Here's a quick recap of how local wrestlers are faring at the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Championships, which are being held this weekend at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.
8-under
55 - Calan Bollman of Chestnut Ridge is 3-0 and in the semifinals
65 - Noah Bunbasi of HOPE for Hyndman is 2-1 and in the 3rd round of consolations
11-12
70 - Garrett Cornell of Everett is 2-1 and in the 3rd round of consolations
85 - Kaden Cassidy of Bedford is 1-1 and in the 3rd round of consolations
90 - Jared McGill of Chestnut Ridge is 2-0 and in the semifinals
95 - Justin McCoy of Chestnut Ridge is 2-0 and in the semifinals
13-14
82 - Zach Clark of Northern Bedford went 2-2
112 - Blake Dunlap of Chestnut Ridge went 1-2
157 - Lucas Kolinchak of Northern Bedford is 1-1 and in the 3rd round of consolations
167 - Mason Guyer of Northern Bedford is 1-1 and in the 3rd round of consolations
187 - Hunter Reyan of Northern Bedford went 1-2
252 - Brandon Greise of HOPE for Hyndman went 0-2
Friday, March 22, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Previewing the NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament
There's no shortage for storylines at this weekend's NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
One of them that's been the talk of the sport all winter long is the probable 165-pound championship bout between Cornell's Kyle Dake and Penn State's David Taylor.
Dake is a three-time champion already and can join former Oklahoma State great Pat Smith, and former Iowa State legend and current Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson as the only four-time winners in the long history of the event.
And, oh by the way, Dake can also become the only one ever to win in four different weight classes, having claimed titles at 141, 149, and 157 in the last three championships. The Cornell senior is 32-0 and the top seed at 165 this year.
That said, Taylor is no slouch. He won at 165 last year as a sophomore and also collected the Hodge Trophy, which is college wrestling's version of the Heisman. Taylor, who refers to himself on Twitter as The Magic Man, comes in as the second seed and is 26-1.
The one loss on Taylor's resume this season was courtesy of Dake at the Southern Scuffle. Dake won that bout thanks to a late reversal, and also beat Taylor in a exhibition bout before the regular season began.
And back to storylines, where the NCAA added one in the last week by announcing that Saturday night's finals will begin at 174 and go from there, ending at 165 as championship broadcaster ESPN is certainly banking on the Dake-Taylor matchup to conclude the event.
That change in format has brought positive reviews, but it isn't phasing the competitors.
"It's just kind of exciting for me, at least," Dake said in a Wednesday press conference. "Being the last match, it's kind of like the main event. It's just something cool thte NCAA is doing. It wouldn't matter if I was the last match or the first match. Honestly, I could care less, I just want to go out and wrestle."
"Being the last one out there, you're the last thing everyone sees, so there's the exciting factor there," adds Iowa's Matt McDonough, the defending 125-pound national champion. "When everyone goes home, you'll be the last thing on their mind if you perform the way you're supposed to."
On the team front, Penn State is the favorite to win a third consecutive team title. The Nittany Lions have all 10 wrestlers at nationals, but others do too. The battle is expected to be between Big 10 foes Penn State, Iowa, and Minnesota. Oklahoma State could be in the mix also.
"It's going to be a great tournament," said Sanderson. "We're grateful for this opportunity. We are excited about our team, and I think that our team has improved throughout the year and we should be able to do well if we choose to. That's the exciting part - we get to sit back and see what our guys do."
Outside of Taylor, Penn State has plenty of firepower, beginning with another defending champion in Ed Ruth, who is 28-0 and the top seed at 184 pounds. Like Taylor, Ruth won last year as a sophomore. He took the title at 174 and has gone up a weight this time around.
Ruth stated he is in for the format change for the finals as well.
"I like it because I'm one of the heavier weights," he said. "It's nice to be first or second (on the mat) at least once."
Other top contenders for the Nittany Lions include Quentin Wright (197) and Nico Megaludis (125). Wright, a former scholastic standout at Bald Eagle Area, won a championship two years ago in Philadelphia before finishing second last March. Megaludis, who was also a PIAA star while at Franklin Regional, finished as the runner-up to McDonough last year. Matt Brown, who has some big wins this year, is the second seed at 174.
Oklahoma State is led into nationals by 149-pound senior Jordan Oliver, who is 33-0. The former three-time Pennsylvania champion from Easton was NCAA champ two years ago. He has moved up to 149 to try and close his career with a second gold.
