Lions showing strong again in Hershey

    Prior to tonight's state semifinal against Southern Columbia, I posted a warmup photo of Chestnut Ridge on social media along with writing that the Lions would need their best effort of the season (to pull off the upset).
   And did the Lions ever come close. In the end, the second-ranked Tigers had a couple more guns than the sixth-ranked Lions did and were able to escape with a 34-31 victory. On paper, I had Southern as probably a 10-12 point favorite at worst.
   That said, what Chestnut Ridge is doing this weekend is impressive.
   But in reality, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised. After all, this is what the Lions do when they come to Hershey. Now in their seventh appearance in the Class AA state duals, Chestnut Ridge has an overall record of 20-11. And they have three medals - fourth in 2013, second in 2015, and third last year.
   The impressive part to me is what we're seeing out of the newcomers and younger wrestlers on the team. While they've had almost a full season of hard competition, this tournament is still a different animal sometimes. I wouldn't have said it was a rebuilding year for Chestnut Ridge, but I viewed it as perhaps a transition year, with four freshmen starters and having to replace a state champion (Justin McCoy) and several other key contributors.
   And you could have understood if the pressure of a state semifinal got to them. But it didn't. The Lions were right there, and they had the Tigers on their heels for awhile.
   That's a testament to Jared McGill and the other leaders on the team, as well as Greg Lazor and the rest of his coaching staff for staying focused and wrestling well inside the circle. I'm not sure I've seen Lazor as animated, all in a positive way, as much as he has been this weekend in quite some time.
   So on we go to tomorrow, where Chestnut Ridge can win a team medal for the second straight season, which would be another first for the program.
   And it should be no surprise if the Lions finish that job again.

Lions roll into state quarterfinals

   For all that Chestnut Ridge has accomplished over the last six-plus years, the Lions haven't been able to win a state team medal two years in a row.
   That could change this weekend, and they got past the first hurdle earlier today with a 51-21 domination of Freedom in the Class AA first round.
   The second half of the dual was right in Chestnut Ridge's wheelhouse with its run of strong upperweights. And the Lions got pins in five of six weights, from Seth Holderbaum, Jared McGill, Austin Crouse, Duane Knisely, and Dalton Seace, respectively, to pull away from the Bulldogs.
   While that was impressive, even more so in my opinion were the efforts of Gryphon Callihan at 126, Luke Moore at 138, and Baltzer Bollman at 145.
   Callihan drew Z.J. Ward, a two-time state qualifier. We didn't see Ward at the Thomas Chevrolet Tournament two weeks ago, but he was in the lineup today. And the Freedom wrestler took a 5-1 lead in the second period. Callihan fought back to 5-4 and had a chance at a takedown in the third period, losing just 7-5.
   After Trevor Weyandt won by fall, Moore took the mat and promptly countered Kenny Duschek's shot for his own takedown. Duschek, also a prior state qualifier, never trailed again but had to fight off Moore's aggressiveness. Moore had a slow start to his freshman season, but he's quietly coming along as crunch time is here.
   Then at 145, Bollman gave up four takedowns to Jake Pail, but didn't give up any more than that. The Lions gave up just 15 points to that trio plus Freedom's Trent Schulteis (152), a returning state medalist.
   While I believe Chestnut Ridge would have had enough to win the match anyway, the start of it couldn't really have gone much better for Greg Lazor's group.
   As for a quarterfinal with Hamburg tomorrow, it should be interesting. Shameless plug, but I was eight for eight today with my first round picks, which you can see in my last blog post. I also said the Hamburg/Greenville match was close to call, and it was with the Hawks winning 36-34 on a technical fall from one of the Gimbor twins, both returning state qualifiers who transferred in this year from Brandywine Heights.
   Also of note is Hamburg had the largest and loudest crowd of any Class AA school by far at the Giant Center. I would imagine a similar showing of fans of the District 3 champions on Friday.

- Make sure you see my match coverage from today's match in the Friday edition of the Bedford Gazette. Pick up a copy or go online. And if you're here in Hershey, the online version is free access, so make it a great read over the breakfast table before you head to the Giant Center for the quarterfinals.

Breaking Down the Class AA State Duals

   The state team tournaments have begun with play-in matches having been wrestled last night, and we're down to 16 teams in each class.
    Here's my quick thoughts on Class AA, and my completed bracket is below that. (I'm no Tony Romo, so don't take this as anything more than a guessing game)

Class AA First Round
   — I think the Hamburg-Greenville match is really close to call and will probably be one of the two closer first round duals along with Saucon Valley-Muncy. I went with Hamburg here, but wouldn't be surprised at all to see Greenville in the quarterfinals.
   — I went with Saucon Valley in the killer #3 vs. #4 (rankings according to PA Power Wrestling) first-round match. Outside of a trip to the finals in 2016 (loss to Brookville), I've thought that Saucon has largely underachieved at the state duals over the years. The Panthers wrestle a strong schedule and are well-coached. This year may be an exception, I look for the D11 champs to be a factor in Hershey.

