CLEARFIELD — Few brackets were busted at the District 9 wrestling championships on Friday evening, with just four of 56 top-four seeds upset in the quarterfinal round at Clearfield High School.
Brockway leads the team scoring with 49.5 points after the first day of competition, while Kane lurks close behind at 46.5. The Wolves pushed a tournament-high nine wrestlers through to the semifinals, with Brockway and Brookville each advancing eight.
Port Allegany, seeking its fourth top-five team finish in five years, currently sits in third place with 35.5 points. The Gators sent seven wrestlers to the semis, with another five still alive in the consolation rounds.
“The first day isn’t going to show much,” Gator coach B.J. Greenman said of the team scoring. “The big change will be tomorrow with the semis. Without having prelims, we lost a lot of points in there, but hopefully we can make it up tomorrow in the semis and the wrestlebacks. I think we have the kids to do it.
“I think our chance of taking seven to 10 (to regionals) is still there. Our coaches told the kids this week, you’ve just got to win one big match. Win that semifinal and you’re going to regionals. It’s as easy as that.”
Five semifinals feature all-Allegheny Mountain League matchups: Port senior Reese Vollmer and Kane sophomore Dillon Illerbrun at 113 pounds, Kane senior Noah Blankenship and Johnsonburg sophomore Dalton Stalhi at 138, Kane junior Cameron Whisner and Johnsonburg junior Tyler Watts at 170, Port sophomore Justin Young and Coudersport senior Eli Ayers at 195, and Kane senior Ty Stalhi and Coudy sophomore Cale Ayers at 220. Blankenship, Eli Ayers and Ty Stalhi each own a win via fall over their semifinal opponents this season, while Watts decisioned Whisner in their dual meet last week to take a 2-1 career lead in their series.
“The brothers are doing well. We’ve got a lot of hopes in them,” Coudy coach Tom Storey said of the Ayers duo, aiming for a return trip to states for Eli and a breakthrough to regionals for younger brother Cale.
Class AA action resumes in the Bison Gym at 10:30 a.m., with the finals following the parade of champions and Hall of Fame induction at 3:30 p.m. The Class AAA tourney opens in the Weiss Gym at 9 a.m., with the parade, Hall of Fame ceremony and medal-round matches beginning at 4:15.
Class AA team scoring:
Brockway 49.5, Kane 46.5, Port Allegany 35.5, Brookville 34, Johnsonburg 30, Redbank Valley 29.5, Curwensville 25, Sheffield 19, Clarion 17, Oswayo Valley 17, Ridgway 12, Coudersport 10, Cameron County 7.
Class AA semifinal matchups:
106: 1-Owen Reinsel (Brookville, fr., 28-3) vs. 4-Ridge Cook (Redbank Valley, fr., 21-8); 2-Bryent Johnson (Port Allegany, jr., 20-4) vs. 3-Mark Palmer (Brockway, fr., 26-7)
113: 1-Reese Vollmer (Port Allegany, sr., 24-2) vs. 4-Dillon Illerbrun (Kane, so., 18-10); 2-Trenten Rupp (Redbank Valley, so., 19-8) vs. Cayden Walter (Brookville, so., 23-7)
120: 1-Braedon Johnson (Port Allegany, so., 29-1) vs. 4-Login Dehner (Clarion, sr., 20-7); 2-Brayden Altobelli (Redbank Valley, sr., 24-6) vs. 6-Harley Morris (Kane, fr., 21-9)
126: 1-Anthony Glasl (Brockway, jr., 29-1) vs. 4-Parker Fleming (Brookville, jr., 12-16); 2-Blake Passarelli (Curwensville, sr., 23-5) vs. 3-Mason Songer (Redbank Valley, sr., 28-3)
132: 1-Ethan Wiant (Redbank Valley, jr., 29-6) vs. 4-Eli Petruzzi (Port Allegany, jr., 26-7); 2-Cabe Park (Brookville, sr., 13-5) vs. 3-Nolan Shaffer (Johnsonburg, so., 26-8)
138: 1-Noah Blankenship (Kane, sr., 24-6) vs. 4-Dalton Stahli (Johnsonburg, so., 14-3); 2-Tino Inzana (Brockway, sr., 17-9) vs. 3-Hunter Martz (Redbank Valley, sr., 6-5)
145: 1-Issac Smoker (Port Allegany, sr., 24-4) vs. 4-Camron Marciniak (Johnsonburg, fr., 15-3); 2-Colton Gietler (Oswayo Valley, jr., 22-8) vs. 3-Zach Holland (Curwensville, jr., 3-0)
152: 1-Cole Casilio (Johnsonburg, so., 31-2) vs. 5-Jacob Wickett (Ridgway, jr, 12-10); 2-Aiden Hulings (Kane, sr., 24-3) vs. 3-Cutter Boggess (Clarion, so., 21-8)
160: 1-Alec English (Kane, sr., 27-1) vs. 4-Cole Bressler (Curwensville, sr., 14-9); 2-Noah Bash (Brockway, so., 24-7) vs. 3-Isaac Zimmerman (Johnsonburg, so., 25-7)
170: 1-Elliot Park (Brookville, so., 21-10) vs. 4-Ethan Finch (Sheffield, so., 25-8); 2-Tyler Watts (Johnsonburg, jr., 25-5) vs. 3-Cameron Whisner (Kane, jr., 23-7)
182: 1-Garrett Mcclintick (Brockway, sr., 29-1) vs. 4-Dalton Distrola (Port Allegany, so., 17-13); 2-Teddy Race (Kane, jr., 16-3) vs. 6-Braden Macbeth (Brookville, sr., 20-10)
195: 1-Eric Johnson (Brockway, jr., 26-6) vs. 4-Aiden Gardner (Redbank Valley, so., 28-2); 2-Elijah Ayers (Coudersport, sr., 26-2) vs. Justin Young (Port Allegany, so., 29-3)
220: 1-Ty Stahli (Kane, sr., 23-6) vs. 4-Cale Ayers (Coudersport, so., 21-8); 2-Tanner Labenne (Brookville, sr., 19-9) vs. 3-Justin Smith (Brockway, sr., 12-6)
285: 1-Colby Whitehill (Brookville, 30-0) vs. 4-Shawn Nystrom (Kane, fr., 10-6); 2-Nick Knowles (Sheffield, sr., 24-4) vs. 6-Hayden Thompson (Brockway, sr., 15-8)
