Northern Bedford girls program continues to grow

 

Jared Mellott, left, discusses a drill during Monday's girls wrestling practice at Northern Bedford.

   The back of one shirt at a recent girls wrestling practice at Northern Bedford County High School read "Don't be fooled by the ponytail."

   These days, there's no fooling around about one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Girls wrestling continues to fly high, and it's thriving locally at Northern Bedford.

   According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) website, there were well over 16,000 girls wrestling in American high schools in 2018, compared to about only 800 in 1994.

   Girls from across Bedford County and even as far away as West Virginia have attended practices this season at Northern Bedford. 

   This isn't the first year for the program, as it was started a few years ago by the Fouse family. Currently, it is run by former Northern Bedford standout Jared Mellott, who won 101 bouts and was a two-time regional qualifier. One of his main assistants is Shane Suter, who was a district champion with the Black Panthers. Both Mellott and Suter have daughters that are wrestling in the program.

   The girls practice during the week and will also compete in tournaments. This past weekend, they took part in the Christmas Tree Capital Round Robin at IUP's Kovalchick Center, where eight girls finished fourth or higher in their respective weight classes. 

   There were over 25 girls at practice on Monday night, and local wrestling fans can expect more and more female names to show up in box scores alongside their boys counterparts. 

             Girls work on wrestling drills during their practice at Northern Bedford earlier this week.

   One of the products of Northern Bedford's program, Jordyn Fouse, is a starter on the Panthers' junior high team. She won on Tuesday by riding out her opponent in the ultimate tiebreaker, and received as much of an ovation in the Northern Bedford gym as some of the varsity wrestlers did for their efforts later on in the night.

   Fouse also finished fifth against the boys at 101 pounds in Saturday's Bearcat Classic.

   Around the nation in recent years, a number of states have sanctioned an official high school state championship event in girls wrestling. Pennsylvania, long regarded as one of the top states for boys wrestling, does not have an official girls state championship as of yet. 

   But the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), which presides over state championships in all sports, continues to face mounting pressure from the outside to join with bordering states Maryland, New Jersey, and more than a dozen others around the country in holding an official state event for the female contingent.

   While that is the eventual hope, opportunities elsewhere for girls who wrestle are becoming more available. Over 60 colleges sponsor varsity women's programs, while women's wrestling became a recognized Olympic sport in 2004.

   Another local opportunity recently opened as well, with Chestnut Ridge varsity coach Josh Deputy teaming with Young Guns leader Jody Strittmatter to form the The Orchard Girls Wrestling Club. Practices for that club will be based out of Deputy's The Compound Ridge near his home in New Paris.

   

   

 

2019-20 Season Preview

   Yes, another wrestling season is upon us.
   A few dual meets and tournaments dot the calendar for this Friday and Saturday, while the new year gets underway for everyone by sometime next week.
   I wrote season previews for the six teams in the Bedford Gazette's coverage area, which releases its overall winter issue for Friday's edition.
   The Altoona Mirror's "Winter Heat" came out today, and there are capsule previews of all of its area squads in those pages.
   Aside from that, here's what I'm looking at as the first whistle gets closer.

The Big Three
   While there is plenty of returning talent across Bedford County, there are three state placewinners from March back on the local mats — Bedford's Kaden Cassidy, and Chestnut Ridge teammates Kai Burkett and Nate Holderbaum.
   Cassidy is a two-time medalist in Hershey, taking third in both his freshman and junior years. The George Mason recruit would enjoy nothing more than to climb that final step to the top of the podium this season, likely at either 132 or 138 pounds. Cassidy posted a 37-2 mark last winter. He has the most wins from a season ago of any returning wrestler in the county.
   Burkett turned a solid freshman year at 106 into a better one at the same weight as a sophomore. He posted a 35-6 record and finished fifth in the state tournament after reaching the Class AA semifinals.
   Holderbaum closed out last season as one of the strongest performers in the area, gaining fourth-place honors at the Giant Center following three straight wins from a pigtail spot in the 113-pound bracket.

Others to Watch
   Aside from that trio, Chestnut Ridge's Duane Knisely and Northern Bedford's Ian Sherlock are also returning district champions. Also to keep an eye on, in no particular order, are Bedford's Mathew Emerick, Chestnut Ridge's Ross Dull, Gryphon Callihan, and Trevor Weyandt, Claysburg-Kimmel's Kobe Harr, Everett's Lane Younker and Logan Propst, Northern Bedford's Colby Imler, and Tussey Mountain's Trevor Husick and Matthew Watkins.
   One of those I'll single out is Callihan, who was 22-16 last season but lost some close bouts against a number of top-notch wrestlers from around the state.
   The Lions held an open intrasquad scrimmage last night, which I attended. Yes, it's a scrimmage, but from seeing him in person and a brief chat with Ridge coach Josh Deputy on the subject, Callihan looks like he could be a tough out this season.

New Faces
   There's always a few newcomers, whether they are freshmen or others who are on rosters. Two that jump out right away are Chestnut Ridge freshman Calan Bollman, and Claysburg-Kimmel freshman Cole Claycomb.
   Bollman headlines a crop of young talented Lions ready to keep them at the top of the district's pecking order. A Mountain Conference junior high champion last year and a Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling (PJW) fifth-place state medalist two seasons ago, Bollman drew my eye on Tuesday night.
   Again, it's a preseason scrimmage, but Bollman gave Holderbaum (three years his senior and a high school state medalist as mentioned) everything he wanted in a tight six-plus minute battle.

   Chestnut Ridge teammates Nate Holderbaum, left, and Calan Bollman work for position during Tuesday's intrasquad scrimmage.

   Claysburg will have lower numbers this year overall, but Claycomb is likely to make an impact in his first varsity season. Claycomb finished seventh in the state at PJW's last winter and should team with Harr to give the Bulldogs cheering options well into the postseason.

Chasing the Lions

  Chestnut Ridge is once again a prohibitive favorite to lay claim to top billing in District 5. Outside of that, who can knock the Lions off? The biggest challenges in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference should come from Forest Hills and Westmont Hilltop. 

   The Rangers have a strong core of talent returning, including state champ Jackson Arrington and high placer Erik Gibson. And Westmont may not have a lot of "jump off the page" names on its roster, but the Hilltoppers have almost everyone back from a year ago.

   In terms of the Lions, there won't be very many "weak" spots from 106 to the 170-182 range. Throw in Knisely up top, and beating Chestnut Ridge is going to take a strong effort from anybody. Forest Hills came close last December (35-28). The Rangers host the Lions on December 17.

The Men in Stripes

   This is a shoutout to local officials Mike Eichelberger and Randy Jarrett, who worked Chestnut Ridge's scrimmage. 

   While there are understandable reasons that many officials in all sports are getting out of the business, Eichelberger and Jarrett showed why they're two of the best and most respected (in my opinion) among wrestling referees in both the area and state. 

   Before the scrimmage started, the pair took a good 10-15 minutes to explain, and demonstrate, to the wrestlers the new rules and points of emphasis regarding stalling and the penalty point structure. They're not just looking to collect some extra money, they have a genuine interest in the athletes.

   Often times, officials are on the other end of things in regards to negative attention, whether it may be warranted or not. 

   Myself included, I think we can all do a little better in giving these men and women a hand and a thank you for allowing us to keep enjoying high school athletics.

   

 

Top wrestling talent ready for The Surge

Press Release per Eric Knopsnyder of PA Power Wrestling

   More than 200 of Pennsylvania’s top wrestlers will come together in Johnstown on Sunday (Nov. 3) for The Surge preseason tournament.

   The tournament, which is produced by PA Power Wrestling, had a star-studded field in its debut a year ago. Last year’s event featured 74 wrestlers who qualified for the PIAA tournament in 2019, 35 who won state medals and four PIAA champions. Franklin Regional’s Carter Dibert, Forest Hills’ Jackson Arrington, Seneca Valley’s Alejandro Herrera-Rondon and Hopewell’s Jacob Ealy each took to the mats at the University of Pittsburgh four months before finding PIAA glory in Hershey.    Amazingly, only two of those – Herrera-Rondon and Ealy – took home the hammer as The Surge champion.

   Waynesburg Central’s Rocco Welsh, who wrestled in The Surge as an eighth-grader before going on to claim a Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling title in Johnstown four months later, is scheduled to return, as is Malvern Prep’s Dayton Delviscio, who was a National Preps finalist.

