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.

Holiday Odds and Ends

   There were plenty of wrestling goings on this week as we get closer to the new year. Here's what I'm looking at:

Cornell's Excellence
  It was a mere formality going into the season that Everett's Garret Cornell would become his school's all-time wins leader, as he only needed 10 more to do so. But the way he accomplished the feat was impressive to say the least.
  On Saturday at the Panther Holiday Classic, Cornell used a strong first period to beat Bedford's Kaden Cassidy, 4-2, for the 132-pound title in a battle of high state placewinners (Cornell - 3rd at 126 last season; Cassidy - 3rd at 106 in 2017).
  Then on Tuesday night, Cornell handed Glendale's Brock McMillen a 13-0 defeat. McMillen was the 113-pound state runner-up in March. The loss was by far the most lopsided in McMillen's short varsity career to date. And it gave Cornell the school record, eclipsing Tom Brambley's mark of 112 victories set in the early years of this century.
  I wasn't at Mount Aloysius on the weekend or at Glendale on Tuesday, but I caught up with Cornell last night as the Warriors routed Claysburg-Kimmel. My feature on Cornell's achievement is in today's edition of the Bedford Gazette. And until the end of February, the website is completely free access to anyone, as we have undergone updates to our writing and page design systems.

Lions pass test from Rangers
  I also wasn't able to attend Tuesday's Forest Hills at Chestnut Ridge dual meet due to my son's Christmas concert at his school, so I'll leave my thoughts brief as I didn't cover it. The Lions used their heavy advantage on paper in the upperweights to build a lead, then got enough points down low to secure a victory before the Ranger middleweights could have a chance at the upset. I say upset just because of Chestnut Ridge's recent history, but surely the tide in the area could certainly shift to Forest Hills in the near future.

Dropping names
   During his heralded youth and scholastic wrestling career, former Bedford standout Ryan Easter had the chance to compete against wrestlers such as Jason Nolf, Darian Cruz, Vincenzo Joseph and many other high-profile names.
   In a Q & A piece with Barstool Sports that was published on Thursday afternoon, two-time NCAA champion Joseph was asked a series of 21 questions, ranging from his plans after college to more lighter topics like thoughts about his current Penn State teammates and if he has any superstitions.
   Back to Easter, who was brought up in Joseph's answer to the final question. Joseph mentions that Easter pinned him with a spladle in the North Hills Open 12 and under event back in their days as youth wrestlers. He jokes that Easter had an unfair advantage because he was a year older. I took a photo of the question and the answer in its entirety, which you can view below.

Q&A with Vincenzo Joseph on barstoolsports.com

Holiday Tournament Time
   Two big events at the end of next week will close out the 2018 portion of the wrestling schedule. Three county teams — Bedford, Northern Bedford, and Tussey Mountain — are entered in the Southmoreland Holiday Classic. And Chestnut Ridge will again be competing at the Powerade Tournament.
   Below are tournament fields for each event:
Southmoreland Holiday Classic - Bedford, Bethel Park, Burgettstown, Butler, Beth-Center, Chartiers Houston, Ellwood City, Frazier, Fort Cherry, Greensburg Salem, Hermitage, Indian Land (SC), Jefferson-Morgan, Lee Davis (VA), Ligonier Valley, Marion Center, Mount Pleasant, Meyersdale, Northern Bedford, North Star, Somerset, Southmoreland, South Park, South Side, Tussey Mountain, United, Union City, Upper St. Clair, Valley

Powerade Tournament - Belle Vernon, Benton, Burrell, Camden Catholic (NJ), Canon-McMillan, Cedar Cliff, Chestnut Ridge, Connellsville, Council Rock North, DePaul Catholic (NJ), Derry, DuBois, Erie Prep, Franklin Regional, Freedom, Hampton, Hempfield, Howell (NJ), Kiski Area, Latrobe, Malvern Prep, Mason (OH), McGuffey, Mifflin County, Moeller (OH), Montoursville, Mount Lebanon, North Hills, Norwin, Oak Park-River Forest (IL), Palisades, Parkersburg (WV), Parkersburg South (WV), Penfield (NY), Penn Trafford, Pine Richland, Pottsville, Quaker Valley, Trinity, Pope John Paul II, Reynolds, Saegertown, Seneca Valley, Shaler, St. Albans (WV), St. Joseph's Academy, St. Pauls Prep (MD), Stroudsburg, Thomas Jefferson, Waynesburg, West Allegheny

Midweek Thoughts

   The wrestling season is off and running, as some key early duals have taken place and the first big weekend of tournament action is coming up.
   With that in mind, here's some reviewing and previewing:

