Wrestlers to watch at the PIAA championships this week

By: Paul Schofield
Thursday, March 7, 2019 | 1:59 PM

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HERSHEY — The PIAA wrestling championships begin at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Giant Center.

Here’s a look at who WPIAL and City League wrestlers could face from around the state.

The PIAA only seeds regional champions and uses a power rating. PaPowerWrestling.com state rankings will differ in some weights.

Class AAA

106: Seneca Valley sophomore Dylan Chappell (39-4) is seeded third in the tournament, but PaPowerWrestling.com has him ranked No. 1 and Franklin Regional sophomore Carter Dibert (37-2) second. Dibert isn’t ranked by the PIAA. The seeds are: No. 1 Cedar Cliff sophomore Aiden Lewis (35-4), No. 2 Mifflin County freshman Nic Allison (34-3) and No. 4 Council Rock North sophomore Kyle Hauserman (37-5). Another to watch is Council Rock South junior Kyle Waterman (37-8). The other WPIAL wrestlers are Connellsville sophomore Mason Prinkey (32-6) and Canon-McMillan sophomore Costa Moore (26-8).

113: Seneca Valley sophomore Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (44-1) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Hempfield senior Kyle Burkholder (30-7) is ranked No. 2, but not seeded. Here are the seeds: No. 2 Liberty senior Tai-Reese Flemming (33-1) and is ranked third, No. 3 Cumberland Valley junior Ben Monn (35-7) and is ranked seventh and No. 4 Council Rock South senior Maximino Mendez (37-6) and ranked fifth. Keep an eye on No. 4 ranked Nazareth junior Andrew Smith (32-8). The other WPIAL wrestlers are Latrobe senior Marino Angelicchio (33-9) and Franklin Regional freshman Finn Solomon (36-7).

120: Norwin junior Kurtis Phipps (34-2) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Nazareth senior Sean Pierson (36-3) is seeded and ranked No. 2. The other seeds are: No. 3 Manheim Central junior Will Betancourt (36-3) and No. 4 Council Rock South senior Matt Maloney (36-4), who is also ranked fourth. Betancourt is ranked fifth. Another to watch is Stroudsburg senior Cameron Enriquez (34-6), ranked third. Other WPIAL wrestlers are Belle Vernon senior Logan Seliga (30-7), Waynesburg freshman Cole Homet (41-7) and Hempfield sophomore Ethan Berginc (27-14).

126: Franklin Regional senior Colton Camacho (37-3) is seeded No. 1 and ranked second. Cedar Cliff senior J.J. Wilson (37-2) is seeded No. 2 and ranked first. The other seeds are: No. 3 Altoona sophomore Matt Sarbo (35-3), unranked, and No. 4 Stroudsburg junior Patrick Noonan (36-7), who is ranked fourth. Others ranked are: No. 3 Kiski Area senior Darren Miller (41-2) and No. 5 East Stroudsburg senior Patrick Gould (27-2). Other WPIAL wrestlers: Connellsville freshman Jared Keslar (34-6) and Canon-McMillan senior Kenny Hayman (38-11).

132: North Hills junior Sam Hillegas (38-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1. The No. 2 ranked wrestler is Northampton senior Julian Chlebove (40-3). The seeds are: No. 2 Shikellamy junior Cade Balestrini (32-2), ranked fifth, No. 3 Downingtown East senior Lukas Richie (33-3) and No. 4 Cedar Cliff senior Michael Cassidy (35-4). Other ranked wrestlers: No. 3 Bethlehem Catholic junior Kenny Herrmann (27-8) and No. 4 Latrobe junior Gabe Willochell (33-4). Other WPIAL wrestlers: Seneca Valley senior Jason Geyer (36-10) and Franklin Regional senior Zach McCann (22-5).

138: Souderton senior Tyler Williams (36-2) is seeded No. 1 and is ranked fourth. Penn-Trafford senior Nick Coy (34-3) is seeded No. 2 and ranked third. DuBois junior Ed Scott (35-0) is seeded No. 1 and ranked first. No. 4 seed is Lower Dauphin junior Troy-Thomas Elhajj (30-4). Others ranked are: No. 2 McDowell senior Jeffrey Boyd (26-1), No. 5 Nazareth junior Dashawn Fisher (35-7), No. 6 Northampton senior Devin Britton (22-5) and No. 7 Hempfield sophomore Ty Linsenbigler (35-5). Other WPIAL wrestlers: Pine-Richland junior Nathan Lukez (36-5) and Ambridge junior Daniel Yetsick (33-5).

