Cody Wiercioch (Photo/Rob Preston)Schedule of Events
Thursday, 9 a.m. ET: Class 2A championship first round and consolation first round
Thursday, 4 p.m.: Class 3A championship first round and consolation first round
Friday, 9 a.m.: Class 2A championship quarterfinals and consolation second round
Friday, 1:30 p.m.: Class 3A championship quarterfinals and consolation second round
Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Class 2A championship semifinals, consolation quarterfinals and semifinals
Saturday, 9 a.m.: Class 3A championship semifinals, consolation quarterfinals and semifinals
Saturday, 2 p.m.: Class 2A championship finals and consolation medal matches
Saturday, 7 p.m.: Class 3A championship finals and consolation medal matches
Class AAA
No. 9 Canon-McMillan is strong favorites to win their third consecutive championship at the individual state wrestling tournament. The Big Macs have qualified seven wrestlers for the state tournament, five of whom are returning state medalists, and all who can place this coming weekend in Hershey. Leading the way are three-time state finalists No. 3 Connor Schram (126) and No. 2 Cody Wiercioch (170), along with two-time third in the state Solomon Chishko (145). The battle for second place looks to be between No. 29 Central Dauphin and No. 33 Franklin Regional. While the dual meet state runner-up Rams have a six to five advantage in terms of qualifiers, it just may be the Panthers with more oomph to pull ahead in the standings. Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the big-school classification:
106: Freshman Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) is ranked No. 2 in the nation, and came into high school with five PJW championships. He has done nothing this season to change the high expectations, and is a deserving favorite this weekend. In terms of his path, he is looking at a likely quarterfinal against Zach Elvin (Central Dauphin) and a semifinal against one of two regional champions: Joe Wheeling (General McLane) or Tyrone Klump (Nazareth). The lower half of the draw will likely come down to a semifinal between freshman Gage Curry (North Hills) and the winner of the first round bout between Connor Sheehan (Solanco) and Brendan Price (Canon-McMillan); Sheehan won 7-2 when the wrestlers met at the POWERade.
113: Four nationally ranked wrestlers are featured in this weight class, as are multiple other wrestlers with legitimate cases for being nationally ranked. This is one of (if not) the deepest weight of the championships. The double regional champions quarter pairs defending state champion No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Parkland) and two-time state placer Tanner Shoap (Chambersburg) as a likely second round bout.
In the other quarter of the upper-half of the bracket is regional champion Jake Gromacki (Erie Cathedral Prep), also a two-time state placer; as well as a first round bout between No. 9 Scott Parker (Pennridge) and No. 14 Dom Forys (North Allegheny), which is a rematch of last year's state consolation final won by Forys. Parker and Forys were knocked off in regional final bouts, and with a different pairings configuration, this could have been the state final.
By winning the WPIAL title over Forys, A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg) -- who missed out on the state tournament last year -- has a rather clear path to the semifinal round. At that point, he is likely to face No. 17 Zack Fuentes (Norristown), who knocked off the previously undefeated Parker at the Southeast Regional this past weekend, or freshman sensation Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County).
120: The three qualifiers from the WPIAL are the dominant figures in this weight class, No. 4 Sam Krivus (Hempfield), No. 12 Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan), and Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic); all three of these wrestlers placed at state last year. This past weekend, Joseph majored Macri in the semifinal round to avenge a major decision loss to Macri in the consolation semifinals of the POWERade; then, in the final, it was Krivus with a major decision over Joseph, while Macri qualified with a third place regional finish.
Krvius has earned a rather manageable clearance into the semifinal from the bottom quarter of the draw, where he is likely to see either state placer Zack Ulerick (Middletown) or the winner of an opening round match between state placer Zach Valley (Northampton) and state qualifier Michael Marino (Garnet Valley). Macri suffers the penalty of facing returning state third placer Grimaldi Gonzalez (Bethlehem Liberty) in the opening round, with the winner likely to face another regional champion in Ben Ross (Pennridge); while in the other quarter bracket of the top half of the draw, Joseph is the favorite to clear his way into the semifinal round.