From My Eyes
   I've covered two duals so far for the Bedford Gazette, North Star's win at Everett on Friday and Northern Bedford's triumph over Everett last night. Both were tight matches each decided by five points.
   I mentioned in my "Preseason Storylines" last week that while Northern Bedford may not have the superstar name(s) yet on its roster, a lot of experience was returning to the Black Panther room. Two of the lesser knowns may be Colby Imler and Austin Mowry, but the pair came up with back-to-back pins at 160 and 170 pounds to push the Panthers to victory, 34-29. Mowry is a returning regional qualifier, but still seems to be flying under the radar. A clincher like he pulled out last night could certainly build into bigger things for the senior.
   On Friday, North Star's Colby Vinisky earned a key win, a pin, in what was regarded as a toss-up bout at 170 with Everett's Quinton Spade. The other highlight for the Cougars was Hunter Tremain recording his 100th career victory. In my opinion, Tremain would have climbed the podium in Hershey last March had he not been injured. Instead, he had to sit on 99 wins and wait until the opening match of his senior year.

North Star fans react to Hunter Tremain's 100th win on Friday night.

Photo by Ryan Spring

   North Star coach Tim Rosa told me after the match that his squad was still battling some minor injury issues and had a couple of potential starters out of the lineup. All three of these teams, along with others like Berlin and Tussey Mountain, should be in the upper echelon of District 5.
   And while Everett is 0-2, it doesn't mean the Warriors have looked bad at all. If they would have swung one bout in either match their way, they win, so that's how close the margin has been between 2-0 and where they are.
   Continuing with the Warriors, one wrestler I've come away impressed so far is Cody Rock. The junior was at heavyweight on Friday and pinned North Star's Noah Livingston, then wrestled 220 and beat NBC's Jay Ebersole, 4-3. In each bout, Rock has looked aggressive and energetic. Down the road, the upperweights (220 and 285) could be a logjam among many talented D5 wrestlers, and Rock will be a name worth watching.

Looking Forward
   A full slate of dual meet action around Bedford County takes place again tomorrow night. Bedford visits Chestnut Ridge in what is usually an entertaining affair no matter the outcome, and brings a lot of passionate fans from both sides to the gym.
   The Glendale at Tussey Mountain match also bears watching. Glendale is perhaps one of the favorites in the District 6-AA team race, and I've said that I think Tussey could have one of its better years in recent history.
   Then on Friday and Saturday, tournament action takes center stage. Locally, Bedford and Everett are at the Panther Holiday Classic at Mount Aloysius, with a number of top wrestlers and teams from the region and a few from outside the region expected to be on hand.
   Chestnut Ridge is again at the King of the Mountain Tournament at Central Mountain, where the Lions won the team title last year with three individual champions, including returnee Jared McGill. While it is a tournament setting, the 33-team field features three of the top five in Pa. Power Wrestling's top five Class AA dual meet rankings (No. 3 Muncy, No. 4 Burrell, and No. 5 Chestnut Ridge) among many other bigtime wrestling schools.
 

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.

Schedule Highlights for 2018-19

   Below are some of the important and intriguing matches and tournaments for the upcoming high school wrestling season around the local area:

December 7
   North Star at Everett - Opening Night for Winter Sports, and this could be a good match to kick off the new season between two of the upper echelon teams in District 5.

December 11
   Forest Hills at Bedford - A bunch of new faces, and familiar ones in new spots. Joel Easter makes his head coaching debut at Bedford, who will also have Kaden Cassidy in its lineup as the former junior high standout in Bison colors returns home. Meanwhile, it will be an early chance to see a few of the highly anticipated freshmen expected to be in the lineup for the Rangers.

December 14-15
   Panther Holiday Classic, King of the Mountain Tournament - The first big tournament weekend hits with events at Mount Aloysius and Central Mountain. Chestnut Ridge will attempt to win a second straight KOM team title.

December 18
   Forest Hills at Chestnut Ridge - Expect a full house in Fishertown on this night, which could ultimately determine the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship. While Chestnut Ridge does have to replace most of its middleweight portion of its lineup, it's a chance to see how good Forest Hills is against one of the top programs in the state over the last half-dozen years.

Holiday Week Tournaments
   Southmoreland Classic, Powerade Tournament - In the past, Northern Bedford was the only team from the county to go to Southmoreland, which is not Powerade level but still a solid event between a lot of Class AA and AAA schools from the Southwest Regionals. Bedford and Tussey Mountain join the fold this year. Meanwhile at Canon-Mac, Chestnut Ridge's Jared McGill will be the local highlight as he goes for two straight Powerade titles against a top-notch field.

January 5
   Everett Duals - Everett hosts its dual-meet event again, with other teams including Cambria Heights, Central, and Forest Hills among others on hand.

January 19
   Ultimate Duals - Chestnut Ridge returns again to Brookville's Ultimate Duals, where the Lions have fared rather well over the years against a field that includes defending state duals champion Reynolds, host Brookville, Burrell, and others. This year, Conneaut Area and Freedom are also slated to be there.
 
January 25-26
   Thomas Tournament - It wouldn't be a wrestling season around here without the annual Thomas Tournament, which features a number of programs from Districts 5 and 6 along with some from Districts 3, 7, 10, 11 and Maryland.

