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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.