No Sense in 20-man bracket

   The PIAA has made a number of changes in both team and individual wrestling over the past few years, and I've been quite outspoken against them.
   Yet again, I find myself on the other side of the fence as it appears another change, negative in my opinion, is forthcoming.
   This week, the steering committee moved to expand the individual brackets in Hershey from 16 to 20 in each weight class, both Class AA and Class AAA. It was approved by unanimous decision, and the PIAA Board of Directors will vote on the matter in May. If passed, the change goes into effect for next season. What it means specifically is that each region will get one additional state qualifier. So in Class AA, the Southeast and Southwest Regionals will each get six representatives, while the Northeast and Northwest Regionals will each get four.
   According to Executive Director Bob Lombardi, who was quoted by Pennlive's Jeremy Elliott, the board will likely pass the motion without much opposition.
   Bad move.
   Lombardi goes on to say that the field is pretty deep and the addition of four wrestlers won't hurt the tournament's integrity or timing.
   He also mention's the state championship won by Bethlehem Catholic's Jake Riegel at 106 pounds in Class AA. Riegel was a fifth place finisher in the Southeast Regional the week before.
   Riegel had a fantastic tournament, and he got hot at the right time. Bravo, let's tip our cap to him, not use it as a basis to say a sixth place regional placer deserves more.
   I haven't had the time to research how many fourth or fifth place regional finishers have won state titles (maybe this will be my summer project), but Riegel's accomplishment is by far the exception rather than the rule.
   It makes absolutely no sense in my mind to make this change just for a few rare examples.
   Regarding the timing, and I'm assuming Lombardi means the state tournament schedule, remember that the PIAA made changes three years ago to the format. Main reason there: Oh yeah, timing. There was very little time between Class AA and Class AAA sessions, especially on the Saturday of the event.
   While no mention of a new schedule has been proposed should the bracket change take effect, are we to assume that the days will be longer. Probably. Are we looking at an 8 a.m. start on Thursday and Friday, or even 7 a.m., which means like 6 a.m. weigh-ins? Or is a Wednesday night start or a Sunday finish under consideration?
  My other real problem: This doesn't just affect the state tournament. It means the place bouts at regional tournaments become watered down. Now, instead of go-or-go home situations in fifth place bouts at the Southeast and Southwest Regionals, and third place bouts in the Northeast and Northwest, all those wrestlers involved that deep in the tournament have already punched their ticket to Hershey.
   Those bouts are among the most exciting ones all season long.
   I really like the quote of Boiling Springs head coach Rod Wright in Elliott's piece, which you can see at http://highschoolsports.pennlive.com/news/article/8742167079604109515/wrestling-coaches-proposal-to-go-to-20-man-state-bracket-screams-mediocrity-and-dilutes-the-sport/
   Wright says: "How about working harder? How about wrestling harder? How about training harder?"
   My thoughts exactly.
   Unfortunately. we live in a society that, it seems at least in athletics, is becoming more of a "Let's give everyone a medal for participation" mentality, rather than rewarding more for hard work and values that make our youth better people through sports in whatever they choose to do later in life.
   My main message to the PIAA: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
 
 

NHSCA Entries

   There are a few local (actually all Chestnut Ridge) wrestlers on the latest entry lists for this weekend's NHSCA National Championships in Virginia Beach. They are below:

Middle School Nationals
105 - Jared McGill, Chestnut Ridge

High School
Sophomore Nationals
152 - Brandyn Beaver, Chestnut Ridge
152 - Josh McGill, Chestnut Ridge
182 - Conner Buttry, Chestnut Ridge

   In other Chestnut Ridge wrestling news, the Lions will again be returning to both the Brookville Ultimate Duals and the Powerade Tournament for the 2014-15 season. The Ultimate Duals will again feature Brookville, Burrell, Reynolds, Saegertown, and a sixth team to be named along with Chestnut Ridge.

State Chat

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Class AA State Tournament Breakdown

   The final weekend of the high school wrestling season is fast approaching. Below is the tournament schedule and a look at each weight class in Class AA.
    For more coverage, check out the Bedford Gazette each day this week for previews and full coverage of the tournament by yours truly.
   In Tuesday's edition: Feature on returning state placewinners Ryan Easter and Austin Buttry
   In Wednesday's edition: Feature on trio of sophomore qualifiers
   In Thursday's edition: Capsule preview for each of the eight locals plus my tournament picks

PIAA Class AA Tournament Schedule

Thursday

   9 a.m. - Preliminary Round, 1st Round consolations

Friday

   9 a.m. - Quarterfinals, 2nd Round consolations

   6:30 p.m. - Semifinals, 3rd and 4th Round consolations

Saturday

   2 p.m. - 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th place bouts

Link to brackets: http://live.pa-wrestling.com/2013-2014/piaa-class-aa/

Tournament Glance

   106 - In my opinion, this weight is fairly wide open with a number of possible finalists. Athens freshman Brian Courtney and Central Cambria freshman Max Murin are unbeaten and on opposite sides of the bracket, but it's no sure thing that either of them reach the final. Bishop McDevitt's Jon Pipa, on Murin's side, is highly regarded. Tri-Valley's Sammy Hepler won the Thomas Subaru Tournament, which included victories over Chestnut Ridge's Aaron Burkett and Penn Cambria's Nolan Link. Link has given Murin all he's wanted in the District 6 and SW Region finals. Hepler, Burkett, and Link are all in the top half. Burkett drew Brockway's Ryan Carlson, whom he beat 4-2 at the Ultimate Duals.