"I'm just living the good life at 149 and not having to worry about weight so much, and just getting out there and having fun," said Oliver. "It has helped me focus on my wrestling and it is showing. I definitely think I should have bumped up after my freshman year, but the past is the past, and I have the same goal of getting the national title."
Elsewhere among higher-seeded wrestlers from Pennsylvania, Edinboro has a pair of fourth seeds in former Tyrone star A.J. Schopp at 133, and Bellefonte native Mitchell Port at 141. Also at 141 is North Carolina's Evan Henderson, the fifth seed. Henderson previously wrestled in high school at District 6's United.
One of them that's been the talk of the sport all winter long is the probable 165-pound championship bout between Cornell's Kyle Dake and Penn State's David Taylor.
Dake is a three-time champion already and can join former Oklahoma State great Pat Smith, and former Iowa State legend and current Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson as the only four-time winners in the long history of the event.
And, oh by the way, Dake can also become the only one ever to win in four different weight classes, having claimed titles at 141, 149, and 157 in the last three championships. The Cornell senior is 32-0 and the top seed at 165 this year.
That said, Taylor is no slouch. He won at 165 last year as a sophomore and also collected the Hodge Trophy, which is college wrestling's version of the Heisman. Taylor, who refers to himself on Twitter as The Magic Man, comes in as the second seed and is 26-1.
The one loss on Taylor's resume this season was courtesy of Dake at the Southern Scuffle. Dake won that bout thanks to a late reversal, and also beat Taylor in a exhibition bout before the regular season began.
And back to storylines, where the NCAA added one in the last week by announcing that Saturday night's finals will begin at 174 and go from there, ending at 165 as championship broadcaster ESPN is certainly banking on the Dake-Taylor matchup to conclude the event.
That change in format has brought positive reviews, but it isn't phasing the competitors.
"It's just kind of exciting for me, at least," Dake said in a Wednesday press conference. "Being the last match, it's kind of like the main event. It's just something cool thte NCAA is doing. It wouldn't matter if I was the last match or the first match. Honestly, I could care less, I just want to go out and wrestle."
"Being the last one out there, you're the last thing everyone sees, so there's the exciting factor there," adds Iowa's Matt McDonough, the defending 125-pound national champion. "When everyone goes home, you'll be the last thing on their mind if you perform the way you're supposed to."
On the team front, Penn State is the favorite to win a third consecutive team title. The Nittany Lions have all 10 wrestlers at nationals, but others do too. The battle is expected to be between Big 10 foes Penn State, Iowa, and Minnesota. Oklahoma State could be in the mix also.
"It's going to be a great tournament," said Sanderson. "We're grateful for this opportunity. We are excited about our team, and I think that our team has improved throughout the year and we should be able to do well if we choose to. That's the exciting part - we get to sit back and see what our guys do."
Outside of Taylor, Penn State has plenty of firepower, beginning with another defending champion in Ed Ruth, who is 28-0 and the top seed at 184 pounds. Like Taylor, Ruth won last year as a sophomore. He took the title at 174 and has gone up a weight this time around.
Ruth stated he is in for the format change for the finals as well.
"I like it because I'm one of the heavier weights," he said. "It's nice to be first or second (on the mat) at least once."
Other top contenders for the Nittany Lions include Quentin Wright (197) and Nico Megaludis (125). Wright, a former scholastic standout at Bald Eagle Area, won a championship two years ago in Philadelphia before finishing second last March. Megaludis, who was also a PIAA star while at Franklin Regional, finished as the runner-up to McDonough last year. Matt Brown, who has some big wins this year, is the second seed at 174.
Oklahoma State is led into nationals by 149-pound senior Jordan Oliver, who is 33-0. The former three-time Pennsylvania champion from Easton was NCAA champ two years ago. He has moved up to 149 to try and close his career with a second gold.
"I'm just living the good life at 149 and not having to worry about weight so much, and just getting out there and having fun," said Oliver. "It has helped me focus on my wrestling and it is showing. I definitely think I should have bumped up after my freshman year, but the past is the past, and I have the same goal of getting the national title."
Elsewhere among higher-seeded wrestlers from Pennsylvania, Edinboro has a pair of fourth seeds in former Tyrone star A.J. Schopp at 133, and Bellefonte native Mitchell Port at 141. Also at 141 is North Carolina's Evan Henderson, the fifth seed. Henderson previously wrestled in high school at District 6's United.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Chestnut Ridge ups the ante
Didn't get to this before the state tournament, but it has been confirmed that Chestnut Ridge will take part in next year's Ultimate Duals at Brookville. Along with the Lions and tournament host Brookville, the other teams scheduled to compete are Boiling Springs, Burrell, Reynolds, and Saegertown. All four of them plus Ridge were in the state duals last month. The Ultimate Duals are usually held the week before the Thomas Subaru Tournament. To view the webpage for the event, go here.