   “We all know that Pennsylvania is regarded as one of the best, if not the best, state for wrestling in the country,” said PA Power Wrestling founder Jeff Upson. “And who wouldn’t want to be known as the best in the Keystone State? That’s why we’re thrilled to have so many of them ready to come prove it at The Surge.”

   In addition to wrestlers from acorss Pennsylvania, athletes from Ohio and Maryland have registered to compete.

   The tournament is open to wrestlers in grades 8 through 12, with varsity weight classes plus 4 pounds. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. Registration is open at arena.flowrestling.org.

McCoy ready for college wrestling's big show

   While returning from a recruiting visit to another school, Justin McCoy decided that the University of Virginia was where he wanted to chase his collegiate wrestling dreams.

   Now with a year of open competition as a redshirt under his belt, McCoy feels he's ready to begin that pursuit in earnest. 

   McCoy, the former Chestnut Ridge star and Bedford County's all-time leader in high school victories, recently won the starting spot at 157 pounds for the Cavaliers. He's coming off a broken hand at the end of last season, but that has healed and also kept him focused.

   "I'm very excited for the upcoming season," said McCoy. "I feel like I put a lot of work in throughout the summer. (The broken hand) was disappointing because I didn't get to wrestle for a while, but I feel like it made me more hungrier to compete. And I feel that I've made a lot of progress since I came back."

   McCoy's accomplishments in high school are well chronicled. He was 167-18 at Chestnut Ridge with four district championships, two regional titles, and a state championship at 145 pounds in 2017. He's one of only four county wrestlers in history to be a four-time state medalist (Jan Clark, Ryan Easter, Jared McGill). 

   That said, when he walked into his first practice last fall at Virginia, McCoy was just another wrestler in the room.

   "For the first couple of months, I got beat up by everybody," he said. "It was hard to stay positive when was getting my butt kicked every day. But I had to just keep being persistent and try to get one-percent better every day."

   When he stepped onto the mat for real last season, McCoy was awfully strong, going 25-3 in open tournaments. He won titles at the Hokie Open, Wolfpack Open, and Patriots Open, and was a placewinner in three other events. Overall, he had five technical falls, three pins, and three major decisions. McCoy was also named to the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll.

   McCoy has been working on his offense in preparation for the season.

   "Everyone is always looking to score points," he said. "It doesn't matter what position they're in, everyone's always trying to better their position to score more points. 

   "There is so much technique that I never learned before that is so helpful in college wrestling. And there is so much attention to detail. I think those are big differences from high school."

   McCoy is ranked 33rd at 157 pounds by TrackWrestling. Many of the other collegiate ranking services do not include freshmen or redshirt freshmen until the season begins.

   None of that matters to McCoy, who eyes the top of the NCAA Division I podium in Minneapolis in March.

   "My biggest goal is to be a national champion. Many people might think that's crazy, but my belief in myself is the only thing that matters. 

   "Another goal of mine is to 'compete in such a way' for every match. That's one of the pillars of UVA wrestling. It means that when I go out on the mat, I want to compete in a way that I give everything I have for seven minutes or however long the match is. And when I walk off the mat, I know I gave it all I got no matter if I win or lose."

   Virginia's season begins on November 2 with the Cavalier Duals. McCoy could compete three times in Pennsylvania. The Keystone Classic in Philadelphia is on November 24, while the University of Pittsburgh will host the Cavaliers on February 8 in a dual meet and also hold the ACC Championships on March 8.

New play clock rule will be put to the test

   With the kickoff of the high school football season less than 24 hours away, the most noticeable change to rules will be the implementation of a 40-second play clock for most in-game situations.
   In the past, the play clock was 25 seconds after the ball was officially set for the next snap. Now, the 40-second rundown will begin as soon as a play is whistled dead. It was approved by the National Federation of State High Schools' (NFHS) board of directors earlier this year.
   The 25-second clock will still be used prior to a conversion attempt, for starting a quarter or overtime series, following charged timeouts and when officials stop the clock for inadvertent whistles or their own timeouts.
   So in instances where there's a long incomplete pass, players will have to move quickly back to the line of scrimmage. It could also affect quarterbacks who go to the sideline to get their next play call or substitutions throughout a game.
   There are many fields that do not have play clocks behind their end zones, so players and coaches will still have to watch the back judge who raises his hand at the five-second mark.
   Many coaches are taking a wait-and-see approach to the new rule.
   "I'm not sure how I feel because I haven't seen it live yet," said Northern Bedford coach Garry Black. "I do think it could change some substitutions for teams with a lack of depth. If there's an incompletion 40-45 yards downfield and players end up on the ground, it could be tough to get them back to the huddle to be involved in the next play. I guess we will see how it plays out."
   And with most teams going to a 10-game and one scrimmage setup a few years ago, they've perhaps had less time to prepare for the play clock change in a live setting.
   "I always like our scrimmage to be game-like," said Chestnut Ridge coach Max Shoemaker. "We're always making our guys aware of things like getting plays in and out of the huddle. I'm not expecting it to have a drastic effect on the game, but it is something that you need to keep in mind."
   One thing the 40-second clock could allow for is more continuity from game to game involving officials.
   "I think it will create consistency," said Black. "Some officials work faster than others, and this will make it the same each and every week. One time at an away game, the pace was faster than anything I've been around and it was very different to be operating that quickly."
   Most of the other rule changes are minor and involve tackling, blocking and formations. The NFHS is also allowing states to implement instant replay for postseason games. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) did not approve replay for this fall.

 

Deputy is the right choice to lead Lions

   When Greg Lazor stepped down as Chestnut Ridge's head wrestling coach two months ago, it created an opening that surprised many and left one of the state's best Class AA programs in recent years searching for a new leader.
   The school's administration didn't have to look very far to find him, as Josh Deputy, one of Lazor's longtime assistants, was named to the position on Tuesday night.
   With all due respect to those that applied or showed interest in the job, Chestnut Ridge made the right choice.
   It's really that simple to me.
   After Lazor's first few years in Fishertown, the Lions turned the corner by winning their first District 5 Duals championship in 2013, and went on to finish fourth in the state team tournament. Since then, they've captured six more D5 Duals crowns, eight straight District 5 Tournament team titles, and placed three more times in the top four of the Class AA state duals.
   During that time span, Chestnut Ridge also has 11 different individual state medalists.
   Deputy has been a big part of that success — Lazor will tell you that himself.
   His hiring, if nothing else, does this: It keeps continuity in the program.
   One of the first things Deputy told me when I reached him for comments last night for my story for the Bedford Gazette (see today's edition for that story) was about the closeness between the coaches and the coaching staff to the wrestlers.
   Deputy also told me that the remainder of the coaching staff from last season — Pat Berzonski, Scott McGill, Brian Gibbons, Tyler Dibert, and Dan Albright — is expected to return. That's a huge plus in itself. American Flag fanny packs anyone? Expect Gibbons, Dibert, and Albright to once again be sporting them on the Lions' bench.
   I know keeping that kind of continuity together is something Lazor wished for the program upon his departure.
   Hire someone from the outside and perhaps that doesn't happen. Or some return and some don't, which can cause friction. Remember what happened at Bethlehem Catholic. The Golden Hawks still won a state team title in February but it wasn't smooth for a good bit of the regular season.
   Chestnut Ridge wrestles a very strong schedule, something that Lazor really got the ball rolling with. That won't change under Deputy.
   And while the Lions will be without either Justin McCoy or Jared McGill, who basically have rewritten the school's record books, for the first time in five years, don't expect a sharp dropoff in the overall strength of the team.
   Deputy's appointment to the head chair only helps to ensure that.
 