Class AA Quarterfinals
   — I went again with Saucon Valley in what should be another barnburner for them against Burrell in the Friday afternoon quarters. See my above comments on Saucon Valley.

Finals Rematch?
   — On paper, I think Southern Columbia and Reynolds look to be the most complete teams in the field, so yes, I believe a rematch of last year's championship match will happen. Reynolds usually gets it done on the big stage, but I like Southern Columbia, especially with Gavin Garcia and Cade Linn back in the lineup.

Darkhorse Candidate
   — Notre Dame-Green Pond. The Crusaders came close to beating Saucon Valley for the District 11 title last weekend, then beat Boiling Springs in a Monday play-in to advance into the main bracket. They draw Reynolds on Thursday, which is no easy task. But this is a program on the rise and it has enough firepower to make things interesting with anyone. Of course, that idea brings up the public/private battle with PIAA member schools, as Notre Dame has more than half its lineup from nearby districts. Boiling Springs' coach Rod Wright called Notre Dame GP "Beca Jr." after the play-in match last night, in reference to Bethlehem Catholic.

Local Angle
   — I think Chestnut Ridge got a favorable spot in the bracket. That doesn't mean I think a medal, which would be its fourth in seven years, is a sure thing. But I like the way the Lions' younger kids have wrestled in recent weeks. And getting Mason McVicker back on the roster and Brodie Harbaugh back from injury gives Greg Lazor more options in the upperweights. Chestnut Ridge will probably have to beat some combination of Southern Columbia, Saucon Valley, Muncy, Burrell, and/or Notre Dame GP to get that medal.

My Class AA Bracket
   — Again, take this for what it's worth.

Geography, Pre-bracketing are issues with state team duals

   It's nothing new that the way teams are chosen for the state team tournaments doesn't sit well with many people in the Pennsylvania wrestling community.
   And as another set of PIAA team tournaments are on tap beginning tonight with several play-in matches leading to the main event in Hershey from Thursday-Saturday, those same arguments will certainly be heard again.
   To me, there are two glaring issues — bigger districts getting more entries, and the tournament's brackets being predetermined for a two-year cycle even before that first season of the new cycle begins.
   We'll start with geography. Currently, both the fields in Class AA and Class AAA have 20 teams that receive berths based on district tournament finishes. In AA, Districts 3, 4, 7, and 10 each get three teams. In AAA, Districts 1 and 3 get four teams.
   And I never have understood the prebracketing. At least in the individual postseason, the PIAA made a change several years ago now to have a certain number of different brackets and then reveal them after the regional tournaments were completed, rather than have them available for all to see well beforehand.
   But this needs to happen on the team level too.
   Nothing will please everyone. That said, here's what I would propose.

   — Go back to 16 teams apiece: Get rid of the play-in matches. The state duals used to be two days, then it went to three and if you include the play-ins, that's four. I'm all for watching as much wrestling as I can, but I think it can be scaled back, and my other points emphasize this.
   — Only district champions get automatic berths in Hershey: No matter the size or history of a district in wrestling, let's make this a starting point for filling the field. In both classes, there are 11 district champions crowned around the state. (District 8 does not in Class AA, District 5 does not in Class AAA).
   Win your district title, and you get the reward of a trip to the state tournament. But you have to win your district, that's the only absolute way to be included. The obvious question — Ryan, you know that's only 11 teams, an odd-man bracket, right?
  Yes, so here's the other part.
   — Make the other five spots for at-large selections: You have your 11 automatic bids, then take the next five best squads that didn't get in via the district tournaments.
   In determining those choices, use a combination of rankings, a coaches committee, other knowledgeable wrestling people on the committee, etc. to get it as right as possible.
   I'm sure some would say five seems like too many. I feel like it's a better solution than just taking away a couple of the spots that get in now (via prebracketing) and make them wild cards.
   — Drop the prebrackets: In my opinion, this is just silly and doesn't need to be released ahead of time. Currently, everyone knows where they will be and who they'll see early, and possibly further along in the tournament.
   This year's Class AA bracket, for example. In the top quarter of the bottom half of the bracket, you'll have the third, fourth, and fifth-ranked teams in the state according to PA Power Wrestling. Burrell is ranked fifth, and should the Bucs defeat the Newport/Danville winner, will get either third-ranked Saucon Valley or fourth-ranked Muncy in the quarterfinals. So #3 vs. #4 in a first-round match, survive that and likely get #5 in the quarters. That's a rediculous draw.