145: Bethlehem Catholic senior Ryan Anderson (35-1) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Council Rock North junior Cameron Robinson (33-4) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Other seeds: No. 3 Cathedral Prep sophomore Paniro Johnson (35-5) and No. 4 Chambersburg sophomore Tate Nichter (31-4). Ranked wrestlers are: No. 3 William Tennent junior A.J. Tamburrino (33-4), No. 4 Northampton sophomore Jagger Condomitti (41-7) and No. 5 Nazareth junior Nathan Stefanik (18-4). WPIAL wrestlers: Seneca Valley sophomore Antonio Amelio (30-13), Waynesburg senior Trey Howard (35-6), Canon-McMillan Tanner Rohaley (21-13) and Connellsville senior Colin Franks (8-3). Brashear senior Joe Mwete (30-3) is the only City League wrestler in the tournament.

152: Kiski Area senior Cam Connor (46-2) is seeded No. 1 and is ranked second. Bethlehem Catholic junior Cole Handlovic (40-5) is seeded No. 2 and ranked first. Other seeds: No. 3 Hershey junior Tanner Updegraff (28-2) and No. 4 Council Rock North junior Dillon Sheehy (34-9) and is ranked third. Owen J. Roberts senior Dan Mancini (33-3) is ranked No. 4 and Scranton senior Jeremiah Oakes (36-3) is ranked No. 5. WPIAL wrestlers are: Thomas Jefferson senior Alex Weber (38-3), Peters Township senior Coltin Jezioro (33-5) and Waynesburg sophomore Luca Augustine (40-7).

160: Lower Dauphin junior Clayton Ulrey (37-1) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Kiski Area junior Jack Blumer (41-3) is seeded No. 2 and ranked third. Mifflin County sophomore Trey Kibe (37-1) is seeded No. 3 and ranked second. No. 4 seed is Strath Haven senior John Crawford (35-2). Nazareth junior Connor Herceg (37-4) is ranked fourth. WPIAL wrestlers are: Mars junior Jake Richardson (27-3), Waynesburg senior Colby Morris (39-6) and West Allegheny senior Ty McGeary (35-6).

170: Susquehanna Township senior Edmond Ruth (30-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Canon-McMillan junior Gerrit Nijenhuis (40-3) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Downingtown West junior Maximus Hale (39-2) is seeded No. 3 and ranked fourth. Ranked third is Chambersburg junior Luke Nichter (36-3). WPIAL wrestlers are: North Allegheny senior Jon Hoover (39-2), Kiski Area junior Nick Delp (42-5) and Peters Township senior Jeff Markert (34-4).

182: Cathedral Prep senior Carter Starocci (39-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Mt. Lebanon junior Luke Stout (39-1) is seeded and ranked No. 2. The other seeds are: No. 3 Harrisburg senior Neamiah Diggs (26-4) and No. 4 Easton sophomore Dom Falcone (27-7). Ranked third is Belle Vernon senior Scott Joll (32-7) and ranked fourth is Spring Ford sophomore Joey Milano (42-2). Other WPIAL wrestlers are: Trinity junior Cole Whitmer (35-3) and Peters Township senior Brandon Matthews (34-4).

195: State College senior Cole Urbas (33-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1, and Thomas Jefferson senior Max Shaw (33-0) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Seed No. 3 is Liberty senior Damen Moyer (36-3) and the No. 4 seed is Boyertown senior Jacob Miller (36-6), who is ranked third. The fourth seed is Great Valley senior Ethan Seeley (35-1). WPIAL wrestlers are: Greensburg Salem junior John Meyers (29-8) and Hampton sophomore Justin Hart (29-5).

