Gators strike gold at D-9 wrestling

Feb. 21, 2021

After not venturing outside the borders of the IU9 “bubble” for the entire pandemic-truncated 2020-21 regular season, it was tough to know what to expect from the local schools competing at Saturday’s District 9 Class AA Wrestling Championships in Clearfield.

As it turned out, the lack of tournament experience didn’t seem to bother Port Allegany. Led by three-time district champion Braedon Johnson, the Gators came away with three individual titles and seven regional qualifiers, good for a strong second-place team finish behind back-to-back champ Brookville. 

The trio of gold medals broke a Port High school record, topping the previous best (two) shared by five different Gator squads:

• 1989: Chris Waterman 119, Jason Babola 275
• 2003: Bobby Nichols 125, Adam Rohrer 171
• 2008: Nick Nichols 130, Dylan Major 215
• 2010: Alex Gular 145, Adam Greenman 152
• 2015: Casey Vollmer 113, Ethan Budd 220

Johnson (11-0), the top seed at 126 pounds, pinned his way to the title, overwhelming his first two opponents in 1:01 and 0:30 before notching a second-period fall at the 3:34 mark over No. 2 seed Mark Palmer (Brockway) in the final. The Smethport senior and two-time state qualifier claimed his third consecutive D-9 gold since the Gators and Hubbers joined forces in a co-op preceding his sophomore year, joining previous PAHS legends Isaac Greeley (1991-93), Adam Rohrer (2001-03), Nick Nichols (2006-08), and Alex Gular (2010-12) as three-time winners.

Johnson, who entered the tournament tied with older brother Bryent with 91 career victories, now stands at a glittering 94-16. A surefire 100-match winner if the Gators had wrestled a normal schedule this season, he’ll still have a shot at joining the elite club if he can advance through next Saturday’s regionals at Sharon to the Western “super-regional” at IUP the following weekend.

Port senior Isaiah Caden (10-1) was almost as dominant in his path to gold at 145, opening with a quarterfinal pin and an 11-0 major decision in the semis before finishing off his run with a third-period fall against top seed Dalton Stahli. Trailing 6-4 entering the third period, Caden chose to start from the bottom, then turned a match-tying reversal into a pinning combination to claim the title.

It was the third time Caden and Stahli had faced each other this season, with the Johnsonburg senior taking a 5-3 decision in the first dual meet and the second-seeded Caden rebounding with a 7-0 win last weekend.

Following his classmate onto the mat for the 152-pound final, third-seeded Taro Tanaka (9-2) sprung the upset against No. 1 seed Kaden Dennis, scoring the lone takedown late in the third period for a tight 3-1 decision to avenge a 6-3 regular-season loss to the Johnsonburg sophomore.

Dennis’ escape was the only point scored in three matches against Tanaka, who raced out to a 5-0 lead before finishing off the pin in his quarterfinal, then blanked second-seeded Luke Ely (Kane) 2-0 in the semis with a last-second near-fall.

With only the top three placewinners at each weight advancing to next Saturday’s one-day regional tournament, they’ll be joined in Sharon by Gator seniors Scott Fuller (third at 138), Derek Kallenborn (third at 215), and Justin Young (second at 285) as well as junior Chase Weimer (second at 120). It’s Johnson’s fourth trip (including one for Smethport), the third for Caden and Young, Kallenborn’s second, and the first for Weimer, Fuller and Tanaka.

Another senior, Isaak Baumgarner, took fourth at 172, just missing out on giving the Gators a school record-tying eight regional qualifiers despite sending only 11 competitors to Clearfield. (Brookville and third-place finisher Redbank Valley each had a full lineup of 13 wrestlers.)

Other Allegheny Mountain League wrestlers moving on to Sharon include Johnsonburg’s Nolan Shaffer (138 champ), Cole Casilio (160 champ), Rayce Milliard (third at 132), Stahli and Dennis, Kane’s Ethan Illerbrun (second at 113), Harley Morris (second at 138) and Ely (third at 152), Sheffield state medalist and Pitt recruit Ethan Finch (189 champ), and his Wolverines teammate Landon Mead (third at 160).

Brockway freshman Weston Pisarchick was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler after stunning Brookville senior Cayden Walter, the second-ranked Class AA 106-pounder in the state, in their championship match, while Raiders coach Dave Klepfer collected his 10th Coach of the Year award.

District 9 results: http://live.pa-wrestling.com/pdfs/2021_District9_AA_results.pdf

Northwest Region brackets: http://live.pa-wrestling.com/pdfs/2021_North_West_AA_results.pdf

District IX Class AA Wrestling Championships
Clearfield High School
Feb. 20, 2021

Team Scoring:
Brookville 174, Port Allegany 154, Redbank Valley 140.5, Johnsonburg 107, Brockway 98.5, Curwensville 95.5, Kane 69, Sheffield 60, Clarion 29, Ridgway 25, Cranberry 24, Coudersport 12, Cameron County 4.

Championship Finals:
106: *Weston Pisarchick, Brockway, dec. Cayden Walter, Brookville, 5-1
113: Jacob Carfley, Curwensville, pinned Ethan Illerbrun, Kane, 2:54
120: Owen Reinsel, Brookville, pinned Chase Weimer, Port Allegany, 1:24
126: Braedon Johnson, Port Allegany, pinned Mark Palmer, Brockway, 3:34
132: Trenten Rupp, Redbank Valley, maj. dec. Ryder Kuklinskie, Curwensville, 10-1 SV
138: Nolan Shaffer, Johnsonburg, dec. Harley Morris, Kane, 9-3
145: Isaiah Caden, Port Allegany, pinned Dalton Stahli, Johnsonburg, 5:10
152: Taro Tanaka, Port Allegany, dec. Kaden Dennis, Johnsonburg, 3-1
160: Cole Casilio, Johnsonburg, won by inj. default over Wyatt Griffin, Brookville
172: Noah Bash, Brockway, dec. Jackson Zimmerman, Brookville, 5-4
189: Ethan Finch, Sheffield, pinned Hudson Martz, Redbank Valley, 1:30
215: Bryce Rafferty, Brookville, dec. Aiden Gardner, Redbank Valley, 8-4
285: Nathan Taylor, Brookville, pinned Justin Young, Port Allegany, 2:55
* — Most Outstanding Wrestler

Third Place:
106: Daniel Evans, Redbank Valley, pinned Chase Kyler, Sheffield, 0:55
113: Cole Bish, Redbank Valley, dec. Jared Popson, Brookville, 7-0
120: Ridge Cook, Redbank Valley, pinned Alex Bechakas, Kane, 3:56
126: Nik Fegert, Curwensville, maj. dec. Anthony Maiure, Cranberry, 13-4
132: Rayce Milliard, Johnsonburg, dec. Brecken Cieleski, Brookville, 7-2 SV
138: Scott Fuller, Port Allegany, pinned Dylan Bash, Brockway, 2:38
145: Logan Augenbaugh, Curwensville, pinned Dalton Bish, Redbank Valley, 4:44
152: Luke Ely, Kane, dec. Coyha Brown, Brookville, 4-0
160: Landon Mead, Sheffield, dec. Jack Smith, Brockway, 4-3
172: Cutter Boggess, Clarion, pinned Isaak Baumgarner, Port Allegany, 4:46
189: Seth Stewart, Brockway, pinned Jake McCracken, Curwensville, 1:57
215: Derek Kallenborn, Port Allegany, pinned Duane Brady, Curwensville, 1:11
285: Kobe Bonanno, Redbank Valley, pinned Jacob Kunselman, Ridgway, 2:25

District 9 Wrestling Championships: Raiders aiming for AA repeat

February 19, 2021

Five reigning District 9 Class AA champions — including three from Brookville, last year’s top team — lead local high school wrestlers into Saturday’s pandemic-shortened individual championships. Normally a two-day tournament, the 2021 edition will be a single day-long session at Clearfield High School, with the single-elimination preliminary round set to begin at 9:30 a.m. With fans not allowed into the gym, Brookville’s MegaRock Radio plans to livestream the action on all three mats.

Port Allegany senior Braedon Johnson and Brookville junior Owen Reinsel will each seek a third-straight trip to the top of the podium, seniors Cayden Walter and Nathan Taylor (Brookville) and Cole Casilio (Johnsonburg) shoot for back-to-back titles, and 2019 champs Trenten Rupp (Redbank Valley) and Ethan Finch (Sheffield) can also double up on gold. (Two other 2020 district champs and state qualifiers, Brookville sophomore Brayden Kunselman and Johnsonburg sophomore Aiden Zimmerman, missed the season due to injury.)

Walter, Reinsel, and Taylor each drew a No. 1 seed for Brookville, which won for the eighth time in 10 years after being dethroned by Brockway in 2019. The team race will be tougher to predict this year, with far fewer matches wrestled and the IU9 schools (Potter/McKean/Cameron/Elk counties) spending the season in a self-imposed “bubble,” but Johnsonburg — with five top seeds — could prove the Raiders’ top challenger.

The top three placewinners will move on to Sharon for next week’s Northwest Regional, which has also been shortened to a single-day session on February 27. The state championships, slated for March 12 in Hershey, have been trimmed from 20-man brackets down to eight, necessitating a “super-regional” at IUP on March 6, matching up placewinners from the Northwest and Southwest.

The D-9 AA brackets: http://live.pa-wrestling.com/pdfs/2021_District9_AA_results.pdf

106: (1) Cayden Walter (Brookville, SR, 14-4) vs. winner of (4) Daniel Evans (Redbank Valley, FR, 7-2) / (5) Damian Brady (Curwensville, SO, 2-4); (2) Chase Kyler (Sheffield, FR, 17-4) vs. (3) Weston Pisarchick (Brockway, FR, 10-1).

Walter, ranked No. 2 in the state, is a defending regional champ who’s closing in on 100 wins.

113: (1) Wyatt Shaffer (Johnsonburg, SO, 9-0) vs. winner of (4) Jacob Carfley (Curwensville, JR, 5-1) / (5) Cole Bish (Redbank Valley, SO, 7-2); (2) Collin Brown (Sheffield, SO, 13-8) vs. (7) Dads Rembold (Cranberry, FR, 0-1); (3) Jared Popson (Brookville, FR, 11-7) vs. (6) Ethan Illerbrun (Kane, FR, 5-0).

Shaffer moves up a weight after placing second to Walter last year, with Carfley (fourth) also making it to the medal stand at 106.

120: (1) Owen Reinsel (Brookville, JR, 17-1) vs. winner of (8) Michael Stanley (Cranberry, JR, 2-2) / (9) Zak Wyatt (Cameron County, FR, 3-5); (2) Ridge Cook (Redbank Valley, JR, 9-0) vs. (7) Wyatt Daisley (Coudersport, SO, 7-3); (3) Alex Bechakas (Kane, JR, 4-0) vs. (6) Chase Weimer (Port Allegany, JR, 8-0); (4) A.J. Barnes (Sheffield, SO, 15-6) vs. (5) Cole Norlin (Johnsonburg, SR, 7-1).

Reinsel is the fourth-ranked Class AA 120-pounder in the state; the two-time Northwest runner-up took fourth at states at 113 last year. Weimer, the only other D-9 wrestler in the state rankings, is 23rd.

126: (1) Braedon Johnson (Port Allegany, SR, 8-0) vs. winner of (8) Brett Moss (Coudersport, SO, 4-4) / (9) Duncan Blake (Redbank Valley, FR, 3-4); (2) Mark Palmer (Brockway, JR, 8-3) vs. (7) Anthony Maiure (Cranberry, SR, 5-1); (3) Collin Porter (Johnsonburg, JR, 9-0) vs. (6) Nik Fegert (Curwensville, SO, 4-2); (4) Logan Oakes (Brookville, JR, 9-4) vs. (5) Isaak Johnson (Kane, SO, 4-1).

Johnson, the Smethport senior, is a two-time district champ and Northwest bronze medalist after joining the Gators as part of a co-op. Palmer, a state qualifier in 2019, was the runner-up at 120 last year. Johnson is ranked 11th, Palmer 20th.

