Central Mountain wrestlers take PIAA opener, 36-29, over Cumberland Valley
HERSHEY, PA – It was a tight dual meet from the get-go in Thursday’s round-of-16 opener at the PIAA AAA team tournament at the Giant Center in Hershey. Midway through, the Central Mountain Wildcats trailed District 3 runner-up Cumberland Valley by a 23-12 score. But then came the Wildcat middleweight “hammers,” as Coach Biff Walizer likes to call them.
Luke Simcox, Dalton Perry and Griffin Walizer all picked up first period falls and Central Mountain took the lead at 30-23 with three weights to go. Braylen Corter at 152 pounds kept the momentum going with a clutch 7-2 win and the Wildcat lead was 33-23.
Eagle standout Gabriel Belga got CV within four, 33-29, with a fall at 160. Wildcat sophomore Jacob Weaver sealed the CM win in the final bout with a 9-6 decision at 172, putting the final at 36-29 in favor of the now 9-0 Wildcats.
After losing two narrow decisions in a dual that started at 189 pounds, Central Mountain got a key fall from previously unheralded Giovanni Tarantella, the Wildcat junior who had pulled out the District 6 title last week with a final bout fall against State College. Tarantella built up a 6-0 lead before recording another fall, this one 19 seconds into the final period. Another key win came from freshman Collin Bauman who, like Tarantella, is doing his best wrestling as the season moves into the postseason. Bauman bumped up to 114 pounds and gained a first period fall to tie things up at 12-12.
Cumberland Valley would get a fall and a technical fall in the next two bouts, 121 and 127, building the 23-12 lead. But then the “hammers” took over and Corter and Weaver followed with decision wins to advance the Wildcats into the Friday afternoon round-of-eight.
With the win Central Mountain moves to a Friday 2 p.m. quarterfinal match with District 7 (WPIAL) third-place finisher Hempfield (17-5), a 34-32 winner over District 1 champion Pennridge on Thursday. Cumberland Valley is now 21-4 and moves into the team dual consolations.
189 – Anthony Bruscino dec. Rocco Serafini, 4-3 (0-3)
215 – Bryce Beutler dec. Brayden Blackwell, 9-7 SV (0-6)
285 – Giovanni Tarentella pinned Ty King, 4:19 (6-6)
107 – Phil Montes pinned Caden Stoner, 1:16 (6-12)
114 – Collin Bauman pinned Owen Whittaker, 0:54 (12-12)
121 – Logan Maurer pinned Jaggar Pardoe, 4:56 (12-18)
127 – Alexander Tennis won by tech. fall over Carnell Noone, 17-2 5:10 (12-23)
133 – Luke Simcox pinned Jake Mitchell, 0:49 (18-23)
139 – Dalton Perry pinned Waylon Kitzmiller, 0:43 (24-23)
145 – Griffin Walizer pinned Patrick Kehoe, 1:36 (30-23)
152 – Braylen Corter dec. Ethan Whittaker, 6-2 (33-23)
160 – Gabriel Belga pinned Gino Serafini, 3:03 (33-29)
172 – Jacob Weaver dec. Dayne Miller, 9-6 (36-29)
Central Mountain wrestlers in bold.
