Raiders looking good for Section 5 wrestling tournament
Should the seeding hold true in today’s Section 5-AAA wrestling tournament at McGuffey, the Waynesburg Central faithful would be all smiles because that would mean the bulk of the Raiders’ wrestling squad advanced to next week’s WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Championship at Canon-McMillan High School. Five Raiders are top-seeded while five more are No. 2 seeds. Waynesburg has three No. 3 seeds, meaning 13 of the 14 Raider wrestlers are seeded third or better.
The top three finishers advance to the district championship the following week.
The No. 1 seeds include Chris Neidermeier (112), Nick Garber (119), Ethan Headlee (135), Corbin Semple (171) and Zach Patton (215).
Neidermeier is the reigning WPIAL champion at 103 pounds and enters the postseason with an overall record of 32-3. The senior has a bye into the semifinals. Semple finished third in the WPIAL at 160 pounds in 2004, but the senior has moved up a weight class to 171 pounds. As with Neidermeier, Semple (33-4) opens with a bye.
Garber (28-6) has a bye while Headlee (21-10) faces Peter Township’s Ryan Carey and Patton (14-14) wrestles McGuffey’s Eric Wheeler.
The quintet of No. 2 seeds includes Brian Knapp (103), Dustin Henderson (130), Clint Podish (152), Steven Ellis (189) and Bill Morehead (275). Morehead (19-14) received a bye while the other four must open with a quarterfinal bout.
Brian Leggett (125), Scott Throckmorton (140) and Cody Whipkey (145) are seeded third.
Jon Teagarden has the tough road to a WPIAL final berth as the No. 8 seed at 160 pounds. The sophomore (3-6) faces Baldwin’s Rick Haarbauer in the quarterfinals.