Wednesday, October 30, 2013

NCAA names site finalists

   The NCAA has selected eight locations as finalists to host one or more of the Division I Wrestling National Championships between 2015 and 2018. The good news for local fans is that both Pittsburgh (Consol Energy Center) and Philadelphia (Wells Fargo Center) are in the running, as well as Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena). Philadelphia hosted the event in 2011.
   The other finalists are New York City (Madison Square Garden), Louisville (KFC Yum Center), Kansas City (Sprint Center), St. Louis (Scottrade Center), and Oklahoma City (Chesapeake Energy Arena).
   St. Louis has held the tournament on several occasions, while Oklahoma City is the host for this upcoming season's event in March.
   The hosts will be named on December 11. Below is a link to the article:

http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2013-10-30/host-site-finalists-named-final-round-81-championships-2014-18

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

McCoy places at Super 32

   I'm a couple of days late on this with all the district playoff action going on, but Chestnut Ridge middle-schooler Justin McCoy came home with an eighth-place medal from the prestigious Super 32 Challenge in North Carolina this past weekend.
   McCoy, wrestling at 105 pounds in the Middle School Division, lost his second round bout to eventual champion Mitch Moore of Ohio powerhouse St. Paris Graham. But he bounced back with three straight consolation victories to get into the medal rounds.
   McCoy, who was a Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling champion in 2011 (9-10, 85 pounds) and a runner-up in 2013 (11-12, 95 pounds), is widely expected to be in the Lions' varsity lineup next year as a freshman.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Claysburg coaching update

   With less than a month before official wrestling practice begins, Claysburg-Kimmel is still looking to fill its head coaching vacancy.
   The job opened up after longtime coach Dave Marko stepped down after a highly successful 18-year run. But Claysburg has had a rather lukewarm, at best, reaction to the hiring process as no real candidates have stepped forward.
   At this point, if a suitable candidate cannot be found, the job will be handled by a group of people with strong ties to the program. Unfortunately, none of them has the current ability to be the head coach full-time due to jobs and other committments.
   It honestly shocks me that the Bulldogs haven't tabbed someone to fill the position yet. With the program that Marko and others through the years built, I would have expected a lot of people to come knocking on the door. And it's a shame that Marko and the Claysburg powers that be couldn't work something out to keep him on the bench.
   Word is that Claysburg will have at least 18 kids in the varsity room this season, and the small District 6 school also has good numbers in its junior high and elementary programs. The booster club is very active and is a great support system, as are the parents and fans there.
   The group coaching situation is not ideal, which is partly why Claysburg has reached out to me to help get the word out to any wrestling people who might show interest.
   If anyone is interested, please contact the school at 814-239-5141, or send me an email to rspring@bedfordgazette.com. I will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

2013 Super 32 Challenge

    The preeminent preseason wrestling tournament in the nation hits the mats this weekend with the Super 32 Challenge in Greensboro, N.C. Wrestling begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday and runs through Sunday evening, as the tournament is run on 26 mats.
    The Super 32 is dubbed "Battle for the Belt" as championship belts are given to the winners. Last year, over 200 wrestlers across the country who competed in the Super 32 won their respective state championship.
    Below, I have listed the wrestlers from Districts 5 and 6 that are scheduled to compete this year, as of the most recent entry lists for the event.

High School Division
106 - Cole Manley, Altoona freshman
120 - Triston Law, Forest Hills junior
132 - Trevor Corl, Bellefonte junior
132 - Hayden Hidlay, Mifflin County sophomore
160 - Andrew Doak, Blairsville junior
160 - Chad Reese, Central Mountain senior
195 - Tyler Oliver, United junior
220 - Seth McLendon, United senior (transfer from Penn Cambria)

Middle School Division - The majority of entries were listed with their club team names, such as Young Guns, so there may be some from the region that I don't know what their home school district is. The one name I know is Chestnut Ridge 8th grader Justin McCoy, who is scheduled to compete at 105 pounds.
 

Monday, October 21, 2013

District 5 Soccer Rankings

  The latest boys and girls soccer rankings for District 5. Playoffs begin on Saturday, with quarterfinals being hosted by higher seeded teams. In Class AA, Bedford will host Somerset at 7 p.m. on Saturday night for the district championship.

   Bedford's girls compete in District 6-AA and will play Westmont at Richland on Thursday at 8 p.m. in the 2 vs. 7 matchup.

DISTRICT 5 CLASS A BOYS SOCCER RANKINGS
RANKTEAMWONLOSTTIEPOINTSRATING
1CHESTNUT RIDGE141 704.667
2NORTH STAR142 724.500
3CONEMAUGH TOWNSHIP133 684.250
4WINDBER134 663.882
5FANNETT-METAL124 603.750
6NORTHERN BEDFORD107 502.941
7ROCKWOOD88 412.563
8HOPE FOR HYNDMAN99 452.500
9MCCONNELLSBURG79137.52.206
10SOUTHERN FULTON511 251.562
11EVERETT310117.51.250
12SALISBURY211 100.769
13BERLIN214112.50.735
14FORBES ROAD11517.50.444
15      
       
 
AS OFOCTOBER 20, 2013
       
       
 DISTRICT 5 CLASS AA BOYS SOCCER RANKINGS
RANKTEAMWONLOSTTIEPOINTSRATING
1BEDFORD160293.55.194
2SOMERSET1521894.940
        
AS OFOCTOBER 20, 2013


DISTRICT FIVE GIRLS SOCCER RATINGS
RANKSCHOOLWONLOSTTIEPOINTSRATING
1MCCONNELLSBURG 1421734.294
2BERLIN 143 724.235
3NORTH STAR **143174.54.139
4CONEMAUGH TWP **125165.53.639
5ROCKWOOD 1052523.059
6EVERETT 87143.52.719
7CHESTNUT RIDGE 59127.51.833
8TUSSEY MT. 412122.51.324
9WINDBER **412 201.250
10NORTHERN BEDFORD 3131181.059
11JOHNSTOWN CHRISTIAN *310112.50.893
12MEYERSDALE 1112100.714