132: (1) Trenten Rupp (Redbank Valley, SR, 8-1) vs. winner of (8) Evan Hepler (Cranberry, SR, 2-4) / (9) Owen Cable (Sheffield, SO, 1-2); (2) Ryder Kuklinskie (Curwensville, FR, 5-0) vs. winner of (7) Derek Peterson (Kane, JR, 2-0) / (10) Dayton Sherwood (Port Allegany, SR, 0-2); (3) Rayce Milliard (Johnsonburg, SO, 6-3) vs. (6) Brecken Cieleski (Brookville, SO, 5-9); (4) Garret Park (Brockway, JR, 5-5) vs. (5) Nash Delp (Coudersport, SO, 4-2).

Rupp, a three-time regional qualifier, took silver at 126 last year.

138: (1) Nolan Shaffer (Johnsonburg, SR, 9-0) vs. winner of (8) Alexander Tafoya (Cranberry, SO, 1-3) / (9) Gavin Kerchinski (Redbank Valley, FR, 1-3); (2) Josh Popson (Brookville, JR, 7-7) vs. (7) Trenton Mead (Sheffield, FR, 7-14); (3) Harley Morris (Kane, JR, 3-0) vs. (6) Zach Shaffer (Curwensville, JR, 4-2); (4) Dylan Bash (Brockway, FR, 6-5) vs. (5) Scott Fuller (Port Allegany, SR, 5-3).

Shaffer, a 30-match winner who took second at 132 last year, is ranked 15th in the state, while Morris and Popson are returning regional qualifiers.

145: (1) Dalton Stahli (Johnsonburg, SR, 9-1) vs. winner of (8) Justin Oliver (Cranberry, FR, 2-1) / (9) Ashton Rex (Clarion, SO, 2-8); (2) Isaiah Caden (Port Allegany, SR, 7-1) vs. winner of (7) Logan Augenbaugh (Curwensville, FR, 3-3)/ (10) Burke Fleming (Brookville, FR, 1-10); (3) Dalton Bish (Redbank Valley, SR, 5-4) vs. winner of (6) Reece Bechakas (Kane, FR, 2-2) / (11) Eyan Smith (Cameron County, SO, 0-8); (4) James Culvey (Coudersport, SO, 5-4) vs. (5) Tyler Merritt (Ridgway, JR, 1-4).

Stahli, a three-time regional qualifier, took fourth at Sharon last year to make it to states. He’s ranked 22nd; Caden, a two-time regional qualifier, is 21st.

152: (1) Kaden Dennis (Johnsonburg, SO, 9-0) vs. winner of (8) Mitchell Sutika (Curwensville, JR, 0-5 / (9) Baylee Anthony (Redbank Valley, SO, 0-5); (2) Luke Ely (Kane, SO, 4-0) vs. (7) Jaden Smalley (Cranberry, FR, 0-4); (3) Taro Tanaka (Port Allegany, SR, 6-2) vs. (6) Breckin Rex (Clarion, JR, 2-9); (4) Cooper Traister (Sheffield, JR, 12-9) vs. (5) Coyha Brown (Brookville, SO, 5-12).

Dennis, the 145-pound silver medalist as a freshman, is ranked 14th.

160: (1) Cole Casilio (Johnsonburg, SR, 9-0) vs. winner of (8) Ethan DeBockler (Port Allegany, SR, 1-0) / (9) Noah Anderson (Redbank Valley, SR, 2-7); (2) Wyatt Griffin (Brookville, SR, 12-8) vs. winner of (7) Logan Ullman (Cameron County, 3-4) / (10) Jonathan Hinton (Ridgway, JR, 0-2); (3) Landon Mead (Sheffield, JR, 12-9) vs. winner of (6) Ben Walter (Kane, FR, 2-1) / (11) Chase Irwin (Curwensville, SO, 1-5); (4) Jack Smith (Brockway, FR, 7-2) vs. (5) Kevin Vanwormer (Cranberry, SR, 3-2).

Casilio, a 100-match winner and the seventh-ranked 160-pounder in the state, is the defending champ at this weight, with Griffin taking third last year.

172: (1) Noah Bash (Brockway, SR, 9-2) vs. winner of (8) Jacob Kuney (Cranberry, SR, 2-1) / (9) Dylan Harmic (Curwensville, JR, 0-2); (2) Jackson Zimmerman (Brookville, SO, 14-4) vs. winner of (7) Dylan Kelly (Coudersport, JR, 2-0) / (10) Coda Kirkpatrick (Redbank Valley, FR, 0-3); (3) Cutter Boggess (Clarion, SR, 7-1) vs. (6) Connor Nolan (Cameron County, SR, 3-1); (4) Isaak Baumgarner (Port Allegany, SR, 6-2) vs. (5) Cole Haight (Johnsonburg, SR, 6-3).

Bash, a two-time D-9 runner-up, pinned his way through the bracket last year before losing to Casilio in the 160-pound final. He’s ranked seventh; Brookville’s Zimmerman is 22nd.

189: (1) Ethan Finch (Sheffield, SR, 21-0) vs. winner of (8) Ganen Cyphert (Brookville, SO, 2-4) / (9) Riley Guynup (Cameron County, FR, 5-3); (2) Isaac Zimmerman (Johnsonburg, SR, 7-2) vs. winner of (7) Hudson Martz (Redbank Valley, SR, 5-1) / (10) Peyton Means (Clarion, SR, 2-4); (3) Brayden McFetridge (Cranberry, SO, 4-1) vs. winner of (6) Jake McCracken (Curwensville, SR, 2-4) / (11) Joe Miller (Ridgway, SR, 0-0); (4) Dalton Distrola (Port Allegany, SR, 4-4) vs. (5) Seth Stewart (Brockway, SO, 8-3).

Finch won his M.O.W. award at 170 pounds in 2019, then took second at 182 last year. A 100-match winner, the lone two-time state qualifier in Sheffield history, and just the third Wolverine to step onto the PIAA medal stand, the fourth-ranked 189-pounder in the state has already signed with Pitt. McCracken was the runner-up at 170 last year, with Zimmerman taking third.

215: (1) Aiden Gardner (Redbank Valley, SR, 9-0) vs. winner of (8) Jake Davidson (Sheffield, SR, 5-8) / (9) Weston Smith (Brockway, SR, 3-4); (2) Bryce Rafferty (Brookville, JR, 14-4) vs. winner of (7) Carter Himes (Kane, FR, 3-2) / (10) David Steis (Ridgway, SO, 2-2); (3) Derek Kallenborn (Port Allegany, SR, 8-0) vs. winner of (6) Duane Brady (Curwensville, SR, 4-2) / (11) Logan Edmonds (Clarion, SO, 2-6); (4) Gavyn Ayers (Coudersport, FR, 8-3) vs. winner of (5) Seth Yeager (Cranberry, SR, 4-1) / (12) Eden Condon (Cameron County, JR, 0-4).

Gardner, the runner-up at 195 last year, is ranked 20th; Rafferty is 19th.

285: (1) Nathan Taylor (Brookville, SR, 17-1) vs. winner of (8) Ian Fabiano (Johnsonburg, SO, 2-3) / (9) Kaoz Baker (Clarion, JR, 1-1); (2) Kobe Bonanno (Redbank Valley, SR, 6-3) vs. winner of (7) Cooper Rossman (Coudersport, SO, 6-2) / (10) Dakota Woolcock (Cranberry, JR, 0-0); (3) Justin Young (Port Allegany, SR, 8-0) vs. (6) Shawn Nystrom (Kane, JR, 3-0); (4) Danah Campbell (Sheffield, JR, 12-7) vs. (5) Jacob Kunselman (Ridgway, SR, 0-0).

Brookville hammer Colby Whitehill has taken his two state titles and 78-match winning streak to Pitt, but Taylor, his Raiders workout partner last year, the reigning 220-pound regional champion and a state medalist in his own right, has moved up to fill the gap. This is perhaps the deepest bracket in the tournament, with state qualifier Bonanno and regional qualifiers Young (second at 220) and Kunselman (fourth at 285) in addition to the Lehigh-bound Taylor.

Port in second after first day of D-9 wrestling; eight Gators still chasing gold

After the first day of competition at the District 9 Class AA Wrestling Championships, there’s a familiar name at the top of the team standings, but a trio of Allegheny Mountain League teams remain within striking distance.

Brookville tops the table with 81 points, with 10 Raiders still in the championship chase and two more in the consis going into Saturday morning’s semifinal round at Clearfield High School. Port Allegany and Johnsonburg each advanced eight wrestlers and Kane seven into the semis, with the Gators (70.5 points) holding a slim lead for second place over the Rams (67.5) and Wolves (67). Defending champion Brockway (61) is in fifth, with Redbank Valley (54) rounding out the top tier.

Although all 28 first and second seeds are still alive, a No. 3 or 4 seed was no guarantee of a semifinal berth, with five No. 5 seeds (Kane’s Isaak Johnson and Luke Ely, Brockway’s Tanner Morelli, Brookville’s Wyatt Kulik, Redbank Valley’s Ray Schreckengost), a trio of sixes (Brookville’s Wyatt Griffin, Clarion’s Donavan Edmonds, Ridgway’s Jacob Kunselman), and one seventh seed (Cameron County heavyweight Timmy Hasselman) pulling the upsets over higher-seeded wrestlers.

Semifinal matchups (10:30 a.m.):

106: 1 Cayden Walter (Brookville) vs. 4 Alex Bechakas (Kane); 2 Chase Weimer (Port Allegany) vs. 3 Wyatt Shaffer (Johnsonburg).

Weimer eked out a 5-4 win over Shaffer in the Port-Johnsonburg dual meet. He’s faced Walter once, losing via fall, but owns a 3-0 record against Bechakas.

113: 1 Owen Reinsel (Brookville) vs. 5 Isaak Johnson (Kane); 2 Bryent Johnson (Port Allegany) vs. 3 Ridge Cook (Redbank Valley).

Johnson majored Cook, 13-3, last year. He’s 0-2 against Reinsel, 1-0 against the other Johnson.

120: 1 Brayden Kunselman (Brookville) vs. 4 Collin Porter (Johnsonburg); 2 Scott Fuller (Port Allegany) vs. 3 Mark Palmer (Brockway).

Fuller beat Palmer, 9-5, back in December. He lost 6-1 to Kunselman at D-9 Duals, and 4-2 to Porter in their lone meeting.

126: 1 Braedon Johnson (Port Allegany) vs. 4 Harley Morris (Kane); 2 Josh Popson (Brookville) vs. 3 Trenten Rupp (Redbank Valley).

Johnson pinned Morris to win the D-9 title last year. He’s also unbeaten against the other side of the bracket, beating Popson twice and Rupp once.

132: 1 Anthony Glasl (Brockway) vs. 4 Dalton Bish (Redbank Valley); 2 Isaiah Caden (Port Allegany) vs. 3 Nolan Shaffer (Johnsonburg). 

Caden, who leads the Gators in both wins (25) and pins (14) this season, dropped Shaffer, 5-2, in their only previous meeting. He beat Bish 6-1 at D-9 Duals, and has never faced three-time champ Glasl.

138: 1 Zach Holland (Curwensville) vs. 5 Luke Ely (Kane); 2 Eli Petruzzi (Port Allegany) vs. 3 Dalton Stahli (Johnsonburg).

Petruzzi (24-2), whose only losses this season came to a pair of defending state champions and Division 1 recruits in Gabe Willochell (Latrobe/Edinboro) and Brady Worthing (Tioga, N.Y./Clarion), is 2-0 against Stahli, notching a pin in their dual-meet bout. He’s never faced either Ely or the unbeaten Holland, who edged Port’s Issac Smoker in the D-9 finals last year.

145: 1 Ethan Wiant (Redbank Valley) vs. 5 Tanner Morelli (Brockway); 2 Lane Hilliard (Kane) vs. 3 Kaden Dennis (Johnsonburg).