220: Sun Valley junior Hunter Catka (12-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Selinsgrove sophomore Nate Schon (36-1) is seeded No. 2 and ranked third. Hazleton senior Shane Noonan (41-0) is seeded No. 3 and ranked second while Dallastown senior Jamal Brandon (41-3) is No. 4. The fourth seed is Cathedral Prep sophomore Dorian Crosby (43-5). WPIAL wrestlers are: Armstrong senior Ogden Atwood (25-1), Hempfield junior Dillon Ferretti (32-9) and Greensburg Salem junior Trent Patrick (24-6).

285: Cathedral Prep senior Kawaun DeBoe is seeded and ranked No. 1. Central York senior Michael Wolfgram (32-0) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Upper St. Clair senior Jake Slinger (36-0) is seeded and ranked No. 3, while Garnett Valley’s Colton Deery (39-5) is seeded fourth. Dallastown senior Raymond Christas (38-2) is ranked fourth. Other WPIAL wrestlers are: Mt. Lebanon senior Nathan Hoaglund (31-8), Hempfield sophomore Isaiah Vance (31-4) and South Fayette junior Quentin Franklin (35-9).

Class AA

106: Reynolds sophomore Gary Steen (37-1) is seeded and ranked No. 1 and Troy junior Sheldon Seymour (32-0) is seeded and ranked No. 2. South Park sophomore Joey Fischer (35-0) is seeded No. 3, but is ranked fourth, while Biglerville freshman (37-0) is seeded No. 4 and is ranked third. The other WPIAL wrestler is Mt. Pleasant freshman Luke Geibig (32-12).

113: Benton sophomore Gable Strickland (28-3) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Eisenhower junior Logan Jaquay (34-3) is seeded No. 2, but is ranked fourth. Elizabeth Forward junior Ryan Michaels (39-1) is seeded No. 3 and is ranked second. East Pennsboro junior Adam Jacob (36-3) is seeded No. 4. Forest Hills freshman Jackson Arrington is ranked third. McGuffey sophomore Nate Yagla (27-8) is the other WPIAL wrestler.

120: Burrell sophomore Ian Oswalt (45-2) is seeded No. 1 and is ranked third. Reynolds senior Beau Bayless (36-7) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Tunkhannock junior David Evans (21-1) is seeded No. 3, and Notre Dame-Green Pond freshman Ryan Crookham (45-2) is seeded No. 4, but is ranked first. Other WPIAL wrestlers are: Mt. Pleasant freshman Noah Teeter (35-11) and Beth-Center senior Jimmy Geyer (39-8).

126: Glendale sophomore Brock McMillen (39-1) is seeded and ranked No. 1, and Bishop McDevitt senior Chase Shields (26-3) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Greenville senior Bryce Knauf (41-3) is seeded No. 3, and Muncy sophomore Bryce Vollman (29-5) is seeded No. 4. Upper Dauphin senior Bronson Garber (38-4) is ranked third, and Notre Dame-Green Pond freshman Branden Chletsos (40-10) is ranked fourth. Derry junior Ty Cymmerman (37-5) is ranked fifth. The other WPIAL wrestler is Freedom senior Z.J. Ward (19-6).

132: Saucon Valley senior Joshua Jones (42-4) is seeded and ranked No. 1, and Cambridge Springs senior Tye Varndell (39-0) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Sullivan County sophomore Nathan Higley (34-3) is seeded No. 3 and ranked fourth. Bedford junior Kaden Cassidy (34-1) is seeded No. 4 and ranked third. Other WPIAL wrestlers are: Ellwood City senior Donavin Chambers (34-10) and Quaker Valley sophomore Connor Redinger (33-8).

138: Hopewell senior Jacob Ealy (38-2) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Saegertown sophomore Kenny Kiser (37-4) is seeded No. 2 and ranked fifth. Wilson senior Marckis Banford (32-3) is seeded No. 3 and is ranked second. Midd-West sophomore Avery Bassett (34-2) is seeded No. 4, while Bishop McDevitt of Harrisburg junior Tyler Martin (41-5) is ranked third, and Forest Hills freshman Erik Gibson (40-4) is ranked fourth. Other WPIAL wrestlers are: Freedom sophomore Kenny Dushek (34-12) and Burrell sophomore A.J. Corrado (34-10).