Chestnut Ridge coach Greg Lazor also told me that the Lions are expected to attend the Powerade Tournament in late December.
Chestnut Ridge coach Greg Lazor also told me that the Lions are expected to attend the Powerade Tournament in late December.
LHAC Tournament - On or Off?
There was plenty of confusion surrounding why the first annual Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference wrestling tournament was cancelled two days prior to it happening back in January.
Last week, the proposal of a tournament was turned down by a 13-2 vote. The reading states that it was denied based on the fact that it's not a true championship and extends the number of events.
You can also find insight on the matter on Eric Knopsnyder's blog here. In it, Eric talked to Penn Cambria coach Todd Niebauer.
On Monday afternoon, I discussed the events with Dave Crumrine, the vice chairman of the District 6 Committee and principal at Martinsburg Central High School. Personally, I'd like to thank Dave for his openness to talk, both in January and this week, about the LHAC Tournament.
As Niebauer told Knopsnyder, the event is not entirely dead. Crumrine confirmed to me that the 13-2 vote was only against waving the competition points for it.
"Speaking for the committee, I can say that we believe the tournament is a great idea," said Crumrine. "We just think it should be run with the points being used. The tournament could very well still happen."
According to Crumrine, one of the main sticking points appears to be where the tournament would fall in the calendar. Per that 13-2 vote, most of the committee members (and maybe some coaches) would prefer that the event be held later in the season as opposed to sometime in early to mid January. The 2012-13 LHAC Tournament was scheduled for January 5.
Should the tournament be reproposed, I would see the most likely dates as around the time of the PIAA Team Tournaments after the district duals. Two seasons ago, the WestPAC held its tournament on that Saturday, but for the record, it was held prior to Christmas this season.
On my calendar, it looks like the state duals should be held from February 6-8 next year. That might allow for most teams if not all to be involved, assuming one or more of the LHAC members do not advance to Hershey.
While it appears that moving the tournament to the end of the team season might be the way to save it, Crumrine is not sure whether an approval of the tournament for that timeframe would receive a majority vote of the committee.
Going back to January's original decision, there seemed to be plenty of confusion about the competition points and whether they were supposed to be used in the LHAC scenario. Questions came about during that week among some of the conference members which forced a late cancellation, rather than have the event go off and realization come later that the tournament counted towards the maximum points allowed. That would have caused more chaos for sure.
In the WestPAC's case, Portage is the only District 6 school involved in that tournament. Crumrine could not confirm whether Portage has used points for that event or not. The Mustangs' schedule this season included 12 dual meets plus dual meet tournaments at Claysburg and Glendale, plus the Sheetz Holiday Classic and the WestPAC Tournament.
I do know in my talks among coaches and administrators over the past few years, sentiment is more towards not crowning team champions at individual tournaments. When asked about it, Crumrine said he didn't believe that point was widely regarded as part of the decision-making in this matter.
Crumrine did say that there has been a lot of communication and ideas spoken about the tournament proposal. For what it's worth, Bedford and Somerset, the two District 5 members of the conference, did have representatives present at the District 6 Athletic Director's meeting on January 17, presumably to present their side of the story involving the original LHAC Tournament and its cancellation.
"We've had various discussions about this and also the differences between wrestling and basketball, and the other sports," said Crumrine. "Both sides of this proposal were well presented. We take the PIAA rules seriously and enforce them to all our members. Again, it's unfortunate that there was miscommunication before. We all feel badly about that and hopefully, the tournament can happen in the future in a way that is fair to all of us."
To go back to my earlier posts on this topic from January, go here, and for a followup, go here.
Last week, the proposal of a tournament was turned down by a 13-2 vote. The reading states that it was denied based on the fact that it's not a true championship and extends the number of events.
You can also find insight on the matter on Eric Knopsnyder's blog here. In it, Eric talked to Penn Cambria coach Todd Niebauer.
On Monday afternoon, I discussed the events with Dave Crumrine, the vice chairman of the District 6 Committee and principal at Martinsburg Central High School. Personally, I'd like to thank Dave for his openness to talk, both in January and this week, about the LHAC Tournament.
As Niebauer told Knopsnyder, the event is not entirely dead. Crumrine confirmed to me that the 13-2 vote was only against waving the competition points for it.
"Speaking for the committee, I can say that we believe the tournament is a great idea," said Crumrine. "We just think it should be run with the points being used. The tournament could very well still happen."
