to do the same thing. It's a great feeling."

   Chestnut Ridge will be looking to finish in the medals for the third time in six trips to Hershey when the first round begins on Thursday. The Lions meet Derry in a 4 p.m. matchup.

   "We've always broke out of our huddles with (1, 2, 3...) state champs!," said Harbaugh. "We really believe we can become state champs. It's something we work hard at in the practice room all year and we really want to do it."

Bubblers on the horizon, again

   Not to get ahead of ourselves, but should Chestnut Ridge and Boiling Springs win first-round duals on Thursday, guess what the Friday quarterfinal on Mat 3 will look like?

   Yep, Chestnut Ridge vs. Boiling Springs. The District 3 champions are back at the Giant Center after a one-year hiatus, and they'll be looking to win their third medal in the last four seasons.

   And their control over the Lions in these state matches is well-known. While none of them have been blowouts, Boiling Springs is 5-0 against Chestnut Ridge. 

   The Bubblers won in the quarterfinals in 2013 and 2014, the final in 2015, and twice two years ago.

   Certainly, Chestnut Ridge coach Greg Lazor will or already has been discussing that with his team.

State Duals medal predictions

Class AA

Champion - Reynolds

Runner-up - Southern Columbia

Third Place - Chestnut Ridge

Fourth Place - Brookville

Second state title chances motivating McCoy

   FISHERTOWN - Despite already owning a state championship and numerous other accolades, Justin McCoy isn't completely satisfied with his high school wrestling career just yet.
   That's great news for fans and followers of Chestnut Ridge's star 152-pounder, not so good news for opponents.
   McCoy got another step closer to more history during today's District 5 Dual Meet championship as he tied former teammate Aaron Burkett for the school record with 152 career wins. McCoy is 30-1 this season and 152-17 overall, and he sits only two victories behind ex-North Star wrestler Chris Lascari for the all-time mark in District 5.
   "When I first started my varsity career, I wasn't thinking about that," McCoy said after a 63-12 win over North Star for the district team title. "I just wanted to have fun and do my best each match. It's just kind of come along the way. It's an honor to be up there on that list."
   To echo his words, McCoy has certainly done his best each time out. He already has his name listed three times on banners in the Richard W. Fisher Gymnasium, symbolizing his trio of state medals (6th in 2015, 7th in 2016, and 1st in 2017). Should he take the podium again next month in Hershey, McCoy will become the first Chestnut Ridge wrestler to win four individual state medals.
   Furthermore, if the senior repeats as state champion, he'll be only the second multiple time PIAA winner from Bedford County. Northern Bedford legend Jan Clark won three straight state championships in the late 1970's and is the only local wrestler to own more than one gold medal.
   McCoy, a strong athlete in three sports (football and baseball also), hasn't rested on his prior accomplishments, and he's also taken advantage of Chestnut Ridge's strong schedule that includes the King of the Mountain and PowerAde tournaments in December.
   "I definitely worked on moving my feet more, and getting faster," the University of Virginia recruit said. "I've focused on being more physical, and non-stop moving the whole time. That's one thing that can really get you to the next level. You see that in (Penn State's) Jason Nolf.
   "I've been wrestling pretty well and I think I'm in a good spot right now. I just want to give my best effort each match and hopefully the wins will come with it."
   Before focus shifts to the individual season, Chestnut Ridge is hoping to earn its third state team medal in six trips to the Giant Center. The Lions haven't done so since a memorable run to the Class AA finals in 2015, a year in which McCoy was a freshman 120-pounder.
   "That was so fun and one of the best years of my life," he said. "We came out today and wrestled really well, and I think if we can continue to do that and get guys to step up and give us more energy, we'll have a great chance."

   NOTE: I covered the District 5 Duals for the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. My story on that will be available in Sunday's edition and on www.tribdem.com.