Class AA States: A look at Thursday's action

   The state tournament is here, as wrestlers were getting prepared on the mats of the Giant Center during today's open workout. Action begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow, and here's a look at some of the first round bouts to watch:

132 pounds - Jared McGill, Chestnut Ridge vs. Todd Lane, Southern Columbia
   Any first round bout at 132 is key as the winners I believe will have a much better chance of getting a medal. In my opinion, the overall bracket may be deeper than any other, including 126 where there are three returning state champions and a runner-up. There's not many places to hide here at 132.
   McGill took third in the Southwest Regional while Lane was second in the Northeast. If you don't remember Lane, the Southern Columbia junior was a state finalist as a freshman, before an injury cut his season short last year. McGill is one of the state's top freshmen, with his highlight win of the year over Bedford state champ Jonathan Gabriel.

138 pounds - Cole Aaron, Brookville vs. Carnell Andrews, Westmont-Hilltop
   Another regional 2nd against regional 3rd place here, and this should be a good one. Aaron and Andrews were both state qualifiers last season. Aaron pushed Gabriel to overtime in the opening round at 126 a year ago, while Andrews fell one win short of the medal stand in the 120-pound class. Despite the presence of unbeaten Zack Lebarron and returning placewinner Matt Schmall in this quarter of the bracket, it would not surprise me to see the Aaron/Andrews winner in Friday night's semifinals.

145 pounds - Keith Batkowski, Montoursville vs. Seth Baney, Huntingdon
   This is also a matchup where I believe the winner could reach the semifinals. Batkowski earned a sixth place medal at 138 a year ago. Baney was a breakout performer in last year's postseason and has continued that for most of this season.

220 pounds - Toby Cahill, Berlin vs. Cole Rickert, Reynolds
   In my view, Cahill is Berlin's best opportunity at a high medal this weekend. His tournament begins with a bout against Rickert, who cannot be overlooked despite having 15 losses. Rickert seems to have been up and down this season, but remember that he was a state placewinner a year ago, seventh at this same weight.