Preseason Storylines

   The moment many have waited for is just days away as the 2018-19 local wrestling season gets going on Friday night.
   And around Bedford County and beyond, there are a number of intriguing storylines. Here's some things I'm looking at, first from a team perspective and then individually:

Lions still on top?
   We won't know until early February if Chestnut Ridge can claim what would be a seventh straight District 5 Duals championship, but the Lions are certainly the favorites again to do so. Yes they lost Justin McCoy, a 2017 state champion and the county's all-time winningest wrestler (167-18), and several other veterans to graduation. However, Ridge is at the point in its program where it reloads rather than rebuilds more often than nought. This is another year I think that is true. The Lions will be very good down low and up top, meaning if a dual starts at say 170, they could easily win all or most of the first 6-8 bouts and have commanding leads on anyone. A lot of high-profile names dot this roster, first and foremost Jared McGill. The Pitt commit was unbeaten until the state semifinals last March and will surely be aiming at the top of the podium (see more below).

County Pride
   Elsewhere around the county, I think it's going to be a pretty good year. Numbers and enthusiasm are higher at places like Bedford and Tussey Mountain, while Everett and Northern Bedford both return a sizable number of starters.
   Bedford - New head coach Joel Easter inherits a bigger roster that includes Kaden Cassidy and Cole Lingenfelter this year. Cassidy (see more below) is back in the Bison practice room after two years away, which included a state medal. Lingenfelter competed for Claysburg-Kimmel the past two seasons.
   Everett - The Warriors welcome back a lot of their talent from a year ago, most notably state medalist Garret Cornell (see more below). Upperweight Shane Clark is also returning after taking the last two years off. Everett has an interesting early schedule with duals against North Star (Friday) and Northern Bedford (next Tuesday) to begin the season.
   Northern Bedford - At NBC, excitement is also running high. The Black Panthers may not have the "superstar" wrestler on their roster, yet, but they'll have nine starters back from last season. On paper, it appears like Northern should have good balance in its lineup. Among those to keep an eye on are Alex Fouse, who wrestled 132 two years ago but is set to go 182 this winter, and middleweight Ian Sherlock, who was 12-2 before being shut down last year because of injury.
   Tussey Mountain - This might be one of the more anticipated wrestling seasons in quite some time in Saxton. The Titans, who will be guided by former Northern Bedford wrestler Mason Replogle, should have quite a bit of balance as well. Brady Villa is a returning state qualifier, while Tussey also has a group of newcomers that should be strong. That includes PJW medalist and freshman Matt Watkins at heavyweight.

Gold on their minds
   I mentioned McGill, Cassidy, and Cornell above, and those are the three most decorated local wrestlers heading into the year. That's not to say there won't be some surprises, as there always are, but this trio is the preseason headline among individual talent.
   Jared McGill - I think most everyone thought McGill was the wrestler to beat come Hershey last season. Unfortunately, the Chestnut Ridge star got beat in the semifinals, putting a damper on what was a brilliant season where he finished 46-1 and won everything except the state's Class AA gold medal at 160 pounds. He'll at least be starting at 182 as a senior and is one of if not the favorite again. McGill has 120 career wins and is 47 behind McCoy for the school and county record. He can also join McCoy as a four-time state placewinner. He owns plenty of big wins, including several over former state champs.
   Kaden Cassidy - The homecoming of Cassidy to Bedford has been much talked about during the summer and fall, and he made more recent news by committing to wrestle at George Mason University after he graduates in 2020. Cassidy was a decorated youth wrestler and he had a strong freshman season at Bishop McCort that culminated with a third-place state medal at 106 pounds. Last year, he won the King of the Mountain Tournament for Chestnut Ridge, but was sidelined shortly after with an injury and didn't compete the rest of the season. If you look at the postseason results at 113 and 120, surely Cassidy would have been right in the mix for the state title as he owned previous victories over a few of the high medalists. He is likely to be at 132 this winter.
   Garret Cornell - Cornell saved his best for last as a junior by winning four straight bouts in Hershey to finish third at 126, perhaps a little unnoticed given that four-time state champion Gavin Teasdale was in the same weight class. That was his first state medal after two previous trips came up empty. Cornell could be back at 126 again and will be a contender. Like Cassidy above, Cornell has either beaten or come really close to some of the higher finishers in the state over the past two years.

Other Tidbits from around Pennsylvania
   - Bald Eagle Area and Philipsburg-Osceola will be in Class AA. The two District 6 schools have long voluntarily competed up in Class AAA. BEA was slated to have state finalist Gage McClenahan back, but he suffered a bad injury in football and probably won't see the mat this season.
   - This season begins a new cycle of enrollment numbers as well. Notably going up to Class AAA are Susquehanna Township and South Fayette. For Susquehanna Township, that means two-time state champion Edmund Ruth will try to win his second state medal in each class (They were AAA three years ago, when Ruth placed eighth). Ruth being in the other class means that he and McGill won't face each other in the postseason, should they even be at the same weight. Ruth was expected to be the favorite to win a third straight title in Class AA. McGill beat Ruth in a consolation round of the NHSCA Junior Nationals in April. South Fayette's jump means that some of the best wrestlers from that school that we'll see in January's Thomas Tournament will be up a class for the postseason.
   A number of high placers in the Class AAA field will also be down to Class AA. They include Pope John Paul's Ryan Vulakh (third at 145) and Matt Vulakh (eighth at 106), and Hopewell's Jacob Ealy (fifth at 126).
   - Tom Housenick of The Morning Call in Allentown reported today that reigning 145-pound Class AA champion Nathan Haubert will miss the regular season with a knee injury. Haubert, who almost spoiled McCoy's run to the 145 title two years ago, won it last year after placing fourth for Palisades in 2017. He is hopeful of a return for the postseason events.

Previews, Previews, Previews
   Full previews complete with rosters will be in Friday's special Winter Sports pullout edition of the Bedford Gazette. Wrestling preview information from both the Altoona Mirror and Johnstown Tribune-Democrat should be out during the middle of the week. Support all of us by picking up a copy.