Wildcat Boys Take Second Place Team Title at Mid-Winter Mayhem Tournament

By Joe Walker

INDIANA-Central Mountain’s Griffin Walizer took a second place finish in the 57 team Mid-Winter  Mayhem Tournament and helped guide the Wildcats to a second place finish in the team race. 

Walizer was one of five Wildcats to win top eight place finishes at their respective weight classes. Dalton  Perry (139) placed third and Rocco Serafini (215) finished in fifth place. Bryce Brungard (189) finished in  seventh place, while Aiden Kunes took an eighth place finish at 121 pounds. 

District 6 AA power Bishop McCort ran away with the team title, as they amassed 252.5 points, crowning  three Champions and two runner-ups. The Wildcats were second with 147.5 points, while Clearfield  finished in third with 138.5 points. 

Walizer earned his 100th career win in Friday’s action, then Saturday made his way to finals, after third  seeded Sam Herring of Bishop McCort had to medical forfeit their semifinals match. In the finals, Walizer  ran into top seeded Maddox Shaw of Thomas Jefferson in the finals and dropped a 7-1 to finish second. 

Shaw came in the tournament ranked number four in the country, as he was at 139 pounds in the  Powerade tournament and dropped a tough 1-0 match to the Wildcat’s Luke Simcox. With the loss  Walizer is now 18-5 on the season and now 103-41 thus far in his career. 

Serafini dropped his semifinal match by a 12-5 score to second seeded Tucker Paynter of Trinity-CH and  then was pinned by Mount Union’s Jake Ryan in 2:40 of their consolation semifinal bout, Ryan was the  number five seed and is now 26-3 on the season. 

Serafini rebounded and posted a solid 7-0 decision over Clearfield’s Carter Chamberlain in the bout for  5th place. Chamberlain has only two losses on the season and both are to Serafini, who posted a major  decision over Chamberlain by a 12-4 score in the Tom Best Top Hat Tournament earlier in the season.  Serafini is now 18-5 on the season. 

Perry overcame being upset in the quarterfinals, as he roared back and went 3-0 on the second day to  take a third place finish. In his third place match, the second seeded Perry pinned third seeded Parker  Pisarchick of Brockway in 2:33 to take the third place. Perry went 6-1 in the tournament and is now 12-2  on the season and closing in on 100 wins, as he is now 97-10 for his career thus far. 

Bryce Brungard (189) won his seventh place finish after he received a medical forfeit over Tasso Whipple  of Penn Trafford in the placement bout. Brungard won his sixth round consolation bout, but then dropped  a 10-0 major decision to sixth seeded Easton Belford of Brookville in the consolation quarterfinals.  Brungard was 5-2 in the tournament and is now 19-9 on the season. 

Aiden Kunes was the Wildcats fifth place finisher, as he finished in eighth after dropping an 8-3 decision  to fellow freshmen Brady Slicker of Brockway. Kunes fell into the place bout after dropping a tough 3-1  decision to third seeded Lucas Fye of Bald Eagle Area in the consolation quarterfinals. Kunes posted a 3- 3 mark in the tourney and is now 18-8 on the season. 

Three Wildcat wrestlers who did not place but went 4-2 in the tournament were Gavin Heverly (107, now  16-7), Patrick Tarantella (127, 13-9) and Hunter Donley (160, 13-9). Posting 3-2 marks were Luke  Annanea (145, 7-8) and Jacob Weaver (172, 16-10).

Caden Stoner (114, 5-8) and Carnell Noone (139, 10-6) both were 2-2 in the tourney, while Jacob  Nyman (172, 5-6) was 1-2. Giovanni Tarantella (285, 12-8) and Dalton McDermott (160, 0-2) both were 0- 2 in the tournament. 

Bald Eagle Area finished tied for sixth place with West Scranton, as both had 121.5 points. The Eagles  had four place winners, as Caleb Close captured the 189 pound title with a 6-0 decision over Caden Finck  of Montgomery in the finals.  

Third seeded Lucas Fye finished in third at 121 pounds, while Caden Judice finished in sixth place at 114  pounds and Dawson Lomison finished in eighth place at 127 pounds.  

Central Mountain Saturday results: 

Consolation round 6 

107 – Aiden Herndon (Cedar Cliff) Dec. Gavin Heverly, 3-1 

121 – Aiden Kunes wbf Keegan Ziegler (Cedar Cliff), 2:54 

139 – Dalton Perry wbf Hunter Cox (Curwensville), 1:41 

160 – JoJo Przbycien (Fort LeBoeuf) wbf Hunter Donley, 1:21 

172 – Jack Tongel (Plum) Dec. Jacob Weaver, 3-1 

189 – Bryce Brungard Dec. Maxim Johnson (Line Mtn), 10-8sv 

Consolation Quarterfinals 

121 – Lucas Fye (Bald Eagle Area) Dec. Aiden Kunes, 3-1 

139 – Dalton Perry Dec. Hunter Forcellini (Forest Hills), 12-6 

189 – Easton Belford (Brookville) Maj Dec. Bryce Brungard, 10-0 

Championship Semifinals 

145 – Griffin Walizer med for Sam Herring (Bishop McCort), :00

215- Tucker Paynter (Trinity-CH) Dec. Rocco Serafini, 12-5 

Consolation Semifinals 

139 – Dalton Perry wbf Nolan Baumert (Line Mtn), 2:18 

215 – Josh Ryan (Mount Union) wbf Rocco Serafini, 2:40 

7th Place  

121 – Brady Slicker (Hickory) Dec. Aiden Kunes, 8-3 

189 – Bryce Brungard med for Tasso Whipple (Penn Trafford), :00 

5th Place 

215 – Rocco Serfini Dec. Carter Chamberlain (Clearfield), 7-0 

3rd Place 

139 – Dalton Perry wbf Parker Pisarchick (Brockway), 2:33 

Championship Finals 

145 – Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) Dec. Griffin Walizer, 7-1