Morelli, who lost to Port’s Montgomery Tanner early in the season, turned the tables with a late near-fall for a 7-5 win. ‘Monkey’ will face Cameron County’s Eyan Smith, who he pinned last month, in his first consi match. If he gets past Smith, he’d draw either Hilliard or Dennis in the ‘blood round.’

152: 1 Jake Wickett (Ridgway) vs. 5 Wyatt Kulik (Brookville); 2 Colton Gietler (Oswayo Valley) vs. 3 Aiden Zimmerman (Johnsonburg).

After falling to Kulik for the second time in three weeks, Port’s Ethan DeBockler rebounded with a second-period pin over Kane’s Addison Plants. He’ll face seventh-seeded Linkin Nichols in the next round.

160: 1 Noah Bash (Brockway) vs. 4 Cutter Boggess (Clarion); 2 Cole Casilio (Johnsonburg) vs. 6 Wyatt Griffin (Brookville).

Port’s Taro Tanaka, who lost to Griffin in the quarters, pinned Sheffield’s Jake Davidson in his first consi match and will face Nate Asp (Kane) next. Tanaka won via fall in their lone meeting, earlier this month.

170: 1 Teddy Race (Kane) vs. 4 Seth Stewart (Brockway); 2 Jack McCracken (Curwensville) vs. 6 Donavan Edmonds (Clarion).

Fifth-seeded Isaak Baumgarner lost to Stewart, then decked CC’s Dein Snyder in his consi opener. He’ll face Hayden Kramer (Brookville) next, who he pinned in the D-9 Duals.

182: 1 Ethan Finch (Sheffield) vs. 4 Elliot Park (Brookville); 2 Cameron Whisner (Kane) vs. 3 Tyler Watts (Johnsonburg).

Port’s Dalton Distrola tech-falled his opening-round foe, only to suffer the same fate against the unbeaten Whisner. Distrola pinned CC’s Connor Nolan to stay alive in the consis, and will face Curwensville’s Duane Brady in the next round.

195: 1 Eric Johnson (Brockway) vs. 4 Derek Kallenborn (Port Allegany); 2 Aiden Gardner (Redbank Valley) vs. 3 Cole LaBenne (Brookville).

Kallenborn dropped Kane’s Dakota Neal in 1:29 to advance to the semis. He’s never faced Johnson, a two-time D-9 champion.

220: 1 Nathan Taylor (Brookville) vs. 5 Ray Schreckengost (Redbank Valley); 2 Cale Ayers (Coudersport) vs. 3 Justin Young (Port Allegany).

The bottom semifinal in this bracket is the last of eight all-AML affairs, with both wrestlers advancing via bye following a late scratch. Young stopped Ayers in 1:54 last season, but the two haven’t faced each other this year.

285: 1 Colby Whitehill (Brookville) vs. 7 Timmy Hasselman (Cameron County); 2 Kobe Bonnano (Redbank Valley) vs. 6 Jacob Kunselman (Ridgway).

Hasselman surprised fourth-seeded Shawn Nystrom (Kane) 3-2 in the quarters to earn a meeting with Whitehill, who’s on a 70-match win streak.

Six scholarships awarded at 15th Bruno Iorfido Wrestling Camp

Team Bruno 2018.
(Courtesy BIWC)

Lori Chase
June 29, 2018

The Bruno Iorfido Wrestling Camp, now in its 15th year after being renamed in memory of the Ridgway/Pitt-Johnstown standout and its 22nd year overall, once again took over both gyms and the wrestling room at Port Allegany High School for the week of June 18-22.

Johnni DiJulius, a four-time NCAA qualifier at Ohio State, and former Bellator MMA fighter Jason Sampson were among the new additions to a staff of clinicians that once again featured several college coaches and a roster stacked with collegiate national champions and All-Americans, MMA experts, and jiu-jitsu black belts.

Matt McCutcheon, who recently joined the coaching staff at Life University in Georgia, was back for his second year in Port. The three-time Nittany Lion NCAA qualifier called the local camp “unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” a sentiment echoed by other recent arrivals.

Here’s something else new: SIX of those college wrestlers met the stringent qualifications for the Bruno Iorfido Memorial Scholarship. To apply for the $1,000 award, a student has to be going into at least his sophomore year of college, keep his grades above a certain level, have attended multiple previous camps, and write an essay about what the camp has meant to him.

So instead of trying to choose one or two from among that group, the BIWC board decided to give all six the scholarship.

“There’s a lot of hard criteria. That’s what makes it crazy, that we still have that many people qualifying and applying,” camp co-founder Isaac Greeley said. “They all qualified, they all did everything right. So we’re just going to hustle our butts off and raise the extra money to award them all.

“We’re more proud of not the money that we’re raising, but what we’re putting into these kids. It’s not like we’re giving them a lot of money, it’s really more a badge of honor that they can carry for the rest of their lives: ‘Hey, I got a Bruno scholarship.’ That’s what we want to have. We’re 15 years into this, and every kid that’s gotten a scholarship has went on to do great things. So that’s the kind of people we want to put into, people that were like Bruno.”

And as co-founder Sean Lathrop pointed out, “Maybe we’re doing something right here in Port to have these kids keep coming back. All of them now are clinicians, and they’ve come since sixth, seventh, eighth grade. It says something about the loyalty we have. All the clinicians we have, they’re coming here. We’re not going to them, they’re coming here, which means I think we’ve got something pretty good going on.”

The six 2018 recipients were St. Marys grad Cameron Resch (Gannon), and Corey Falleroni, Steve Edwards, Matt Siszka, Tyler Reinhardt, and Alex Delp, all from Pitt-Johnstown.

“This is a special one,” Greeley said before handing out the final envelope. Now a junior on the Mountain Cats squad, Alex Delp was back on the mat less than six months after surviving an eight-story fall from his dorm room window in January 2017, with Greeley recalling that the young wrestler’s first words to him after coming out of a coma were, “I’m going to be at camp this year.”

Said Delp, “The support system (from ‘Team Bruno’ after the accident) has been incredible. I could not have done it by myself. I truly believe Bruno was with me when I had my accident, and he’s part of the reason why I’m still here today.
“I love this camp. I look forward to coming up here every year. There’s nothing on earth like it, I think. The connection here is so strong. People from rival schools, at rival weights, come up here and become the best of friends. This camp is truly incredible, and it’s all for a great cause.”

The board also recognized three of the 122 campers for their “work ethic, heart, and drive,” with Port Allegany’s Holden Nance (youth) and Issac Smoker (high school) selected along with Armstrong’s Connor Jacobs (junior high).

“You reminded us of Bruno. I think it’s pretty cool to see that. You guys are getting it,” Greeley said as he handed out the awards. Of Smoker, he added, “This kid really kicked butt this week, and I grew up with his parents, which makes it even more special.”

It was an unexpected honor for Smoker, who will be entering his senior year at Port.

“It was only my second time coming to camp since I was in elementary school. When my name got called out, I was shocked, really. It came out of nowhere, but it means a lot to me,” he said. “Everyone’s been telling me that I’ve got the potential, I just need to work harder, work harder. I never saw it in myself, but now it’s coming to me and I can finally wrap my head around it. I’m thinking about trying to go to college for it and everything.”

The 2018 PIAA Northwest Regional qualifier added, “It’s been tough for me because I haven’t done anything since wrestling season, so I was out of shape, but it’s already helped a lot. The first couple days I was sore, but it feels awesome to be there again. I’m kind of upset that I never went the last few years. It’s a lot of hard work from everybody. The coaches, the college kids – they’re national champs coming and helping out people. They’re showing moves right, and when they see an error they come and help you fix it. I’ve been kind of looking around as I wrestled, and I can see the littler kids having fun with it and still learning quite a bit. The coaches know how to make it fun, and also make you work hard.”

One of those college coaches, Gannon’s Don Henry, took the day off from his own week-long camp to make the two-hour drive east for Tuesday’s session.

“I think that the excitement of the kids that are here, the electricity, that draws you. It’s not like you go to a camp and the kids aren’t paying attention. They want to learn,” he said. “Every time I come here, it’s like, man, this is just a great experience. I taught for two hours this morning, and it was like, really, I’m out of time already? It all depends on the excitement level of the kids. Every kid here was anxious to learn something. Their attention span was really there.”

While the senior high wrestlers worked out in the main gym and the younger group was in the auxiliary gym, Henry and one of his former Golden Knights, Port grad Adam Greenman, were demonstrating moves to the junior high grapplers in the Gator wrestling room.

“He didn’t have to take off work to come to this camp, but he also likes to be the kid that’s been here for 21 years,” Henry said of Greenman. “It’s part of that Port Allegany tradition where they want this camp to be successful. Because of Isaac, because of all the people that come back and care about Bruno, it is.”

Greenman, who attended the inaugural camp in 1996 as a four-year-old and hasn’t missed one since, said, “It’s a big part of my life. I have to make sure I’m here every year. I just started a new job in February, and I had to make sure I at least had Tuesday off, when Coach Henry was here. Hopefully next year I can be here all week.”

Now an assistant on older brother B.J.’s PAHS coaching staff, he added, “It’s just awesome to see how big it’s grown. Just in maybe the past five years, it’s gotten huge. There’s almost too many kids, we almost don’t have enough room, it’s so big now.”

Speaking at the traditional Thursday night cookout and ‘Lathie Olympics,’ Greeley and Lathrop thanked both their families and the town of Port Allegany for continuing to support the camp.

“The first thing I want to say before anything is how special Bruno was, not just to me, but to a lot of the people in this room. I’m going to speak for all 13 board members: For us to come back here and keep this going, to keep his legacy alive, is something very special … but it needs to be bigger,” Greeley said. “We try to make it bigger and better every year, we do our very best, because we never want that light to go out. Because he was that kind of person. Let’s never forget him. Let’s understand what this camp is truly about. It’s about being that kind of person. I try to live like Bruno to this day.

“A lot of people are selfless. They understand what we’re doing and they believe in it. The whole thing’s kind of grown; more and more people are Team Bruno. It takes an army to get this week to happen. It can be very stressful at times to put all of this together, but we love it. We wouldn’t change anything.

“Our goal is to help form fine young men that are going to be good, upstanding people in this world. They know the difference from right and wrong. People call us role models. We’re really not role models; we’re just here to show what people can be. Kids like Bruno, the way he was. Everyone should aspire to be like that.

“It’s easy to forget when someone passes how special they were, but we knew how special he was and we never want that to die. It’s like a light we don’t want to go out. It would’ve been easy, we could’ve just said every year we’ll do a toast for Bruno, but that wasn’t enough. We had to do it up for him. And in all honesty, as big as this is, I wish it was bigger in his memory.”

From left to right, Issac Smoker, Holden Nance (both from Port Allegany), and Connor Jacobs (Armstrong) show off the “Team Bruno” bags they were awarded at the Bruno Iorfido Wrestling Camp cookout on June 21. The three were chosen from among 122 campers for displaying a combination of “work ethic, heart, and drive,” according to camp co-founder Isaac Greeley.(Courtesy of BIWC)

Pennsy wins 44th Big 30 Charities Classic

Lori Chase
August 10, 2017

Saturday’s Big 30 All-Star Charities Classic was billed as a matchup between two old-school, run-heavy offenses. Instead of a low-scoring slugfest, though, observers at Interstate Parkway Field were treated to the third-highest offensive output in the series’ 44-year history.

With the Pennsylvania defense making a slew of big plays and the offense scoring on six of seven possessions once they started rolling, the Keystone State squad erased an early two-touchdown deficit to roll to a 48-30 victory over New York on a gorgeous, if cool, summer evening in Bradford.

“I just told the kids, do what you do best and make plays,” fifth-year Elk County Catholic head coach Tony Gerg said. “The coaches weren’t gonna win this game, it was the kids. Let them go out and let ’em do what they know how to do, and they did.”

The 78 total points trailed only the 2003 (56-40) and 2010 (46-37) contests, a pair of New York shootout wins, and Pennsy’s 48-point outburst finished just behind their 2013 (53-12) and 2005 (49-22) counterparts for bragging rights as they narrowed the Empire State’s lead in the series to 22-20-2.

