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District 9 Wrestling Championships Taking Place Friday and Saturday

HYDE, Pa. – The District 9 Class 2A and 3A (with District 4) individual wrestling championships will take place Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23, at Clearfield High School.

Class 2A action starts with Session 1 at 4:30 p.m. Friday and will include the preliminary round, quarterfinal round and consolation rounds 1 and 2.

Action will continue in 2A Saturday with Session 2 at 10:30 a.m. with the semifinals and consolation rounds three and four.

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The final session, Session 3, will begin with the Parade of Champions and Hall of Fame Ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Saturday followed by the championship bouts and the consolation finals at 4 p.m.

All the action in Class 3A will take place Saturday.

Session 1 will start at 9 a.m. and include the preliminary, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds as well as rounds 1 and 2 of the consolation and the consolation fifth- and sixth-place matches.

Session 2 will start at 4:15 p.m. with the Parade of Champions and Hall of Fame Ceremony with the finals and consolation finals getting underway at 4:45 p.m.

Tickets for Class 2A cost $3 for students and $6 for adults with a student series, which includes all series, costing $9, and an adult series costing $18.

The same prices are in play for the Class 3A tournament.

CLASS 2A PREVIEWS

This season only Brookville and Redbank Valley will be fielding complete squads of 14 wrestlers, while Brockway and Port Allegany have 13 grapplers entered and Kane and Sheffield are at 12 apiece.

No weight classes feature a full complement of wrestlers 13, though 152 pounds comes closest with 12. There are 11 grapplers at 132, 138, 160, 170, and 195 pounds. Two brackets, 126 and 145 pounds, have 10 wrestlers.

Brockway has eight top three seeds, with Anthony Glasl (126 pounds), Garrett McClintick (182 pounds), and Eric Johnson (195 pounds) sitting atop their respective brackets.

Redbank Valley has seven seeded in the top three, but only one first seed, Ethan Wiant at 132 pounds. Brookville and Kane both have six wrestlers seeded in the top three and three in the top spot. Owen Reinsel (106 pounds), Elliot Park (170 pounds), and Colby Whitehill (285 pounds) are Brookville’s first seeded wrestlers. Kane’s Noah Blankenship (138 pounds), Alec English (160 pounds), and Ty Stahli (220 pounds) are first seeds. Port Allegany has five seeded in the top three, including top-seeded Reese Vollmer (113 pounds), Braedon Johnson (120 pounds), and Isaac Smoker (145 pounds). Johnsonburg only has four wrestlers seeded in the top three, but one of those is the first seeded 152-pounder Cole Casilio.

The top four place winners in each weight class will advance to the regional tournament on March 1-2 in Sharon.

Here are the seedings going into the tournament:

106 pounds:

1. Owen Reinsel (27-3) – Brookville
2. Bryent Johnson (19-4) – Port Allegany
3. Mark Palmer (25-7) – Brockway
4. Ridge Cook (20-8) – Redbank Valley
5. Alex Bechakas (17-8) – Kane

Reinsel is the 13th-ranked 106-pounder in the state and second in the NW Region according to PA Power Wrestling (PAPW). Johnson, a junior, is the returning champion in this class and the only non-freshman in the bracket. A state qualifier in 2018, PAPW has him ranked 14th in the state and third in the NW Region. Palmer and Cook carry regional rankings into the tournament, seventh and 12th, respectively in the Northwest.

113 pounds:

1. Reese Vollmer (24-2) – Port Allegany
2. Trenten Rupp (19-8) – Redbank Valley
3. Cayden Walter (23-7) – Brookville
4. Dillon Illerbrun (17-10) – Kane
5. Ben Cornish (7-10) – Coudersport

With only five wrestlers in this weight class, Vollmer, a senior, is assured a trip to regionals according to the way the bracket is currently set up. In 2018 he was second in the district in this class and third at 106 pounds in 2017. Vollmer is ranked 20th in the state by PAPW, fourth in the Northwest Region. Rupp, Walter, and Illerbrun are all sophomores. Rupp, ranked 12th in the region, finished third at 106 pounds last season. PAPW has Walter ranked 11th in the region. Cornish is a freshman.

