KUNES WINS KOM TITLE, WILDCATS SEVENTH
By Joseph Walker
MILL HALL – Second seeded Aiden Kunes went 5-0 and captured the 145 pound weight class of the King of the Mountain Tournament to lead the Central Mountains’ six place winners overall and a seventh place team finish in the 32-team field.
Joining Kunes as place winners for the Wildcats were fourth place finisher Gavin Heverly and the foursome of Patrick Tarantella, Hayes Donley, Todd Caris and Hayes Henry who all finished in seventh place of their respective weight classes.
Kunes defeated Collier Hartman of Canon McMillan by narrow 2-0 score in the semifinals, as the second period reversal earned Kunes the win over the Class AAA state fourth place finisher from last season. In the finals, Kunes used three takedowns enroute to a 10-2 major decision over Bald Eagle Area standout Dawson Lomison, who made his way to the finals by knocking off top seeded Patrick Woloshynn of Council Rock South in the semifinals. Woloshynn was a state fourth place finisher last season.
Heverly lost his championship semifinal bout to top seeded and state runner-up Brayden Wenrich of Northampton, but bounced back and won his consolation semifinal match to get into the third place final. His third place bout went into overtime and Garrett Weyandt of Chestnut Ridge used an escape in the third overtime period to edge Heverly by a 2-1 TB1 score. Weyandt placed eight in Class AA states last season.
Tarantella, Donley, Caris and Henry all dropped their consolation quarterfinals round bouts to fall into the matches for seventh place. All four bounced back and went 4-0 to all claim seventh place finishes. Donley avenged an earlier 7-2 dual meet loss to Mifflin County’s Jake Knable in the seventh place bout.
TEAM STANDINGS: 1st – Chestnut Ridge (148.5); 2nd – Council Rock South (132.5); 3rd – Altoona (131.5); 4th – Northampton (125); 5th – Canon McMillan (124.5); 6th – State College (124); 7th – Central Mountain (123); 8th – Parkland (118); 9th – Montoursville (111.5); 10th – Wilson West Lawn (110.5); 11th (tie) – Boyertown and Bald Eagle Area (110); 13th – Burrell (106.5); 14th – Bellefonte (102); 15th (tie) – Greater Latrobe and Warrior Run (94).
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN RESULTS (DAY 2)
CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINALS:
121 – #5 Gavin Heverly (CM) dec. #4 Luke Young (State College), 4-3; 133 – #2 Braiden Weaver (Altoona) maj dec #7 Patrick Tarantella (CM); 145 – #2 Aiden Kunes (CM) dec. #7 Wyatt Long (Bellefonte), 7-0; 215 – #2 Ethan Brownback (Wilson West Lawn) dec. #10 Todd Caris (CM).
CONSOLATIONS ROUND 4:
133 – #7 Patrick Tarantella (CM) pinned #14 Jon Whitbred (State College), 2:26; 139 – #11 Hayes Donley (CM) pinned #8 Reese Edie (Wilson West Lawn), 3:34; 215 – #10 Todd Caris (CM) pinned #13 Max Pugash (Parkland), 3:55; 285 – #6 Hayes Henry (CM) dec. #9 Shawn Harkless (Wilson West Lawn), 4-2.
CONSOLATION QUATERFINALS:
133 – #9 Jon Emma (Canon McMillan) dec. #7 Patrick Tarantella (CM), 9-2; 139 – Jared Santilli (Parkland) maj dec. Hayes Donley (CM), 11-3; 215 – #6 Luke Hockenberry (Bellefonte) dec. #10 Todd Caris (CM), 3-2; 285 – #5 Gage Gardner (Bald Eagle Area) dec. #6 Hayes Henry (CM), 4-1.
CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS:
121 – #1 Brayden Wenrich (Northampton) tech fall #5 Gavin Heverly (CM), 15-0, 5:38; 145 – #2 Aiden Kunes (CM) dec. #3 Collier Hartman (Canon McMillan), 2-0
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS:
121 – #5 Gavin Heverly (CM) pinned Grayson Angelo (Hempfield D-3), 1:48
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS:
107 – #1 Kooper Deputy (Chestnut Ridge) pinned #2 Branden Eisenhour (Montoursville), 3:25 114 – #7 Braden Todoro (Parkland) dec. #1 Andrew Alexander (Mifflin County), 4-1; 121 – #1 Brayden Wenrich (Northampton) dec. #3 John Sagata (Council Rock South), 4-1; 127 – #1 Deklan Barr (Altoona) dec. #3 Kael Davis, 4-1; 133 – #1 Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge) dec. #2 Braiden Weaver (Altoona), 1-0; 139 – #1 Dalton Wenner (Cranberry) dec. #2 Tanner Guenot (Bald Eagle Area), 2-0; 145 – #1 Aiden Kunes (Central Mountain) maj dec Dawson Lomison (Bald Eagle Area), 10-2; 152 – #1 Caden Judice (Bald Eagle Area) dec. #3 Chase Glabfelder (Northampton), 10-3; 160 – #1 Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run) dec. Gabriel Ballard (Northampton), 7-2; 172 – #3 Max Wirnsberger (Warrior Run) dec. #1 Gage Wentzel (Montoursville), 2-1 TB1; 189 – #4 Hayden Harvey (Montoursville) dec. #6 Jackson Long (Bellefonte), 5-2; 215 – #1 Decker Bechtold (Owen J. Roberts) tech fall #1 Ethan Brownback (Wilson West Lawn), 21-6, 1:55; 285 – #4 Matthew Scott (Council Rock South) dec. #2 Frank Barrientos (Chambersburg), 4-1.
THIRD PLACE:
107 – Luis Moya (Parkland) dec. Quinn Bagnell (Council Rock South), 5-3 TB1; 114 – Lee Dreshman (Canon McMillan) dec. Noah Young (State College), 1-0; 121 – Garrett Weyandt (Chestnut Ridge) dec. Gavin Heverly (CM), 2-1 TB1; 127 – Boden Waite (Boyertown) won by medical forfeit) Joey Gallo (Hempfield D-3); 133 – Cam Baker (Burrell) tech fall Aiden Thompson (Cranberry), 19-4, 4:56; 139 – Jake Stewart (Burrell) dec Thomas Bencho (West Allegheny), 3-0; 145 – Patrick Woloshyn (Council Rock South) dec. Barrett Keiffer (Manheim Central), 4-1; 152 – Clay Kimmy (General McLane) maj dec Julian Bertucci (Burrell), 11-0; 160 – James Whitbred (State College) maj dec Ezra Swisher (Bellefonte), 14-3; 172 – McKaden Speece (Wilson West Lawn) dec. AJ Corp (West Chester Rustin), 5-2; 189 – Hunter Snyder (Greater Latrobe) dec. Noah Templin (Manheim Central), 7-0; 215 – Brayden Collins (Canon McMillan) dec. Luke Hockenberry (Bellefonte), 2-1; 285 – Cam Danna (West Allegheny) dec. Gage Gardner (Bald Eagle Area), 4-2.
WILDCAT SEVENTH PLACE:
133 – Patrick Tarantella (CM) dec. Charlie Griffin (Wilson West Lawn), 7-1; 139 – Hayes Donley (CM) dec Jake Knable (Mifflin County), 7-3; 215 – Todd Caris (CM) pinned Ayden Kun (Burrell), 1:23; 285 – Hayes Henry (CM) dec. Gamin Owens (Greater Latrobe), 3-1.
