PIAA Class AA wrestling
Mount Pleasant’s Holt and McCoy and Beth-Center’s Morgan win medals HERSHEY – Just two wrestlers from Mount Pleasant and one from Beth-Center are bringing PIAA Class AA medals home from this year’s state wrestling championships.
But anyone in the crowd of 8,359 at the new Giant Center had to go home with an appreciation for not only the new home for the championships but some incredible gold-medal matches as well.
Six Southwest Region wrestlers won championships, although just two of those were from District 7. Burrell’s Joe Makara defended his crown at 125 pounds while Freedom’s Kurt Brenner captured 171-pound honors.
On the consolation front, Mount Pleasant’s Zach Holt, a sophomore, placed sixth at 103 pounds. Holt lost his quarterfinal match by fall to eventual third-place winner Gary Mayfield of Hanover, and then won two straight matches to be assured of a place.
However, Holt was pinned by Biglerville’s Chad Leggett and Wilson’s Russ Souders for a sixth-place finish..
Teammate Victor McCoy won three straight consolation bouts at 152 pounds until he ran into eventual third-placer Keith Gavin of Lackawanna Trail. He lost that one 11-4 and then dropped a 4-2 overtime decision to A.J. Graves of Jeannette and finished sixth.
And Beth-Center’s Mike Morgan finished his junior year with a 34-11 record after beating Cody Miller of Pine Grove 7-4 at 152 pounds to earn seventh place.
A couple of statewide favorites – Shane Datz of Southmoreland and Jordan Sweany of Beth-Center-didn’t make it to the medal round at 189 pounds. Datz dropped his quarterfinal match to state runner-up David Iobst of Wilson 9-2 and then was eliminated by Newport’s Travis Young at 189.
Sweany was pinned in the quarterfinals by Stevie Rimbey of Lehighton and then lost in the second consolation round to Tad Yelland of Wilkes-Barre GAR by a 5-4 count.
The main event didn’t disappoint.
There were three falls, a technical fall and a default, an overtime rideout and a match in which the wrestler losing 7-1 posted a fall.
District 6 wrestlers carried the Southwest banner this year. Freshman Garrett Scott of Juniata Valley at 119 pounds got through a weight class that featured a returning state champion in Jake Strayer of Forest Hills. Scott pinned Matt Guerrieri of Brandywine Heights in 5:56 in the finals.
Jared Ricotta of West Branch, the favorite at 160 pounds, found himself on the short end of a 7-1 count before even a minute had elapsed. Ricotta rolled though a third barrel roll takedown attempt by Carlo Mercadante of Wilkes-Barre Meyers, trapped his wrist and worked a stack from the bottom in which Mercadante found himself on his shoulder and the referee found himself slapping the mat in 1:14 to give Ricotta the win.
Mount Union’s Josh Kirsch at 215 won the Outstanding Wrestler award for his dismantling of Jerry Afari of Columbia. Kirsch used just 2:56 to run up an 18-3 technical fall win over Afari. Kirsch defeated Matt Wilcox of Maplewood, last year’s state champion, in Friday night’s semifinals.
The final District 6 titlist was heavyweight Nate Morris of Central Cambria. Morris was ahead 15-3 when the bout was stopped because of a shoulder injury to Chris Snyder of Milton.
Other champions were freshman Matt Dunn of Reynolds at 103. Dunn dumped another freshman, Josh Snyder of Hyndman, 12-3 in the finals’ first match.
Kyle Kemmerer of Brandywine won at 112 while Dana Gingerich of Delone Catholic claimed the 130-pound title. Isiah Britton of Loyalsock needed just 1:46 to pin Mike Parisi of Notre Dame Green Pond at 135.
Brockway’s Scott Rendos became his school’s first champion when he rode Bloomsburg’s Steve Anceravage for 30 seconds in overtime for the 140-pound crown. Loyalsock’s Chris Engler whipped Mike Mackie of Brandywine 7-2 for the 145-pound title, and Ryan Hluschak of Northern Lehigh took the 152-pound crown with a 6-2 win over Joe Rovelli of Wilkes-Barre Meyers.
One of the better Class AA stories belonged to Jason Mitkowski of Nanticoke at 189 pounds. Mitkowski wrestled in junior high but concentrated on football through grades 9-11. Coach Jack Breita asked Mitkowski to wrestle this year.
At first he refused then relented and said “he’d have a little fun.’
Winning a state title, 11-9 over Wilson’s Iobst, with no varsity experience under his belt absolutely qualifies as some serious fun.