120 pounds:

1. Braedon Johnson (28-1) – Port Allegany
2. Brayden Altobelli (23-6) – Redbank Valley
3. Dom Inzana (20-4) – Brockway
4. Login Dehner (19-7) – Clarion
5. Zane Malogrino (8-15) – Oswayo Valley

The younger of the Johnson brothers, Breadon was fourth in the 120-pound weight class last season. PAPW has this sophomore ranked 15th statewide and third in the region. Altobelli wrestled a lot of this season at 126 pounds but has dropped down a weight class for the postseason. His rankings reflect this recent change, as PAPW has him 26th in the state and sixth in the region at 126 pounds. Altobelli, a senior, finished fourth at 120 pounds last season. Inzana, a sophomore, has moved up to 120 pounds after wrestling this season at 113 pounds. At 113 pounds he is ranked 22nd in the state and sixth in the Northwest Region by PAPW. Dehner, currently the fifth-ranked 120-pounder in the region, is looking to end his final season in the orange and black with his first trip to regionals. Malogrino is a sophomore.

126 pounds:

1. Anthony Glasl (28-1) – Brockway
2. Blake Passarelli (22-5) – Curwensville
3. Mason Songer (27-3) – Redbank Valley
4. Parker Fleming (10-16) – Brookville
5. Isaiah Caden (5-3) – Port Allegany

The 126-pound class features three state qualifiers, Glasl, Passarelli, and Songer. Glasl, a two-time district champion, took the title at 120 pounds in 2018 and at 106 pounds in 2017. The junior has made three trips to states, finishing sixth his freshman year. PAPW has Glasl ranked 10th statewide and second in the region. Passarelli, a senior, won the 113-pound weight class last year. He finished third at 113 pounds in 2017 and second at 106 pounds in 2016. A three-time state qualifier, Passarelli’s best finish was eighth last year. He is ranked fourth in the state by PAPW and first in the Northwest. Songer is also a senior and no stranger to success at the district-level, having taken fourth at 113 as both a sophomore and junior. He made his first trip to states last season. Songer wrestled most of the season at 120 pounds, is ranked 6th in the Northwest Region but has bumped up for a postseason run. Fleming is a junior. Caden, a sophomore, was fourth at 106 pounds in 2018.

132 pounds:

1. Ethan Wiant (28-6) – Redbank Valley
2. Cabe Park (12-5) – Brookville
3. Nolan Shaffer (24-8) – Johnsonburg
4. Eli Petruzzi (25-7) – Port Allegany
5. Garret Park (14-12) – Brockway

Wiant, a junior, is ranked 27 in the state and fifth in the region by PAPW. Cabe Park spent most of an injury-shortened season at 126 pounds, where PAPW has him ranked 28th in the state and eighth in the Northwest Region. The senior was the district runner-up at 120 pounds in 2018. Shaffer, a sophomore, and Petruzzi, a junior, are regionally ranked 11th and 12th, respectively. Garret Park is a freshman.

138 pounds:

1. Noah Blankenship (23-6) – Kane
2. Tino Inzana (15-9) – Brockway
3. Hunter Martz (5-5) – Redbank Valley
4. Dalton Stahli (12-3) – Johnsonburg
5. Wyatt Kulik (17-12) – Brookville

Each of the top four seeds has qualified for regionals at least once, with Blankenship and Martz making the trip twice. Blankenship was third at 132 pounds in 2018 and second at 126 pounds in 2017. PAPW has the senior ranked fifth in the Northwest Region. Inzana, also a senior, is ranked ninth in the region. He finished fourth at 138 pounds as a junior. Martz’s senior season has been injury-plagued. In 2017 he took second at 120 pounds and was runner-up at 126 pounds in 2018. Stahli, a sophomore, is 10th ranked in the region and placed fourth at 126 pounds as a freshman. Kulik, a junior, is ranked 11th in the Northwest Region.

145 pounds:

1. Isaac Smoker (23-4) – Port Allegany
2. Colton Gietler (21-8) – Oswayo Valley
3. Zach Holland (2-0) – Curwensville
4. Camron Marciniak (14-3) – Johnsonburg
5. Cody Hetrick (10-14) – Brookville

Smoker, a senior, qualified for regionals after placing fourth in this weight class a year ago. PAPW has him ranked 13th statewide and second regionally. Holland, a junior, finished fourth at 132 pounds in 2018 and second at 106 pounds in 2017. Gietler and Hetrick are juniors, Marciniak is the only freshman in the weight class.

