CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — This weekend there is a new event on the area mat schedule – the inaugural District 9 Wrestling League tournament, to be contested starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Clarion Area High School.
First-year varsity coach Braun Gourley, the headman of the new Central Clarion program, is generally considered the catalyst behind formation of the District 9 Wrestling League.
“A lot of schools that weren’t in a league were trying to create one. It includes teams in the district, minus the northern ones (who belong to the Allegheny Mountain League), and includes both 2A and 3A teams,” Gourley said. “What it does (the formation of a league) is it allows us to have a league championship, which is a one-day tournament that doesn’t count toward competition points.”
Every team in the state is allowed 22 competition points (or contests) a season. Simply put, each dual meet is counted as one point (contest), each triangular meet or individual tournament involving up to eight teams counts as two, each quadrangular meet or individual tournament involving nine or more team counts as three, and each two-day tournament counts as four.
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In addition to Central Clarion, other members of the league are Brockway, Brookville, Cranberry, DuBois, Johnsonburg, Punxsutawney, Redbank Valley, and St. Marys.
Added Gourley, “It’s another new, exciting thing in the schedule (the league championship). The goal is to get kids more matches, they get some more wrestling. Each team can enter two kids per weight class, so it’ll also give some of the junior varsity kids an opportunity to wrestle.”
Other coaches echoed Gourley.
“I see it as a good thing and appreciate the work that Coach Gourley and others put in to making it happen. It is another opportunity to get some kids some matches. We can also enter more than one athlete at a weight, which is great for the kids that don’t get on the mat as much,” said Dave Klepfer, head coach at Brookville.
Brockway head coach Troy Braddock said, “I personally think it’s great. I’m all for these kids having more mat time and being able to enter multiple kids at a weight is nice so junior varsity kids can compete as well.”
The fact that this added mat time comes without costing a team competition points is not lost on the coaches.
“It’s a great idea. It adds more matches for the wrestlers without the schools having to use points,” said Punxsutawney head coach Davd Gould. “Those points are valuable because you have to get as many matches for them (the wrestlers) as you can (during the season).”
St. Marys’ head coach Garrett Hurd concurred, “It’s beneficial to have a league tournament to get our wrestlers extra matches without going against our season point limit.”
Summarizing the sentiment of the coaches polled, Peter Greco, District 9 wrestling chairman said, “Anytime you’re offering more opportunities for kids, I feel that you are doing the right thing, you’re making the right decisions. By holding a District 9 Wrestling League tournament, having your own league, it’s just another way for kids to get opportunities to not only have more matches, but get better.”
SEEDINGS
107 Pounds
1. Aiden Thompson, Fr. (4-4) – Cranberry; 2. Gage Park, So. (3-4) – Brockway; 3. Eli Shaffer, Jr. (4-3) – Redbank Valley; 4. Cody Heller, Jr. (2-2) – Central Clarion
Ranking Notes: PA Power Wrestling (PAPW) mentions Thompson in its 2A NW regional poll (which includes Districts 9 & 10), though he is not ranked.
114 Pounds
1. Dalton Wenner, So. (8-3) – Cranberry; 2. Antonio Giambanco, So. (7-3) – DuBois; 3. Jack Neil, So. (3-5) – St. Marys; 4. Kaden Ferguson, Sr. (7-3) – Central Clarion
Ranking Notes: Wenner is first in the PAPW 2A NW regional poll and fourth in the state. Giambanco is ranked sixth in the PAPW 3A NW regional poll (which includes District 4, 6, 8, 9, & 10).
121 Pounds
1. Weston Pisarchick, Sr. (12-0) – Brockway; 2. Dysen Gould, Sr. (5-0) – Punxsutawney; 3. Jayce Watler, So. (10-5) – St. Marys; 4. Daniel Evans, Sr. (9-5) – Redbank Valley
Ranking Notes: Pisarchick is ranked second in the PAPW 2A NW regional poll and sixth in the state. Walter is ranked seventh in the 2A NW region. Gould is ranked second in PAPW’s 3A regional rankings and 19th statewide.
127 Pounds
1. Elijah Brosius, Jr. (8-4) – Cranberry; 2. Aiden Beimel, Jr. (15-0) – St. Marys; 3. Jared Popson, Sr. (10-4) – Brookville; 4. Owen Tambulin-Lang, Sr. (8-4) – St. Marys
Ranking Notes: Brosius is ranked first in the PAPW 2A NW regional poll and eighth in the state, while Beimel is second regionally and 10th in Pennsylvania. Popson is mentioned in the 2A regional poll, though not ranked.
