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.