152 pounds:

1. Cole Casilio (30-2) – Johnsonburg
2. Aiden Hulings (23-3) – Kane
3. Cutter Boggess (19-8) – Clarion
4. Jacob Cable (16-12) – Brookville
5. Jacob Wickett (10-10) – Ridgway

Casilio, a sophomore, is ranked 17th in the state and fourth in the Northwest Region by PAPW. Hulings was third at 160 pounds a season ago and second at 152 in 2017 when he was a state qualifier. The senior is ranked seventh in Pennsylvania and third in the region. Boggess is a sophomore, Wickett a junior, and Cable a senior.

160 pounds:

1. Alec English (25-1) – Kane
2. Noah Bash (23-7) – Brockway
3. Isaac Zimmerman (24-7) – Johnsonburg
4. Cole Bressler (13-9) – Curwensville
5. Thomas Wilson (13-10) – Coudersport

English, a senior, has made it to regionals the past three seasons. In 2016 he was third at 138 pounds, in 2017 he was the 145-pound runner-up, and in 2018 he won the 152-pound weight class. English qualified for states in 2017. He is currently ranked fourth statewide and first in the region. Bash, a sophomore, is ranked ninth in the Northwest Region at 160 pounds. Zimmerman is a sophomore, Wilson a junior, and Bressler a senior.

170 pounds:

1. Elliot Park (20-10) – Brookville
2. Tyler Watts (24-5) – Johnsonburg
3. Cameron Whisner (22-7) – Kane
4. Ethan Finch (23-8) – Sheffield
5. Derek Kallenborn (17-15) – Port Allegany

A sophomore, Park finished third at 182 pounds a season ago. PAPW has him ranked 15th in the state and fourth in the region. Watts, a junior, is ranked ninth in the region; Whisner, a junior, eighth; and Finch, a sophomore, fifth. Kallenborn is a sophomore.

182 pounds:

1. Garrett McClintick (28-1) – Brockway
2. Teddy Race (15-3) – Kane
3. Hudson Martz (21-8) – Redbank Valley
4. Dalton Distrola (16-13) – Port Allegany
5. Christian Krug (10-14) – Johnsonburg

McClintick, ranked third in the state and first in the Northwest Region by PAPW, is a three-time regional qualifier. The senior was fourth in this weight class in 2016 and first in 2018, advancing to states. During his sophomore year, he was the runner-up at 170 pounds. Race, a junior, was fourth at 160 pounds as a freshman. He is ranked ninth in the region. Martz, a sophomore, is at 12th in the region. Distrola is a sophomore and Krug a junior.

195 pounds:

1. Eric Johnson (25-6) – Brockway
2. Elijah Ayers (25-2) – Coudersport
3. Justin Young (28-3) – Port Allegheny
4. Aiden Gardner (27-2) – Redbank Valley
5. Dominic Cartwright (11-9) – Kane

The top four seeds have all qualified for regionals at least one, with Ayers making the trip twice. Johnson, a junior, won the 170-pound weight class a season ago. PAPW has him ranked 12th regionally. Ayers is currently ranked seventh in the state at 182 pounds, third regionally. The senior finished second at 182 pounds in 2018, eventually qualifying for states. He was third at 182 pounds in 2017. Young, a sophomore, is 17th in the state at this weight class and sixth in the region. As a freshman, he was fourth at 182 pounds. Gardner, also a sophomore, was fourth at 220 pounds a year ago. PAPW has him ranked 17th statewide and fifth in the Northwest Region. Cartwright will be shooting for his first district placing during this, his senior season.

220 pounds:

1. Ty Stahli (22-6) – Kane
2. Tanner LaBenne (18-9) – Brookville
3. Justin Smith (11-6) – Brockway
4. Cale Ayers (20-8) – Coudersport
5. Maximus Thomas (5-2) – Sheffield

Stahli, a senior, is a two-time regional qualifier, placing fourth at 195 pounds in 2018 and third in 2017. PAPW has him at eighth in the Northwest Region. Labenne, also a senior is sixth regionally. Another senior, Smith, was fourth in the class as a sophomore. Ayers, a sophomore, is ranked ninth in the region. Thomas is also a sophomore.