 
 

Lazor leaves a legacy of excellence with Lions

   Greg Lazor's tenure as Chestnut Ridge's wrestling coach will be remembered for many things — from him tearing a towel to shreds at times during matches, to leading pre and post-match huddles that ended in a unison chant with the team's ultimate goal of a state championship, to his always colorful and witty comments to myself and other media members.
   His 11-year run will also be remembered for winning, a lot of it on the statewide level which hadn't been done by any other area program.
   Lazor recently decided now is the time to step away, resigning from the position in what he told me was a difficult decision but the right one. I had a story on this for today's edition of the Bedford Gazette.
   He and his wife Sandra have three children age 13 or younger, who are all involved in their own sports. Lazor was simply missing too much time with them to continue giving as much to wrestling.
   I wasn't surprised that Greg stepped down. I had heard rumblings of it since late last summer, along with the fact he was probably going to take the head softball position, and I figured this could be his final wrestling go-around.
   It was quite the way to go out, too. The Lions again dominated the regular season, won their seventh consecutive District 5 Duals championship, then finished third at the Class AA state duals for their fourth team medal in Hershey in their seven appearances.
   Lazor won over 200 matches at Chestnut Ridge, led the Lions to those seven district duals crowns, eight straight District 5 Tournament team titles and two Southwest Regional team championships, and coached 11 different state medalists. Those four medals (4th in 2013, 2nd in 2015, 3rd in 2018 and 2019) from the state team event put Chestnut Ridge second to only Reynolds (7 medals) in the last seven years of the Class AA Duals.
   Never one to take all, or any of the credit, Lazor will always say he couldn't have done what he did without the foundation of Chestnut Ridge wrestling, which included year-in and year-out success at the elementary and junior high levels. Two of the products of that — Justin McCoy and Jared McGill — became the two winningest wrestlers in Bedford County history and each won a state championship with Lazor in the corner. McCoy, now at the University of Virginia, won 167 bouts in his career, while McGill, who will be heading to the University of Pittsburgh, just wrapped up a 161-win total. I find it fitting that McGill's 170-pound state final was Lazor's last coaching bout with the Lions.
   In hindsight, maybe none of us should be surprised what Lazor's final numbers at Chestnut Ridge say. Before moving back to his native Bedford County, he built a successful program from the ground up at West Stokes High School in North Carolina.
   At Chestnut Ridge, he came to what was already a strong local program and built on what Jim Clark had done in his 30-plus years that featured 342 wins and spots in both the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame.
   As for the towel ripping, it was what Lazor usually described as "nervous energy." On numerous occasions, there would be mere pieces of it remaining by the end of the match.
   His Lion teams coined the phrase "One, two, three, state champs!" when breaking a huddle. They never quite got there, but it became a vocal, motivational goal to strive for.
   His commentary to me and others after matches was positive and often quite humorous. Even for the Gazette story I wrote for today, he said on the question of being as successful as the Lions were: "I was dumb enough to think we could do it, I just needed some boys naive enough to believe in me."
   Last summer, I went to the Snake Spring fields between Bedford and Everett on a midweek night to snap a couple of youth ball photos for the Gazette. I didn't know beforehand, but Lazor's daughter Grace was on one of the teams that was there. Between innings, I saw Greg coming through the dugout and jokingly said "Hey, I came here to see if you were a better softball coach than a wrestling coach."
   His response, in his usual self-depricating style: "Neither."
   Now in charge of the varsity softball program, we may find the answer.
   But this I know — Lazor is already a winner, and has been for a long time.
 
 

High School Wrestling needs the ultimate reversal

   It's certainly no secret that high school wrestling in Pennsylvania has been in a decline over the past several years.
   Are there still great individuals and teams that rival anywhere in the country?
   Yes and Yes.
   But from a big picture perspective, some things need to be addressed.
   A lack of numbers seems to keep rising and attendance at the big events keeps falling.
   So what needs done?
   If you've spoken to me or read my past blog posts, you know that I haven't been in favor of many of the changes the PIAA has made in recent years. Let's examine those first.
Attendance
   It wasn't all that long ago that the individual state tournament weekend drew an overall crowd of over 60,000 people to Hershey. That number has been in a steady decline of late. I wasn't at this year's state tournament last week, but the crowds were thin from what I saw and it was reportedly just around 41,000 total for the Class AA and AAA sessions. That's a dramatic dip.
   I think two changes that I have been critical of haven't helped this situation — running the finals with the other medal bouts, and 20-man brackets.
   I haven't come across many people that like the four-mat scenario for the last session in each class. Pennsylvania used to showcase those 28 championship bouts, on one mat for everyone to see. Why fix something that isn't broken? (at least to me)
   In 2016, Brian Courtney made history in beating three returning state champions to win his first title at 126 pounds in Class AA. While most in the Giant Center had their eyes on his 3-2 win over Max Murin for the championship, it still had to share the floor with bouts for third, fifth, and seventh places. That, or a fourth title from Gavin Teasdale last year shouldn't have to share the focus.
   Four years ago, the state brackets were expanded by four wrestlers each, going from 16 to 20. Again, I was outspokenly critical of this move. Here's a link to my posting from March 28, 2014: http://springintosports.blogspot.com/2014/03/no-sense-in-20-man-bracket.html
   Looking back, this hasn't worked. PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi now is quoted as saying the change was "awful."
   Sure, are there occasions where a sixth-placer from the Southeast or Southwest Region, or fourth-placers from the Northeast or Northwest become state medalists? Yes, but that's far more the exception than the rule, which was my argument five years ago.
   This year, the PIAA signed a four-year deal with FloWrestling to stream both the state team duals and the individual tournament. In the past, finals in both events had been broadcast on television by the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN).
   Many have been critical of that deal. Personally, I think it was a lot of good and a little bad at the same time. FloWrestling does a great job of promoting the sport and streaming wrestling competitions from around the world at all levels. So to have every session on Flo I don't believe was a bad thing last weekend. But I would have liked to see PCN still show the finals to the casual wrestling fans, people who don't want to shell out extra money for a subscription, or those that can't make the trip to the Giant Center but still have a rooting interest. Reportedly, the two media outlets did have some discussion about a joint broadcast, but talks broke down.
   Just because it's new doesn't mean it's better. Let's revert to one-mat finals and 16-man brackets.
   And while we're at it, seed the entire tournament, 1-16 at each weight.
   Seeding the regional champions has helped, along with making the brackets a secret until after the regional tournaments are completed. But let's go further. (Seed the team tournament too, but that's another story)
   There are too many situations where semifinals look like finals. I'm not naive enough to say it will be perfect, but you can't convince me that a total seeding of every weight class will hurt anyone.
Numbers
   From a team perspective, wrestling has taken a downward turn when we look at overall rosters. I can't tell you the amount of matches I typed in for a newspaper report that had four or many more forfeits. Gone are the days where practice rooms were filled with full varsity teams, junior varsity teams, and still some others who were vying for spots.
   Years ago, the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) changed the weight structure, which now is 14, up from 13 and features more upperweight classes than before. When I was in school, the final four weights were 160, 171, 189, and 275 (285) with more condensed in the middle. Currently up top from that point, we have 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285.
   With forfeits more of the talk than actual wrestling these days, the total of 14 needs to be reduced. Lombardi says he'd like to see it at 12, as he doesn't think 13 would solve the issue.
   College has 10 and seems to be just fine. Is that the number? I'm not sure, but 12 or 13 seems like a move in the right direction.
Final Word
   Wrestling is still a great sport, and it always will be. But it can improve again in Pennsylvania, and my hope is that the powers that be can hit that standing switch to get the reversal it needs.

Class AA Tournament Preview

   Here's my synopsis and picks for the Class AA Tournament in Hershey this weekend.

   106 - There's some pretty good depth and a lot of youth here as usual, but I like the four regional champions to probably meet in the semifinals. The top half of the bracket has a very intriguing semifinal if it comes off between Reynolds' Gary Steen, the defending state champion, and Biglerville freshman Levi Haines. On the bottom, look for a battle of unbeatens between Troy's Sheldon Seymour and South Park's Joey Fischer for a right to be in the finals. Steen and Haines are getting most of the publicity here, but Seymour is actually ahead of them in Intermat's latest national rankings. Seymour is third, Steen seventh, Haines 11th, and Fischer 14th.
   Spring's championship pick - Haines over Seymour.

113 - This is pretty wide open in my book, but I think Elizabeth Forward's Ryan Michaels is probably the favorite. I got a good look at him in the Southwest Regional and he impressed. The bottom half where Michaels is though is no picnic, with Eisenhower's Logan Jaquay and Southern Columbia's Kole Biscoe among potential challengers. Up top, I'd say flip a coin.
   Spring's championship pick - Michaels over East Pennsboro's Adam Jacob.

120 - A really top-heavy bracket here with three wrestlers above the rest in my opinion. Of those three, I'd give Notre Dame's Ryan Crookham the favorite's nod over Burrell's Ian Oswalt and Reynolds' Beau Bayless. A potential Crookham-Oswalt semifinal would have a lot of eyes on it. I've seen Oswalt a bunch this year and I really like his style, but hard to go against the freshman phenom.
   Spring's championship pick - Crookham over Bayless.