Quarterbacks Nate DaCanal (ECC) and Kyle Kirk (Bradford) combined for 264 yards and a trio of touchdown passes, with their point production matched by the power-running tandem of Seth Drummond (Otto-Eldred) and Matt Marconi (St. Marys).

Most of those Pennsy touchdown drives were set up by turnovers – including a pair of takeaways by Coudersport grad Aaron Wolfinger and a fourth-down stop by his Falcon teammate Brock Wilson – and a late pick-six by Ridgway’s Jacob Anderson capped off the scoring, beginning the celebration in earnest on the home team’s sideline.

“We just needed to settle in and get a good stop, get a chance for our offense to make a big move, and that’s what we did,” Wolfinger said. “All game long we were having a little trouble with the defense, but we found it and we came out on top.”

Gerg, who noted the athleticism of the Coudy duo during a post-practice interview last week, tabbed Wolfinger’s third-quarter interception as the key play on a night chock-full of momentum swings. With Pennsylvania clinging to its first lead of the game, the Falcon linebacker stepped in front of a pass attempt at his own 32-yard line to halt New York’s potential go-ahead drive, and DaCanal found Bradford receiver Dawson Ambrose for a 38-yard catch-and-run score shortly thereafter to open up a 34-22 margin.

“He’s an outstanding player,” Gerg said of the two-time Olean Times Herald Big 30 All-Star. “To come up and pick that off to stop the drive, because if they score on that drive … It’s a different game, maybe, because our strategy has to change from that point. So I really think that play meant a lot.”

Pregame preparation was the key for Wolfinger, who also made sure to credit the offense for cashing in on the opportunity he gave them.

“We had been doing a lot of flats coverage in practice, a lot of routes like that, and I just made a move on it,” he said. “It was definitely one of them (a momentum-changer), but we’ve got to give props to the offense to make a move on that. If they don’t do anything on that play, it really doesn’t mean much.”

If his pick wasn’t the defensive play of the game, a strong argument could be made for his earlier takeaway. Already down 14-0 and facing fourth-and-long early in the second quarter, Pennsylvania punted the ball away, but Wolfinger’s well-timed downfield coverage forced a muff that he recovered at the New York 26. On the next play, Kirk found tight end Parker Smith (St. Marys) open at the goal line to put Pennsy on the board.

“I had to check a couple times and make sure he wasn’t fair-catching it. I didn’t want to get any penalty like that. As soon as I saw that he didn’t, I took the opportunity,” Wolfinger said.

New York’s next possession came to an abrupt end at the Pennsylvania 42, with Wilson flashing into the backfield on fourth-and-an-inch to drag down Gowanda back Jason Gauthier for no gain.

“He had a great game, he really did,” Wolfinger said of his Falcon running mate. “Coming off-tackle and making those really good stops, he was a vital part of that defense.”

Added Gerg, “He’s going on to play at Alfred U, and I’m telling you what, they’re getting a gem up there. That kid is one of the smartest football players, football smarts, that I’ve ever met. He gets it. He’s going to be an outstanding college player.”

Pennsylvania took advantage of the turnover on downs to pull into a 14-14 tie on Marconi’s nine-yard touchdown run, but New York answered with a highlight-reel play. Randolph quarterback Jake Beaver completed a 10-yard out to Cordell O’Brien, who deftly flipped the ball to his Frewsburg teammate Caleb Caldwell for a 60-yard sprint past a stunned Pennsylvania sideline to finish off the successful hook-and-lateral.

After forcing another punt, the blue-clad New Yorkers were in position to reclaim control, but the first of two interceptions by Ridgway cornerback Josh Raubenstrauch gave Pennsylvania the ball back at midfield with just 1:08 remaining in the half.

That proved to be just enough time. Kane’s Davis Gardner made a leaping 41-yard grab to put Pennsy in the red zone, and DaCanal followed with a five-yard slant to Ambrose for the score with 8.1 seconds left on the clock to make it 22-20 at the break.

The second half belonged to the Keystone defense and running game, with the other two Potter County players in the game, Coudy guard Corey Thompson and O-E tight end (and Oswayo Valley grad) Grant West helping open holes for the Pennsy backs. Taking direct snaps out of the single-wing set, Drummond pounded out 84 of his game-best 98 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in the final 30 minutes, including 10 carries and a catch on a backbreaking 15-play, 71-yard drive which chewed up almost half of the fourth quarter after New York had scored on a 46-yard catch-and-run by O’Brien to cut the margin to 34-30.

“It’s kind of nice, isn’t it?” Gerg said, smiling. “You’ve got two big bowling balls in there with Marconi and Drummond. That’s what we’re designed for, even back at Elk County, that kid that can take the ball and just drive down the field and have the faith that they can handle the ball, not turn it over. They took over the game. Once you can manage that clock at the end with that lead, you’ve won it. They were outstanding.”

On the other side of the ball, the Pennsy defense settled in after its early-game jitters, forcing a total of five turnovers in the final three quarters while allowing just the two big-play scores.

“The first quarter was a little iffy, because we didn’t know what they were going to be running, they didn’t know what we were going to be running. We were a little rough in some patches,” Port Allegany tackle TyDel Green said. “Once we straightened it around, though, we just pretty much overcame it. “

Afterward, players and coaches mingled with their families and posed for pictures on the Parkway Field turf, promising each other to keep in touch with their newfound friends.

“When it came down to it, everybody executed when they needed to. Really fun game,” Green said. “Everybody did what they were asked in practice, and it showed on the field. Great group of guys, some memories that all of us can take forever. Just a great experience.”

Wilson added, “It’s once in a lifetime, it really is. The whole process, going through it, is fantastic. It’s a lot of fun, and to show out like we did is even better. Icing on the cake.”

NOTES:
-The Pennsylvania defense tied a pair of game records, matching New York’s four-interception night in 1978 while Raubenstrauch joined six other players, including Port Allegany’s Kerry Hawver (2001), with a pair of pickoffs. Raubenstrauch also broke up two passes, as did Bradford’s Mitch Vleminckx.
– Beaver put his name in the record book for his three touchdown passes (including the hook-and-lateral), a feat previously accomplished by Gator quarterbacks Tom Nasto in 2001 and Matt Bodamer in 2013 as well as New York’s John Ditcher in 1986.
-Kane kicker Joe Johnson missed an early field-goal attempt but finished with six successful extra-point attempts, one short of the mark set by Bradford’s Kyle MacFarlane in 2005.
-Smethport defensive end Akete Kindle notched a pair of sacks, while Gowanda passrushers Ethan Francis and Marcus Jones each recorded a takedown for New York. Each team also made seven tackles for loss, including one by Green and two by Ridgway’s Justin Kasmierski.

44th BIG 30 CHARITIES CLASSIC
At Bradford, Aug. 5:

SCORE BY QUARTERS:
New York	14	8	8	0	–	30
Pennsylvania	0	20	14	14	–	48

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
New York – Cordell O’Brien 10 pass from Jake Beaver (6 plays, 58 yards); kick blocked, 6-0
New York – Devin Carr 2 run (12 plays, 60 yards after Chris Johnson fumble recovery); Jason Gauthier run, 14-0
Second Quarter
Pennsylvania – Parker Smith 26 pass from Kyle Kirk (1 play, 26 yards after Aaron Wolfinger fumble recovery); Joe Johnson kick, 14-7
Pennsylvania – Matt Marconi 9 run (3 plays, 58 yards after turnover on downs); Johnson kick, 14-14
New York – Caleb Caldwell 60 lateral from O’Brien after 10 pass from Beaver (3 plays, 74 yards); O’Brien pass from Beaver, 22-14
Pennsylvania – Dawson Ambrose 5 pass from Nate DaCanal (7 plays, 50 yards after Josh Raubenstrauch interception); pass failed, 22-20
Third Quarter
Pennsylvania – Seth Drummond 12 run (8 plays, 79 yards); Johnson kick, 22-27
Pennsylvania – Ambrose 38 pass from DaCanal (6 plays, 68 yards after Wolfinger interception); Johnson kick, 22-34
New York – O’Brien 46 pass from Beaver (7 plays, 64 yards); Beaver run, 30-34
Fourth Quarter
Pennsylvania – Drummond 4 run (15 plays, 71 yards); Johnson kick, 30-41
Pennsylvania – Jacob Anderson 30 interception return; Johnson kick, 30-48

TEAM STATISTICS:	NY	PA
First downs	19	23
Rushes-Yards	49-197	48-182
Passing Yards	188	264
Comp-Att-Int	8-20-4	14-21-0
Total Yards	385	446
Fumbles-Lost	2-1	1-1
Punts-Avg.	2-32.5	3-31.0
Penalties-Yards	8-61	4-35
Total Plays	69	69

Individual Statistics
Rushing: NY – Kameron Alexander 9-82; Jason Gauthier 18-72; Devin Carr 13-47; Casey Williams 5-17; Alexander Edstrom 2-(-1); Jake Beaver 2-(-20). PA – Seth Drummond 18-98, 2 TD; Matt Marconi 14-66, TD; Kyle Kirk 5-15; Brendon Mattson 3-14; Jared Braun 3-2; Tristan Reed 1-(-3); Nate DaCanal 4-(-10).
Passing: NY – Beaver 6-12-1, 165 yards, 3 TD; Carr 2-7-2, 23 yards; Gauthier 0-1-1. PA – DaCanal 10-12-0, 143 yards, 2 TD; Kirk 4-9-0, 74 yards, TD.
Receiving: NY – Cordell O’Brien 5-94, 2 TD; Caleb Caldwell 1-71 (60 on lateral), TD; Ryan Schlosser 2-23. PA – Dawson Ambrose 4-92, 2 TD; Davis Gardner 3-68; Parker Smith 2-34, TD; Braun 1-27; Mattson 2-23; Drummond 1-13; Marconi 1-7.

From last month: “Team Bruno” continues to pay it forward

And while I’m dusting off the blog, I’ve been promising Sean Lathrop this story for about a month now. Finally…..

Team Bruno, 2017. (Courtesy of the BIWC.)

Lori Chase
July 13, 2017

They’ve reached the heights of their sport: NCAA champions and All-Americans, Hall of Fame college coaches, jiu-jitsu black belts, mixed martial arts fighters who’ve entered the UFC and Bellator cages – and, for a select few, even representing their countries in Olympic and world championship competition.

And for a week every June, they gather in the northern Pennsylvania mountains to remember a fallen comrade by sharing their knowledge with the next generation.
The 14th annual Bruno Iorfido Wrestling Camp, held from June 19-23 this year, once again combined top-level instruction in the sport with a variety of off-the mat activities for campers and clinicians alike.

“It’s a great experience. Some of these kids have never seen hills like this, or even put a fishing pole in the water, until they come here,” said Al Beattie, whose son ‘Little Al’ was one of three collegiate scholarship winners along with Port Allegany alumni Mac Tanner (Clarion) and Casey Vollmer (Gannon), bringing the total amount awarded to the $30,000 mark.

But while there’s time for fun and games, the main focus is to remember Iorfido, the former Ridgway standout who went on to become an All-American at Pitt-Johnstown before dying in an auto accident in 2003. The idea is to not just teach wrestling moves, but Bruno’s work ethic, dedication, determination and moral values to the young campers.

“We talk all week about leaving a legacy: What kind of person are you going to be when it’s your time? Are you going to be someone that’s going to be remembered for the type of person that you were, the type of person that was there to help people? Someone that someone would want to do something like this for you? That’s exactly why we have this going in Bruno’s name,” said Isaac Greeley, one of the camp’s co-founders along with Sean Lathrop, Aaron Rendos and Jared Kuleck.

Greeley, a Port High alum who went on to earn All-American status on UPJ’s 1999 national-championship squad, was an assistant coach when Iorfido was a Mountain Cat, while Rendos, a Brockway native, was both Bruno’s teammate and roommate.

