Weekend full of wrestling
Yesterday marked the beginning of one of the biggest three-day stretches for local wrestling fans of the year as the WPIAL Class AAA championships got underway at Canon-McMillan High School.
For Jefferson-Morgan and West Greene wrestlers, their last hurdle before Hershey is located at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, which is the site of the PIAA Class AA Southwest Regional Championships. Local college fans have a big Sunday to look forward to, as Waynesburg University travels across the state to York College to participate in the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships.
Waynesburg Central junior A.C. Headlee, who already owns two PIAA Class AAA medals, may have his toughest road ahead of him as a scholastic wrestler if he wants to go back to Hershey for a shot at a third piece of hardware. With the top three seeds going on to the state finals, Headlee will likely have to figure out a way to get past Sam Krivus of Hempfield to reach the WPIAL championship match and assure himself of a top-three finish. Krivus, a junior with a 35-2 record, is ranked third in the country at 126 pounds.
If Headlee can’t get past Krivus, he would fall into consolations, where he could meet another top-10 nationally ranked wrestler in either second-seeded Dalton Macri of Canon-McMillan, who has already beaten the Raider standout this year, or North Allegheny senior Dom Forys, who is 39-3 on the season. Macri is ranked seventh in the country, Forys is eighth. The good news is Headlee likely wouldn’t run into either stud until the all-important third-place match, which could be one of the best in the entire tournament, regardless of weight class.
With Headlee facing a meat grinder of a bracket, a pair of younger Raiders may actually have a better path to AAA States. Sophomore Shaun Wilson was given the number-two seed at 120 pounds after winning the Section 4-AAA title, while freshman Colin McCracken seems to be peaking at a great time of year after winning the 160-pound section crown.
Turning to the AA ranks, J-M qualified an impressive eight grapplers for Johnstown, which tied with the WPIAL champions from Burrell High School for most out of the district. Only Huntington Area out of District Six is bringing more wrestlers (nine) to the event. Several of the competitors wearing Orange and Black are not only considered strong possibilities to qualify for the state tournament, but are serious contenders for regional titles.
Senior John Demaske is the biggest favorite for individual gold at 126 pounds. He comes into today as the top seed with a 37-0 record. His biggest threats appear to be 36-1 senior Patrick DeWitt of Valley, whom Demaske beat 6-0 at the WPIAL championships, and Richland junior Adam George, who won the District Six title with a 26-3 mark.
Speaking of number-two seeds, sophomore Bill Bowlen piled up 37 wins en route to his first WPIAL championship, which came at 170 pounds. The top seed in the weight belongs to junior Corey Hazel of Penns Valley, who is a District Six champion with a 31-3 mark. Senior District Five champion Landon Lohr (22-4) is also on Bowlen’s side of the bracket.
Assuming his conditioning continues to improve following an injury, senior Jason Miller (24-2), who took second at the WPIAL tournament, could be a dark horse for a regional title and a serious contender for a top-three spot that would move him on to the PIAA Finals. If he makes it through his half of the bracket, he’ll likely face top-seeded sophomore Jake Wentzel out of South Park, who pinned Miller in the District Seven title match.
The Pioneers’ best hopes for a state qualifier rest on the shoulders of 24-4 senior Dalton Wildman, who is this year’s WPIAL runner-up at 182 pounds. Wildman would avoid senior Terrell Fields, who pinned him for the District Seven crown, until the championship match, but he will have to get through 33-1 top seed Scott Thompson of Blairsville.
If three days of high school action still doesn’t satisfy your appetite for scholastic wrestling, Waynesburg University will be competing for appearances on an even bigger stage on Sunday. Any Yellow Jacket that places in the top three of his respective weight class at York earns a spot in the NCAA Division III National Championships.
The Jackets, who are under the leadership of sixth-year head coach and former Jefferson-Morgan head man Ron Headlee, return three national qualifiers from last year, including Fort Cherry graduate Sam Guidi, a junior 165-pounder. Landon Lohr’s older brother, senior Luke Lohr, looks to be the team’s best bet for a trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The elder Lohr not only qualified for last year’s championships, but earned All-American honors after placing seventh at 149 pounds.
If you can’t attend any of these events in person, Greenesports.net will provide live webcasts of all three tournaments, as well as podcasts of the action.