Walizer and Serafini into Mid-Winter Mayhem Semi-finals Saturday

By Joe Walker

INDIANA- The Central Mountain Wildcats advanced two wrestlers into the championship semifinals of the 57-team Mid-Winter Mayhem Tournament on the campus of Indiana University of Pa. Griffin Walizer  (145) and Rocco Serafini (215) both were perfect in the first day action.

Walizer advanced after pinning Jackson Bowers of Fort LeBoeuf in 3:53. The Wildcat senior posted three  falls and a tech fall on the day. He also hit a career milestone hitting 100 wins. Fellow senior Serafini posted a tough 1-0 decision over Teague Calvin of  Curwensville in the quarterfinals. Serafini was 3-0 on the day adding a fall and a tech fall.

In the semifinals, a second seeded Walizer, now 17-4, will face third seeded Sam Herring of Bishop  McCort, who is now 21-5 on the season. Third seeded Serafini, 17-3, will take on second seeded Tucker  Paynter of Trinity (Camp Hill) who is 11-0 on the season and has 109 career wins.

Wildcats still have seven wrestlers still alive in the consolations, as Gavin Heverly (107), Aiden Kunes  (121), Patrick Tarantella (127), Dalton Perry (139), Hunter Donley (160), Jacob Weaver (172) and Bryce  Brungard (189). All of them are one win away from placing in the top eight of their weight class.

Kunes, Weaver, Brungard and Perry all lost their quarterfinal round bouts, while Tarantella, Heverly and  Donley all won bouts in consolations to get to the sixth round of consolations. Perry was the victim of an  upset, as the number two seed dropped a 9-8 dec. to Kase Chopp of Butler, who finished in seventh in last seasons Class AAA state tournament.

The Wildcats are currently tied for third place with Fort LeBoeuf with 105.5 points. Bishop McCort is  leading the field with 154.5 points and seven wrestlers in the semifinals. Clearfield is in second place with 121.5 points and two semifinalist, while West Scranton rounds out the top five with 86.5 points and four  semifinalist.

Bald Eagle Area is tied with LaSalle College for seventh place, as the Eagles have one semifinalist in Caleb Close at 189, while Caden Judice (114), Dawson Lomison (127) and Lucas Fye (121) still alive in  the fifth round of consolations.

The Wildcats had five wrestlers eliminated after day one, as Caden Stoner (114) and Carnell Noone (139)  both finished 2-2 on the day. Luke Ananea (145) finished 3-2, Jacob Nyman (172) was 1-2 and senior Giovanni Tarantella (285) was 0-2, as he was forced to default out of his first match and then medical  forfeited his second match.

Central Mountain Results:

Round of 64

107 – Gavin Heverly wtf Drew Gilarno (Commodore Perry), 16-2, 2:44

127 – Dawson Lomison (Bald Eagle Area) Patrick Tarantella, 11-4

139 – Dalton Perry wbf Michael Monty (United), 4:23

139 – Noah Ruibal (LaSalle College) dec Carnell Noone, 8-2

145 – Luke Annanea maj dec Vance Hower (Mount Union)

145 – Griffin Walizer wbf Ethan Cartwright (Franklin Regional), 2:20

172 – Jacob Weaver wbf Leland Pepper (Canton), 1:49

172 – Coy Bryson (Montgomery) wbf Jacob Nyman, 4:28

189 – Bryce Brungard wbf Luke Stutzman (Hughesville), 1:41

285 – Jermain Moran (Pocono Mountain East) med for Giovanni Tarantella, 4-2, 3:20

 

Round of 32

107 – Heverly wbf Gage Bell (Fort LeBoeuf), 3:13

114 – Caiden Herbert (West Allegheny) wbf Caden Stoner, 1:51

121 – Aiden Kunes wbf Noah Pentz (Curwensville), 1:36

139 – Perry wbf Liam Hagerman (Danville), 1:38

145 – Annanea dec Luke Johnson (LaSalle College), 13-7

145 – Walizer wbf Ezra Keizer (Kiski Area), 2:16

160 – Rudy Gentile (Greenville) maj Dec Hunter Donley, 18-5

172 – Weaver dec Ben Watkins (General McLane), 8-3

189 – Brungard wbf Aaron Lichtinger (Fort LeBoeuf), 3:36

215 – Rocco Serafini wtf Justin Leslie Thomas Jefferson), 15-0, 3:15

 

Consi First Round

139 – Noone wtf Tyler Bollinger (Kiski Area), 18-2, 2:07

Consi Second Round

114 – Stoner wbf Victor Othman (Montgomery), 1:57

127 – Tarantella wbf Chris Bowers (Radner), 1:56

139 – Noone dec Jake Wilson (Central Cambria), 7-2

160 – Donley wbf Erik Schiver (Cedar Cliff), 1:49

172 – Nyman dec. Zeshawn Williams (Freedom Area), 7-4

285 – Eric Clark (Bald Eagle Area) med for Tarantella

 

Consi Third Round

114 – Stoner wbf Cael Skorka (Cedar Cliff), :33

127 – Tarantella Dec, Ethan Snyder (General McLane), 6-0

139 – Liam Hagerman (Danville) Dec. Noone, 6-3

160 – Donley wbf Dawson Davis (Butler), 1:59

172 – Dylan Stephens (United) wbf Nyman, 3:54

 

Championship Round 16

107 – Conner Lanier (West Scranton) Dec. Heverly, 4-2 sv

121 – Kunes Dec. Chase Shane’s (Hughesville), 3-0

139 – Perry wbf Mike Reardon (Hickory), 1:55

145 – Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) wbf Annanea, :59

145 – Walizer wtf Aaron Ickes (Chestnut Ridge), 23-8, 2:27

172 – Weaver Dec. Carter Freeland (Clearfield), 9-4

189 – Brungard maj Dec. Zach Travis (United), 10-2

215 – Serafini wbf Jake Yatsky (Forest Hills), 2:37

 

Consi Fourth Round

107 – Heverly Dec. Braden Sidney (Hollidaysburg), 5-2

114 – Elijah Scriven (Hickory) wtf Stoner, 19-4, 1:37

127 – Tarantella Dec. Chase Smith (Franklin Regional), 8-5

145 – Annanea Dec. Cael Harman (Pocono Mtn East), 4-3

160 – Donley Maj Dec Nick Colucci (LaSalle College), 10-0

 

Consi Fifth Round

107 – Heverly Dec. Andrew Kapec (Sullivan County), 9-3

127 – Tarantella Dec. Seth McClintock (Montgomery), 1-0

145 – Ty Aveni (Clearfield) Dec. Annanea, 1-0

160 – Donley wbf Cameron Dubbs (Bald Eagle Area),

 

Championship Quarterfinals

121 – Weston Piscarrchick (Brockway) Dec. Kunes, 9-4

139 – Kase Chopp (Butler) Dec. Perry, 9-8

145 – Walizer wbf Jackson Bowers (Fort LeBoeuf), 3:53

172 – Anthony DeAngelo (Trinity-Ch) Dec. Weaver, 7-4

189 – Caleb Close (Bald Eagle Area) wbf Brungard, 3:07

215 – Serafini Dec. Teage Calvin (Greenville), 1-0