“You’ve heard it year after year that a lot of the new kids don’t know what he was all about and what he meant to all of us,” Rendos told the young wrestlers. “We kind of want to instill that with you. I try to do that with my own kids, try to get them to grow up like Bruno, the type of person Bruno was. We miss him every day, but he’s here in spirit. Things that happen in my life, I’m always thinking of him and he’s with me.”

That mindset has stayed the same for the last decade and a half, witnessing the camp’s growth from a couple dozen kids to one which draws clinicians from around the country – and now the world.

“We’ve got a lot of younger kids coming here just to train, especially some of the fighters. Wrestling might not be their thing, but if you come to this camp you can roll around with some of the best guys in the country. It’s a special thing. I think a lot more people are coming from the outside, wanting to come in, which makes it easier for us to expand the camp and bring in some of these top guys,” Rendos said at one of the camp’s traditional events, a Thursday-afternoon picnic.

“I mean, yesterday we had a four-time All-American, two-time national champ (Penn State’s Quentin Wright) in the morning, and then in the afternoon you get an Olympian (Uzbekistan’s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov) that beat one of America’s best in the world at Rio. He showed some really cool stuff.

“It’s been amazing to see the growth of this, especially in the last five years. Kind of the Bruno spirit, bringing that back to where they got it from.”

Abdurakhmonov, an All-American at Clarion in 2012, claimed bronze at the 2014 world championships before stunning USA star Jordan Burroughs at Rio, knocking him out of the 2016 Olympic tournament.

“It’s good to have him. He’s part of the Bruno family,” Rendos said. “He came, I want to say, about five years ago, then took a couple of years off. Now he’s coming back and helping us out again. He brought one of his buddies, his countrymen, who’s going to Paris to wrestle the under-21 world trials. And Flo (Temengil, a two-time Olympian for Palau) brought one of his boys that’s going to wrestle in Paris as well.
“That’s cool to see, two world team members not even from the United States that are coming to Port Allegany to share what they have and train alongside some of the best kids in the country.”

So where does the camp go from here?

“We need more mats,” Rendos said, chuckling. “We bring in around the 120-140 range, and we’re pretty packed with the mats we have. We have our steadfast clinicians, the college kids that come in every year, but then we get the feature ones and the Olympians. We’re just kind of building on that, trying to give the kids a different variety during the week so they’re not seeing the same thing every year.

“On Wednesday, (Bekzod) had every single, not only camper, but clinician and coach saying ‘Holy cow’ and bringing back what he shows. He coaches at Harvard right now, so he’s showing us some things he shows his college kids and what he’s learning there. I was captivated by that. I thought it was pretty cool, stuff I don’t see on a regular basis. The sport evolves so fast it’s hard to keep up.”

While the mats are set up in the Port Allegany High School gyms, the real camp headquarters is the Lathrop house, where Laurie and daughters Becca, Allison and Hannah keep everything running smoothly.

“They all put us up every year. It’s amazing, what they do. Those four right there are the reason this camp actually works,” said Jon-Marc Burdick, a former scholarship winner who wrestled at Smethport and Edinboro and is now a board member. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here. They make it work. They mean a lot to us. They’re like sisters.”

According to Allison, the feeling is mutual.

“It’s one big support system,” she said. “We’ll go watch them wrestle, and they came to some AAU games for Becca. A few of them, when I was in Shippensburg for states, they came to watch me jump, they’ve watched Hannah play softball. We’re their sisters, even if they have sisters. They call Mom ‘Mama Lathe’.

“Everything they say is, ‘Laurie is such a saint.’ Some people think Dad’s the boss, and then they meet Mom and they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s definitely her.’”

Working with the camp even helped lead to a career choice for Allison. Following in the footsteps of Greeley, a successful chiropractor who also happens to be her godfather, she’s now a licensed massage therapist at the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital Wellness Center.

“I knew that I wanted to do something along the lines of what he does, and this was the next best thing,” she said.

Like Lathrop, ‘Little Al’ Beattie plans to pay his Team Bruno experience
forward. Now a redshirt sophomore heavyweight at UPJ after winning a PIAA championship at Burrell High School, he’s working toward an education degree to become a teacher and coach.

“I love this camp. I’ll be coming here as long as I’m able to physically. When I’m 60 years old, I hope I’m able to do this,” he said. “It’s awesome. It’s great for the kids, and it’s great for the person that Bruno was. Bruno was an exceptional person, he was a good wrestler, he did everything the right way.

“The tragedy that happened to his family and to our community… I feel like I knew Bruno, and I never met him. I feel like he’s there. Every single person that comes here that believes in the system, the lifestyle, doing everything the right way, is what Bruno would want. What we want to put onto the younger kids, and what we try to have the kids see in us. It’s just incredible.”

***

As usual, Lathrop posted a list of people he wanted to thank to the BIWC Facebook page after the event (with apologies to anyone he missed):

“John Caden, Barry and Donna Sauers, Perry and Jon-Marc Burdick, Mick and Sue Greeley, Ray and Janet Howard, my wife Laurie and my daughters, Pam Fischer, Lori Chase, the Port Allegany School District, the Carlson’s, Port Shop and Save, Port VMI, Isaac Greeley, Aaron Rendos and all board members.”

Big 30 Game kicks off at 7

With kickoff just over four hours away, my advance from Thursday for tonight’s Big 30 All-Star Charities Classic:

Lori Chase
Aug. 3, 2017

The sounds of football pads colliding and coaches’ whistles tweeting filled the air at Gator Field last Friday evening, as the Pennsylvania team in this weekend’s 44th Big 30 All-Star Charities Classic made its annual visit to Port Allegany for a two-hour practice session.

Afterward, Tony Gerg liked what he’d seen from his squad. The Elk County Catholic head coach admitted to some “sleepless nights” after the first couple of workouts, but said, “By Tuesday of this week, I could see a bounce in their step. The last two nights, the offense looked like it was in a rhythm. That’s what we were looking for.”

Acknowledging the challenges in molding players from the 13 different high schools in the southern half of the Big 30 area into a cohesive unit in just nine padded practices, Gerg noted, “These are new kids. First time a lot of them have met each other, ever. They’re being supportive, they’re bringing each other up. They know how to win games, they just have to learn how to do it as a unit.

“I feel a lot better than I did a week and a half ago.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Port Allegany defensive tackle TyDel Green, the lone Gator tabbed for this year’s roster.

“It’s going good. Things are coming together,” he said. “Everybody’s kind of getting closer together. Some of us haven’t played together in a long time, or even ever seen each other, but it’s coming along pretty well. We’re more in rhythm now.”

One additional wrinkle for this year’s Pennsy offense: Gerg and his staff run some of their plays from the single-wing offense, a system most of the other local schools had only seen on decades-old film before facing the Crusaders’ version. Devised more than a century ago by the legendary “Pop” Warner, the predecessor of the “shotgun” formation relies on a combination of deception and blocking mismatches to keep the opposing defense on its heels.

“Weird stuff,” Gerg said, chuckling. “It’s kind of the same approach we run with our kids: If you look at it and you’re open to it, it’s pretty fun. I think it fits well, because it gives you the opportunity to hand the ball off to everybody. It’s an all-star game. We want everybody to be involved in this thing, everybody get their touches. That’s the main game plan.

“And win,” he concluded with a smile.

On the other side of the ball, Green and his teammates are adapting to the mandatory 4-3 defense.

“Definitely a challenge,” he said. “Something new to learn, but most of us have it down.”

And the work, Green said, is well worth it.

“It’s a commitment, for sure, going to every practice in different towns,” he said. “But it’s definitely very nice to be able to say you’ve been asked to play in the game. And it’s for a good cause, all the charity work that goes into it. The Big 30, it’s a big organization. A lot of work, a lot of time not just for the players, but for the organization as well.

“It’s definitely an achievement for everyone who’s been told they can play in the Big 30.”

There’s a banquet for the participants on Thursday night, and a parade and tailgate party on Saturday afternoon, but Green is already focusing on one thing: Kickoff.

“Saturday night, 7 o’clock,” he said.

***

The Big 30 All-Star Charities Classic, a game between teams of graduated seniors from Allegany, Cattaraugus, and eastern Chautauqua counties in New York and Potter, McKean, Warren, Elk, and Cameron in Pennsylvania, has raised more than $1.6 million for various organizations and individuals in need across the Twin Tiers. New York leads the series, 22-19-2, but Pennsy’s 38-20 win last year earned the Keystone State squad the home sideline for this year’s game at Bradford’s Interstate Parkway Field.

In addition to Green, Port Allegany cheerleaders Marianna Seefeldt, Karlye Rifle, Morgan Causer and Homecoming Queen Autumn Buchsenschutz are also taking part in this week’s festivities.

Saturday’s parade will start at 2:30 p.m., with participants asked to line up in the Best Western parking lot at 12:30, and proceed down Main Street to the Pitt-Bradford athletic fields on Campus Drive. There will be a tailgate party in the high school parking lot outside the football field in the pavilion. As this is a high school campus, no alcohol or tobacco products are permitted anywhere on the grounds.

Gates will open at 5 p.m., with pregame activities set to begin at 6:15.

Web-only: Coudy sends eight wrestlers/OV three to regionals

Coudy medalists from District 9 Class AA wrestling championships at Clearfield High School, who will all be moving on to next weekend’s Northwest Regional at Sharon: Isaac Wright (1st), Gage Arnold, David Kudrick (both 2nd), Trevor Olney, Eli Ayers, Corey Thompson (all 3rd), Dustin Kudrick, Julian Smith (both 4th). Coudy finished second overall to four-time defending champ Brookville, setting school records for points (144) and regional qualifiers. (Photo: Lori Chase)

The Coudersport Falcons were ready to make some noise at last weekend’s District 9 Class AA individual wrestling championships, walking into Clearfield High School on Friday afternoon with seven top-four seeds and a team-championship silver medal in tow.

The bus pulled out of the parking lot the next evening with eight regional qualifiers, a gold medal for 170-pounder Isaac Wright, and a school record for team points. Defending state AA champ Brookville scored 242 points to cruise to its fourth-straight district title, but the Falcons’ superior depth allowed them to edge Ridgway for second place, 144-142.5, despite the Elkers coming away with champions in four weight classes.

“We brought 13 down here, and to get over half of those out is pretty outstanding. I think eight is the most Coudersport’s ever taken to regions,” said assistant coach Aaron Rendos, filling in while head coach John Bishel is temporarily sidelined with medical issues. “So proud of the guys. They stepped up this year. District runner-ups – they wanted to prove something, and they did.”

In addition to Wright, who outlasted top-seeded Garrett McClintick of Brockway, 2-1, in the final, the Falcons will send David Kudrick (second at 138), Gage Arnold (second at 160), Trevor Olney (third at 120), Eli Ayers (third at 182), Corey Thompson (third at 220), Dustin Kudrick (fourth at 145) and Julian Smith (fourth at 152) to Sharon this weekend. It’s the third year in a row for Arnold, who placed fourth there last year to qualify for states, while Olney, Dustin Kudrick, and Smith will each be going for the second time.

“We got eight through. Not the places I know some of these kids were hoping for, but it’s just a qualifier and we’re going to gear up for next week,” Rendos said. “It’s a whole new ballgame when we add District 10. I’m confident. We’ve wrestled twice in District 10, so we’re familiar with some of the kids and some of the styles they have. So the goal is to keep moving on. The top four from there go to states, so we’re hoping to get just as many through to the next level.”

Wright (28-9), starting from the No. 3 seed at 170, opened with a fall over Adam Sicher (Kane) in 3:48, then needed just 1:00 to flatten Seth Nellis (Clarion) in the quarterfinals. Facing sixth-seeded Braden MacBeth (Brookville) in the semis, Wright got the only takedown in a 3-2 decision, sending him into his first D-9 medal-round match.

“It was really intimidating, going up against a first seed. And Brockway, they’re so well-schooled, they have a great wrestling program,” he said of facing McClintick. “But I just knew if I wrestled my match and I kind of kept my head about me, I think the biggest thing was to not look at the outcome, to focus on the here-and-now inside the match. That’s what’s most important.”