126: The pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, No. 3 Schram and No. 5 Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional), both of whom were state runners-up last year, are the anchor figures of this weight class. These two wrestlers have met in the POWERade and WPIAL finals, with Schram winning both of those matches. Super 32 Challenge runner-up Kemerer fits in the second quarter, and draws Super 32 seventh place finisher Colby Ems (East Stroudsburg) in the opening round. The top quarter features Beast of the East placer Cortland Schuyler (Manheim Township) as one of two regional champions, though the tougher match for him is likely to be the opening round bout against Tyler Walker (North Hills). Schram dominates the bottom quarter of the draw, and the whole bottom half, though undefeated Kyle Krasavage (Wyoming Valley West) and returning state placer Josh DiSanto (Pennsbury) will battle it out for the other semifinalist position.
132: For being a middle-weight, especially in Pennsylvania's big-school classficiation, it is a weak bracket with only No. 13 Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley) fitting into the national rankings conversation. Duggan anchors the bottom quarter of the draw, and is likely to see two-time state seventh Ethan Kenney (Connellsville), who won the WPIAL this past weekend, in the semifinal round. The top half of the draw is relatively barren, even with three regional champions, as it is rather likely that the winner of the first round bout between regional runners-up Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional) and Bryce Killian (Middletown) will clear to the final. Smith placed fifth at state last year and was a POWERade runner-up, while Killian has placed in the past at the Super 32 Challenge and Beast of the East.
138: On the other hand, this is a rather deep weight with four nationally ranked wrestlers, all of whom won their regional tournament. However, three of those champions are in the top half of the draw. The top quarter features both No. 19 John Dutrow (Council Rock North) and No. 11 Joseph Galasso (Father Judge), while the second quarter is anchored by No. 20 Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional). Galasso beat Maruca 8-3 for third place at the POWERade this year; Maruca placed fifth at 126 pounds in last year's state tournament, while Dutrow and Galasso finished fourth and fifth at 132 pounds in the state tournament last year respectively. Dutrow is also undefeated, while Galasso's lone loss came in overtime to national No. 1 Zain Retherford in the POWERade semifinals.
Down in the bottom half, No. 8 Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin) is prohibitively favored to make a second straight state final. His quarter is rather barren, while he's looking at either T.J. Brandt (Altoona) or Jesse Rodgers (North Allegheny) in the semifinal round.
145: Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan), who has twice placed third in state and is a four-time Super 32 placer, came back from injury for the state series and enters these championships coming off a 3-2 victory in the WPIAL final over No. 14 Josh Shields (Franklin Regional). In his third time entering state as a WPIAL champion, he has finally escaped the two champ quarter -- last year majored Matt Cimato in that match before losing in overtime to eventual champion Steve Spearman in the semis, and the year before lost a very tight match to eventual champion Zach Horan. In what is extreme poetic justice, Chishko has a barren bottom half of the draw, with possibly Nolan Barger (Clearfield) as a semifinal opponent.
POWERade champion Shields still has a manageable path, as he should make it to the semifinal round without a problem. In that semifinal, he is likely to see the winner of the regional champions quarterfinal between returning state runner-up Chris Vassar (Cedar Cliff) and state placer Mikey Springer (Norristown); Vassar placed at both the Beast and POWERade earlier this season.
152: Two nationally ranked wrestlers are featured in this weight class, No. 9 (at 160) T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley) and No. 14 Garrett Hammond (Chambersburg). The junior Warner avenged last year's 12-9 state final loss to Penn State signee Hammond with wins at the sectional and South Central regional tournaments this year. Both wrestlers should advance to the semifinal round in their halves of the draw. Warner has a projected semifinal against returning state placer Heath Coles (Norwin), a wrestler he beat 3-1 in the quarterfinal last year; while Hammond is looking to face the winner of a first round bout between Super 32 placer Raymond Nicosia (Pocono Mountain East) and Austin Rose (Central Dauphin). Hammond beat Nicosia 11-2 in the state semifinal last year, while he beat Rose 7-2 in the regional semis to avenge a loss against him at the Beast of the East.
