WILDCATS IN FIFTH PLACE

By Joseph Walker

WILLIAMSPORT – The Central Mountain Wildcat grapplers opened their season by getting eight wrestlers to advance into Saturday’s championship quarterfinals of the Tom Best Memorial Top Hat Tournament on Friday night. The Wildcats currently are in fifth place, while also having seven wrestlers still alive in the consolation quarterfinals. 

Advancing into the championship quarterfinals are Gavin Heverly (121), Collin Bauman (127), Patrick Tarantella (133), Aiden Kunes (145), Dalton McDermott (172), Tanner McCall (189), Todd Caris (215) and Hayes Henry (285). 

The seven wrestlers still alive in the consolations are Hunter Nace (107), Angelo Tarantella (114), Cael Dorman (127), Hayes Donley (139), Alton Council (145), Luke Garman (152) and Dakoda Packer (160). Hayes Miller (160) was the lone Wildcat to go 0-2 and be eliminated during the first night of action. 

107 – Freshman Hunter Nace dropped his first round bout by an 11-3 major decision to Dominick D’Ambola of Saucon Valley. In his consolation match he will face Rajan Urwan of Cumberland Valley. 

114 – Eighth seeded freshman Angelo Tarantella dropped a tough 5-4 decision to ninth seeded Cole Franks of South Western and in his consolation match he will face Miles Ransom-Rennicks of Loyalsock. 

121 – Third seeded Gavin Heverly advanced with an 18-2 technical fall in 2:20 over Jersey Shore’s Gabriel Fisher. In the quarterfinals the Wildcat junior will face 11th seed Matthew Rowles of Clearfield. 

127 – Eighth Seeded Collin Bauman advanced with a fall in 59 seconds over ninth seeded John Taucher of Halifax. In the quarterfinals, Bauman has the tough task of meeting top seeded Brock Rothermel of Line Mountain. Rothermel was 38-3 last season, a Northeast region AA champ and fifth place in the AA state tournament. 

Bucktail junior Cael Dorman won his first round bout with a fall in 4:30 over Gavin Lease of South Western, but then dropped his second round match by a 16-1 tech fall to sixth seeded Isaac Roberts of Titusville. In his consolation bout he will face Paxton Parada of Clearfield. Dorman is the Wildcats non-scoring team point wrestler at this weight. 

133 – Fifth seeded Patrick Tarantella advanced into the quarterfinals with an 18-1 tech fall in 2:57 over Andrew Donaldson of Titusville. In the quarterfinals the Wildcat junior will meet fourth seeded Bo Aveni of Clearfield, who placed fourth in the Northwest AA Regionals last season as a freshman. 

139 – Wildcat sophomore Hayes Donley won his first round match with a 17-2 tech fall in 5:49 over Noah Troxell of Clearfield. The 11th seeded Donley then dropped his second round match when he was pinned by sixth seeded Bryndin Chamberlain of Clearfield in 2:26. In the consolations Donley will face Chase Sparks of Connellsville. 

145 – Third Seeded Aiden Kunes advanced with a 22-4 tech fall in 2:00 over Alex Engleman of Central York. In the quarterfinals the Wildcat junior will face sixth seeded Cash Diehl of Clearfield. 

145 – Junior Alton Counsil won his first round bout by a 6-0 decision over Chase Brown of Scranton, but then dropped his second round bout by fall in 3:36 to Ivan Baker of Loyalsock. Counsil bounced back and won his first consolation bout by pinning Connor Phillips of Loyalsock in 1:42.

152 – Fifth seeded Luke Garman lost his first match by a 19-4 tech fall in 3:37 to 12th seeded Luke Lilley of Connellsville. The Wildcat junior bounced back with a 2-0 decision win over David Reese of Hempfield (Dist 7). In his consolation bout on Saturday morning he will face 13th seeded Aiden Bayard of Emmaus. 

160 – Wildcat sophomore Dakoda Packer dropped an 18-5 major decision to Jersey Shores’ Tobias Morgret in the first round, but then bounced back with a fall in 1:47 over Parker Hatter of Tri-Valley. In his next consolation match he will face Dominic Magill of Hempfield (D-7). 

Wildcat senior Hayes Miller dropped both of his matches, as he lost by a fall in 1:58 to Wyatt Youngblood of Mid-Valley. In the consolations he lost by fall in 2:15 to Braden Rohn of Saucon Valley and was eliminated. 

172 – Seventh seeded Dalton McDermott advanced with 15-0 tech fall over 10th seeded Carter Gordon of South Western. In the quarterfinals, the Wildcat senior will face second seeded Teagan Ruble of Conestoga Valley, who placed third in the South Central AA regional tournament. 

189 – Seventh seeded Tanner McCall advanced into the quarterfinals with a 10-3 decision over Garrett Cockerit of Line Mountain. In the quarterfinals the Wildcat sophomore will meet second seeded Teagen Carroll of Halifax. 

215 – Wildcat sophomore Todd Caris advanced to the quarterfinals with a fall in 39 seconds over Brayden Harpster of Williamsport and then the ninth seed pinned eighth seeded Landon Bodnar of Hazelton in 2:29. In the quarterfinals, Caris will face top seeded Landon Tucker of Mifflinburg, who placed third in the Northeast AA regionals and was 43-13 last season as a freshman. 

289 – Third seeded Hayes Henry advanced with a fall in 3:55 over Roghan Hollis of Connellsville and in the quarterfinals the Wildcat sophomore will face sixth seeded Donovan Keeth of Tri-Valley. 

Emmaus leads the team race with 71 points and 8 quarterfinalists, while Saucon Valley is second with 66 points and six in the quarterfinals. Mifflinburg is in third place with 63.5 points and nine quarterfinalists, while Clearfield is in fourth with 61 points and eight quarterfinalists.

Central Mountain rounds out the top five, as they are tied with Connellsville with 57.5 points, as both teams have eight in the quarterfinals. The Jersey Shore Bulldogs are in 20th place of the 24 team field with 23.5 points and just one wrestler in the championship quarterfinals.