According to Crumrine, one of the main sticking points appears to be where the tournament would fall in the calendar. Per that 13-2 vote, most of the committee members (and maybe some coaches) would prefer that the event be held later in the season as opposed to sometime in early to mid January. The 2012-13 LHAC Tournament was scheduled for January 5.
Should the tournament be reproposed, I would see the most likely dates as around the time of the PIAA Team Tournaments after the district duals. Two seasons ago, the WestPAC held its tournament on that Saturday, but for the record, it was held prior to Christmas this season.
On my calendar, it looks like the state duals should be held from February 6-8 next year. That might allow for most teams if not all to be involved, assuming one or more of the LHAC members do not advance to Hershey.
While it appears that moving the tournament to the end of the team season might be the way to save it, Crumrine is not sure whether an approval of the tournament for that timeframe would receive a majority vote of the committee.
Going back to January's original decision, there seemed to be plenty of confusion about the competition points and whether they were supposed to be used in the LHAC scenario. Questions came about during that week among some of the conference members which forced a late cancellation, rather than have the event go off and realization come later that the tournament counted towards the maximum points allowed. That would have caused more chaos for sure.
In the WestPAC's case, Portage is the only District 6 school involved in that tournament. Crumrine could not confirm whether Portage has used points for that event or not. The Mustangs' schedule this season included 12 dual meets plus dual meet tournaments at Claysburg and Glendale, plus the Sheetz Holiday Classic and the WestPAC Tournament.
I do know in my talks among coaches and administrators over the past few years, sentiment is more towards not crowning team champions at individual tournaments. When asked about it, Crumrine said he didn't believe that point was widely regarded as part of the decision-making in this matter.
Crumrine did say that there has been a lot of communication and ideas spoken about the tournament proposal. For what it's worth, Bedford and Somerset, the two District 5 members of the conference, did have representatives present at the District 6 Athletic Director's meeting on January 17, presumably to present their side of the story involving the original LHAC Tournament and its cancellation.
"We've had various discussions about this and also the differences between wrestling and basketball, and the other sports," said Crumrine. "Both sides of this proposal were well presented. We take the PIAA rules seriously and enforce them to all our members. Again, it's unfortunate that there was miscommunication before. We all feel badly about that and hopefully, the tournament can happen in the future in a way that is fair to all of us."
To go back to my earlier posts on this topic from January, go here, and for a followup, go here.
Monday, March 11, 2013
2013 Dapper Dan Lineups
Here are the expected lineups for Sunday's main event, Pennsylvania vs United States, at the Dapper Dan Classic at the University of Pittsburgh. At 4 p.m., the WPIAL All-Stars will take on a Virginia All-Stars team. Following that is the Pennsylvania All-Stars against the U.S. All-Stars.
Pennsylvania All-Stars vs United States All-Stars
113 - Zach Fuentes, Norristown vs. Paul Mascarenas, New Mexico
120 - Darian Cruz, Bethlehem Catholic vs. Nathan Tomasello, Ohio
126 - Connor Schram, Canon-McMillan vs. Joey Dance, Virginia
132 - Ryan Diehl, Trinity vs. Dean Heil, Ohio
138 - Zain Retherford, Benton vs. Anthony Ashnault, New Jersey
145 - Michael Racciato, Pen Argyl vs. Ben Whitford, Michigan
152 - Austin Matthews, Reynolds vs. Jake Short, Minnesota
160 - Cody Law, Forest Hills vs. Isaiah Martinez, California
170 - Cody Wiercioch, Canon-McMillan vs. Zach Beard, Oklahoma
182 - Eric Morris, Wyoming Seminary vs. Domenic Abounader, Ohio
195 - Jake Hart, Hampton vs. Broc Berge, Minnesota
220 - Ryan Solomon, Milton vs. Frank Mattiace, New Jersey
285 - Aaron Bradley, Nazareth vs. Brooks Black, New Jersey
Notes: Highlighted wrestlers for the USA team include Tomasello, Dance, Heil, Ashnault, and Black. Tomasello and Cruz were likely to meet in King of the Mountain Tournament in December, but that never materialized as Tomasello missed the event due to illness. Heil beat Derry product and Penn State wrestler Jimmy Gulibon a couple of seasons ago in the Ironman Tournament in Ohio. On Sunday, Ashnault became the third four-time state champion in New Jersey history, and the first one to do it undefeated as the South Plainfield product went 170-0 in his high school career. Black is a native of Dover, PA who wrestled at Blair Academy.