126 - The top half of this draw is very interesting, with Glendale's Brock McMillen, Brockway's Anthony Glasl, Upper Dauphin's Bronson Garber, and Muncy's Bryce Vollman all contenders. Down below, I think Bishop McDevitt's Chase Shields is a cut above.
   Spring's championship pick - Shields over Garber.

132 - What a weight class we have here with nine former state medalists. Up top, everyone seems to be eyeing a Josh Jones vs. Kaden Cassidy semifinal. Cassidy likely will have to beat Quaker Valley's Conner Redinger tomorrow, as Redinger was sixth in a brutal SW Regional bracket. Remember that Saucon Valley's Jones and Bedford's Cassidy are set to be future collegiate teammates at new MAC member George Mason. Down below, the smart money is on Cambridge Springs' Tye Varndell, but don't sleep on whoever also reaches the semifinal there, likely either Sullivan County's Nate Higley, Everett's Garret Cornell, or St. Joseph's Academy's Zack Witmer.
   Spring's championship pick - Jones over Varndell.

138 - The Southwest Regional gave me the chance to see Hopewell's Jacob Ealy for the first time, and I was impressed. I had picked him to beat Forest Hills' freshman Erik Gibson in the regional final, but thought it would be a closer bout. I don't see a real challenge for Ealy up top. In the bottom of the draw, look for Gibson, Wilson's Marckis Branford, and Saegertown's Kenny Kiser to be the main players.
   Spring's championship pick - Ealy over Kiser.

145 - How about a returning state champion against a returning state runner-up? But not in the finals. That would take place on Friday morning in a quarterfinal with Palisades' Nathan Haubert, last year's winner at this weight, against St. Joseph's Academy's Caleb Dowling, who was second last March at 138. Even with that potential showdown taking the top headline here, there's a lot of firepower that includes Notre Dame's Andrew Cerniglia and Southern Columbia's Gavin Garcia in the same half as Haubert and Dowling, and Pequea Valley's Gabe Miller the top dog on the bottom.
   Spring's championship pick - Miller over Dowling.

152 - This bracket is kind of like 113 in my opinion, with a lot of good talent but perhaps a bit below some of the other weights. That said, Pope John's Ryan Vulakh might be one of the best wrestlers that most might not know much about. That includes me, though I've read a lot of good stuff about him.
   Spring's championship pick - Vulakh over Freedom's Trent Schulteis.

160 - Like the previous weight, one name stands out to me and that is defending champion Thayne Lawrence. The Frazier junior should get to the finals up top, while down below, I think St. Joseph's Academy's Tyler Stoltzfus is the favorite, but keep an eye on Saucon Valley's Matt Arcioulo, Kane's Alec English, and Southern Columbia's Cade Linn.
   Spring's championship pick - Lawrence over Stoltzfus.

170 - About the only thing Jared McGill hasn't done is win a state title. It's hard not to like the unbeaten Chestnut Ridge senior this weekend. He already has beaten five of the wrestlers in the other half of the draw at some point this season.
   Spring's championship pick - McGill over McGuffey's Christian Clutter.

182 - One of the themes of the Class AA upperweights in my opinion is the top-notch freshmen, and that begins with Mount Pleasant's Dayton Pitzer. I can't seen anyone making a serious challenge to him in the bottom of this bracket. Up top, I could see a number of scenarios, with names to watch including Jersey Shore's Hunter O'Connor, Ellwood City's Austin Walley, Brockway's Garrett McClintick, and Freedom's Bryson Miller.
   Spring's championship pick - Pitzer over McClintick.

195 - A good group here, led by regional champions Gaige Garcia, Colin Fegley, Kolby Franklin, and Cael Black. Up top, Southern Columbia's Garcia would be favored, but keep an eye on Eisenhower's Black, North Star's Hunter Tremain and Bentworth's John Vargo. Down below, St. Joseph's Academy's Franklin and Mahanoy's Fegley appear headed for a semifinal battle. While freshmen Franklin and Black should have stellar careers when it's all said and done, a state title will have to wait for either of them this time around.
   Spring's championship pick - Garcia over Franklin.

220 - Derry's Dom DeLuca and Greenville's Jacob McMaster are likely to meet in the finals here, but there are other names to watch. Reynolds' Wyatt Owen, Montoursville's Cameron Wood, and Lewisburg's Dakotah Snyder are a few of them.
   Spring's championship pick - McMaster over DeLuca.

285 - There's a lot of intrigue with the big boys, where athleticism among the top contenders has replaced the usual push back and forth we see a lot of times at this weight. The top names include Mount Union's Jake Ryan in the upper half of the draw, and Brookville's Colby Whitehill, Meyersdale's Jalen Stephens, and Southern Huntingdon's Kole Winfield down below.
   Spring's championship pick - Whitehill over Ryan.

Lions showing strong again in Hershey

    Prior to tonight's state semifinal against Southern Columbia, I posted a warmup photo of Chestnut Ridge on social media along with writing that the Lions would need their best effort of the season (to pull off the upset).
   And did the Lions ever come close. In the end, the second-ranked Tigers had a couple more guns than the sixth-ranked Lions did and were able to escape with a 34-31 victory. On paper, I had Southern as probably a 10-12 point favorite at worst.
   That said, what Chestnut Ridge is doing this weekend is impressive.
   But in reality, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised. After all, this is what the Lions do when they come to Hershey. Now in their seventh appearance in the Class AA state duals, Chestnut Ridge has an overall record of 20-11. And they have three medals - fourth in 2013, second in 2015, and third last year.
   The impressive part to me is what we're seeing out of the newcomers and younger wrestlers on the team. While they've had almost a full season of hard competition, this tournament is still a different animal sometimes. I wouldn't have said it was a rebuilding year for Chestnut Ridge, but I viewed it as perhaps a transition year, with four freshmen starters and having to replace a state champion (Justin McCoy) and several other key contributors.
   And you could have understood if the pressure of a state semifinal got to them. But it didn't. The Lions were right there, and they had the Tigers on their heels for awhile.
   That's a testament to Jared McGill and the other leaders on the team, as well as Greg Lazor and the rest of his coaching staff for staying focused and wrestling well inside the circle. I'm not sure I've seen Lazor as animated, all in a positive way, as much as he has been this weekend in quite some time.
   So on we go to tomorrow, where Chestnut Ridge can win a team medal for the second straight season, which would be another first for the program.
   And it should be no surprise if the Lions finish that job again.

Lions roll into state quarterfinals

   For all that Chestnut Ridge has accomplished over the last six-plus years, the Lions haven't been able to win a state team medal two years in a row.
   That could change this weekend, and they got past the first hurdle earlier today with a 51-21 domination of Freedom in the Class AA first round.
   The second half of the dual was right in Chestnut Ridge's wheelhouse with its run of strong upperweights. And the Lions got pins in five of six weights, from Seth Holderbaum, Jared McGill, Austin Crouse, Duane Knisely, and Dalton Seace, respectively, to pull away from the Bulldogs.
   While that was impressive, even more so in my opinion were the efforts of Gryphon Callihan at 126, Luke Moore at 138, and Baltzer Bollman at 145.
   Callihan drew Z.J. Ward, a two-time state qualifier. We didn't see Ward at the Thomas Chevrolet Tournament two weeks ago, but he was in the lineup today. And the Freedom wrestler took a 5-1 lead in the second period. Callihan fought back to 5-4 and had a chance at a takedown in the third period, losing just 7-5.
   After Trevor Weyandt won by fall, Moore took the mat and promptly countered Kenny Duschek's shot for his own takedown. Duschek, also a prior state qualifier, never trailed again but had to fight off Moore's aggressiveness. Moore had a slow start to his freshman season, but he's quietly coming along as crunch time is here.
   Then at 145, Bollman gave up four takedowns to Jake Pail, but didn't give up any more than that. The Lions gave up just 15 points to that trio plus Freedom's Trent Schulteis (152), a returning state medalist.
   While I believe Chestnut Ridge would have had enough to win the match anyway, the start of it couldn't really have gone much better for Greg Lazor's group.
   As for a quarterfinal with Hamburg tomorrow, it should be interesting. Shameless plug, but I was eight for eight today with my first round picks, which you can see in my last blog post. I also said the Hamburg/Greenville match was close to call, and it was with the Hawks winning 36-34 on a technical fall from one of the Gimbor twins, both returning state qualifiers who transferred in this year from Brandywine Heights.
   Also of note is Hamburg had the largest and loudest crowd of any Class AA school by far at the Giant Center. I would imagine a similar showing of fans of the District 3 champions on Friday.