285 pounds:

1. Colby Whitehill (29-0) – Brookville
2. Nick Knowles (23-4) – Sheffield
3. Kobe Bonanno (12-7) – Redbank Valley
4. Shawn Nystrom (9-6) – Kane
5. Zack Kellerman (7-6) – Clarion

Whitehill is a two-time regional qualifier and finished eighth in the state last year. The junior won this class in 2018 and was fourth in 2017. He is currently ranked fourth in the state and first in the Northwest Region. PAPW has Knowles, a senior, ranked seventh in the region. Bonanno is a sophomore and Nystrom a freshman. A senior, Kellerman never wrestled until this season.

CLASS 3A PREVIEW

This coming weekend (Feb. 22-23) six District 9 teams and three from District 4 will converge on Clearfield for the combined individual championships.

Only Cranberry and Shikellamy will be fielding complete squads of 14 wrestlers. Clearfield, DuBois, Selinsgrove and Williamsport have 13 grapplers entered with St. Marys at 10. Two weight classes have a full complement of nine wrestlers, 138 and 182 pounds. There are 8 grapplers at 132, 160, 170, 195, and 285 pounds. Clearfield has seven wrestlers seeded in the top three of the various weight classes, with John Thomas seeded first at 106 pounds, Mark McGonigal atop the 152-pound bracket, and Avery Gisewhite the first seed at 285 pounds. Both DuBois and Williamsport have six wrestlers seeded in the top three of their respective brackets. DuBois leads all teams with four first seeds: Chandler Ho (120 pounds), Trenton Donahue (126 pounds), Ed Scott (138 pounds), and Dalton Woodrow (145 pounds). Williamsport has two number one seeds, Braden Bower (113 pounds) and Anthony Robinson (160 pounds). Selinsgrove has five top three seeds, with Coy Bastian, (170 pounds), Blaise Zeiders (195 pounds), and Nate Schon (220 pounds) in the first position of their brackets. Cranberry also has five wrestlers seeded in the top three, but no number ones. Punxsutawney can lay claim to a first seed (Garrett Eddy at 182 pounds), as can Shikellamy (Cade Balestrini at 132 pounds).
The top five place winners in each weight class will advance to the regional tournament on March 1-2 in Altoona. What follows is a presentation of the top five seeds in each bracket with a brief discussion.

106 pounds:

1. John Thomas (9-2) – Clearfield
2. Jacob Umstead (19-6) – Cranberry
3. Austin Stugert (12-15) – Williamsport
4. Lane Dellaquila (10-8) – St. Marys
5. Kam Stevenson (11-14) – DuBois

Stugart, a sophomore, finished fourth in this weight class a season ago. Umstead, the only junior in the bracket, is ranked fourth in the Northwest Region by PA Power Wrestling (PAPW). Thomas is a senior, while Delliquilla and Stevenson are both sophomores.

113 pounds:

1. Braden Bower (29-2) – Williamsport
2. Aiden Gaugler (23-9) – Selinsgrove
3. Nolan Barr (17-12) – Clearfield
4. Ben Skarbek (14-13) – Punxsutawney
5. Damien Wolfe (7-17) – Shikellamy

This is one of the smaller brackets, with only six wrestlers entered. Bower, a freshman, is ranked 10th in the state and first in the Northwest Region by PAPW. Gaugler, also a freshman, is regionally ranked at sixth. Wolfe, a junior, is the elder statesman of the bracket and finished third at 106 pounds in 2018. Barr is a freshman, Skarbeck a sophomore.

120 pounds:

1. Chandler Ho (20-9) – DuBois
2. Riley Bower (29-8) – Williamsport
3. Karson Kline (21-13) – Clearfield
4. CJ Boyer (15-14) – Selinsgrove
5. Evan Hepler (8-11) – Cranberry

Another six wrestler bracket. Ho won the 106-pound weight class last season. PAPW has the sophomore ranked 24th in the state and fifth in the region. Bower, a freshman, is ranked 14th in Pennsylvania and second in the Northwest. Kline is a freshman, Hepler a sophomore, and Boyer a senior.

