#KeatonStrong, D5 Duals Wrap-up

   The wrestling community comes together like no other.

   That was again the case over the past few days after word spread that North Star's Keaton Furry underwent brain surgery hours after competing with his teammates in the District 5 Duals on Saturday at Chestnut Ridge.

   Eric Knopsnyder has a story in today's Tribune-Democrat regarding the surgery and the prognosis for Furry, which is optimistic at this point. Doctors removed a cyst, which does not appear to be cancerous.

   That is wonderful news. Since the news broke, there were countless well wishes and prayers posted on social media, with many using the hashtag #KeatonStrong on Twitter. 

   Again, it's so great to see everyone come together, no matter what team you're on or root for, in times like these. My best to Keaton, his family, and the North Star community.

Lions roar again in D5 Duals

   I covered the District Duals at Ridge for the Tribune-Democrat, and led with the premise of the seniors on the Lions' team leading the way, as they have generally in the past.

   In this case, every one of the seniors that took the mat in Saturday's 63-12 finals win over North Star won their bout. 

   Seth Harbaugh was one of them, as he used two takedowns and a reversal in his 6-1 decision over Furry at 126 pounds.

   I spoke with Harbaugh afterward, and he was very happy to contribute and keep Chestnut Ridge's streak of District 5 Duals championships alive (now six).

   "Wrestling's an individual sport, but it's a team sport as well," he said. "It's nice to get the ball rolling as a team. One guy goes out and gets it done, and that makes all of us want to do the same thing. It's a great feeling."

   Chestnut Ridge will be looking to finish in the medals for the third time in six trips to Hershey when the first round begins on Thursday. The Lions meet Derry in a 4 p.m. matchup.

   "We've always broke out of our huddles with (1, 2, 3...) state champs!," said Harbaugh. "We really believe we can become state champs. It's something we work hard at in the practice room all year and we really want to do it."

Bubblers on the horizon, again

   Not to get ahead of ourselves, but should Chestnut Ridge and Boiling Springs win first-round duals on Thursday, guess what the Friday quarterfinal on Mat 3 will look like?

   Yep, Chestnut Ridge vs. Boiling Springs. The District 3 champions are back at the Giant Center after a one-year hiatus, and they'll be looking to win their third medal in the last four seasons.

   And their control over the Lions in these state matches is well-known. While none of them have been blowouts, Boiling Springs is 5-0 against Chestnut Ridge. 

   The Bubblers won in the quarterfinals in 2013 and 2014, the final in 2015, and twice two years ago.

   Certainly, Chestnut Ridge coach Greg Lazor will or already has been discussing that with his team.

State Duals medal predictions

Class AA

Champion - Reynolds

Runner-up - Southern Columbia

Third Place - Chestnut Ridge

Fourth Place - Brookville