Wildcats Place Four at KOM
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP—It’s the December version of the PIAA state championships, the grueling 17th annual King of the Mountain wrestling tournament and when the two days of top flight competition ended Saturday night Bethlehem Catholic was again tourney champ and the host Central Mountain Wildcats gave a representative showing, placing four wrestlers and finishing in 15th place.
The Wildcats had a solid last round, their four surviving entries winning their final bouts. Junior Geo Barzona finished in fifth place at 113 pounds, defeating Louis Newell of Seneca Valley, this time by a 4-2 score; Barzona had downed Newell 3-0 in the quarterfinals earlier Saturday. Barzona, a three seed, fell in the semifinals 6-3 to number two seed Jakob Campbell of Boyertown. Next was a consolation 5-4 overtime loss to number eleven seed Nick Coy of Penn Trafford, sending Barzona to the fifth place match.
Senior Isaac Porter at 195 pounds picked up a second period fall over Robert Scherer of Burrell to finish fifth. Porter, a four seed, had lost in the quarterfinals to number five seed Joe Doyle of Council Rock South by a 14-1 score. He picked up a wrestle-back fall before being edged by Mifflin County’s Trey Hartsock, putting Porter in the fifth place match.
Senior Hunter Weaver at 220 pounds did it the hard way to earn his fifth place finish. Defeated in the round of 16 on Friday, the number five seed Weaver picked up four straight wins in the consolations, including a spirited 4-1 win over number four seed Max Mason of Jersey Shore. He took his fifth place match by a 3-1 score over Jason Shaffer of Northern Lehigh.
Senior heavyweight Bryce Bitner, a ten seed, finished in seventh place, falling by fall in the consolation semifinals to number six seed Kawuan DeBoe of Erie Prep. Bitner earned his final win by medical forfeit when his opponent was unable to compete.
Several other Wildcats made it to the round of 12 but fell one win short of placing. They were sophomore Seth Andrus at 126 pounds, junior Colton Weaver at 145 pounds and sophomore Tanner Weaver at 152 pounds.
Mifflin County, Central Mountain’s first dual meet opponent at home next Saturday night, finished with one champion in Hayden Hidlay at 152 pounds; he won the award for most falls, going four for four. The Huskies placed five wrestlers and finished in an eighth place tie with North Allegheny. Future Central Mountain foe Bellefonte finished 21st with a runner-up in Brock Port at 145 pounds. Another future opponent, Jersey Shore, was 22nd with 63 points and had a seventh place finisher in Hunter Zondory at 120 pounds.
Central Mountain finished with 79 points. That compares to 113.5 points a year ago in a ninth place finish; 18th in 2013 and 25th in 2012.
You can view the entire result summary by clicking here: KOM Bout by Bout.pdf … or here: for the KOM Brackets Final.pdf
Summaries for Central Mountain wrestlers from Day 2
Championship Quarter Final Round
113 – Geo Barzona, Central Mountain, dec. Louis Newell, Seneca Valley, 3-0.
195 – Joe Doyle, Council Rock South, major dec. Isaac Porter, Central Mountain, 14-1.
285 – Dawson Otis, Wyalusing, dec. Bryce Bitner, Central Mountain, 1-0.
Consolation Fifth Round
106 – Lukas Richie, Downingtown East, tech fall Cody Coleman, Central Mountain, 3:13 (15-0).
126 – Seth Andrus, Central Mountain, dec. Jethro Solomon, Schuylkill Valley, 14-7.
145 – Colton Weaver, Central Mountain, dec. Nick Verdi, Council Rock South, 3-0.
152 – Tanner Weaver, Central Mountain, dec. Ty Gross, Seneca Valley, 2-0.
220 – Hunter Weaver, Central Mountain, dec. Max Mason Jersey Shore, 4-1.
Consolation Sixth Round
126 – Trevor Tarsi, Nazareth, dec. Seth Andrus, Central Mountain, 5-1.
145 – Carter Starocci, Erie Cathedral Prep, dec. Colton Weaver, Central Mountain, 6-0.
152 – Chase Gardner, Bellefonte, pinned Tanner Weaver, Central Mountain, 1:47.
195 – Isaac Porter, Central Mountain, pinned George Limberiou, Schuykill Valley, 1:36.
220 – Hunter Weaver, Central Mountain, dec. John Greenleaf, Exeter Township, 8-2.
285 – Bryce Bitner, Central Mountain, dec. Ian Hood, Greater Latrobe, 2-1.
Championship Semi Final Round
113 – Jakob Campbell, Boyertown, dec. Geo Barzona, Central Mountain, 6-3.
Consolation Quarter Final Round
195 – Isaac Porter, Central Mountain, Dennis Caris, Exeter Township, 4:19.
220 – Hunter Weaver, Central Mountain, dec. Ricky Ott, Boiling Springs 5-2.
285 – Kawaun DeBoe, Erie Cathedral Prep, pinned Bryce Bitner, Central Mountain, 2:11.
Consolation Semi Final Round
113 – Nick Coy, Penn Trafford, dec. Geo Barzona, Central Mountain, 5-4 OT UTB.
195 – Trey Hartcock, Mifflin County, dec. Isaac Porter, Central Mountain, 5-1.
220 – Connor Mitchell, Owen J Roberts, dec. Hunter Weaver, Central Mountain, 6-0.
Consolation Championship Final Fifth Place
113 – Geo Barzona, Central Mountain, Louis Newell, Seneca Valley, 4-2.
195 – Isaac Porter, Central Mountain, pinned Robert Scherer, Burrell, 2:08.
220- Hunter Weaver, Central Mountain, Jason Shaffer, Northern Lehigh, 4-1.
Consolation Finals Seventh Place
285 – Bryce Bitner, Central Mountain, received a forfeit John Anderson, Council Rock South.
TOP TOURNAMENT TEAMS
| Dec. 12, 2015 | SCORE | TEAM | CH | WB |
| 1 | 214.0 | BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC | ||
| 2 | 182.0 | BOYERTOWN | ||
| 3 | 162.0 | NAZARETH | ||
| 4 | 156.0 | COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH | ||
| 5 | 121.0 | EXETER | ||
| 6 | 115.0 | HUNTINGDON | ||
| 7 | 105.0 | GREATER LATROBE | ||
| 8 | 104.0 | MIFFLIN COUNTY | ||
| 8 | 104.0 | NORTH ALLEGHENY | ||
| 10 | 100.0 | OWEN J ROBERTS | ||
| 15 | 79.0 | CENTRAL MOUNTAIN | ||
| 21 | 64.5 | BELLEFONTE | ||
| 22 | 63.0 | JERSEY SHORE |
