Wildcats Reclaim District 6 Duals Title
TYRONE – Most fans thought Central Mountain had a decent chance to reclaim the District 6 team dual crown Mifflin County took away from the Wildcats a year ago.
As it turned out, it could not have been more even or more evenly contested. In a classic title dual that went to the final of the 14 bouts, Bucktail High School’s gift to Central Mountain wrestling provided the margin of difference.
Junior Demetri Probst, in Wildcat blue because of a new co-op program with Bucktail, took to the mat with his team trailing 25-21. Probst needed a bout termination (5 team points) or a fall (six team points) for the margin of victory.
Probst proceeded to put on a takedown clinic against overmatched Husky sophomore Daulton Hildebrant (0-4): 10 takedowns, two back-points and an escape added up to a 23-8 technical fall at the 4:31 mark, propelling the Wildcats to a wild 26-25 victory and a trip to the state team dual tournament starting Thursday evening in Hershey.
Probst (17-8) was one of a number of heroes in the Central Mountain lineup, a couple winning at weights the Wildcats had lost in the regular season encounter with Mifflin County and several more saving precious team points by not getting pinned and/or holding their Husky opponents to regular or major decisions.
Coach Doug Buckwalter and assistant Rob Weikel made masterful moves in patching together the dual-winning lineup.
Unheralded sophomore Hunter Weaver (5-4) was inserted into the match at 170 pounds and responded with a 9-0 major win over Eli Habbershon. That allowed the Wildcats to move state-ranked Gavin Caprio (24-5) to 182 pounds where he emerged with a 3-1 overtime win over Mifflin County’s state-ranked Trey Hartsock.
Another key win came from Cameron Porter (18-7). He had lost in the earlier dual to the Huskies but downed longtime nemesis Kyle Kahley (8-3) by a 5-1 score.
Other Wildcat winners were Geo Barzona (15-9), Keanan Bottorf (18-6) and Chad Reese (23-6).
Each team won seven bouts. Mifflin County had four major decisions, Central Mountain three; it was Probst’s bout termination which produced the extra team point to secure the win.
In the semi-finals the Wildcats downed Philipsburg-Osceola (9-5) by a 41-27 score.
For Central Mountain it was a sixth district team dual title in seven years, Mifflin County stopped a 5-year Wildcat run in 2013. Both teams look to be solid again next year and both teams look to be the favorites for the District 6 individual tournament coming up Feb. 22 in Altoona.
Meanwhile the Wildcats move on to the AAA team dual title. Their opening match will be 6 p.m. Thursday against the winner of a pig-tail match Monday between District 11 runner-up Parkland (17-2) and District 1 fourth place finisher Garnet Valley (19-3).
If the Wildcats win Thursday they would wrestle in the quarterfinals Friday at 2 p.m., likely against District 3 champion Cumberland Valley (16-1). A loss Thursday would send Central Mountain to a 10 a.m. Friday consolation match, likely opponent North Allegheny (13-1), third place finisher in the WPIAL.
New PennsylvaniaPower state team rankings have Franklin Regional No. 1 and Boyertown No. 2. Cumberland Valley is third, Parkland fifth and North Allegheny sixth.
Central Mountain, now 13-0, advanced to 20th in the state rankings.
Jersey Shore will also be in Hershey Thursday, having won the District 4 title over Shikellamy on Saturday, the score 39-28.
The Bulldogs draw No. 7 Greater Latrobe (9-1) in their round-of-16 match. Latrobe finished as the WPIAL runner-up to Franklin Regional.