126 pounds:

1. Trenton Donahue (27-4) – DuBois
2. Carter Dawson (18-5) – Williamsport
3. Carter Stanley (16-9) – Cranberry
4. Luke Freeland (18-14) – Clearfield
5. Marco Paropacic (10-9) – St. Marys

Donahue won the 106-pound weight class in 2017 as part of his run to states. The junior is ranked ninth in the state by PAPW and first in the Northwest Region. PAPW has Dawson, a freshman, at 21st in the state and fourth in the region. Stanley, who previously wrestled for Oil City, is a two-time regional qualifier in District 10. A junior, he finished second at 106 pounds in 2017 and third at 120 pounds in 2018. Paropacic, a sophomore, was second at 106 pounds last season. Freeland is a freshman.

132 pounds:

1. Cade Balestrini (26-2) – Shikellamy
2. Tyler Dilley (27-3) – St. Marys
3. Mitchell Rossey (19-4) – Cranberry
4. Shawn Matthews (20-7) – Selinsgrove
5. Roman Morrone (10-15) – Williamsport

The top four seeds have all qualified for regionals at least once. Balestrini, a junior, is a two-time state qualifier, placing second at districts in both 2017 (113 pounds) and 2018 (126 pounds). He’s ranked sixth in the state and first in the region. Dilley has advanced to regionals twice, in 2016 after winning at 106 pounds and in 2017 after taking second at 120 pounds. He was a state qualifier in 2017 as well. Dilley finds himself ranked 10th in the state by PAPW and second in the Northwest Region. Rossey is another two-time regional qualifier, making his mark in District 10 when he wrestled for Oil City. He finished third at 126 pounds and 132 pounds in 2017 and 2018, respective. A senior, Rossey is regionally ranked seventh. Matthews, a senior, qualified for regionals last season after placing third in this weight class. Morrone is a freshman.

138 pounds:

1. Ed Scott (29-0) – DuBois
2. Jude Pallo (18-7) – Clearfield
3. Tylor Herzing (13-6) – St. Marys
4. Teague Hoover (15-8) – Selinsgrove
5. Dan Smith (9-17) – Punxsutawney

Scott, a junior, made trips to states in both his freshman and sophomore campaigns, finish third in 2017. He is a two-time district’s winner, claiming the 113-pound title in 2017 and taking the championship at 126 in 2018. PAPW has him ranked second at both the state and regional levels. Pallo is ranked sixth in the Northwest Region by PAPW. The junior placed fourth at 113 pounds in 2016 and third at 126 pounds in 2018. Herzing, a junior, placed at districts twice, second at 106 pounds as a freshman and third at 120 pounds during his sophomore season. Hoover is a freshman, Smith a junior.

145 pounds:

1. Dalton Woodrow (27-3) – DuBois
2. Caleb Freeland (23-8) – Clearfield
3. Drew Balestrini (23-6) – Shikellamy
4. DJ Clark (13-8) – Cranberry
5. Nick Crisp (12-6) – St. Marys

Woodrow has won districts three times and made it two states twice (2016, 2017). He captured his first district title in 2016 at 113 pounds, his second in 2017 at 120 pounds, and his third last season at 132 pounds. PAPW ranks the senior 19th in the state and second in the region. Freeland is ranked eighth regionally. The senior placed second at 152 pounds a year ago. A sophomore, Balestrini is ranked sixth regionally. Clark is a senior, Crips a sophomore. This is another six-person bracket.

152 pounds:

1. Mark McGonigal (25-7) – Clearfield
2. Johnny Wittman (17-8) – St. Marys
3. CJ Shreffler (15-10) – Cranberry
4. Owen Mahon (11-11) – Williamsport
5. Gauge Gulvas (11-12) – DuBois

A freshman, McGonigal is currently ranked 24th in the state and third in the region at 160 pounds. Wittman, a junior, finished third at 138 pounds last season. Shreffler, the only senior in the bracket, advanced to regionals last season after placing fourth at AA districts in the 138-pound class. Mahon and Gulvas are both juniors.