160: Without a loss in his career Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale), currently ranked No. 1 at 170 pounds, seeks a third state title in as many seasons. Though a clear favorite, he should see two matches that are relatively competitive: a presumptive semifinal against No. 12 Zack Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe), the POWERade champion in this weight class, and No. 5 Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin), champion at the Beast of the East and also a defending state champion. To break down the non-Marsteller quarters of the draw, Zavatsky is looking at a second round match against fellow regional champion Evan DiSora (Easton), Peppelman -- who lost 7-2 to Marsteller at the South Central regional -- is looking at a second round match against the extremely tough Justin Staudenmayer (Plymouth-Whitemarsh), while the other quarter of the draw features the undefeated Tyree Spearman (Erie McDowell) and returning state placer Zach Voytek (Greensburg Salem).
170: This top half bracket is one that is begging for some sort of seeding construct, and that's the mildest thing I can say about it. It obviously has three regional champions, but two of them are undefeated and the other one is defending champion Cody Wiercioch (Canon-McMillan) -- ranked No. 2 in the nation. On the way to the final, Wiercioch should be able to navigate his way through Tom Sleigh (Dubois) in the quarterfinal and Dominic Rigous (Central Bucks South) in the semifinal. Colton Peppelman (Central Dauphin), who placed seventh in the Beast is the likely quarterfinal matchup for Rigous. The bottom half is wide open with a likely semifinal featuring returning state placer Joey Krulock (Mechanicsburg) against either regional champion Ernest Fogle (Pocono Mountain East) or returning state placer Nick Shawley (Bellefonte).
182: Thankfully the two best wrestlers in this weight class should meet in the final, No. 4 Jacob Taylor (Bald Eagle Area) and No. 5 Brett Harner (Norristown). These two wrestlers met in the finals of the Escape the Rock Tournament, where Taylor earned a 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker victory. In terms of paths to the final, Harner is in that top quarter, where he would likely see WPIAL champion Alex DeCiantis (North Allegheny) in the second round; and then probably one of two POWERade placers, Drew Phipps (Norwin) or Nezar Haddad (Parkland), in the semifinal. Taylor is looking at semifinal collision with returning state placer Tyler Greene (Easton).
195: Coming off the 3-1 overtime upset victory over No. 1 Matt McCutcheon (Kiski Area), returning state runner-up Jake Hart (Hampton) has an extremely manageable half-bracket, with just a likely semifinal against Landon Hanna (DuBois) -- who is 35-1 entering the tournament -- as a possible block to a second straight state final. On the other hand, life is a bit harder for McCutcheon, though he should be able to push through: a quarterfinal against fellow Penn State signee P.J. Steinmetz (Council Rock South), who placed third at state last year, before a likely semifinal against the winner of the first round match between Super 32 placer Alen Turcinhodzic (North Hills) and FloNationals placer Javon Reyes (Dieruff).
220: Already twice a state champion, now entering his junior state tournament campaign, No. 3 Thomas Haines (Solanco) is the dominant figure in this weight class. Short of his major decision loss against No. 1 Kyle Snyder in the POWERade final, he has dominated all comers this year, which includes a 10-2 major decision over No. 5 Raymond O'Donnell in the Escape the Rock final. Though he draws No. 15 Alex Campbell (Canon-McMillan) in the quarterfinal, it should be one of limited interest, as Haines majored him 13-2 in the POWERade semifinal. Haines is looking at a semifinal bout most likely against Evan Kaufman (Freedom), the Northeast regional champion who enters state with a 35-1 record.
In the lower half of the draw, Zach DeLuca (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and freshman Jordan Wood (Boyertown) are the likely semifinalists. DeLuca won the WPIAL with a 10-5 upset victory over Campbell giving him this rather manageable position, while the freshman Wood won the Southeast region and was fourth at the Super 32 this fall.
285: All eyes should be directed, for a rare occasion, to the bottom half of the draw for this weight class. Both nationally ranked wrestlers in this class, No. 6 Aaron Bradley (Nazareth) and No. 11 Shane Kuhn (Kiski Area) are in this portion of the bracket. In fact, life is even tougher for Bradley, as he draws Super 32 runner-up Luke Fleck (Franklin Regional) in the opening round; Fleck missed the bulk of the season, but came back for the team state series, and in last weekend's WPIAL consolation final he knocked off returning state qualifier Damon Sims 2-1 to earn his state qualification spot. The upper half-bracket is extremely wide open, and the first round match between returning state placer Brad Emerick (Coughlin) and Antonio Broglia (Canon-McMillan) could end up determining the finalist position; Emerick lost 3-2 to Bradley in the regional final last week and was fifth at state last year, while Broglia placed third at Reno earlier in the season and used a 3-2 tiebreaker victory over Sims in the WPIAL semi to earn state qualification. The other quarter of that top half features regional champions in Andrew Welton (Central Tech) and Joey Goodhart (Hempfield).
