There are two big individual storylines in the big-school division, along with an absolutely wide open team race. The first is the journey of Nazareth's Zach Horan, who is ranked second in the nation at 130 pounds. The senior, bound for Central Michigan, has finished runner-up at state each of the last three years; and is seeking to avoid joining Bob Simpson (1985-1988) and Sam Coursen (1946-1949) as four-time second place finishers.
With the presence of five qualifying tournaments for the 16 spots in Class AAA (big-school), the existence of lopsided brackets is to be expected. However, the one at 130 is beyond lopsided. Based on rankings compiled by Jeff Upson for http://www.thepapowerrankings.com, the top three wrestlers and four of the top six are in the same half. Starting at the top is the undefeated Horan, and joining him in the same quarter is undefeated three-time state placer Cameron Throckmorton (South-Western). The other quarter of the top half includes freshman sensation Solomon Chisko (Canon-McMillan), who is ranked No. 19 nationally, and returning state placer Scott Wolfinger (Quakertown).
Not to say that the bottom half of the draw is exactly easy with the presence of four other wrestlers with state placement histories. In the third quarter of the draw is Joe Mazzi (LaSalle), a Powerade runner-up at 135 pounds -- also ranked No. 18 nationally in that weight, along with Brandon Choate (Blue Mountain) who finished third in the state last season. Mount Mat Madness champion Tanner Hough (Westmont Hilltop) is joined by 2009 state third place finisher Shyheim Brown (Central Dauphin) in the bottom quarter of the draw. All of this cluster of high quality is without defending state champion Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell), who did not make weight in the first week of his state series.
Ranked No. 2 in the nation at 125, Penn State signee Nico Megaludis (Franklin Regional) is after a third state title -- having finished third as a freshman. Unlike Horan's weight class, this weight class is rather cleared out with only two other state placers present -- most notably Devon Lotito (Bethlehem Liberty), who was seventh at 112 pounds last year. Those two wrestlers would meet in the semifinals should each advance to that point. The other half of the draw represents a golden opportunity for somebody to earn a relatively unexpected state finals appearance. The rankings would suggest one of three names -- Jeremy Minich (Boyertown), Bobby Rehm (Penn Manor), or Zach McGinnis (Waynesburg). Each has state tournament experience, while Rehm and McGinnis are in the same quarter bracket.
There are six nationally-ranked teams present in the AAA tournament, and five of them have a legitimate chance at the title; No. 25 Nazareth is only working with two qualifiers in Horan and Ryan Krecker (160). However, there is a sixth team in the title hunt in Council Rock South. Leading the way with six qualifiers to state are No. 26 Canon-McMillan, No. 31 Pittsburgh Central Catholic, and No. 43 LaSalle. Close behind with five qualifiers are No. 13 Central Dauphin, No. 17 Easton, and Council Rock South.
The following is a breakdown of the other 12 weight classes in the Class AAA tournament.
103: No. 19 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South) enters the tournament as the slightest of favorites, though he has received no help through the bracketing. He faces Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg) in the first round, who enters the state tournament his freshman year with a 37-2 record. Should Rappo win that match, it is a likely quarterfinal bout against Brett Marino (Bethlehem Liberty), an opponent to whom he fell to defeat in late December. Should he navigate those two bouts, he would draw the second best wrestler in the weight in Powerade champion Colt Shorts (Canon-McMillan). Yet again, the other (top) half of the draw represents a golden opportunity for someone to advance to the finals -- and that should be either Colin Ochs (Governor Mifflin) or Zach Fuentes (Norristown).
112: Defending state champion Conner Schram (Canon-McMillan) enters the tournament ranked No. 6 in the country and the favorite in this weight. Given the nature of weight classes in the Keystone State, he has as reasonable a draw as one can ask -- reasonably clear sailing into the semifinal round. The likely opponent at that point would be Austin Miller (Hempfield), which represents a rematch of last year's state final; that assumes Miller gets past 2009 runner-up Paul Bewak (Hempfield Area) in the opening round. Two-time state placer Jordan Conaway (New Oxford) is the favorite in the top half of the draw, though he is looking at a quarterfinal against Corey McQuiston (West Chester Rustin) and a semifinal against state placer Anthony Cabrera (Bethlehem Liberty).