- Make sure you see my match coverage from today's match in the Friday edition of the Bedford Gazette. Pick up a copy or go online. And if you're here in Hershey, the online version is free access, so make it a great read over the breakfast table before you head to the Giant Center for the quarterfinals.

Breaking Down the Class AA State Duals

   The state team tournaments have begun with play-in matches having been wrestled last night, and we're down to 16 teams in each class.
    Here's my quick thoughts on Class AA, and my completed bracket is below that. (I'm no Tony Romo, so don't take this as anything more than a guessing game)

Class AA First Round
   — I think the Hamburg-Greenville match is really close to call and will probably be one of the two closer first round duals along with Saucon Valley-Muncy. I went with Hamburg here, but wouldn't be surprised at all to see Greenville in the quarterfinals.
   — I went with Saucon Valley in the killer #3 vs. #4 (rankings according to PA Power Wrestling) first-round match. Outside of a trip to the finals in 2016 (loss to Brookville), I've thought that Saucon has largely underachieved at the state duals over the years. The Panthers wrestle a strong schedule and are well-coached. This year may be an exception, I look for the D11 champs to be a factor in Hershey.

Class AA Quarterfinals
   — I went again with Saucon Valley in what should be another barnburner for them against Burrell in the Friday afternoon quarters. See my above comments on Saucon Valley.

Finals Rematch?
   — On paper, I think Southern Columbia and Reynolds look to be the most complete teams in the field, so yes, I believe a rematch of last year's championship match will happen. Reynolds usually gets it done on the big stage, but I like Southern Columbia, especially with Gavin Garcia and Cade Linn back in the lineup.

Darkhorse Candidate
   — Notre Dame-Green Pond. The Crusaders came close to beating Saucon Valley for the District 11 title last weekend, then beat Boiling Springs in a Monday play-in to advance into the main bracket. They draw Reynolds on Thursday, which is no easy task. But this is a program on the rise and it has enough firepower to make things interesting with anyone. Of course, that idea brings up the public/private battle with PIAA member schools, as Notre Dame has more than half its lineup from nearby districts. Boiling Springs' coach Rod Wright called Notre Dame GP "Beca Jr." after the play-in match last night, in reference to Bethlehem Catholic.

Local Angle
   — I think Chestnut Ridge got a favorable spot in the bracket. That doesn't mean I think a medal, which would be its fourth in seven years, is a sure thing. But I like the way the Lions' younger kids have wrestled in recent weeks. And getting Mason McVicker back on the roster and Brodie Harbaugh back from injury gives Greg Lazor more options in the upperweights. Chestnut Ridge will probably have to beat some combination of Southern Columbia, Saucon Valley, Muncy, Burrell, and/or Notre Dame GP to get that medal.

My Class AA Bracket
   — Again, take this for what it's worth.

Geography, Pre-bracketing are issues with state team duals

   It's nothing new that the way teams are chosen for the state team tournaments doesn't sit well with many people in the Pennsylvania wrestling community.
   And as another set of PIAA team tournaments are on tap beginning tonight with several play-in matches leading to the main event in Hershey from Thursday-Saturday, those same arguments will certainly be heard again.
   To me, there are two glaring issues — bigger districts getting more entries, and the tournament's brackets being predetermined for a two-year cycle even before that first season of the new cycle begins.
   We'll start with geography. Currently, both the fields in Class AA and Class AAA have 20 teams that receive berths based on district tournament finishes. In AA, Districts 3, 4, 7, and 10 each get three teams. In AAA, Districts 1 and 3 get four teams.
   And I never have understood the prebracketing. At least in the individual postseason, the PIAA made a change several years ago now to have a certain number of different brackets and then reveal them after the regional tournaments were completed, rather than have them available for all to see well beforehand.
   But this needs to happen on the team level too.
   Nothing will please everyone. That said, here's what I would propose.

   — Go back to 16 teams apiece: Get rid of the play-in matches. The state duals used to be two days, then it went to three and if you include the play-ins, that's four. I'm all for watching as much wrestling as I can, but I think it can be scaled back, and my other points emphasize this.
   — Only district champions get automatic berths in Hershey: No matter the size or history of a district in wrestling, let's make this a starting point for filling the field. In both classes, there are 11 district champions crowned around the state. (District 8 does not in Class AA, District 5 does not in Class AAA).
   Win your district title, and you get the reward of a trip to the state tournament. But you have to win your district, that's the only absolute way to be included. The obvious question — Ryan, you know that's only 11 teams, an odd-man bracket, right?
  Yes, so here's the other part.
   — Make the other five spots for at-large selections: You have your 11 automatic bids, then take the next five best squads that didn't get in via the district tournaments.
   In determining those choices, use a combination of rankings, a coaches committee, other knowledgeable wrestling people on the committee, etc. to get it as right as possible.
   I'm sure some would say five seems like too many. I feel like it's a better solution than just taking away a couple of the spots that get in now (via prebracketing) and make them wild cards.
   — Drop the prebrackets: In my opinion, this is just silly and doesn't need to be released ahead of time. Currently, everyone knows where they will be and who they'll see early, and possibly further along in the tournament.
   This year's Class AA bracket, for example. In the top quarter of the bottom half of the bracket, you'll have the third, fourth, and fifth-ranked teams in the state according to PA Power Wrestling. Burrell is ranked fifth, and should the Bucs defeat the Newport/Danville winner, will get either third-ranked Saucon Valley or fourth-ranked Muncy in the quarterfinals. So #3 vs. #4 in a first-round match, survive that and likely get #5 in the quarters. That's a rediculous draw.

   My solution here: Seed the teams 1-16 and play it out from there. Let's get the best matchups we can further along in the tournament, not in the first round. 

 Unrest in D11
   Much of the distaste this time around with the state duals format is in Class AAA, where District 11 has perhaps four of the top five or six teams in the state and only gets two berths. On Saturday, it was a hotly contested tournament that saw Bethlehem Catholic beat Liberty in the final. D11 has a true second-place format, so Northampton got the other bid by getting past Liberty in that match.
   PA Power updated their state rankings earlier today. In Class AAA, Bethlehem Catholic, Northampton, Liberty, and Nazareth are all in the top five. But only those first two will be in Hershey, because District 11 gets only two slots based on the geographical numbers. And I've heard from people in the know down there that D11 would probably only have one team make it but has fought for at least a second bid in the current format of the event.
   Under my proposal, only Bethlehem Catholic would be a guarantee because the Golden Hawks won their district title. Just going off the rankings though, all three of the others would almost assuredly get at-large bids.
   Certainly, every year is different and may not look like five teams around the state deserve an at-large. But if say you only had two spots, which one of those other three gets left out in this case? Liberty handed Bethlehem Catholic its only loss, then beat Nazareth on Saturday for the second time in three matches this season. Nazareth owns that earlier win over Liberty at the Virginia Duals and also defeated Erie Prep (ranked 6th) there. Northampton lost to Becahi in the semifinals, but rebounded by beating both Nazareth and Liberty for the second spot, doing it without one of its best wrestlers in Devon Britton. Everyone has a case.
   Again, nothing will please everyone. I think most of us can agree that there needs to be some sort of changes. Whether it happens is anybody's guess.

District Duals to Watch

   The high school wrestling season is getting serious now, with state team qualifiers being determined this weekend across Pennsylvania.
   I'll be at Chestnut Ridge for the District 5-AA semifinals and final, where the host Lions will be shooting for their seventh consecutive title as the heavy favorite once again. Of course, you can read my coverage in the Bedford Gazette.
   While I'm not sure there will be a whole lot of intrigue from a dual meet perspective in Fishertown, there are plenty of other districts that will have my eye. Here's a look at that:

District 3-AA
   The quarterfinals and semifinals have been wrestled and the two teams standing in the championship bracket are Newport, who was the fourth seed, and Hamburg, the third seed. Newport knocked off unbeaten Northern Lebanon 35-27 in the semifinals. On the other side of the draw, Hamburg beat perennial D3 powers Boiling Springs (40-24) and Bermudian Springs (43-24) in back-to-back matches.
   So both the Buffaloes and Hawks have clinched berths in Hershey, while those other three along with Upper Dauphin will battle in the consolation bracket to determine third place, which advances to a state play-in dual on Monday night.
   When the new state brackets came out for this cycle, the champions from D3 and D5 were potentially matched up in a quarterfinal, which of course could have meant another chapter in the Boiling Springs-Chestnut Ridge rivalry.
   That won't happen, at least not in that round this year after the Bubblers lost to Hamburg. Instead, the D3 champ could have an interesting first round match with either the District 6 runner-up or the District 10 third placer before a possible state quarter draw with 5-1 or 7-2.

