Local wrestlers continue journey to Hershey
Jefferson-Morgan’s Gavin Teasdale, Southmoreland’s Tyler Griffiths and Jake Beistel, and Beth-Center’s Anthony Welsh were all given the top seed of their various brackets, while the Rockets’ Bill Bowlen was slotted as the No. 2 seed when action begins Friday at the PIAA Class AA Southwest Regional at Canon-McMillan High School.
Seeding for the Class regional is predetermined and rotates among the districts on a yearly basis.
Teasdale received a first-round bye and faces the winner of Mount Pleasant’s Doug Bittner (23-17) and Marion Center’s Michael Turner (29-7) in the 113-pound quarterfinals.
Griffiths (32-0) received a first-round bye at 120 pounds and wrestles the winner of Burrell’s Trent Bechtold (27-15)-Westmont Hilltop’s Clayton Dorian (20-11) first-round bout in the quarterfinals. Beistel (29-0) has a first-round bye at 285 pounds and wrestles the winner of Freedom’s Evan Sweeney (28-13)-Central Cambria’s Nate Martin first-round bout.
Welsh (33-0) will face the winner of the bout between Burgettstown’s Tyler Nicholson (29-13) and Penns Valley’s Allen Cain (24-10) in the 170-pound quarterfinals.
Bowlen (31-8) faces Blairsville’s Jerry Moore (26-8) in the first round at 195 pounds.
Other first-round bouts are: 106, Elizabeth-Forward’s Fred Howard (20-7) vs. Mount Union’s Josh Boozel (No. 2, 35-2); 113, Bentworth’s Manny Dovshek (23-10) vs. HOPE for Hyndman’s Brian Dawson (25-5); Mount Pleasant’s Alex Miscovich (31-10) vs. Conemaugh Twp.’s Nathaniel Thomas (16-9); 126, Chestnut Ridge’s Scotty Miller (22-17) vs. Mount Pleasant’s Austin Mihalchik (30-12); 132, Mount Pleasant’s Mike Novak (28-11) vs. Mount Union’s Jake Boozel (34-4); 138, Southmoreland’s Evan Myers (29-6) vs. Bedford’s Will Hartman (18-12); 145, Bentworth’s Hunter Neely (32-2) vs. Northern Bedford’s Ridge Hershberger (17-14); 160, Penn Cambria’s Austin Farabaugh (28-5) vs. Southmoreland’s Jaden Datz (27-9), Bellwood-Antis’ Nate Claar (28-7) vs. Jefferson-Morgan’s Trevor Kniha (20-8), Beth-Center’s Dominic Fundy (32-8) vs. Somerset’s Morgan Bell (19-11); 170, West Greene’s Colton Hamilton (24-10) vs. Westmont-Hilltop’s Anthony Walters (No. 2, 26-2); 182, Myersdale’s Christian Hutzell (25-8) vs. Mapletown’s Shawn Hennessey (24-16), Bentworth’s Ryan Wise (22-11) vs. Penn Cambria’s Jacob Driskel (No. 3, 30-5); 195, Cambria Heights’ Dennis Link (25-15) vs. West Greene’s Connor Main (29-6), West Branch’s Clayton Green (No. 3, 30-1) vs. Mapletown’s Tanner Weston (25-16), Greater Johnstown’s Austin Barber (18-2) vs. Mount Pleasant’s Zach Charlesworth (21-16); 220, Frazier’s Tyler Girvin vs. Westmont-Hilltop’s Josiah Jones (No. 2, 27-5); and 285, Mapletown’s Harley Gee (31-8) vs. Southern Huntingdon’s Nick Winfield (No. 3, 25-2), Mount Pleasant’s Josh Lind (30-7) vs. Bedford’s Jorge Canales.