In the final, Wright once again jumped out to an early lead, then held on for dear life to claim the top spot on the podium.

“We knew coming into that match, that kid was tough on top,” Rendos said. “So I told (Isaac), we’re going to keep it on our feet the whole time. I said, ‘You’re comfortable on your feet.’ Got the takedown in the second period, which put us up by two. Then he chose top in the third, so we had to fend him off pretty good to win a district title.”

For the final two minutes, McClintick tried everything he could to tilt Wright and get the back points he needed to flip the score in his favor, but the Falcon junior managed to thwart his attempts.

“I’ll definitely admit I was purposely stalling just a little bit,” he confessed, grinning. “I knew I was up, and I knew if I could just hang on, I’d be able to accomplish something that not a lot of people can say they’ve done. But you know, a win’s a win, as my coach just told me. So all in all, I’m just happy with the way it turned out. Actually, I didn’t know if I had won or not. I thought I had a lot more time, another 20 seconds. In fact, as soon as the buzzer rang, I stood up and looked at my coach and I said, ‘Did I win?’

“It was thrilling. It was something I’ve honestly never felt before. It was really incredible. I’m just happy for the opportunity to be here and wrestle with my team. All of our guys have come so far, and it’s such a big payoff for the work we’ve put into it. I’m definitely excited, and I’m not ready to stop working. I want to keep going, and I want to press as hard as I absolutely can and really show the guys at regionals what I’m made of, what our team is made of.”

Arnold (33-1), the only unbeaten wrestler entering the weekend, pinned his way to the 160-pound finals, decking Brent Rodney (Sheffield) in 1:30, Eben Wry (Cranberry) in 5:11, and fourth-seeded Teddy Race (Kane) in 2:56 in the semis. The championship match was against Port Allegany junior Jake Kallenborn, a longtime friend who Arnold had beaten twice in close matches earlier in the season. After a scoreless opening period, Arnold started the second on top, but Kallenborn managed to escape. A scramble led to an Arnold takedown, but Kallenborn wriggled free again, and the match went to the third tied 2-2. This time, it was the Coudy senior escaping from the bottom to go up 3-2, but with both wrestlers battling for position in the final few seconds, Kallenborn got the 2 just before the buzzer to hand Arnold his first loss.

“That’s the third time they wrestled this year, and it’s been one or two points each time, so you know it could go either way,” Rendos said. “It’s a tough loss for him. He’s been under the weather for the past couple days, but he’ll regroup, come back. He’s a tough kid.

“At the end of the match, we need to learn to close those matches out without getting into scrambles, getting put in a position where we have an opportunity to lose, put ourselves into a position where we have an opportunity to win. He’ll learn his lesson, and we’ll go into next week tougher than this week, and hopefully feeling a lot better.”

David Kudrick (30-7), the No. 2 seed at 138, earned his silver by pinning Josh Rees (Port A) and Jacob Cable (Brookville) to get to the semis, then rolling to a 7-1 win over third-seeded Oswayo Valley sophomore Isaiah Barney. In the championship match, No. 1 seed Logen McClain (Ridgway) managed the only takedown in a 3-1 decision.

Second-seeded Olney, Ayers, and Thompson each fell to the No. 3 seed in their semifinal matches but won out to take bronze, while Smith placed fourth to match his seeding and Dustin Kudrick knocked off fourth-seeded Tyler Watts (Johnsonburg) in the quarterfinals to put himself in medal contention.

So now it’s on to Sharon … and, after that, back to Hershey?

“We’ll be set to go,” Rendos said. “Our guys are really ramping up, they’re getting ready. They were pumped about this week and we did well, and I’m going to get them up for next week.”

Oswayo Valley District 9 wrestling medalists/regional qualifiers: junior Dylan Pesock (4th at 106), senior Grant West (4th at 182), sophomore Isaiah Barney (3rd at 138). (Photo: Lori Chase)

Oswayo Valley sent three top-four seeds to Clearfield, and the same number of Green Wave wrestlers will move on to Sharon.

“Not as good as we’d hoped, but it’s still good. Still going. That’s the goal, to get to the next round,” coach Denny Bloss said. “We’re okay. We had six into the second day, and the kids wrestled hard, wrestled well.”

Junior Dylan Pesock dropped a tough 4-2 decision in the 106-pound semifinals, then ran up against Port sophomore Reese Vollmer, a longtime friend and practice partner, in the third-place match.

“We see those guys a lot. They come over in the summer, they practice a lot with us,” Gator coach B.J. Greenman said. “So you know your opponent, but it’s not an advantage to either of them because they both know each other. They wrestle all the time, so their matches are always going to be close, but you don’t really know which way they’re going to go.”

This one was their closest yet. After three periods and three overtimes, the score was deadlocked at 3-3, sending the match into the ultimate tiebreaker round. With Pesock starting on top, Vollmer managed the escape for the 4-3 win.

After falling to David Kudrick in the semifinals, sophomore 138-pounder Isaiah Barney didn’t lose another match, downing fourth-seeded C. J. Shreffler (Cranberry) for the bronze. At 182, West dropped a tough 8-4 decision to eventual silver medalist Kaleb Witherite (Curwensville) in the quarters, then wrestled his way back before being edged by Ayers, 2-1, in the third-place bout.

It’s the second consecutive trip to regionals for Pesock and West, a senior, while Barney (third at 138) will be making his first appearance.

“So if that means we get four next year, that would be pretty nice, but we’ll wait and see,” Bloss said with a grin.

District 9 Class AA
Brookville (Bkv) 242, Coudersport (Cou) 144, Ridgway (Rdg) 142.5, Kane 96.5, Brockway (Bkw) 81, Curwensville (Cv) 73, Cranberry (Cr) 64, Redbank Valley (RV) 63, Port Allegany (PA) 62, Bradford (Brad) 60.5, Clarion (Cl) 56, Oswayo Valley (OV) 50.5, Johnsonburg (J) 41, Keystone (Key) 30, Smethport (Sm) 28, Sheffield (Sh) 13, Cameron County 0.

Championship Finals:
106: Anthony Glasl (Bkw) 3:46 Zach Holland (Cv)
113: Keelan Kunselman (Bkv) 7-5 Kyle Bush (Rdg)
120: Gavin Park (Bkv) 1:11 Hunter Martz (RV)
126: Bryce Barclay (Rdg) 3-0 Noah Blankenship (Kane)
132: Lukas McClain (Rdg) 11-0 Devon Norlin (J)
138: Logen McClain (Rdg) 3-1 David Kudrick (Cou)
145: Dillon Keane (Brad) 4-2 Alec English (Kane)
152: Caleb Hetrick (Bkv) 7-6 Aiden Hulings (Kane)
160: Jacob Kallenborn (PA) 4-3 Gage Arnold (Cou)
170: Isaac Wright (Cou) 2-1 Garrett McClintick (Bkw)
182: Noah Cieleski (Bkv) TF 15-0 5:49 Kaleb Witherite (Cv)
195: Xavier Molnar (Bkv) 0:55 Tyler Van Tassel (Key)
220: Tyler Cook (Bkv) 8-1 Tom Wurster (Cl)
285: Colton McClain (Rdg) 5-4 UTB Stephen McClure (Cv)

Third-place matches:
106: Reese Vollmer (PA) 4-3 UTB Dylan Pesock (OV)
113: Blake Passarelli (Cv) 8-3 Mason Songer (RV)
120: Trevor Olney (Cou) 2:52 Luke Tomaski (Rdg)
126: Kai Sorbin (Bkv) 12-2 Trey Stiles (PA)
132: Dontae Constable (Bkv) 2-1 Tyler Thompson (Brad)
138: Isaiah Barney (OV) 4-2 C.J. Shreffler (Cr)
145: Josh Hancock (Cr) 6-2 Dustin Kudrick (Cou)
152: Mike LeFay (Cl) 4-3 Julian Smith (Cou)
160: Caleb Peace (Bkv) 4-3 Teddy Race (Kane)
170: Braden MacBeth (Bkv) 2-1 UTB Akete Kindle (Sm)
182: Eli Ayers (Cou) 2-1 Grant West (OV)
195: Ty Stahli (Kane) 2-0 Ben Smith (Cl)
220: Corey Thompson (Cou) 9-7 Justin Smith (Bkw)
285: Timmy McCauley (Cr) 10-7 Colby Whitehill (Bkv)

Tentative regional matchups for Coudy/OV wrestlers:
106: 9-4 Dylan Pesock (Oswayo Valley, JR, 22-5) vs. 10-5 10-5 Logan Jaquay (Eisenhower, FR, 26-12)
– 10-1 Beau Bayless (Reynolds, SO, 27-4 )
120: 9-3 Trevor Olney (Coudersport, SR, 25-11) vs. 10-2 Kenneth Kiser (Saegertown, FR, 36-7)
138: 9-2 David Kudrick (Coudersport, JR, 30-7) vs. 10-3 Hunter Wagner (Titusville, SR, 30-4 )
138: 9-3 Isaiah Barney (Oswayo Valley, SO, 25-6) vs. 10-2 Mike Doerflinger (Slippery Rock, JR, 21-4 )
145: 9-4 Dustin Kudrick (Coudersport, JR, 28-10) vs. 10-5 Cole Ruffo (Hickory, JR, 26-12)
– winner to face 10-1 John Mott (Commodore Perry, SR, 32-5)
152: 9-4 Julian Smith (Coudersport, JR, 8-5) vs. 10-5 Spencer Head (Eisenhower, JR, 31-6)
– winner to face 10-1 Cameron Prebble (Sharpsville, JR, 30-4 )
160: 9-2 Gage Arnold (Coudersport, SR, 34-1) vs. 10-3 Joe Galvin (Iroquois, JR, 28-4)
170: 10-4 Nick Enos (Sharpsville, SR, 30-9) vs. 10-6 Jarrett Ruhl (Saegertown, SR, 28-19)
– winner to face 9-1 Isaac Wright (Coudersport, JR, 28-9)
182: 9-3 Elijah Ayers (Coudersport, SO, 29-8) vs. 10-2 Julian Gorring (Fort LeBoeuf, SO, 35-6)
182: 9-4 Grant West (Oswayo Valley, SR, 20-8) vs. 10-5 Khalil Messai (Jamestown, JR, 30-4)
– winner to face 10-1 Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, JR, 39-3)
220: 9-3 Corey Thompson (Coudersport, SR, 27-10) vs. 10-2 Tyler Zebrovious Lakeview, JR, 28-6

D-9 wrestling: Kallenborn wins gold, three Gators headed for regionals

MEDAL RUSH: From L-R, Port Allegany medalists Reese Vollmer (3rd, 106 pounds), Jake Kallenborn (1st at 160/tie for Most Outstanding Wrestler Award), Trey Stiles (4th at 126) from the District 9 Championships held last weekend at Clearfield High School. (Photo: Pam Fischer)

(Ran short of room in the print version. Here’s the unedited story.)

Jake Kallenborn knew he needed a takedown.

Trailing top-seeded Gage Arnold by a point late in the third period of their District 9 Class AA 160-pound championship match on Saturday evening at Clearfield High School, the Port Allegany junior made his move. Arnold countered, but an instant before the buzzer sounded to end the contest, the referee’s arm shot up. Two points – and a 4-3 win for the gold – for Kallenborn.

“I didn’t have anything to lose, and he was undefeated and expected to win, so I guess that was in my favor,” he said. “I was just hoping that he would either let go of my leg or I would be in control long enough that I would get the 2. When I did, I was so happy. It was crazy.”

And after avenging two earlier losses to Arnold (33-1) by handing the Coudersport senior and returning state qualifier his first setback of the season, Kallenborn (28-4) picked up another piece of hardware in addition to his medal, sharing the Joseph J. Kata Most Outstanding Wrestler Award with Brookville three-time champ Gavin Park. He’s just the second Gator to claim the honor, joining two-time state medalist Isaac Greeley, who also split the award with a Brookville wrestler in 1993.