District 6-AA
   Earlier this afternoon, the semifinalists were determined after the cold weather this week caused matches to be moved.
   Huntingdon is the top seed, and the Bearcats moved into the final four at Tyrone with a 41-18 win over Bald Eagle Area. They will meet fourth seed Glendale in the semifinals.
   The other semi will be a conference rematch between second seed Westmont Hilltop and sixth seed Forest Hills. The Rangers knocked off Penns Valley on Friday. In their regular season dual, Westmont beat Forest Hills, 39-29.

District 11-AAA
   While my newspaper coverage is directed towards the Class AA side of things, the District 11-AAA Duals looks like the best place to be tomorrow.
   Here's your semifinalists: Liberty, Bethlehem Catholic, Northampton, and Nazareth.
   And the latest state rankings by PA Power: Liberty, 2nd; Bethlehem Catholic, 3rd; Northampton, 5th; Nazareth, 6th.
   In the semis, Liberty gets Nazareth while Becahi and Northampton battle. Liberty and Nazareth split a pair of duals this season so far, including one on criteria, while Bethlehem Catholic owns a six-point win over Northampton. And Liberty handed Bethlehem Catholic a rare defeat a few weeks ago.
   Frankly, all four of these teams deserve a berth in Hershey, but only two will get there.

Chestnut Ridge at Westmont Hilltop preview

   The biggest match of the local wrestling season is upon us, as Chestnut Ridge makes the trip to Westmont Hilltop tomorrow night, a battle of unbeatens facing off for the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship.
   My breakdown on this title tilt is below:

Chestnut Ridge (9-0) at Westmont Hilltop (10-0)
PA Power State Class AA Rankings: Chestnut Ridge (6th); Westmont Hilltop (9th)

Tuesday night at WHHS

Probable Lineups (Chestnut Ridge wrestlers listed first)

106 - Kai Burkett or Simon Osman vs. Connor Lamantia
113 - Nathan Holderbaum, Burkett, or Osman vs. Tanner Kushner or Luke Benner
120 - Ross Dull or Holderbaum vs. Zane Blackburn or Kushner
126 - Gryphon Callihan or Taylor Claycomb vs. Connor Polacek or Blackburn
132 - Trevor Weyandt vs. Roy Dunn or Polacek
138 - Luke Moore vs. Ethan Kelly or Noah Korenoski
145 - Baltzer Bollman vs. Kelly or Korenoski
152 - Daniel Moore vs. Hudson Holbay
160 - Seth Holderbaum vs. Camden Moors
170 - Jared McGill or Mason McVicker vs. Mason Muto or Hunter Holbay
182 - McGill or McVicker vs. Muto or Holbay
195 - Austin Crouse vs. Tanner Dluhos or Noah Gresh
220 - Duane Knisely vs. Dluhos or Gresh
285 - Dalton Seace vs. Max Yonko

Analysis: Though websites such as Trackwrestling and PA-Wrestling.com are helpful with records, I didn't have time to track everything down for this preview. Based on this past weekend, Westmont's lineup at the Mercer Tournament went as this from 106 up: Lamantia, Kushner, Blackburn, Polacek, Dunn, Korenoski, Kelly, Holbay, Moors, Holbay, Dluhos, Gresh, and Yonko. The Ultimate Duals were cancelled due to weather, so Chestnut Ridge's last time out in last Tuesday's duals with Penn Cambria and Greater Johnstown went as this: Burkett, Holderbaum, Dull, Callihan, Weyandt, Moore, Bollman, Moore, Holderbaum, McVicker, McGill, Crouse, Knisely and Seace. McVicker, who competed for the Lions in junior high, joined the team recently and gives them another option in the upperweights.
   So straight up, Chestnut Ridge is favored at 106, 132 (slight), 182 (with McGill), 195, 220, and 285. Favor Westmont at 113, 120, 138, 145, and 152. That leaves 126, 160, and wherever McVicker may be at as toss-ups. In comparing each team's dual against Forest Hills, Chestnut Ridge will be heavily favored up top and that could be the difference as I feel the Lions have more chances at bonus points throughout the lineup. Of course, don't take that as gospel as I'm rarely right about much. Either way, this should be a good one.
Prediction: Chestnut Ridge, 33-25.

Review and Preview - January 16

   This week's review isn't all that much, as there was nothing on the weekend from a local perspective and just a few dual meets last night.
   Of note there is Chestnut Ridge's Jared McGill, who controlled the bulk of the 182-pound bout against Penn Cambria's Derek Brown in a 17-6 major decision that featured the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked wrestlers at 170 by PA Power Wrestling.
   On to the preview:

Lions looking to pounce
   Over the next six days, we should find out a lot about how Chestnut Ridge stacks up with many of the state's higher-ranked Class AA teams.
   Saturday, weather permitting as we're all awaiting a weekend snowstorm, is the annual Ultimate Duals at Brookville. As of PA Power's latest rankings, the event will feature No. 1 Reynolds, No. 4 Burrell, No. 6 Chestnut Ridge, No. 8 Brookville, and No. 17 Freedom.
   A link to the schedule: Ultimate Duals Schedule.
   Chestnut Ridge draws Brookville and Reynolds right out of the gate.
   Then on Tuesday night, the Lions travel to No. 9 Westmont-Hilltop for a dual that will determine the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship.
   As I've stated before, the Hilltoppers might not have the names that jump off the page, but they're a pretty solid group from top to bottom. I'm hoping to do a bout-by-bout preview in time for Tuesday's showdown.
   Chestnut Ridge received a little reinforcement in the upperweights with the addition of senior Mason McVicker to the roster. McVicker, who wrestled in the junior high ranks for the Lions, has been in practice for a week or so and he picked up a first-period pin against Greater Johnstown yesterday. He gives Greg Lazor another option in the 170-182 area.

Long Range lookahead
   It's not so much long range, but the Thomas Tournament is fast approaching — next weekend.
   I'll certainly have more on this as it gets closer, on here and for the Bedford Gazette, but here's a quick glance at the team list. I was told last night that South Fayette was a late scratch, so it looks like a 26-school field.

   2019 Thomas Tournament - Athens, Bedford, Berlin, Beth-Center, Burrell, Cambria Heights, Central, Central Cambria, Chestnut Ridge, Claysburg-Kimmel, Conemaugh Township, Everett, Freedom, Greenville, Jefferson-Morgan, Newport, North Star, North Schuylkill, Northern Bedford, Northern Garrett (Md.), Meyersdale, Mount Pleasant, Penn Cambria, Somerset, Tri-Valley, Tussey Mountain.

Cheap Tilts - Gabriel carving his own path

   Nathan Gabriel isn't worried about his wrestling accomplishments being compared to that of his older brother.

   And Bedford's 145-pound senior says he's never been, instead staying focused on his own goals.

   About midway through his final season in a Bison singlet, Gabriel seems to be hitting the right stride at the right time.

   Gabriel put together one of his best varsity efforts to date with a dominant 16-2 major decision on Friday night over Northern Bedford's Ian Sherlock, who had been wrestling as well as anybody locally over the past few weeks.

   Gabriel had four takedowns, a reversal, and two nearfalls in the victory. In my match story for the Bedford Gazette, he told me he was looking forward to a potential meeting with Sherlock, who bumped up a weight.

   That win, and the manner in which it came, is certain to bolster Gabriel's mindset with events like the Thomas Tournament and the postseason on the horizon.

   "My season's going pretty well," he said. "It's just minor things I need to work on. I'm feeling a lot better and slicker on the mat."

   His 11-5 record going into tomorrow's tri-meet with Cambria Heights and Somerset might not blow anybody away, but if you look further, Gabriel's faced some very strong competition in the first month and a half.