February 2
   District 5 Duals - Chestnut Ridge has owned the district team duals title for six straight years - can anyone knock the Lions off? This is the day for that to be determined.

February 7-9
   Class AA, Class AAA state duals - Hershey's Giant Center plays host to its first of two annual wrestling championships as the team duals take center stage first. Reynolds (Class AA) and Bethlehem Catholic (Class AAA) are defending champs.

February 15-16
   District 5, District 6-AA Tournaments - Regional qualifiers in Class AA from District 5 and District 6 will be determined in separate events at UPJ's Sports Center and the Altoona Fieldhouse.

February 22-23
   Class AA Southwest Regional - IUP will be the place to be to see how many locals earn their place in the state tournament for the season.

March 7-9
   Class AA, Class AAA State Tournament - After a week off for area AA wrestlers, the state tournament in Hershey closes out what should be another strong season of local competition.

State Champs!

   A golden goal.
   For one unforgettable golden moment.
   What a season this Bedford girls soccer team put together.
   An undefeated record. So many goals. So few goals given up. And in the end early this afternoon, the biggest thing these Lady Bisons will cherish forever - a state championship.
   Through 80 minutes of regulation in the Class AA final against Lewisburg, nobody could break through as the title would be settled in overtime or a penalty kick shootout.
   But less than a minute of game time later, it was over with Amber Thomas connecting on a PK after teammate Abby Donaldson was fouled in the box.
   Thomas tallied her 58th goal of the year on a low shot to the left side of the net, and the celebration was on for Bedford, who finishes 22-0 this fall.
   The Lady Bisons had everything this year, from scoring to defense to the little things that can’t be taught or coached. That’s what it takes to win state titles.
   Bedford coach Jeff Thomas is an outstanding 81-6 in four years coaching the girls team. He deserves a lot of credit, though I know he doesn’t care about that. Each time I covered Bedford this season, he would always discuss how hard the team has worked since losing in the state semifinals a year ago.
   Jeff’s not a rah-rah type of coach on the sideline, but he obviously gets the job done. And he’s got good assistants, and first and foremost a very talented group of players. Watching the video of today’s winning goal, I got a little chuckle out of seeing Jeff’s reaction, the usual unassuming handshake from other coaches like it was any other win.
   Of course, it was not any other win, or any other day.
   Congratulations to the entire Bedford girls program for producing this moment in history.
———
   Bedford Gazette Sports Editor Codi Weyant was on scene today and will have a story and plenty of photos in Monday’s edition. Be sure to grab a print copy or visit www.bedfordgazette.com.
 

Wrestling Notes - Early November

   Wrestling is here for the 2018-19 season.
   Official high school practices begin in less than two weeks, while the college season began for many teams in the past few days. And many high schoolers from the region, state, and beyond took part in the first-annual The Surge yesterday at UPJ's Sports Center. I wasn't there, but it appeared to be a wide-ranging success, so a hat tip to my friends at PA Power Wrestling.
   Here's some short tidbits from my files as we get closer to the season around here:

Cassidy makes commitment
   Bedford junior Kaden Cassidy announced on Sunday night (he broke the news to me first) that he had made a verbal commitment to George Mason University. I have a story on this for tomorrow's Bedford Gazette. While I won't give away everything in my story, getting Cassidy is another piece of George Mason's strong recruiting push into Pennsylvania. Make sure you get a copy of the paper on Tuesday.

McCoy wins Hokie Open
   The winningest wrestler in Bedford County history began his collegiate career over the weekend with a title in the Freshman/Sophomore Division at the Hokie Open. Competing at 157 pounds, University of Virginia true freshman Justin McCoy went 5-0 in the event, which included a pair of technical falls. In the finals, the former state champ defeated George Mason freshman Kolby Ho by a 9-7 decision. Ho was a Class AAA state finalist for DuBois last March, while McCoy won a Class AA title in 2017 and was a finalist last year at Chestnut Ridge.
   McCoy told me last week that he is likely to redshirt this season. In a dual on Saturday, Virginia beat Indiana, which included a technical fall by former Ligonier Valley standout Robby Patrick (174).

Gabriel up to 141 for Navy
   Former Bedford state champion Jonathan Gabriel will likely be at 141 pounds at the Naval Academy this year. He told me about a month ago that he would be there and would have to beat two-time NCAA qualifier Nick Gil for the starting spot. The Midshipmen wrestled Ohio State in their opener on Saturday night. Gil lost, 3-2, to second-ranked and NCAA All-American Joey McKenna.

Harbaugh in at Millersville
   Millersville defeated Delaware Valley, 21-14, in its season opener on Saturday. At 141 pounds, we saw the debut of Chestnut Ridge grad Seth Harbaugh. Harbaugh, who won 86 bouts in high school, lost to Del Val's Kordell Rush by technical fall.