Reached via Twitter direct message later in the evening, Greeley was “glad we got another one!” He added, “That’s so awesome he won, he has had a great year. I’m really hoping he and Gage can get on the podium at states. I think they both can.”

“Pretty amazing,” Port coach B.J. Greenman said. “The kids work all year around just for the postseason, and to come out with that on top of a district title is amazing for Jacob.”

“I beat the only undefeated kid, but I certainly didn’t expect to get M.O.W. It was kind of crazy,” Kallenborn repeated. “This is the highlight of my varsity career, definitely. That and winning, being a district champ.”

Sophomore Reese Vollmer took third at 106 pounds and junior Trey Stiles placed fourth at 126 to join Kallenborn at this weekend’s Northwest Regional at Sharon High School, giving the Gators multiple qualifiers for the 19th consecutive year. It’s the second trip for Kallenborn and Stiles (14-6), with Vollmer (29-6) making his first appearance. The three medalists paced Port to a ninth-place finish in the 17-team field.

“When we looked at this weekend, we thought we could take anywhere from maybe one to five or six, so right there in the middle’s pretty good,” Greenman said. “The two kids that made it there last year, we kind of expected them to be able to make it again. And then Reese came up huge, winning some big matches against Dylan Pesock, and then the other one in the consi semis against a kid that beat him earlier in the season. That’s huge for him to get wins over those kids.”

In a matchup of state-ranked wrestlers, eventual 106-pound champ Anthony Glasl (Brockway) tech-falled Vollmer in the semifinals, but the Port sophomore rebounded with a 4-2 win over No. 3 seed Ethan Wiant (Redbank Valley), who he’d lost to at the season-opening Hickory Tournament, to move into the third-place match against Pesock, a longtime friend and practice partner who downed Vollmer 9-2 in the dual meet at Oswayo Valley.

“We see those guys a lot. They come over in the summer, they practice a lot with us,” Gator coach B.J. Greenman said. “So you know your opponent, but it’s not an advantage to either of them because they both know each other. They wrestle all the time, so their matches are always going to be close, but you don’t really know which way they’re going to go.”

The two traded reversals in the second period, with the Green Wave junior adding an escape to take a 3-2 lead into the third. Starting on the bottom, Vollmer got the escape he needed to send the match to overtime, and after a sudden-victory period and two rideouts failed to break the deadlock, the bout went into the ultimate tiebreaker. With Pesock deciding to start on top, Vollmer managed to wriggle free for the thrilling 4-3 win.

“Going into it, I’m kind of glad it was Coach Bloss’ decision on picking top or bottom, because I had no idea what we were going to do with Reese,” Greenman admitted. “Dylan’s really good on top, and he’s been getting out on Reese, so I’m glad that it was taken out of our hands and we just had to let Reese wrestle and he ended up coming out with the escape.”

Greenman was also pleased with Stiles’ performance, unsure how he’d come back after missing time due to injury and not wrestling in a dual meet since mid-January. Dropping a 3-0 decision to eventual champ Bryce Barclay (Ridgway) in one semi while Kane’s Noah Blankenship stunned top-seeded Kai Sorbin in the other, Stiles ended up facing the Brookville junior, who eased to a 12-2 major decision to earn the bronze.

“For Trey, that’s a complete style mismatch, to get a guy that’s really, really good on top and can really control your hands,” Greenman said. “He doesn’t do anything too exciting, just wrestles a solid, controlled match, and that kind of hurts Trey. He wasn’t able to get into his shots like he likes to, he wasn’t able to move on his feet until the third period. Once he got down and Kai started running some tilts, he got in trouble. But he still wrestled a good match and competed to the end, which is what we ask all our kids to do. Don’t give up, even if you’re down 10, 11, 12 points.”

Three other Port grapplers fell just short of qualifying, dropping tough matches in the consolation semifinals. Junior Payton Caden ran up against returning state qualifier Blake Passarelli, the second seed at 113, with the Curwensville sophomore earning a 7-1 decision. Freshman Montgomery Tanner also saw a No. 2 seed in the consi semis, as Coudersport’s Trevor Olney got the pin to advance. And at 132, an upset in the semis dropped top-seeded Bradford junior Tyler Thompson into the wrestlebacks, where he downed Port sophomore Issac Smoker.

“We had a couple bad-luck draws, where we needed to win the first match to be able to go and it didn’t fall our way,” Greenman said. “But it’s a learning experience, and everybody that wrestled here is going to be back next year, so that’s a great sign for us. We don’t have to say goodbye to any kids after they lose their last varsity match. It’s really, really nice that we get all of our kids back, and we get a really good group of eighth-graders coming up next year.”

Two-time defending Allegheny Mountain League champion Coudersport finished second to Brookville, which won its fourth consecutive D-9 crown, with 170-pound champion Isaac Wright leading Arnold, Olney, and five other Falcons (David Kudrick, Dustin Kudrick, Julian Smith, Eli Ayers, Corey Thompson) into Sharon. Bradford 145-pounder Dillon Keane won the only other AML gold in the Owls’ first foray into the Class AA division and will join his teammate Tyler Thompson, while Kane (Blankenship, Alec English, Aiden Hulings, Teddy Race, Ty Stahli), Oswayo Valley (Pesock, Isaiah Barney, Grant West), Smethport (Akete Kindle), and Johnsonburg (Devon Norlin) will also be represented.

District 9 Class AA Championships
At Clearfield, Feb. 24-25:
Brookville (Bkv) 242, Coudersport (Cou) 144, Ridgway (Rdg) 142.5, Kane 96.5, Brockway (Bkw) 81, Curwensville (Cv) 73, Cranberry (Cr) 64, Redbank Valley (RV) 63, Port Allegany (PA) 62, Bradford (Brad) 60.5, Clarion (Cl) 56, Oswayo Valley (OV) 50.5, Johnsonburg (J) 41, Keystone (Key) 30, Smethport (Sm) 28, Sheffield (Sh) 13, Cameron County 0.

Championship Finals:
106: Anthony Glasl (Bkw) 3:46 Zach Holland (Cv)
113: Keelan Kunselman (Bkv) 7-5 Kyle Bush (Rdg)
120: Gavin Park (Bkv) 1:11 Hunter Martz (RV)
126: Bryce Barclay (Rdg) 3-0 Noah Blankenship (Kane)
132: Lukas McClain (Rdg) 11-0 Devon Norlin (J)
138: Logen McClain (Rdg) 3-1 David Kudrick (Cou)
145: Dillon Keane (Brad) 4-2 Alec English (Kane)
152: Caleb Hetrick (Bkv) 7-6 Aiden Hulings (Kane)
160: Jacob Kallenborn (PA) 4-3 Gage Arnold (Cou)
170: Isaac Wright (Cou) 2-1 Garrett McClintick (Bkw)
182: Noah Cieleski (Bkv) TF 15-0 5:49 Kaleb Witherite (Cv)
195: Xavier Molnar (Bkv) 0:55 Tyler Van Tassel (Key)
220: Tyler Cook (Bkv) 8-1 Tom Wurster (Cl)
285: Colton McClain (Rdg) 5-4 UTB Stephen McClure (Cv)

Third-place matches:
106: Reese Vollmer (PA) 4-3 UTB Dylan Pesock (OV)
113: Blake Passarelli (Cv) 8-3 Mason Songer (RV)
120: Trevor Olney (Cou) 2:52 Luke Tomaski (Rdg)
126: Kai Sorbin (Bkv) 12-2 Trey Stiles (PA)
132: Dontae Constable (Bkv) 2-1 Tyler Thompson (Brad)
138: Isaiah Barney (OV) 4-2 C.J. Shreffler (Cr)
145: Josh Hancock (Cr) 6-2 Dustin Kudrick (Cou)
152: Mike LeFay (Cl) 4-3 Julian Smith (Cou)
160: Caleb Peace (Bkv) 4-3 Teddy Race (Kane)
170: Braden MacBeth (Bkv) 2-1 UTB Akete Kindle (Sm)
182: Eli Ayers (Cou) 2-1 Grant West (OV)
195: Ty Stahli (Kane) 2-0 Ben Smith (Cl)
220: Corey Thompson (Cou) 9-7 Justin Smith (Bkw)
285: Timmy McCauley (Cr) 10-7 Colby Whitehill (Bkv)

Port/Coudy/OV first-round matchups at regionals:
106: 9-3 Reese Vollmer (Port Allegany, SO, 29-6) vs. 10-2 Steve McGarvie (Fort LeBoeuf, SR, 32-6)
106: 9-4 Dylan Pesock (Oswayo Valley, JR, 22-5) vs. 10-5 10-5 Logan Jaquay (Eisenhower, FR, 26-12)
– winner to face 10-1 Beau Bayless (Reynolds, SO, 27-4 )

120: 9-3 Trevor Olney (Coudersport, SR, 25-11) vs. 10-2 Kenneth Kiser (Saegertown, FR, 36-7)

126: 9-4 Treyton Stiles (Port Allegany, JR, 14-6) vs. 10-5 Aiden Thompson (Hickory, JR, 23-14)
– winner to face 10-1 Tye Varndell (Cambridge Springs, SO, 33-3)

138: 9-2 David Kudrick (Coudersport, JR, 30-7) vs. 10-3 Hunter Wagner (Titusville, SR, 30-4 )
138: 9-3 Isaiah Barney (Oswayo Valley, SO, 25-6) vs. 10-2 Mike Doerflinger (Slippery Rock, JR, 21-4 )

145: 9-4 Dustin Kudrick (Coudersport, JR, 28-10) vs. 10-5 Cole Ruffo (Hickory, JR, 26-12)
– winner to face 10-1 John Mott (Commodore Perry, SR, 32-5)

152: 9-4 Julian Smith (Coudersport, JR, 8-5) vs. 10-5 Spencer Head (Eisenhower, JR, 31-6)
– winner to face 10-1 Cameron Prebble (Sharpsville, JR, 30-4 )

160: 10-4 Dylan Proper (Maplewood, JR, 27-8) vs. 10-6 Gavin Henry (Union City, SO, 23-9)
– winner to face 9-1 Jacob Kallenborn (Port Allegany, JR, 28-4)
160: 9-2 Gage Arnold (Coudersport, SR, 34-1) vs. 10-3 Joe Galvin (Iroquois, JR, 28-4)

170: 10-4 Nick Enos (Sharpsville, SR, 30-9) vs. 10-6 Jarrett Ruhl (Saegertown, SR, 28-19)
– winner to face 9-1 Isaac Wright (Coudersport, JR, 28-9)

182: 9-3 Elijah Ayers (Coudersport, SO, 29-8) vs. 10-2 Julian Gorring (Fort LeBoeuf, SO, 35-6)
182: 9-4 Grant West (Oswayo Valley, SR, 20-8) vs. 10-5 Khalil Messai (Jamestown, JR, 30-4)
– winner to face 10-1 Cody Mulligan (Saegertown, JR, 39-3)

220: 9-3 Corey Thompson (Coudersport, SR, 27-10) vs. 10-2 Tyler Zebrovious Lakeview, JR, 28-6

Gators, rest of AML ready to take the mat for D-9 wrestling

After wrapping up the regular-season with a 51-18 takedown of Smethport on the Hubbers’ mat last Wednesday, a pair of 2016 Northwest Regional qualifiers, Jake Kallenborn and Trey Stiles, will lead the Port Allegany wrestling team into this weekend’s District IX Class AA individual championships at Clearfield High School.

Both Gator juniors finished fourth at districts last season to earn their first trip to Sharon, where Kallenborn (25-4, 68-26 career) won a consi match before bowing out and Stiles (11-4, 49-24 career) shocked eventual state medalist Ryan Carlson with a first-period near-fall before the Brockway senior recovered to win by decision.
With Bradford High dropping from Class AAA to AA this season, ten other Allegheny Mountain League grapplers will seek another shot at regionals, with the Owls’ Tyler Thompson and Dillon Keane joining Oswayo Valley’s Dylan Pesock and Grant West, Kane’s Alec English, Johnsonburg’s Devon Norlin, and the quartet of Trevor Olney, Dustin Kudrick, Julian Smith and Gage Arnold from two-time league champion Coudersport.

