Wildcat Wrestlers Start Road to Hershey
By Joe Walker
MILL HALL-The wrestling regular season is over and now it is postseason time and this Saturday six District 6 Class AAA teams will meet in Altoona, and all their individual wrestlers will be starting their journey towards winning a PIAA state title in Hershey. The six team field consists of Central Mountain, Mifflin County, State College, Altoona, Hollidaysburg and Greater Johnstown.
The Wildcats enter this year’s tournament as the defending champions and have six wrestlers receiving top seeds at their weights. Earning number one seeds were Gavin Heverly (107), Aiden Kunes (121), Dalton Perry (139), Luke Simcox (145), Griffin Walizer (152) and Rocco Serafini (215).
Three Wildcats in Patrick Tarantella (127), Bryce Brungard (189) and Giovanni Tarantella (285) all received second seeds, while Hunter Donley (160) and Jacob Weaver (172) both received third seeds at their weights. Jaggar Pardoe (133) and Collin Bauman (114) were seeded fifth at their weights.
If all wrestlers meet their pre-tourney seeds, there will be some real interesting match-ups in the finals. The 145 pound title match would match two three-time District 6 champions in the Wildcats’ Luke Simcox and State Colleges’ Pierson Manville, as both wrestlers have earned state titles.
Four wrestlers will be looking for their third District 6 titles, as the Wildcats’ Rocco Serafini joins Luke Sipes (Altoona), Asher Cunningham (State College) and Nicholas Pavlechko (State College) all are returning two-time district champions.
On Friday night the Class AA tournament gets underway at Altoona and then on Saturday both the AA and AAA tournaments will be wrestled at the same times using four mats. The action gets started Saturday morning at 9 am with the championship quarterfinals and then ran all day until the championship finals get started at 5:45 pm with the Parade of Finalists.
In the Class AAA tournament, the top three place winners at each weight will advance to the Northwest Regional tournament to be held again in Altoona on Friday Feb. 23rd and Saturday Feb. 24th.
Listed below are the quarterfinal round match-ups, as the top two seeds and some third seeds at each weight receive byes in the first round and advance to the championship semifinals.
107 – (1) Gavin Heverly, Central Mountain (Fr, 30-10), BYE; (5) Dom Nardozza, Altoona, (Fr, 20-11) vs (4) Brayden Sidney, Hollidaysburg (So, 22-8); (3) Noah Young, State College (FR, 16-12) vs (6) Wonye Hiller, Johnstown, (Fr, 13-9); (2) Andrew Alexander, Mifflin County (Fr, 24-12), BYE.
114 – (1) Braiden Weaver, Altoona (So, 29-4), BYE; (5) Collin Bauman, Central Mountain (So, 1-5) vs (4) Jon Whitbred, State College (Fr, 4-12); (3) Landon Krupka, Hollidaysburg (Fr, 18-11), BYE; (2) Paxton Shawver, Mifflin County (Fr, 23-10), BYE;
121 – (1) Aiden Kunes, Central Mountain (Fr, 29-13), BYE; (5) Nicholas Taranto, Johnstown (So, 5-12) vs (4) Jonathan Coates, State College (Jr, 6-13); (3) Jake Knable, Mifflin County (Fr, 17-13) vs (6) Taber Baker, Altoona (So, 1-4); (2) Logan Krupka, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 13-14), BYE;
127 – (1) Blake Aumiller, Mifflin County (Sr, 6-3) BYE; (5) Nicholas Berrena, State College (Jr, 3-15) vs (4) Carson Krupka, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 16-10); (3) Gavin Campoli, Altoona (Fr, 17-6), BYE; (2) Patrick Tarantella, Central Mountain (Fr, 21-17), BYE.
133 – (1) James Whitbred, State College (Fr, 17-9), BYE; (5) Jaggar Pardoe, Central Mountain (So, 6-14) vs (4) Jacob Brua, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 17-12); (3) Philip Sarbo, Altoona (So, 12-8), BYE; (2) Kamden Everly, Mifflin County (Jr, 22-14), BYE;
139 – (1) Dalton Perry, Central Mountain (Jr, 27-2), BYE; (3) Brian Albert, Mifflin County (Fr, 6-15) vs Mason Schenk, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 9-14); (3) Wyatt Young, Altoona (Sr, 13-11), BYE; (2) Jacob Campbell, State College (Sr, 7-14), BYE.
145 – (1) Luke Simcox, Central Mountain (Sr, 22-2), BYE; (5) Luke Geishauser, Altoona (Fr, 3-7) vs Ethan Bopper, Johnstown (Jr, 7-6); (3) Colby Seiler, Mifflin County (Jr, 20-13) vs (6) James Bialo, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 3-10); (2) Pierson Manville, State College (Sr, 19-0), BYE.
152 – (1) Griffin Walizer, Central Mountain (Sr, 31-7), BYE; (3) Bryce Gainey, Johnstown (So, 6-6) vs (6) Brady Bucher, State College (Jr, 1-4); (3) Parker Kearns, Mifflin County (29-5), BYE; (2) Luke Sipes, Altoona (Jr, 28-5), BYE.
160 – (1) Asher Cunningham, State College (Jr, 28-1), BYE; (5) Matt Riccio, Altoona (Sr, 1-9) vs (4) Aiden Schenk, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 6-14); (3) Hunter Donley, Central Mountain (So, 19-11), BYE; (2) Deakon Schaeffer, Mifflin County (31-6), BYE.
171 – (1) Avery Aurand, Mifflin County (Jr, 27-7), BYE; (5) Xavier Zeruth, State College (Jr, 4-13) vs (4) Tykear Davis, Altoona (So, 9-17); (3) Jacob Weaver, Central Mountain (Jr, 24-17) vs (6) Devin Barrett, Johnstown (Jr, 7-16); (2) Mitchell Baronner, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 22-11), BYE.
189 – (1) Gavin Mickey, Mifflin County (Sr, 23-12), BYE; (5) Julian Rivas, Johnstown (Sr, 2-11) vs (4) Julian Pringle, Altoona (So, 4-8); (3) Tyson Bridenbaugh, Hollidaysburg (Sr, 13-16) vs (6) Reagan Dillon, State College (Fr, 1-13); (2) Bryce Brungard, Central Mountain (Jr, 28-16), BYE.
215 – (1) Rocco Serafini, Central Mountain (Sr, 33-6), BYE; (5) Paul Tisinger, Johnstown (So, 8-13) vs (4) Lucas Anderson, State College (Sr, 0-3); (3) Evan Boose, Altoona (Sr, 12-9) vs (6) Caden Fye, Hollidaysburg (So, 1-8); (2) Truitt Davis, Mifflin County (So, 19-13), BYE.
285 – (1) Nicholas Pavlechko, State College (Sr, 27-1), BYE; (5) Dekker Pietzsch (So, 3-6) vs (4) Hayden Speece, Altoona (Sr, 13-10); (3) Wyatt Maines, Hollidaysburg (Jr, 7-8) vs (6) Ben Fetzer, Johnstown (So, 2-7); (2) Giovanni Tarantella, Central Mountain (Sr, 17-8), BYE.