160 pounds:

1. Anthony Robinson (29-7) – Williamsport
2. Colby Keane (24-6) – Bradford
3. Garrett Starr (19-8) – DuBois
4. Dean Hollenbach (14-14) – Selinsgrove
5. Eben Wry (13-11) – Cranberry

Robinson has made the trip to regionals twice, placing fourth at districts in 2017 (152 pounds) and third at 145 pounds in 2018. The senior is ranked 25th in the state and fourth in the region. Keane, a junior, was second at 152 pounds a year ago when Bradford competed at the AA level. PAPW has him at 21st in the state and second in the region. Starr is a sophomore, while both Hollenbach and Wry are juniors.

170 pounds:

1. Coy Bastian (29-5) – Selinsgrove
2. Dillon Keane (29-0) – Bradford
3. Evan Bingaman (24-7) – Shikellamy
4. Brett Zattoni (9-19) – Clearfield
5. Jesse York (9-11) – Cranberry

Bastain won districts at 160 pounds on his way to earning a trip to Hershey a season ago. The sophomore is ranked 15 in the state and fourth in the region by PAPW. Keane, now a senior, has advanced to regionals in each of his prior three seasons. In 2016 he placed fourth at 138 pounds, while in 2017 he won the 145-pound title and finished second in the class a year ago (at the Class AA level). PAPW has him ranked 12th in the state and second regionally. Bingaman, a senior, is ranked sixth regionally. Zattoni is a junior and York a senior.

182 pounds:

1. Garrett Eddy (22-8) – Punxsutawney
2. Derek Sunafrank (24-7) – Bradford
3. Ryan Aument (18-14) – Selinsgrove
4. Jeremy Garthwaite (14-10) – St. Marys
5. Eric Schneider (12-12) – DuBois

A curious bracket. Aument, a sophomore, took third in this class last year. Schneider, a senior, is ranked eighth in the Northwest Region by PAPW and finished fourth at this weight a year ago. Eddy and Garthwaite are sophomores, while Sunafrank is a junior.

195 pounds:

1. Blasie Zeiders (29-6) – Selinsgrove
2. Brayden Crocker (23-1) – Cranberry
3. Josh Miller (18-10) – Punxsutawney
4. Oliver Billotte (10-6) – Clearfield
5. Kholten Fuller (10-15) – Bradford

Zeiders, a senior, is ranked 22nd in the state and second in the Northwest Region by PAPW. He is a two-time regional qualifier, finishing fourth at districts in 2017 and second a year ago at this weight. A freshman, Crocker is currently ranked 16th in the state and seventh regionally at 220 pounds. Billotte, also a freshman, is ranked fifth in the region. Miller is a sophomore and Fuller a senior.

220 pounds:

1. Nate Schon (31-1) – Selinsgrove
2. Adam Young (27-3) – Shikellamy
3. Jacob Schuckers (19-9) – Punxsutawney
4. Charles Crews (12-16) – Williamsport
5. Austin McCracken (3-4) – Bradford

Schon won this weight class a year ago en route to finishing eighth at states. PAPW has the sophomore at fourth in the state and second in the region. Young was runner-up to Schon last season. Also a sophomore, he is ranked 10th statewide and fourth regionally. Schuckers and McCracken are both seniors, while Crews is the only freshman in the bracket.

285 pounds:

1. Avery Gisewhite (15-15) – Clearfield
2. Alex O’Harah (22-8) – DuBois
3. Ethan Williamson (11-12) – Williamsport
4. Trey Wright (11-7) – Cranberry
5. Dylan Mazzone (9-15) – Bradford

Another curious bracket. The top three seeds have all qualified for regionals in the past. Gisewhite was fourth at 220 pounds a year ago. A senior, he is ranked sixth regionally by PAPW. O’Harah, a junior, is a two-time regional qualifier. At districts, he finished fourth at this weight in 2017 and third at 220 pounds in 2018. He is ranked seventh in the Northwest Region by PAPW. Unranked junior Williamson was third in this class last year. Wright, a junior, is ranked fifth in the region. Mazzone in one of two freshmen competing at the weight.