A Look at State Duals

   Here's a closer look at this week's Class AA State Duals. Preliminary Round winners on Monday night were Boiling Springs, Fort LeBoeuf, Greenville, and Southern Columbia.

Thursday's First Round Matches (Link to Class AA Brackets), 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Northern Lebanon vs. Greenville

Brookville vs. Montoursville

Huntingdon vs. New Hope-Solebury

Reynolds vs. Southern Columbia

Chestnut Ridge vs. Boiling Springs

Burrell vs. Lake Lehman

Saucon Valley vs. Bishop McDevitt

Wyalusing vs. Fort LeBoeuf

   The Favorite: Reynolds

   The Contenders: Brookville, Chestnut Ridge, Saucon Valley, Wyalusing

   Early Analysis: Yes, I know the first thing you see here is that I chose Reynolds as the favorite despite a 16-point loss to Brookville in the Ultimate Duals. I just have a hunch that Reynolds will win the rematch if it should take place in the semifinals on Friday night. The other three contenders I mention are all in the bottom half of the bracket. The key for Chestnut Ridge, and it's no secret, is to win the first match against Boiling Springs, which interestingly is a rematch of last year's state final. Boiling Springs has beaten Chestnut Ridge in each of the last three state team tournaments, though I think the Lions have the advantage going in this time. I'll break down the matchup in detail later this week in another blog post. Boiling Springs defeated Mount Union on Monday, 39-33, and that was without 138-pounder Cole Wetzel, who I was told didn't even weigh in for the match. Wetzel also missed early round action in District 3 last week, so his status bears watching. A Chestnut Ridge win means a likely quarterfinal with Burrell, and remember, the Lions defeated the Bucs at the Ultimate Duals by 18 points without regular starters Jared McGill and Brandyn Beaver. Beat Boiling Springs, and Chestnut Ridge should be in the semifinals.

   Also down below are Saucon Valley and Wyalusing, and that could be a dandy of a quarterfinal to see who may get Chestnut Ridge in the final four. We're looking way ahead here, but if Chestnut Ridge were to reach a second straight championship match, keep in mind that its two losses are to Reynolds (47-18) and Brookville (37-30). Of course as stated before, McGill and Beaver were out of the lineup and that was certainly a big factor.