119: Though nine wrestlers have previous state placement credentials, and all but two have made the state tournament prior to this year, this weight class does not have any true national caliber standouts. The closest would be two-time state placer, returning state runner-up Corey Keener (Blue Mountain), who is a clear favorite to advance to the final though he could have an interesting semifinal against whomever clears the second quarter of the draw -- Matt Harkins (Hartboro Horsham), Dereck Enders (Big Spring), or Derrick Nelson (Waynesburg); Enders and Nelson meet in the first round of the tournament. The lower half of the draw represents total open season, though a semifinal match between CJ Palmer (Delaware Valley) and Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin) would be a reasonable guess-timate. The headline first round match placers returning state third Palmer against two-time state placer Josh Polacek (Westmont Hilltop).
135: Dan Neff (Solanco), ranked No. 16 nationally at 140 pounds, is the headline figure of the weight class with a Super32 Challenge runner-up finish in this weight along with a runner-up finish in the 140 pound weight at the Powerade. His bottom half of the draw is about as clear as one can have, with only Mason Popham (Unionville) a returning state placer -- that would be a quarterfinal bout. Anchoring the top half of the draw are 2009 state placer Joey Rizzolino (Easton), state placer Matt Rappo (Council Rock South), and King of the Mountain MOW Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe). Rizzolino and Lydic would represent a quarterfinal matchup.
140: This weight is a three-horse race between No. 11 Matt Cimato (LaSalle), No. 12 (at 145) Mitch Minotti (Easton), and Matt Martoccio (Council Rock South). Martoccio, a two-time state placer and 2010 Super32 Challenge placer, is alone in the top half of the draw. He earned that position based on a regional final victory over Cimato, but does have regional champions Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and Shane Miller (Middletown) floating in the other quarter of the top half. That said, look for Martoccio to be wrestling in Saturday evening's final against either Powerade champion and Junior National freestyle All-American Cimato or Reno champion and two-time state placer (also a Super32 placer) Minotti. Those two would meet in the semifinal roud.
145: A pair of three-time state placers and an undefeated wrestler forms the three-horse race in this weight class. No. 16 Nick Catalano (Canon-McMillan) has placed sixth, fourth, and third in the state; and based on his draw in the bottom half of the bracket is looking at relatively smooth sailing into a state finals berth. Up in the top half of the draw is senior Jayshon Wilson (Carlisle) -- who has placement finishes of sixth, seventh, and eighth -- along with undefeated junior Brian Brill (Central Mountain), also a returning state placer. Wilson and Brill are looking at a potential semifinal pairing.
152: All-everything freshman Chance Marsteller (Kennard-Dale) is ranked No. 7 in the country, and undefeated on the season with a title at the Powearde. This weekend he seeks to become the heaviest freshman to win a PIAA state title, and he is a clear favorite to do so. His toughest challenge should come in the semifinal round against returning state runner-up Lorenzo Thomas (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), whom Marsteller already defeated 8-3 in the Powerade final. The top half representative in the final should come from the winner of a quarterfinal bout between 2009 state runner-up Mark Havers (Bradford) and returning state runner-up Aaron McKinney (West Allegheny).
160: Two-time National Prep finalist -- and champion last year - Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) makes his PIAA state tournament debut ranked No. 3 nationally. While the clear favorite in this weight, he did get the unkind draw of returning runner-up Shane Springer (LaSalle) in the quarterfinal; though Springer's record indicates mixed results, he is dangerous as he can hit that headlock at anytime. Then, the semifinal match would be against twice fourth in the state Ryan Krecker (Nazareth). Despite losing the regional final to Krecker, and never before placing at state, Mike Ottinger (Parkland) sits pretty on the other side of the draw as the favorite to meet Luster in the final. A nominal challenge from Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg) in the quarterfinal stands in his way.
171: The two clear favorites of the weight class are both undefeated -- Powerade champion Nick Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park) and Beast of the East champion JM Staudenmayer (Plymouth Whitemarsh). However, the bracket gods have slated them to meet in the quarterfinal round. Former state placer Cole Baxter (Butler Area), though losing to Bonaccorsi in the regional final is in the opposite half of the draw.