Pennsylvania All-Stars vs United States All-Stars
113 - Zach Fuentes, Norristown vs. Paul Mascarenas, New Mexico
120 - Darian Cruz, Bethlehem Catholic vs. Nathan Tomasello, Ohio
126 - Connor Schram, Canon-McMillan vs. Joey Dance, Virginia
132 - Ryan Diehl, Trinity vs. Dean Heil, Ohio
138 - Zain Retherford, Benton vs. Anthony Ashnault, New Jersey
145 - Michael Racciato, Pen Argyl vs. Ben Whitford, Michigan
152 - Austin Matthews, Reynolds vs. Jake Short, Minnesota
160 - Cody Law, Forest Hills vs. Isaiah Martinez, California
170 - Cody Wiercioch, Canon-McMillan vs. Zach Beard, Oklahoma
182 - Eric Morris, Wyoming Seminary vs. Domenic Abounader, Ohio
195 - Jake Hart, Hampton vs. Broc Berge, Minnesota
220 - Ryan Solomon, Milton vs. Frank Mattiace, New Jersey
285 - Aaron Bradley, Nazareth vs. Brooks Black, New Jersey
Notes: Highlighted wrestlers for the USA team include Tomasello, Dance, Heil, Ashnault, and Black. Tomasello and Cruz were likely to meet in King of the Mountain Tournament in December, but that never materialized as Tomasello missed the event due to illness. Heil beat Derry product and Penn State wrestler Jimmy Gulibon a couple of seasons ago in the Ironman Tournament in Ohio. On Sunday, Ashnault became the third four-time state champion in New Jersey history, and the first one to do it undefeated as the South Plainfield product went 170-0 in his high school career. Black is a native of Dover, PA who wrestled at Blair Academy.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Friday quotes
Here's some leftovers from happenings for the local wrestlers on Friday. Bedford's Ryan Easter advanced to the 120-pound championship bout and I chronicalled his magical day for Saturday's edition of the Gazette. I have some quotes below.
Easter, after his quarterfinal win over Saegertown's Tyler Vath in which a first period takedown off a scramble was the key points in the victory: "That was big," he said of the takedown. "Then I knew I could decide what I wanted to do. I was feeling pretty confident after getting that and riding him out for the rest of the period. I just went out and wrestled my match."
Chestnut Ridge's Austin Buttry after beating Tussey Mountain's Mitchell Hall for the first time in four attempts this season. Hall reversed Buttry for a late lead, but the Lions' heavyweight responded with an escape, takedown, and back points for the win: "I wanted this one more. I wasn't going to let him take it from me. When he reversed me, I thought 'Oh, it's done.' I got out and I told myself I may as well try something. I was so happy to win."
Bedford coach Brian Creps on Easter becoming the Bisons' first state finalist in a dozen years: "As the years passed through, we've had some really good kids. But nobody was quite able to withstand the pressure enough to get this far. This year, Ryan has been smiling ever since we got here. He understands the pressure and what it takes to get to the finals. You have to score your own points in this tournament - nobody's going to give you anything. He's done that so far. Now he's got one more match to try and win it all."
Easter, after his quarterfinal win over Saegertown's Tyler Vath in which a first period takedown off a scramble was the key points in the victory: "That was big," he said of the takedown. "Then I knew I could decide what I wanted to do. I was feeling pretty confident after getting that and riding him out for the rest of the period. I just went out and wrestled my match."
Chestnut Ridge's Austin Buttry after beating Tussey Mountain's Mitchell Hall for the first time in four attempts this season. Hall reversed Buttry for a late lead, but the Lions' heavyweight responded with an escape, takedown, and back points for the win: "I wanted this one more. I wasn't going to let him take it from me. When he reversed me, I thought 'Oh, it's done.' I got out and I told myself I may as well try something. I was so happy to win."
Bedford coach Brian Creps on Easter becoming the Bisons' first state finalist in a dozen years: "As the years passed through, we've had some really good kids. But nobody was quite able to withstand the pressure enough to get this far. This year, Ryan has been smiling ever since we got here. He understands the pressure and what it takes to get to the finals. You have to score your own points in this tournament - nobody's going to give you anything. He's done that so far. Now he's got one more match to try and win it all."
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Two of PA's best in action
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| Kittanning's Jason Nolf, with one career loss, controls Bethlehem Catholic's Lee Todora during 132-pound opening round action on Thursday at the Class AA State Tournament. |
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| Pen Argyl's Michael Racciato tries to set up a spladle during his win over Burrell's Phil Marra in the 145-pound bracket on Thursday. Racciato is a two-time defending state champion. |
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