Veteran Wildcat Grapplers Ready to Go
13 Letter-winners Return
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – A new Central Mountain wrestling season approaches but the story line remains the same: Wildcat wrestling will again be a force.
Veteran coach Doug Buckwalter is working with 32 or so in the wrestling room and among them are 13 returning letter-winners including defending District 6 champions in Gavin Caprio and Demetri Probst. Throw in eight additional district place-winners and you have the makings of a solid team.
And while coach Buckwalter knows the potential for another standout season is there, he also knows District 6 likely this year will produce not one but two exceptional teams.
Tom Elling’s new Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook has both Central Mountain and Mifflin County in his preseason statewide top ten, the Huskies listed at number seven and the Wildcats at number nine.
What that means is somebody out of District 6 won’t be making it to the PIAA team duals in February (the district is only accorded one state team qualifier); that part of the schedule is down the road but Buckwalter concurred that either team could go to the state dual tourney and “make some noise.”
He said the competition from Mifflin County will be good for the district. Central Mountain took both dual meets from Mifflin County a year ago and won the district dual meet title but Mifflin County took the district individual crown. The Huskies are a junior-dominated team this year.
Central Mountain will have to be ready early: the December schedule starts next weekend with Williamsport’s Top Hat Tourney, then a home dual Dec. 9 with new foe Midd-West, the Wildcats’ own powerful King of the Mountain tourney Dec. 12 and 13, followed by road trips to Shikellamy Dec. 18 and the regular season showdown Dec. 20 at Mifflin County.
Buckwalter said he has no problems with a front-end difficult schedule, providing his team with a chance to work on improvements after the first of the year.
The returning roster from last year’s 16-3 squad is lengthy (last year’s weight and record; this year’s class):
Demetri Probst, 145 pounds, 28-12, sr; district champ, regional runner-up.
Gavin Caprio, 170 pounds, 35-8, sr; district champ, regional third place.
Keanan Bottorf, 120 pounds, 27-10, sr; district runner-up, regional fourth place.
Bryce Hanley, 285 pounds, 27-11, sr; district runner-up, regional fourth place.
Geo Barzona, 106 pounds, 24-15, soph; district third place, regional fourth place.
Issac Porter, 182 pounds, 17-14, jr; district third place.
Loc Long, 195 pounds, 19-9, sr; district third place.
Emery Watson, 138 pounds, 18-17, sr; district fourth place.
Colton Weaver, 132 pounds, 10-15, soph; district fifth place.
Caleb Turner, 152 pounds, 7-19; soph; district sixth place.
Hunter Weaver, 182 pounds, 5-4, jr.
Chris Confer, 113 pounds, 7-11, sr.
Ryan Moore, 113 pounds, 5-7, jr.
Buckwalter and his staff had also been looking at six ninth graders; at last report two would stay with the senior high squad, Seth Andrus and Tanner Weaver.
Central Mountain for the first time this season will be part of the District 4 Heartland Conference, not historically a force at the large school level. That means schedule changes for the Wildcats, longtime foe Philipsburg-Osceola dropped and a 2-year contract with Brookville not renewed; additionally the Wildcats will not participate in the Bob Rohm tournament at Bloomsburg.
New this year are dual meets with Midd-West, Williamsport, Mifflinburg, Selinsgrove and Shamokin. Even though the schedule has more of a District 4 flavor, Central Mountain will again compete in the postseason in District 6.
If the logistics are worked out, the Central Mountain home meet with Bald Eagle Area, set for Jan. 10, will be held at Bucktail High School. Wildcat senior Probst is a student at Bucktail, participating for Central Mountain through a co-op program between the two schools. Probst is the only Bucktail student on the Wildcat roster.