189: Defending state champion No. 4 Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin) would have to be considered a clear favorite even with the two stumbles at the Beast of the East. His path though is relatively hard, as he could have to beat two regional champions to reach the final in Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and John Bolich (Upper Moreland); Hills was one of the two losses for Courts this year, while Bolich is an undefeated returning state placer. The two clear favorites in the lower half of the draw are a pair of returning fourth in the state wrestlers -- Josh Popple (Coughlin), who is undefeated on the season, and Phil Sprenkle (Dallastown); those two would meet in the semifinal round.
215: Three wrestlers stand out as the class of this field -- No. 12 Zachary Nye (East Pennsboro), undefeated and a returning state runner-up; No. 14 Joe Stolfi (Souderton), fourth at state last year and a NHSCA Junior National champion; and No. 20 Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley), Super32 champion this year and Beast of the East champion last year. Idelson beat Stolfi to win the regional title, and the resulting consequence is that Stolfi has to face Nye in a quarterfinal match up in the top half of the draw. The other quarter up top features undefeated Kyle McWreath (Trinity), 36-1 Tyson Searer (Lewiston) and 35-1 David Quackenbos (Red Lion). Idelson is pretty much a lone ranger in the bottom half, though freshman Thomas Haines (Solanco) should pair with Idelson in the quarterfinal and is a name to watch for in years to come.
285: Two undefeated wrestlers, two others that were undefeated until the regional final, and two others with just a single loss are among the participants in this weight class. Note that returning state finalist Zach Corl (Central Mountain) did not even make it to the state tournament. Averee Robinson (Susquehanna Township) is one of three returning state placers in this weight class, is undefeated on the season, and is in the second quarter of the top half of this bracket. However, joining him in this quarter is Anthony DiLonardo (Plum), who was undefeated up to last weekend's regional final. The other quarter of the top half features 37-1 Alec Gluvna (Corry). Anchoring the lower half of the draw is undefeated Powerade champion Cody Klempay (Canon-McMillan), who knocked off DiLonardo in the regional final. He projects to face returning state placer Josh Duplin (Westmont Hilltop) in the quarterfinal round. The other quarter of the bottom half features 34-1 Tim Maeschak (Williamsport) and Dawson Peck (Chambersburg) whose first loss of the season was to Robinson in the regional final.
The featured stories of the small-school division are Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area), who is ranked No. 1 at 119 pounds seeking his third state title in as many attempts. Should Gulibon win state this year, he will seek to win a fourth championship next year. Also, No. 20 Bethlehem Catholic enters the tournament with nine state qualifiers, and is a strong favorite to sweep the titles this year after taking home the dual meet crown last month.
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Class AA.
103: No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) missed last year's state series with an injury; however, he is the prohibitive favorite to bring home a state title this year, though undefeated freshman Jason Nolf (Kittatining) stands as a potential semifinal opponent.
112: This is clearly the best weight of the small school division with four wrestlers having a state finals appearance to their credit plus the sensational freshman Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic), who is ranked No. 15 in the country already placing twice at the Super32 Challenge and earning podium finishes at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East. It is an unkind draw for Moisey, as he is projected to face 2009 state champion Nick Roberts (North Star) -- ranked No. 8 in the country -- in the quarterfinal round. Defending state champion Zain Retherford (Line Mountain), ranked No. 5 nationally, is one of three state returning/previous state finalists in the top half of the draw. In the quarter opposite of Retherford resides 2009 state runner-up Evan Link (Penn Cambria) and returning state runner-up Brad Farley (Bermudian Springs).
119: As covered above, Gulibon is No. 1 and a prohibitive favorite to win this weight class. His only loss this season is up one weight class when he battled Megaludis to the absolute wire in what arguably has been the national match of the year to date. He won titles at the Ironman and Powerade as well. Coming through the opposite half of the draw, look for Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) to earn a second straight runner-up finish.
125: Two of the nation's eight best wrestlers in this weight class have unfortunately been placed in the same half of the draw. Defending state champion Mason Beckman (Reynolds) is ranked No. 2 in the country, having won the Walsh Ironman for a second consecutive season; while Super32 Challenge champion and Powerade runner-up Geoff Alexander (Shady Side Academy) is ranked No. 8 nationally. Looking to benefit from this draw and make the state final is two-time state placer, and Super32 Challenge placer, Cody Wheeler (Towanda).