145: St. Joseph’s junior Caleb Downing (39-5) is seeded and ranked No. 1, and Pequea Valley senior Gabe Miller (40-0) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Northwestern senior Caiden Mooney (30-7) is seeded No. 3, and Southern Columbia freshman Gavin Garcia (23-1) is seeded No. 4 and ranked fifth. Notre Dame-Green Pond senior Andrew Cerniglia (41-6) is ranked third, and Palisades senior Nathan Haubert (14-2) is ranked fourth. WPIAL wrestlers are: Quaker Valley senior John Rocco Kazalas (37-3), Burgettstown sophomore Shane Kemper (34-7) and Freedom senior Jake Pail (35-12).

152: Pope John Paul II senior Ryan Vulakh (31-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1, and Freedom sophomore Trent Schultheis (33-4) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Hanover’s D.J. Erickson (38-4) is seeded and ranked No. 3, and Sharon junior Sully Allen (35-3) is seeded and ranked No. 4.

160: Frazier junior Thayne Lawrence (25-3) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Kane senior Alec English (32-1) is seeded No. 2 and ranked fourth. Saucon Valley junior Matthew Arciuolo (37-4) is seeded and ranked No. 3, and Towanda senior Cooper Moisey (35-4) is seeded No. 4. St. Joseph junior Tyler Stoltzfus (38-6) is ranked second. Burrell senior Austin Mele (37-12) is the other WPIAL wrestler in the weight.

170: Chestnut Ridge senior Jared McGill (36-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Littlestown senior Carl Harris (23-2) is seeded No. 2 and ranked fourth. Athens senior David Galasso (34-5) is seeded No. 3 and ranked fifth. Greenville senior Brady Gentile (41-3) is seeded No. 4. McGuffey senior Christian Clutter (40-3) is ranked second, and Penn Cambria senior Derek Brown (34-4) is ranked third. The other WPIAL wrestler in the weight is Valley senior Noah Hutcherson (19-7).

182: Jersey Shore senior Hunter O’Connor (32-4) is seeded No. 1 and ranked fourth. Union City senior Gavin Henry (38-3) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Mt. Pleasant freshman Dayton Pitzer (39-1) is seeded No. 3 and ranked first. Muncy senior Michael Kustanbauter (38-8) is seeded No. 4. Brockway senior Garrett McClintick (33-3) is ranked third, Ellwood City junior Austin Walley (33-3) is ranked fifth, Freedom senior Bryson Miller (27-9) is ranked sixth and Blairsville junior Garrett Henigin (28-7) is ranked seventh.

195: Southern Columbia junior Gaige Garcia (43-0) is seeded and ranked No. 1. Mahanoy senior Colin Fegley (33-1) is seeded No. 2 and ranked third, St. Joseph’s freshman Kolby Franklin (41-5) is seeded No. 3 and ranked second. Saucon Valley junior Hunter Tremain (38-4) is seeded and ranked No. 4. Other WPIAL wrestlers are: Quaker Valley senior Geoff Magin (26-10) and Bentworth senior John Vargo (26-6).

220: Derry senior Dom Deluca (36-1) is seeded and ranked No. 1, Greenville senior Jacob McMaster (44-0) is seeded and ranked No. 2 and Jim Thorpe senior Ethan Mordaunt (31-1) is seeded and ranked No. 3. Montoursville junior Cameron Wood (39-4) is seeded No. 4 and ranked sixth. Wilson junior Kolby Frank (27-6) is ranked fourth.

285: Mount Union junior Jake Ryan (36-1) is seeded and ranked No. 1, and Brookville junior Colby Whitehall (35-0) is seeded and ranked No. 2. Southern Columbia senior Lear Quinton (40-6) is seeded No. 3, and North Schuylkill senior Ryan Weitz (31-5) is seeded No. 4. Meyersdale sophomore Jalen Stephens (36-4) is ranked third, Southern Huntingdon senior Kole Winfield (30-4) is ranked fourth and Burgettstown junior Riley Kemper (35-8) is ranked fifth. Washington junior Gerald Comedy (27-6) is the other WPIAL wrestler at the weight.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Frazier, Hopewell, Kiski School, Mt. Pleasant, North Hills, Norwin, Seneca Valley