Class AA
An absurd eleven wrestlers qualified to the state tournament for No. 22 Bethlehem Catholic, as they are the prohibitive favorites to repeat as champions in the small-school division. The Hawks will be led by defending champion No. 3 Darian Cruz (120), returning state finalist No. 16 Zeke Moisey (126), two-time state placer Ryan Todora (138), and freshman sensation Luke Karam (106). The race for second place is quite frankly wide open, though a team such as Benton with No. 1 Zain Retherford (138), No. 17 Colt Cotten (145), and returning state placers in Matt Welliver (120), and Jeric Kasunic (160) is in a good position. Below is a weight-by-weight preview:
106: Two wrestlers who placed third at state last year are among the key players in this weight class. POWERade runner-up Devin Brown (Saegertown), ranked No. 13 nationally, placed third in Ohio's Division II; while Austin Griffiths (Southmoreland) was third in this weight in the Keystone State. Other notables include freshmen Karam and Taylor Ortz (Brookville), both Fargo All-Americans, and another freshman in Southwest regional champion Collin Glorioso (Huntingdon). Griffiths and Brown are in the same half-bracket, while Karam is looking at the Ortz/Glorioso winner in the lower half semifinal.
113: Returning state runner-up Korbin Myers (Boiling Springs) would have to be considered the favorite in this weight class. The toughest match in his bottom half of the draw will come in the quarterfinal against Justin Patrick (Ligonier Valley), who placed fourth at state last year. Anchoring the top half of the draw is senior Seth Carr (South Fayette), who beat Patrick in the Southwest regional final.
120: Defending state champion Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) enters as the strong favorite, though he is likely to face undefeated Josh Patrick (Ligonier Valley), a two-time state placer, in the semifinal round. The bottom half of the draw features three state placers in Matt Welliver (Benton), Ryan Easter (Bedford), and Tyler Vath (Saegertown); the draw has Welliver in the third quarter, with Easter and Vath set to meet in the second round down low.
126: No. 6 Ryan Diehl (Trinity) is a strong favorite to win his fourth state title, the first two coming in West Virginia, and last year's coming with the key semifinal win over Jason Nolf (Kittanning) -- which represents his only career loss to date -- in this AA classification. In terms of draw, he will have to clear the undefeated Kent Lane (Southern Columbia) in the semifinal round. The other half of the draw features returning state placer Logan Everett (Williamson) and two-time state placer/returning finalist No. 16 Moisey in each quarter.
132: The aforementioned Nolf is ranked No. 5 in the nation at this weight class, and is after his second state title in three high school seasons. He enters state undefeated, including championships at the King of the Mountain and POWERade tournaments. He is looking at a semifinal date against one of two returning state placers, Cole Walter (Mifflinburg) or the undefeated Karl Lightner (Smethport). The upper half-bracket features three notable wrestlers in two-time state fourth placer Ian Brown (Hanover), state runner-up Nick Zanetta (Keystone Oaks), and the undefeated Austin Harry (Lake Lehman). Zanetta and Harry project to meet in the quarterfinal, with the winner advancing to face Brown. Of interest is that Zanetta could be in a position to finish as WPIAL, Southwest Region, and state runner-up to a superstar wrestler for the second straight year -- last year it was Gulibon, this year it would be to Nolf.
138: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Benton) is the dominant figure in this weight class, as he seeks to add a second state title to the one he won freshman year. He was unable to compete last high school season due to eligibility issues with the PIAA, and finished third as a sophomore. He has won just about everything there is to win in the last twelve months, and I can't see the pattern stopping here. Looking at the draw, he is projected to face returning state placer Brock Zacherl (Brookville) in the semifinal; this matchup occurred in the Super 32 quarterfinal, Retherford winning 3-2. The top half finalist should come from the winner of a quarterfinal between Seth Lansberry (Line Mountain) and Ryan Todora (Bethlehem Catholic), a pair of returning state placers.