130: This is genuinely a tough weight class that is wide open with (at least) six returning/previous state medalists present. The top half of the draw features a projected quarterfinal between returning state placers Laike Gardner (Biglerville) and Brandon Pesarchick (Shamokin), with the winner likely to face two-time state placer and NHSCA Junior National champion Dave Makara (Burrell) in the semifinal round. The lower half of the draw features a projected quarterfinal placing returning state runner-up Coltin Fought (Benton) against 2009 state champion Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley), with the winner likely to face two-time state placer Dylan Durso (Reynolds) in the semifinal round.
135: Yet another balanced weight class with multiple wrestlers that could win it. After the regional final victory over No. 9 Ronnie Garbinsky (Tyrone Area), Jeremy Landowski (Burrell) enters the tournament as the slightest of favorites with a slew of momentum. He is looking at a likely semifinal match against sophomore Mikey Racciato (Pen Argyl), who placed third at state last year in the same weight Landowski placed seventh. The lower half of the draw features a likely quarterfinal placing Garbinsky, a Junior National double All-American (and two-time state placer) against senior Adam Matthews (Reynolds). Also in this half of the draw is returning state placer Michael DePalma (Jeanette).
140: Undefeated three-time state placer Luke Frey (Montoursville) is ranked No. 4 in the country and seeking to bookend his career with state titles, winning as a freshman with fourth and second place finishes the last two years. Frey is looking at the solid sophomore Austin Matthews (Reynolds) in the quarterfinal with FloNationals champion Travis Shaffer (Derry) floating around the opposite top half of the draw.
145: Senior Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing) -- ranked No. 2 nationally -- has been all winning all the time this year with an undefeated record, including a Beast of the East title and a preseason Super32 Challenge championship. Hodgkins is seeking his third state finals appearance, having finished third, first, and second in his career to date. His likely finals opponent is 2009 state runner-up, and two-time state placer Zach Beitz (Juniata).
152: Defending state champion Nick Carr (South Fayette) is the strong favorite to repeat. Of some interest is a first round match placing him against returning state runner-up Kyle Dehaut (Bethlehem Catholic), who has had a disappointing year with a 28-11 record.
160: Two wrestlers stand head and shoulders above this field -- No. 4 Travis McKillop (Burrell) and No. 5 Cody Wiercioch (Charleroi). McKillop, a senior, has placed fifth each of the last two years; while the sophomore Wiercioch is a defending state champ and won the Super32 Challenge this fall. However, McKillop has won two out of three meetings involving the two wrestlers this year -- at the Powerade and last weekend's regional, while Wiercioch won at the WPIAL meet. These two are in opposite halves of the draw and would not meet until the final.
171: Five wrestlers enter this weight class as returning state placers, though No. 6 Nathaniel Brown (Lewisburg) is undefeated and the clear favorite having placed third and second the two prior years. Brown is looking at a likely semifinal date against sophomore Dakota DesLauriers (Burrell), a returning state placer and Cadet National freestyle All-American. In the lower half of the draw, junior Wes Phipps (Grove City) enters the tournament undefeated having also placed third at state last year. In the quarter bracket opposing Phipps, but in the same half, returning state placers Sam Guidi (Fort Cherry) and Colin Hedash (Northern Lehigh) should meet second round.
189: Defending state champion Stephan Ceremuga (Commodore Perry) enters as the favorite.
215: Both finalists from this weight class last year are in the field yet again -- defending champion Eric Laytos (Lackawanna Trail) with a 42-1 record and runner-up Matt Mongera (Seneca) is 40-0, both happen to be juniors as well. They headline their respective halves of the draw. In the opposite quarter of Laytos is undefeated returning state placer Garth Lakitsky (Tamaqua). Returning state placers Brian Beattie (Burrell) and Ryan Solomon (Milton) are in the same half as Mongera -- Solomon would draw Mongera in the quarterfinal round.
285: The top half of the draw features a pair of undefeated wrestlers -- Joel Yahner (Brockway) and Ben Ancheff (Williams Valley) -- along with defending state champion John Rizzo (Richland), who lost his first match in last weekend's regional final. Doling out Rizzo's first loss of the year was returning third in the state Jeff Tarley (Beth-Center), who anchors the bottom half of the draw along with returning state placer Wes Tillett (Shamokin). In the top half, Rizzo and Ancheff could meet in the quarterfinal round.
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