   113 - The favorite here is Bethlehem Catholic's Luke Karam, though just slightly maybe over Palisades' Jacob Wasser. Karam, who beat Wasser 2-1 in the SE Region final, was the 106-pound runner-up last year while Wasser was fourth at the same weight. Wasser against Southmoreland's Austin Griffiths could be a dandy of a quarterfinal. Huntingdon's Collin Glorioso suffered two straight losses, his first two of the season, on Saturday and finished fifth in the SW Region. His prize for that: Drawing Karam in Thursday's opening round. Last year, Karam beat Glorioso in the 106 semifinals, 11-0. Bedford's Jonathan Gabriel is in his first state tournament and will see Line Mountain's Cameron Newman, the NE champ, first.

   120 - The first returning state champion is here with Derry's George Phillippi, who won it all at 113 as a freshman. Boiling Springs' Korbin Myers is on the opposite side all the way at the bottom of the draw. That quarter of the bracket could be the toughest one, featuring Myers, Forest Hills' Triston Law, Warrior Run's Zack LeBarron, and Berlin's Joey Swank. Up top, the first round winner between Redbank Valley's Willie Gruver and Tri-Valley's Caleb Bordner could make a lot of noise.

   126 - The question here is whether Bethlehem Catholic's Zeke Moisey, a two-time defending finalist, can finally win a state title. In a not-so-surprising spoiler alert to my picks in Thursday's Gazette, I'm going with Moisey. A likely semifinal opponent in the top half of the bracket is Jefferson-Morgan's unbeaten John Demaske, though his first foe, Tamaqua's Colin Mashack, is no slouch. Hard to read the bottom half here, as several could get out to the final.

   132 - This is a deep weight with a lot of good wrestlers. Right now, unbeaten Ian Brown of Hanover, a three-time medalist, has to be the favorite. Bedford's Ryan Easter could get him in the quarterfinals. Three years ago when they were freshmen, Brown defeated Easter twice in Hershey. That was a long time ago though, but it's worth pointing out for the record. The bottom half is loaded, with South Fayette's Mike Carr, Saegertown's Tyler Vath, Boiling Springs' Kyle Shoop, and Montoursville's Keith Batkowski included.

   138 - Brookville ace Brock Zacherl is favored here on paper. Should Bedford's Garrett Thomas win his opener, he gets Zacherl on Friday morning barring a major upset by Annville-Cleona's Jeff Inman. Like other weights before, I think the bottom half has several possibilities. 

   145 - Will anyone stop Jason Nolf? In another spoiler alert, I'll say no way, as he should finish with a career record of 176-1 and three state titles. An interesting bout in the top half of this bracket is Reynolds' Levi Stoyer vs. Huntingdon's Jacob Oliver. Stoyer, a state medalist last year, handed Oliver his first loss at the time in last month's state duals, a close bout where Oliver had a late chance to win it. Also up top is unbeaten Billy Barnes of Williamson, though the sleeper could be Michael Comunale of Pius X, whom I've heard is a very dangerous mat wrestler.

   152 - The two big favorites are in the top half with Burrell's Steven Edwards and Mifflinburg's Cole Walter a decent bet to meet in the semifinals. Down below, it wouldn't shock me to see a SW Region battle between Blairsville's Andrew Doak and South Fayette's Grant Fetchet in the other semifinal.

   160 - I think this weight is pretty wide open. The likely players in no order are South Fayette's Jared Walker, Milton's Ryan Preisch, Coudersport's Kyle Bova, and Bermudian Springs' Briton Shelton, who are the four regional champions. Keep an eye on Benton's Jeric Kasunic, too.

   170 - Kane's Evan Delong is unbeaten and a returning state finalist. Also on the bottom side is Penns Valley's Corey Hazel, who had a huge pin of Jefferson-Morgan's Bill Bowlen in the SW Region finals. Up top, Bowlen could be in the mix with NE champ Garrett Hoffman of Montoursville and SE champ Nick Cortopassi of Bethlehem Catholic.

   182 - This is a solid group of qualifiers that may not get the talk of other weights. Lancaster Catholic's Stephen Loiseau is the only unbeaten in the bracket. Also up top is Saegertown's Dylan Reynolds, a returning placewinner. Down below, Valley's Terrell Fields served notice that he should be a prime contender with a strong SW Region performance. Fields defeated Blairsville's Scott Thompson, another former placer, in the region final. Thompson could get Loiseau in the quarterfinals. Chestnut Ridge's Conner Buttry drew NE Region winner Isaiah Bobotas of Montgomery for a first rounder.

   195 - Unbeaten Tristan Sponseller of Bermudian Springs appears as the favorite here at 195. There are two other region champions with just one loss — HOPE for Hyndman's Jake Bennett (SW) and Canton's Garrett Wesneski (NE). The other region winner is NW first placer Ryan Morris of Corry.

   220 - SW Region champ Jake Temple of Avella is unbeaten, after an overtime victory over West Branch's Reynold Maines for the title on Saturday. A likely semifinal pits Temple against Bethlehem Catholic's Andrew Dunn, who placed sixth at heavyweight last year. Maines is in the bottom half of the draw along with Reynolds' freshman Cole Rickert and Kittanning's Jacob Robb.

   285 - Lakeview's Sam Breese, the defending 285-pound champion, is unbeaten and at the very bottom of this bracket. He could see Burrell's Allan Beattie in a semifinal. Pen Argyl's Brady Mutton has one loss and won the SE Region. Chestnut Ridge's Austin Buttry, fifth last year, could see Mutton in the quarterfinals. I think the other semifinalist up top will come from the first round winner between Southmoreland's Jake Beistel and Reynolds' Gene Ringer.