   That list includes Caleb Dowling (St. Joseph's Academy), Erik Gibson (Forest Hills), Ethan Kelly (Westmont Hilltop) and Shane Kemper (Burgettstown). Dowling was last year's state runner-up at 138, Kemper is a returning state qualifier, Kelly was a previous state qualifier, and Gibson is among the top freshmen in the state.

   And inside his own family, Gabriel couldn't have asked for a better wrestler to work with than his older sibling Jonathan. 

   Jonathan Gabriel's story is of course well chronicled, as he won a state championship in 2015 and is one of only three wrestlers in history to win four Thomas Tournament titles before moving on to compete at the U.S. Naval Academy. Over the years, he's also served as a mentor.

   "About every single thing I do on the bottom now is from him," Nathan said. "It was always tough because he wrestled different styles than me. He would always have to change stuff and show me different things, but a lot of my wrestling has come from him.

   "I've never felt any pressure. I know I'm my own person, and he's always been really supportive. It's never been like I had to prove anything to anyone."

   Gabriel, who has also picked up a strong practice partner this winter in former state medalist Kaden Cassidy, is someone that Bedford coach Joel Easter can lean to, on and off the mat.

   "He started out the season with a couple of state caliber kids, and we just told him to keep at it and his time will come," said Easter. "He never gets down on himself — he always has a good positive attitude in the room. He's our leader. When I need something, I go to Nathan. I'm proud of how he's come through the adversity in those tough matches."

   

Becahi drops Thompson midseason

   "Thompson out, Karam back as Bethlehem Catholic wrestling coach"
   That was the headline that first caught my eye when checking social media earlier this afternoon. Even though Rick Thompson has been let go from wrestling programs before, including three times in his beloved hometown, I was and am still so stunned by that news.
   Of course, the first thing I thought was: Is it because of the loss to Liberty last Friday night? A loss, 32-28, that was the first Becahi had suffered to a league opponent in a regular season match since February of 2011, so nearly eight years of dominating the Lehigh Valley and the state for that matter.
   In comments made to Tom Housenick of Allentown's Morning Call and Kyle Craig of The Express-Times (lehighvalleylive.com) (click links at left for story), Thompson says he told the school's administration last month that this would be his only season coaching the Golden Hawks, due to reasons he wouldn't disclose but apparently some differences in program views for the present and future.
   Then today, Thompson told Housenick that he received a text message from Bethlehem Catholic athletic director Chris Domyan requesting a meeting about the "direction of the program." During the meeting, reported to be about a half-hour later, Domyan informed him that he was being let go immediately and that Jeff Karam would be the new coach. Karam stepped down after 10 years this past spring, but was still on Thompson's staff this season as an assistant.
   Obviously, there are so many questions. And probably most of them, we'll never get the full answer since we're on the outside looking in. More on that later.
   If you're a regular follower of this blog (and why not if you're not, just kidding), you know that I have discussed the wrestling program at Phillipsburg, New Jersey before. It's where I went to school and first met Rick Thompson.
   In the fall of 1992, I was a high school freshman and had Thompson as a physical education teacher for the first marking period. Right before wrestling practices were to get underway, Thompson came to me and asked this probably 95-pound soaking wet goofy-looking kid to consider being a student manager for the team. I had been to a few matches before and knew Phillipsburg (or P'burg as we locals affectionally call it) had really good teams.
   So in short, a bulk of the wrestling knowledge that I have today and try to put to good use for the Bedford Gazette and this blog can be traced back to Rick, his coaching style, the way he molded his teams, and their success too. And I always felt like he treated me just like he did the wrestlers that went on to win state championships.
   He told Craig today: "My life is about helping kids...I've always done what I thought was best for the kids and I still will. I thought I was doing what's best for the Bethlehem Catholic program."
   I have no doubt that is true, because I witnessed it first hand for three years.
   Now back to those reasons why he is out, in no particular order:
  —  Was it really the loss to Liberty?
   The timing of this news is interesting to me. I had actually listened to PA Power Wrestling's latest podcast yesterday which was hosted by Jeff Upson and Jeremy Elliott, who used to cover the sport full-time for Pennlive and now is a contributor to PA Power.
   Of course, they discussed last Friday's loss by Becahi and what it meant to the Class AAA landscape this year. Elliott made some comments that I took as saying perhaps Becahi had lost a step or two on the rung after Karam stepped away from the head chair. I responded in a private message on Twitter to PA Power's account that I thought Becahi replaced a really good coach with another really good coach. I listed some of Thompson's background and said that I did have bias in that regard, but I thought with time given, Thompson could have just as much success there as Karam did. I also stated that I would give more credit to Liberty on this because teams in the Lehigh Valley have been long tired of losing to Bethlehem Catholic. A loss was bound to happen at some point, that's just the law of averages or whatever you want to call it.
   My intention wasn't to knock Jeremy Elliott. In all likelihood, he and Upson don't know Rick Thompson and I just wanted to give some opinion and background on who he is. So Jeremy was going off what he saw and covered in Karam's tenure, which is his right to do.
   So was losing to Liberty part, or all, of the reason? Probably not, but it could have been a sign to the administration (though I would never agree) that Karam's guidance was far superior, even in the small sample size they had up close with Thompson.
— Was there an incident that hasn't come to light?
   While you know my admiration for Thompson earlier in this blog and on one I wrote when he was hired at Becahi last year, he can be seen as a controversial figure and has sometimes been perhaps his own worst enemy. Remember, he had a ton of success (268-54-1 at Phillipsburg over three stints) but was still let go on all three occasions. I won't get into all of that here.
   Maybe even saying last month that he was likely leaving after the season because he didn't see eye-to-eye with some was enough for Domyan to pull the plug now. If he was already thinking that, perhaps it would have been better to stay quiet and coach out the year.
   And if there was some incident and Thompson did wrong enough for it to be a fireable offense a month into the season, so be it and I would agree with the school's decision.
— Was there outside pressure?
   Thompson said in his comments today that he didn't think parents, etc. may have been a reason for the sudden change. He also added in Housenick's story that some don't confront issues face to face though. Though he didn't believe so, I think it's entirely possible, maybe not from parents. To me, there's a lot of pressure there, even though they won the state team title last February. Again, the Lehigh Valley has a wealth of bigtime programs and all of them have been chomping at the bit to get a shot to dethrone the top dog. And despite Thompson's resume, the fan base will always be comparing him to the most recent teams from Karam.
Final Thought
   Like I said, if there is something that Thompson did that warranted him being let go, I would support the decision. If it's losing one match, then Becahi is way too short sighted. Every coach will tell you that losses, and how you respond to them, define your athletes and teams more than wins do.
   I hope it's not the former, because Rick Thompson deserves a fair shake to be a wrestling coach again.

Statewide Review and Preview - January 7

   There were a few major doings around Pennsylvania this past week in wrestling, and there's plenty to look forward to in the near future. Below is some reviewing and previewing.

Still the One
   In a widely anticipated matchup last Thursday, Westmont Hilltop rallied late to beat Forest Hills, 39-29. The Hilltoppers scored a huge pin in the next-to-last bout to secure the team victory. If you didn't see Eric Knopsnyder's recap with video, you can at this link — Westmont stages dramatic rally: Tribune-Democrat.
   While Westmont may not have the names that jump right off the page, the reigning league and district champions have a solid group up and down the lineup. And barring something really surprising, the win by the Hilltoppers sets up a de-facto Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference title match two weeks from tomorrow (January 22 at WH) between unbeatens Westmont and Chestnut Ridge.

Hurricane Force
   I'm guessing not many people had a better night on Friday than Jody Karam, as his up-and-coming Liberty team scored a dramatic 32-30 win over Bethlehem Catholic. The Hurricanes were down 30-17 but won the final four bouts to celebrate.
   There's been no love lost between the Bethlehem schools on the wrestling mat, and even though Jeff Karam is no longer the head coach at Bethlehem Catholic, Jody coming coming out on top this year against a team he couldn't beat when his brother was there has to be extremely satisfying, especially in the manner in which it happened.
   Not only did Liberty stun Becahi, it's been a great week or so for the Hurricanes as they won the team title at their own Bethlehem Holiday Classic, and then also rallied to beat Northampton 32-28 two nights before the dual with their city rivals.
   Prior to those duals last week, Liberty was ranked 45th in the nation by Intermat. Bethlehem Catholic was ninth, while Northampton was listed 38th.
   This will also make for a very interesting District 11-AAA Duals early next month. Only two teams will make the state duals field the following weekend. With Bethlehem Catholic coming back to the pack a little this season and perhaps not as good of a Nazareth team as we've seen in recent years, the re-emergence of both Liberty and Northampton has created a lot of intrigue in the Lehigh Valley.