   My solution here: Seed the teams 1-16 and play it out from there. Let's get the best matchups we can further along in the tournament, not in the first round. 

 Unrest in D11
   Much of the distaste this time around with the state duals format is in Class AAA, where District 11 has perhaps four of the top five or six teams in the state and only gets two berths. On Saturday, it was a hotly contested tournament that saw Bethlehem Catholic beat Liberty in the final. D11 has a true second-place format, so Northampton got the other bid by getting past Liberty in that match.
   PA Power updated their state rankings earlier today. In Class AAA, Bethlehem Catholic, Northampton, Liberty, and Nazareth are all in the top five. But only those first two will be in Hershey, because District 11 gets only two slots based on the geographical numbers. And I've heard from people in the know down there that D11 would probably only have one team make it but has fought for at least a second bid in the current format of the event.
   Under my proposal, only Bethlehem Catholic would be a guarantee because the Golden Hawks won their district title. Just going off the rankings though, all three of the others would almost assuredly get at-large bids.
   Certainly, every year is different and may not look like five teams around the state deserve an at-large. But if say you only had two spots, which one of those other three gets left out in this case? Liberty handed Bethlehem Catholic its only loss, then beat Nazareth on Saturday for the second time in three matches this season. Nazareth owns that earlier win over Liberty at the Virginia Duals and also defeated Erie Prep (ranked 6th) there. Northampton lost to Becahi in the semifinals, but rebounded by beating both Nazareth and Liberty for the second spot, doing it without one of its best wrestlers in Devon Britton. Everyone has a case.
   Again, nothing will please everyone. I think most of us can agree that there needs to be some sort of changes. Whether it happens is anybody's guess.

District Duals to Watch

   The high school wrestling season is getting serious now, with state team qualifiers being determined this weekend across Pennsylvania.
   I'll be at Chestnut Ridge for the District 5-AA semifinals and final, where the host Lions will be shooting for their seventh consecutive title as the heavy favorite once again. Of course, you can read my coverage in the Bedford Gazette.
   While I'm not sure there will be a whole lot of intrigue from a dual meet perspective in Fishertown, there are plenty of other districts that will have my eye. Here's a look at that:

District 3-AA
   The quarterfinals and semifinals have been wrestled and the two teams standing in the championship bracket are Newport, who was the fourth seed, and Hamburg, the third seed. Newport knocked off unbeaten Northern Lebanon 35-27 in the semifinals. On the other side of the draw, Hamburg beat perennial D3 powers Boiling Springs (40-24) and Bermudian Springs (43-24) in back-to-back matches.
   So both the Buffaloes and Hawks have clinched berths in Hershey, while those other three along with Upper Dauphin will battle in the consolation bracket to determine third place, which advances to a state play-in dual on Monday night.
   When the new state brackets came out for this cycle, the champions from D3 and D5 were potentially matched up in a quarterfinal, which of course could have meant another chapter in the Boiling Springs-Chestnut Ridge rivalry.
   That won't happen, at least not in that round this year after the Bubblers lost to Hamburg. Instead, the D3 champ could have an interesting first round match with either the District 6 runner-up or the District 10 third placer before a possible state quarter draw with 5-1 or 7-2.

District 6-AA
   Earlier this afternoon, the semifinalists were determined after the cold weather this week caused matches to be moved.
   Huntingdon is the top seed, and the Bearcats moved into the final four at Tyrone with a 41-18 win over Bald Eagle Area. They will meet fourth seed Glendale in the semifinals.
   The other semi will be a conference rematch between second seed Westmont Hilltop and sixth seed Forest Hills. The Rangers knocked off Penns Valley on Friday. In their regular season dual, Westmont beat Forest Hills, 39-29.

District 11-AAA
   While my newspaper coverage is directed towards the Class AA side of things, the District 11-AAA Duals looks like the best place to be tomorrow.
   Here's your semifinalists: Liberty, Bethlehem Catholic, Northampton, and Nazareth.
   And the latest state rankings by PA Power: Liberty, 2nd; Bethlehem Catholic, 3rd; Northampton, 5th; Nazareth, 6th.
   In the semis, Liberty gets Nazareth while Becahi and Northampton battle. Liberty and Nazareth split a pair of duals this season so far, including one on criteria, while Bethlehem Catholic owns a six-point win over Northampton. And Liberty handed Bethlehem Catholic a rare defeat a few weeks ago.
   Frankly, all four of these teams deserve a berth in Hershey, but only two will get there.