145: Two nationally ranked wrestlers after their fourth state placement finish are clearly the dominant figures and should meet in the final barring extremely strange circumstance. No. 5 Michael Racciato (Pen Argyl) is undefeated on the year and after a third state title, also placing third as a freshman; while No. 17 Colt Cotten (Benton) has placed fifth, fourth, and fourth in the state with a litany of major national event credentials to compliment that resume as well.
152: No. 7 Austin Matthews (Reynolds) is a two-time state finalist, three-time state placer. Though his major event resume is extremely robust -- Super 32 runner-up finish, multiple NHSCA grade-level finals, multiple Ironman placements -- that PIAA gold is still absent. Quite frankly, it should not be come Saturday afternoon. However, he will have to navigate some game opposition in the form of returning state placer Andrew Doak (Blairsville) and Northeast regional champion Ryan Preisch (Milton) just to reach the final. The upper half-bracket semifinal should feature returning state placer Tyler Herzog (Northern Lehigh) and state runner-up Kyle Barnes (Hughesville), though Barnes was upset by Preisch in the regional semifinal.
160: Finishing second at state last year, No. 17 Cody Law (Forest Hills) enters the state tournament this week undefeated. The Penn State signee is seeking to ascend that toughest step up to the top of the podium, and would have to be considered the favorite. However, it won't be easy with two-time Super 32 placer Ty Walter (Mifflinburg) standing in his way during the semifinal round. The opposite half of the draw features returning state placers in Evan DeLong (Kane), Jaric Kasunic (Benton), and Ty Schoffstal (Tri-Valley); the highest returning state placer other than Law in this weight is Schoffstal, who placed third, and he happens to be in the quarter bracket opposite DeLong and Kasunic down low.
170: It's a pair of undefeated wrestlers that lead the way in this weight class, No. 7 Peter Renda (Brandywine Heights) and Dustin Conti (Jefferson Morgan). Additional returning state placers in this weight class include Mike Fetchet (South Fayette) and Tristan Sponseller (Bermudian Springs). Renda and Fetchet, who lost in the Southwest regional final to Conti, are in the same quarter-bracket, while Conti and Sponseller project to meet in the semifinal round.
182: It's a trio of returning state placers who lead the way in this weight class, Adam Mackie (Brandywine Heights), Troy Hembury (Muncy), and the undefeated Dakota DesLauriers (Burrell). Macke and two-time state placer Hembury project to meet in the top half-bracket semifinal; while three-time state placer is looking at a semifinal bout against either sophomore Dylan Reynolds (Saegertown), who won the Northwest regional, or junior Jose Ortiz (Bethlehem Catholic), who is in his second state tournament appearance.
195: Three-time state placer Ryan Solomon (Milton) is a defending state champion, and ranked No. 2 in the nation at this weight class. The Pitt signee has been a Fargo All-American in both styles on multiple occasions, and has titles at the Beast of the East and Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic to his credit this season. In addition, his dominance drove long-time rival Raymond O'Donnell up to the next weight class. Quite frankly, Solomon should have little competition here, though a quarterfinal against senior Josh Alpha (Bethlehem Catholic), who is in his third state tournament appearance does loom; as does a likely final against either Adam Geiger (Trinity) or Garrett Vulcano (Chartiers Houston).
220: Like at the class before, this weight is likely the domain of one wrestler: No. 5 Raymond O'Donnell (Saucon Valley). The Super 32 Challenge and Beast of the East runner-up, who also is a two-time state placer and Junior freestyle All-American, is after his first state title. He is looking at a semifinal meeting against returning state placer Cam Cyphert (Cochranton) in the top half-bracket, while the bottom half finalist should come from the winner of a quarterfinal between two-time state placer Evan Daley (Fort LeBoeuf) and returning state placer Brandon Smith (Lewisburg).
285: Only two state placers return in this weight class, defending state champion Nazar Mironeko (Mifflinburg) and Trevor Stover (Biglerville). Mironeko is in the top half-bracket, and has a likely semifinal date with Brent Sterner (Susquentia), who beat Stover in the regional final; while Stover is looking at a likely semifinal against returning state qualifier Sam Breese (Lakeview).
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