Defending state champion Brookville seeks its fourth consecutive D-9 title and sixth in the last seven years, while Port (9-11 overall, 6-2 AML) hopes to match its fourth-place finishes from 2015-16. The tournament will get underway with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25, followed by first and second-round consolation matches. The Class AAA wrestlers take the mat at 9:30 Saturday morning, while Class AA action will resume at 10:30 a.m. with semifinals and third and fourth-round consis. The Parade of Champions for both classes and District IX Hall of Fame induction is set for 3:30 that afternoon, with medal-round matches beginning at 4 p.m.

Ticket prices will be $6/adults and $3/students for each session, or $18/adults and $9/students for the entire championship.

106: Fourth-seeded Port sophomore Reese Vollmer (26-5) opens against No. 5 Ben Westerburg (Kane, fr., 16-5) in the quarterfinals, with the winner likely facing top seed Anthony Glasl (Brockway, fr., 26-6) in the semis. Vollmer downed Westerburg 6-0 in January.
AML: (2) Dylan Pesock (Oswayo Valley, jr., 19-3) vs. (15) Gary Emerick (Ridgway, fr., 14-11); (9) Chris Davis (Coudersport, fr., 6-22) vs. (8) Parker Fleming (Brookville, fr., 14-15); (16) Bryent Johnson (Smethport, fr., 19-5) vs. Glasl. Vollmer decisioned Johnson twice and decked Davis in 0:14, but lost 9-2 to Pesock, the returning D-9 fourth-place finisher, on Feb. 8.

113: The top two seeds in this eight-man bracket are both returning state qualifiers, with reigning D-9 106-pound champ Keelan Kunselman (Brookville, sr., 24-10) first and Curwensville’s Blake Passarelli (so., 24-3) second. Fifth-seeded Port junior Payton Caden (18-11) could see Kunselman in the semis if he gets past No. 4 Mason Songer (Redbank Valley, so., 17-6) in his first match.
AML: (6) Caden Smead (Sheffield, fr., 16-9) vs. (3) Kyle Bush (Ridgway, jr., 23-2); (7) Donovan Olney (Coudy, so., 16-14) vs. Passarelli. Caden pinned Olney in their only meeting; three of his losses were to Bush, who finished third at 106 last year to move on to regionals, with another to Passarelli in the Fred Bell Tournament.

120: Two-time state qualifier Gavin Park (Brookville, sr., 32-3) tops this bracket, with fifth-seeded Gator freshman Montgomery Tanner (16-10) drawing No. 4 Ridgway sophomore Luke Tomaski (11-11) in the quarters to determine Park’s likely opponent.
AML: (2) Trevor Olney (Coudy, sr., 22-10) vs. (7) Mason Gasper (Curwensville, so., 6-6); (6) Kole Holden (Sheffield, sr., 22-9) vs. (3) Hunter Martz (Redbank Valley, so., 18-11); (16) Patrick Rounsville (OV, so., 3-9) vs. Park. Tanner pinned Holden and Rounsville, lost via pin to Tomaski and was tech-falled by 2016 regional qualifier Olney during their dual-meet matchups.

126: The top seed is Brookville junior Kai Sorbin (23-10), who edged Stiles in last year’s 120-pound third-place match. Stiles, seeded third, will open his tournament against No. 14 Travis Crate (Cranberry, jr., 9-18).
AML: (4) Noah Blankenship (Kane, so., 17-5) vs. (13) Colton Gietler (OV, fr., 9-10), with the winner to face (5) Colby Keane (Bradford, fr., 20-5); (6) Aristotle Smith (Coudy, fr., 10-12) vs. (11) Jacob Disshon (Sheffield, fr., 9-16). Blankenship and Stiles split their two matches this season.

132: Bradford junior Tyler Thompson (26-3), the Class AAA runner-up at 126 last season, is the top seed. Port sophomore Issac Smoker (11-11) is sixth, and will open against third-seeded Dontae Constable (Brookville, jr., 19-12) in the quarters.
AML: (4) Devon Norlin (Johnsonburg, jr., 20-8) vs. either (5) Dawson Wilson (RV, sr., 15-12) or (12) Ethan Collins (Curwensville, sr., 3-8); (7) Nate Asp (Kane, fr., 12-10) vs. (10) Thomas Wilson (Coudy, fr., 7-17); (9) David Duell (OV, so., 5-9) vs. (8) Frank Weber (Clarion, jr., 18-10); (16) Ethan Fields (Cameron Co., so., 6-11) vs. Thompson. Smoker split two matches against Asp, and lost via decision to Thompson and Wilson.

138: Last year’s 132-pound silver medalist, Logen McClain (Ridgway, jr., 26-3), is the top seed. Port freshman Josh Rees (9-17), seeded 15th, will face No. 2 David Kudrick (Coudy, jr., 27-6) in the first round.
AML: (3) Isaiah Barney (OV, so., 21-5) vs. (14) Bryce Grecco (Brockway, so., 3-10); (7) Kyle Hartman (Bradford, so., 9-9) vs. (10) Jacob Cable (Brookville, so., 5-20); (8) Alex Sanderson (Smethport, jr., 11-9) vs. (9) Cole Bressler (Curwensville, so., 10-14); (11) Albert Haynes (CC, fr., 2-14) vs. (6) Colton Mohney (RV, sr., 15-8); (12) Cameron Whisner (Kane, fr., 5-10) vs. (5) Ryley McMaster (Clarion, jr., 17-12); (13) Tyler Dembinski (Sheffield, sr., 4-8) vs. (4) C.J. Shreffler (Cranberry, so., 18-10); (16) Josh Calla (Johnsonburg, so., 6-18) vs. McClain. Rees, who bumped up to 145 pounds for most of the season, majored Whisner while losing via pin to McClain and Kudrick.

145: Once-beaten Bradford sophomore Dillon Keane takes over as the top seed in this bracket, which was most recently ruled by Smethport two-time regional champ and PIAA medalist Jimmy Duffy. Keane will face Port freshman Devon Smoker (10-14) in the first round.
AML: (3) Alec English (Kane, so., 14-4) vs. (14) Bryce Walter (Brookville, so., 7-5); (4) Tyler Watts (Johnsonburg, fr., 17-10) vs. (13) Kevin Marfink (Sheffield, fr., 8-18); (5) Dustin Kudrick (Coudy, jr., 26-8) vs. (12) Billy Urmann (Ridgway, jr., 1-12); (11) William Russell (OV, jr., 11-8) vs. (6) Travis Crawford (RV, so., 17-15). Smoker lost via fall to Crawford at the Fred Bell Tournament.

152: Last year’s runner-up, Brookville junior Caleb Hetrick (33-3), is the top seed.
AML: (2) Aiden Hulings (Kane, so., 20-3) vs. (7) Jonathan Francis (Ridgway, sr., 15-12) or (10) Angelo Inzana (Brockway, jr., 9-8); (4) Julian Smith (Coudy, jr., 6-3) vs. (5) Jake Zimmerman (Johnsonburg, jr., 16-8) or (12) Simon Peter Couls (OV, jr., 4-16); (6) Jaron Ambrose (Bradford, so., 19-7) vs. (11) Cody Marfink (Sheffield, sr., 6-15).

160: With last year’s top two finishers at this weight, champion Paul Zacherl and Mac Tanner, now teammates at Clarion University, the No. 1 seed is unbeaten Coudy senior Gage Arnold (31-0). The second seed is Kallenborn, whose only two losses in D-9 this season have been via 3-1 and 7-2 decisions to Arnold. The Port junior will face either (7) Eric Johnson (Brockway, fr., 15-12) or (10) Eben Wry (Cranberry, fr., 4-8) in the quarterfinals.
AML: (5) Teddy Race (Kane, fr., 19-7) vs. (4) Clayton Peace (Brookville, sr., 14-9) or (13) Derek Sunafrank (Bradford, fr., 15-11); (6) Joey Elinski (Johnsonburg, jr., 12-5) vs. (11) Josh Summers (CC, so., 4-9); (16) Brent Rodney (Sheffield, fr., 2-3) vs. Arnold. Kallenborn tech-falled Elinski and majored Sunafrank during their AML matches.

170: Garrett McClintick (Brockway, so., 24-6) is the top seed. Port sophomore Wayne Shelley (7-7), seeded ninth, will open against No. 8 Jesse York (Cranberry, so., 18-11).
AML: (2) Akete Kindle (Smethport, sr., 21-4) vs. (15) Matt Berger (Johnsonburg, so., 6-18); (3) Isaac Wright (Coudy, jr., 24-9) vs. (14) Adam Sicher (Kane, so., 2-4); (4) Kevin Evans (Sheffield, jr., 17-11) vs. (13) Caleb Pifer (CC, so., 6-11); (10) Nate Shroyer (OV, sr., 11-6) vs. (7) Braden MacBeth (Brookville, so., 3-8). Shelley decisioned Pifer, and lost to Wright via injury default.

182: Brookville senior Noah Cielski (27-6) is back to defend his title, while the Gators will wait to see if senior Rob Arnett (16-7) can return from injury. If Arnett is ready to go, he’ll face fourth-seeded Redbank Valley junior Logan Minich (18-8) in the first round.
AML: (2) Eli Ayers (Coudy, so., 25-7) vs. (15) Eric Botwright (Brockway, sr., 6-11); (6) Grant West (OV, sr., 18-6) vs. (3) Kaleb Witherite (Curwensville, sr., 21-7); (8) Hunter Gray (Bradford, jr., 3-19) vs. either Cielski or (16) Nolan Nudd (Sheffield, so., 5-3); (10) Shayne Westfall (Smethport, fr., 8-3) vs. (7) Dylan Saltsgiver (Cranberry, so., 13-14). Arnett pinned Gray, and lost via decision to West, last year’s bronze medalist, and Ayers.

195: Brookville junior Xavier Molnar (30-6), last year’s 170-pound champ, is the top seed.
AML: (5) Matt Stratton (Smethport, jr., 16-8) vs. (4) Pierce Yahner (Brockway, jr., 5-12); (6) Ty Stahli (Kane, so., 16-7) vs. (3) Ben Smith (Clarion, fr., 16-8); (10) Troy McKeone (Coudy, sr., 12-13) vs. (7) Gavin Shilling (RV, 2-4).

220: With the Gators’ two-time champion Ethan Budd continuing his career at Gannon University, last year’s runner-up, Brookville junior Tyler Cook (32-4), moves up to the No. 1 line.
AML: (2) Corey Thompson (Coudy, sr., 24-9) vs. (7) Austin McCracken (Bradford, so., 9-12); (11) Michael Vandergrift (OV, so., 8-12) vs. (6) Dasan Manross (Cranberry, so., 7-5); (14) Dakota Menteer (Kane, jr., 3-5) vs. (3) Tom Wurster (Clarion, jr., 19-8).

285: The 2016 bronze medalist, Ridgway senior Colton McClain (23-3), is the top seed. Port junior Brock Veilleux (1-21), seeded 15th, opens against No. 2 Timmy McCauley (Cranberry, jr., 14-5).
AML: (4) Billy Morrison (OV, sr., 14-8) vs. (13) Thomas McGuire (Kane, sr., 7-6), with the winner to face (5) Nick Knowles (Sheffield, so., 20-8); (7) Brendon Dickenson (Smethport, sr., 16-7) vs. (10) Jeff Gunn (Coudy, jr., 11-18); (9) Zach Hodgdon (Johnsonburg, jr., 6-13) vs. (8) Hayden Thompson (Brockway, so., 10-9); (11) Timmy Hasselman (CC, fr., 2-14) vs. (6) Colby Whitehill (Brookville, fr., 8-2). Veilleux lost via decision to Hodgdon and Morrison, and was pinned by McClain, Gunn, and Dickenson in league action.