Class AA Showdown
   A huge match is on tap for tomorrow night as Southern Columbia hosts Muncy in a battle of top three teams in the state according to PA Power Wrestling. Southern, ranked No. 2, hasn't been tested in a dual and also won the Trojan Wars Tournament over the holidays. But the Tigers have been missing a few top-notch regulars from their lineup so that could make this match more interesting. Muncy is ranked No. 3 and has had a couple of closer matchups against Class AAA competition.
   Both teams were state duals medalists last year and looking for more this time around. Southern Columbia was the state runner-up to Reynolds, while Muncy placed fourth.
 
 
 

Cheap Tilts - Sherlock hitting his stride

   Wrestling is as much mental as it is anything else.
   Ian Sherlock is staying focused on that side of the sport. And his physical aspect of wrestling hasn't been too bad, either, as the Northern Bedford junior is rolling into the new year on a wave of momentum.
   His latest result was last night's 8-6 overtime win at 138 pounds over Tussey Mountain's Brady Villa in the headline bout of the dual between the county rivals.
   Sherlock had lost to Villa twice before in varsity competition, and neither bout was all that close. Two years ago, Villa won by a 9-1 major decision in the third place bout at the District 5 Tournament, which ended Sherlock's season. In last year's dual meet, Villa was victorious by a 9-2 decision. The Tussey Mountain wrestler went on to reach the state tournament, while Sherlock had his season end early due to injury.
   This latest one was hard-fought on both wrestlers' parts. Villa's double leg shot moments into the sudden victory period appeared like it might be the winning move, but Sherlock quickly got into a funk and won the scramble to claim the two points.
   "I just tried to stay calm the whole match, and not lose myself and stay focused," said Sherlock. "I wanted to go out and win the match, and that's what I tried to do."
   That focus has produced 12 wins in his last 13 bouts after an opening night loss. Of those dozen victories, he has 10 pins, which included one over Ellwood City's Donavin Chambers in the semifinals of the Southmoreland Holiday Classic last Friday. Starting the second period in the top position, Sherlock locked up a tight cradle and decked Chambers, who was the Southwest Regional runner-up at 132 last winter.
   "His confidence level is definitely on the way up," Northern Bedford coach Brian Dutchcot said of Sherlock. "He had a huge win against Chambers, and followed that up with a win over Villa. He's getting more confident on his feet — that opening takedown tonight was huge. He battled back to force overtime and won the scramble. That's showing a lot of heart."
   Sherlock is also coming off a strong cross country season in the fall. He was an individual state qualifier and was one of the key runners that led the Black Panthers to an unbeaten record in duals and a district team championship.
   "It helped build up good endurance and mental toughness," he said. "It helps a lot with being on the wrestling mat by yourself, because you're out on the (cross country) course by yourself. It's whether you want it or not — that's what it comes down to."

Lights, Camera, Action
   Last night's match at Northern Bedford provided a fun and exciting atmosphere. Just about any time that these two schools get together in any sport, both fan bases come out in numbers. But the addition of Northern Bedford taking the mat through a smoke machine with the lights out and music blaring ramped the electricity up.
   I knew that Tussey Mountain had the edge on paper given three forfeits, but I also wasn't sure if the pro-Panther additions to the atmosphere might affect the Titans, who start a number of sophomores and freshmen. That wasn't the case for Mason Replogle's team. Replogle should know, as he once competed well in the Northern Bedford colors. He told me afterward, which you can read in today's Bedford Gazette, that he made sure to have his group focused on the wrestling match and not the extra-curricular activities surrounding it. That's surely what occurred in Tussey's 58-18 victory.
 
 

Holiday Wrapup and More

   Happy New Year to all you wrestling fans!
   The 2018 portion of the season ended with strong efforts from a number wrestlers in the holiday tournaments. I have some analysis and recapping below in this week's notebook:

Cassidy in Control
   One of the big local stories from the past week was the performance of Bedford's Kaden Cassidy at the Southmoreland Holiday Classic. The 132-pound junior thoroughly dominated the bracket on his way to the title.
   Cassidy put together four consecutive technical falls, and didn't give up a point in the entire event. He won twice by 15-0 scores, and twice by 16-0 counts.
   Yes, the weight may not have been as strong in terms of highly ranked wrestlers, but you can only do what's put in front of you, and Cassidy was razor sharp in my opinion. He consistently overmatched opponents with his tilt series and threw in a cradle or two as well.
   After the finals, he told me that he put himself at about 75-80 percent in his technique right now, especially from the top position. Considering how he looked at Southmoreland, that's bad news for his upcoming competition.

           Kaden Cassidy gets ready for the 132-pound final at the Southmoreland Holiday Classic.   

                                                                        - Photo by Ryan Spring

   Cassidy, who finished third in the state at 106 pounds two years ago, also told me he isn't worried about the outside distractions that can come with being such a highly-regarded wrestler.
   "I feel no pressure," he said. "I don't even look at rankings anymore. My freshman year, I was all about that stuff. I'm just going to go out there and compete at my best at all times."
   And a tough loss to Everett's Garret Cornell in last month's final at the Panther Holiday Classic is that little extra fuel Cassidy says he can use to get better.
   "It will help me in the long run. That's definitely not the best I can wrestle. No excuses, but I'm ready to get back on the mat against him or any opponent that has beaten me before."

Southmoreland Shuffle
   I've always enjoyed attending the Southmoreland Holiday Classic because it, combined with the upcoming Thomas Tournament, gives a good feel for a bulk of the Class AA Southwest Region. And you can see some Class AAA teams and wrestlers that I don't normally cover that closely.
   Locally, I thought it was a nice performance by all three teams from the county. Tussey Mountain had six placewinners and finished seventh. Bedford, led by Cassidy's title, and Northern Bedford, which featured 138-pound runner-up Ian Sherlock, were ninth and tenth with five medalists each.

McGill checks off another box
   Chestnut Ridge's Jared McGill won his second straight Powerade championship on Saturday night. This one wasn't easy, as he needed an overtime takedown of McGuffey's Christian Clutter for a 4-2 victory between the top two wrestlers in Class AA at 170 pounds.
   Nonetheless, it's another piece of history in McGill's closet as he keeps his eye on a state title that he so desperately wants before he departs the Lions' program.
   McGill's teammate Duane Knisely also had a nice tournament with a fifth-place showing at 220 after coming in as the No. 7 seed.

Living Legends
   The coaching staff at Bedford this season includes some of the most decorated wrestlers in county history. When Joel Easter (a three-time PIAA placer) was hired this spring to take the reigns, two former standouts that came in as assistants were his son Ryan, and Jan Clark.
   Clark and the younger Easter make up two-thirds of the county's four-time state medalists. The other is Justin McCoy, who accomplished the feat last year, while McGill can join that exclusive group in March.

               Ryan Easter and Jan Clark coach Bedford wrestlers at the Southmoreland Holiday Classic. 

                                                                        - Photo by Ryan Spring

   And it's the second consecutive posting that I've been able to give Ryan Easter a shoutout. In my last posting, which you can scroll down to or click the link here - Holiday Odds and Ends - Dec. 21, Easter's name came up when Penn State's Vincenzo Joseph was giving a Q & A piece for Barstool Sports. Joseph said that Easter used a spladle to pin him during a youth tournament in the Pittsburgh area, and he was hoping for a rematch someday.
   On Friday, I jokingly asked Easter if he had the spladle ready and we shared a laugh about it.

New Year, New Gear
   As January comes in, the regular season heats up with key duals and tournaments. And we'll start finding out where everyone will be at as the two-pound growth allowance kicks in.
   On Thursday night, Tussey Mountain visits neighbor Northern Bedford in what could be a key result down the road when it comes to district duals ratings. As I said before, both teams showed solid at Southmoreland, and the Black Panthers hope to have Alex Fouse back in the lineup. Fouse missed the tournament due to sickness.
   Everett hosts its annual dual-meet tournament on Saturday, where Forest Hills appears to be the strong favorite.