HERSHEY — The annual quest for Pennsylvania high school wrestling gold concludes this weekend, with dozens of the best high schoolers in the state beginning their title chase this morning on the Giant Center mats in Hershey.
The 280-man field for the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships includes repeat qualifiers Teddy Race and Cameron Whisner (Kane), Bryent and Braedon Johnson (Port Allegany), and Ethan Finch (Sheffield), each hoping to land on the medal stand this time around, as well as first-timers Dalton Stahli, Aiden Zimmerman, and Cole Casilio from Johnsonburg.
To get there, though, they’ll have to hold their own against brackets dotted with nationally-ranked prep stars. For example, Bryent Johnson’s 113-pound bracket features a potential semifinal between fourth-ranked Brett Ungar, a reigning New Jersey state champ who transferred to Notre Dame-Green Pond this season, and No. 5 Gary Steen, the Reynolds junior and three-time regional champ who’s already committed to wrestle at Pittsburgh. Braedon Johnson’s potential opponents include reigning PIAA champs Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame-GP), the second-ranked 126-pounder in the country, and Jackson Arrington (Forest Hills), while Race’s 170-pound bracket boasts No. 3 Tyler Stoltzfus (St. Joseph’s), a Lock Haven commit, and No. 13 Matt Arciuolo (Saucon Valley).
That pitfall-filled pathway made it all the more important to place well at regionals, either by making it to the Northwest finals as the Kane duo accomplished, or prevailing in the bronze-medal match like both Johnsons did to stay away from having to wrestle in this morning’s preliminary round.
“It’s big,” said Braedon, the Smethport junior making his second trip in a row to Hershey. “You get a way better draw, an easier way to go through to the placing rounds.”
Port coach B.J. Greenman added, “For Bry, it’s not as bad, but I think Braedon has two returning state champs and a returning runner-up in his bracket. So getting that draw to not have one of those three kids is going to be really good for him. He’s got a stacked bracket. But once you get down there, if you find the right path like Braedon said, you can have a really good run and make it into a place.
“The biggest thing is just wrestling hard. Everybody is there to win. At the lighter weights, it’s a little tougher because you don’t see as many seniors, but there’s upsets that happen all the time. You’ve just got to be ready to wrestle, ready to compete. Anybody can place; it doesn’t really matter where you’re ranked or what you’re seeded. If our kids just go there and compete the way they can, the way we’ve seen them with some highs, then we’ll do really well.”
There’s added anticipation for Race and Whisner after each made it to the regional finals, with Race earning the top seed out of the Northwest and Whisner the No. 2 ranking.
“I certainly think that both of these guys should be on the upper steps of the podium next week rather than the lower. I would not be satisfied or happy if we didn’t come home with two state medalists. That’s the goal,” Kane coach Mike Swartwood said. “And once you’re on the podium, every step you step up is gravy. The goal is always, get on the podium and let’s have a good weekend. It’s a lot of fun down there, and every step up is a bonus.
“A top three finish for Teddy and a top-three finish for Cam is certainly not out of the question. It sure would be nice to come home with a couple of medals. It’s been several years since we’ve come home with two medalists.”
As for Race, this year’s lone regional champ out of the Allegheny Mountain League?
“I want to place top three,” he said. “I wouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t, I don’t want to put my goals out of reach, but that’s a good place to start.”
Preliminaries and first-round matches in Class AA begin at 9 a.m., with first-round wrestlebacks following at 1:15 p.m. Friday’s schedule includes quarterfinals, semis, and the rest of the consis, with medal-round matches slated to begin at 2:00 Saturday afternoon.
A look at each of the first round matchups for the AMWL grapplers:
113: NW-3 Bryent Johnson (Port Allegany, sr, 24-4) vs. SE-2 Connor Brown (Littlestown, jr, 29-5)
126: NW-3 Braedon Johnson (Port Allegany, jr, 26-5) vs. SW-2 Tyler Cymmerman (Derry Area, jr, 36-5)
138: NW-4 Dalton Stahli (Johnsonburg, jr, 27-11) vs. SE-5 Holden Garcia (Notre Dame-Green Pond, fr, 39-12)
152: NW-2 Aiden Zimmerman (Johnsonburg, fr, 32-7) vs. SE-3 Bryce Enders (Halifax, so, 37-9)
160: NW-2 Cole Casilio (Johnsonburg, jr, 36-4) vs. SW-3 Hunter Weitoish (Philipsburg-Osceola, jr, 31-6)
170: NW-1 Teddy Race (Kane, sr, 32-2) vs. winner of SE-4 Brant Mason (Hamburg, jr, 36-8)/SW-6 Austin Pantaleo (Quaker Valley, sr, 15-12)
182: NW-2 Cameron Whisner (Kane, sr, 32-1) vs. SW-3 Richard Feroce (Burrell, sr, 35-14);
NW-3 Ethan Finch (Sheffield, jr, 30-9) vs. SW-2 Patrick Cutchember (Quaker Valley, so, 37-9)