133 Pounds
1. Samson Deeb, So. (7-3) – DuBois; 2. Jordan Ruton, So. (7-3) – Punxsutawney; 3. Colton Ross, Jr. (12-1) – Brockway; 4. Konnor Meyer, Fr. (7-5) – St. Marys
Ranking Notes: Ruton is ranked fourth in the 3A regional poll and Deeb seventh. Ross is mentioned but not ranked in the PAPW regional poll.
139 Pounds
1. Dane Wenner, Jr. (6-5) – Cranberry; 2. Davey Aughenbaugh, Sr. (7-2) – DuBois; 3. Parker Pisarchick, Jr. (10-2) – Brockway; 4.Rocco Allegretto, Fr. (11-5) – Johnsonburg
Ranking Notes: PAPW has Pisarchick ranked second in the 2A NW regional poll and seventh statewide. Wenner is third in the 2A regional poll and 18th in the state. Allegretto is mentioned in 2A 145-pound regional poll, but not ranked. Aughenbaugh is ranked third in PAPW’s 3A NW regional poll.
145 Pounds
1. Cole Householder, Jr. (14-1) – Brookville; 2. Jaden Wehler, Jr. (13-2) – St. Marys; 3. David Kunselman, Sr. (5-5) – Punxsutawney; 4. Danny Delong, Jr. (0-2) – Cranberry
Ranking Notes: Householder is ranked first in PAPW’s 2A NW regional poll and fifth in the state. PAPW has Wehler third in the 2A 152-pound NW regional classification and 20th in the state at that weight.
152 Pounds
1. Devyn Fleeger, Sr. (8-4) – Cranberry; 2. Tristan Dilley, Sr. (7-4) – St. Marys; 3. Avery Bittler, So. (10-6) – Johnsonburg; 4. Dylan Bash, Sr. (9-5) – Brockway
Ranking Notes: Fleeger is fourth in PAPW NW regional poll and Bittler seventh. Each also carries a state ranking – Fleeger 21st and Bittler 25th.
160 pounds
1. Conner Reszkowski, Jr. (0-0) – Cranberry; 2. Blake Pisarchick, Jr. (12-4) – Brockway; 3. Jace Meyer, So. (4-2) – St. Marys; 4. John Elick, Sr. (7-1) – Punxsutawney
Ranking Notes: PAPW has none of the wrestlers at this weight ranked regionally or statewide.
172 Pounds
1. Andrew Wolfanger, Sr. (14-1) – St. Marys; 2. Carter Wilson, Jr. (7-4) – DuBois; 3. Ethan Rex, Fr. (3-4) – Central Clarion; 4. Cameron Larkin, Sr. (9-5) – Johnsonburg
Ranking Notes: Wolfanger is second in PAPW’s NW regional poll and eighth in the state. Wilson is
ranked sixth in PAPW’s 3A NW regional poll.
189 Pounds
1. Easton Belfiore, Jr. (7-3) – Brookville; 2. Landon Martz, Sr. (7-1) – Punxsutawney; 3. Grant Jin, Jr. (8-6) – St. Marys
4. Maddox Decker, Fr. (4-4) – Brockway
Ranking Notes: PAPW has Belfiore ranked third in the 2A NW regional poll and 17th in the state. Jin is mentioned in the 2A regional poll, but not ranked. Martz is eighth in the 3A NW regional rankings.
215 Pounds
1. Gavn Hannah, Jr. (12-4) – Brookville; 2. Matt Alston, Jr. (7-1) – Central Clarion; 3. Garrett Shaffer, Sr. (5-4) – Redbank Valley; 4. Johnny Bandy, Sr. (3-2) – St. Marys
Ranking Notes: Hannah is ranked third in PAPW’s 2A NW regional poll and 17th statewide. Alston is mentioned in the 2A regional poll, but unranked.
285 Pounds
1. Zach Gallagher, Sr. (8-1) – DuBois; 2. Josh Beal, Sr. (14-2) – Central Clarion; 3. Joe Sage, Sr. (7-0) – Redbank Valley; 4. Jonathan Winnings, So. (6-7) – Brockway
Ranking Notes: Gallagher is second in the PAPW 3A NW regional poll and 10th in the state. Beal is PAPW’s eighth ranked wrestler in the 2A NW regional poll. Sage is mentioned in that poll, though he is not ranked.
