Centre County’s District 6 Class 2A wrestling teams set for postseason runs
The best part of the year is here for wrestlers and coaches — the postseason.
All the work they’ve been putting in all season has been leading up to this moment.
The District 6 Class 2A seeds were released Tuesday and Bald Eagle Area and St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy combined to nab six of the 14 top seeds. Coen Bainey (106 pounds) and Cooper Gilham (120) were listed at No. 1 for the Eagles For the Wolves, Zack Witmer (138), Caleb Dowling (152), Keegan Rothrock (160) and Tyler Stoltzfus (170) are at the top of the bracket.
In all, the county has 12 wrestlers in the top two of their respective weight classes with Penns Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola wrestlers nabbing a couple of those No. 2 seeds. There could be an all-county final at 138, 152 and 160 pounds as the district tournament gets underway Friday morning and ends Saturday evening. Finals are slated to begin at at about 6 p.m. Saturday.
Much like last season, Witmer, the Rams’ Clayton Royer and the Mounties’ Chase Chapman are again in the same weight class — 138 pounds. They are all listed No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, like last season. Philipsburg-Osecola coach Brad Pataky and Penns Valley coach Joel Brinker each had their own take on it.
“It’s going to be some exciting wrestling. It’s going to be some good matchups there,” Pataky said. “It can go either way for either of the three. Royer is a tough kid and works really hard. Witmer is a tough kid and puts the extra time in.
“Chase is just as talented. He could have the tournament of his life, if he gives it his best effort. It’s going to be really exciting to watch all three of those guys get after it this weekend.”
Brinker added: “It’s probably one of the best weight classes here. There are five or six really solid kids. Chapman beat Witmer last season. Royer is undefeated so far with Chapman. Royer got to watch Chapman place second at regionals last year, and go on to states. I know what kind of taste that left in his mouth.”
Here’s a look at how each school is set for the postseason:
Bald Eagle Area
Seeds: Bainey (No. 1, 106 pounds), Jeffre Piffer (No. 5, 113), Gilham (No. 1, 120), Grace Stem (No. 14, 126), Isaac Packer (No. 13, 132), Zander Ballock (No. 10, 138), Gage McClenahan (No. 2, 145), Drew Koleno (No. 10, 152), Noah Foltz (No. 7, 160), Matthew Knepp (No. 13, 170), Brady Proctor (No. 15, 182), Chandler Burns (No. 13, 195), David Close (No. 3, 220)
Outlook: Coach Ron Guenot has had a simple message for his wrestlers heading into the district tournament.
Don’t worry about records.
“Everyone is coming in and has an equal chance to be at the top of the podium,” he said. “You only get to do this so many times, so make the most of it.”
Health always is a factor when it comes to this point in the season. McClenahan didn’t even get to compete last year as he recovered from a knee injury suffered in the football season. The senior is back for one more run. Koleno suffered an injury late this year, but is ready to roll.
Guenot said his team is rather healthy for this late in the season and is hoping it continues into Friday.
Another interesting twist for the Eagles is that they’ve got six wrestlers in Bainey, Piffer, Stem, Packer, Ballock and Knepp all competing in their first District 6 tournament.
“You just got to go out and wrestle your match. Anything can happen,” Guenot said. “If you happen to lose a match, come back and try and win a couple of matches for your team to help in the team race.”
Penns Valley
Seeds: Chase Fleshman (No. 9, 106), Justin Darlington (No. 10, 113), Hayden Yearick (No. 15, 120), Nate Long (No. 8, 126), Malachi Thompson (No. 14, 132), Royer (No. 2, 138), Micah Fetterolf (No. 13, 145), Malachi DuVall (No. 2, 152), Cole Felker (No. 15, 160), Dristen Wolfe (No. 6, 170), Andrew Sharer (No. 3, 182), Caelob Packer (No. 17, 195), Rylee Brungart (No. 13, 220)
Outlook: It has been quite the unusual season for Brinker and the Rams.
They never really got their full lineup until late in the season. A pair of starters from last season in Sharer and Felker, just got on the mat at the beginning of January.
“We’ve won four of our last five dual matches, so they are coming in with confidence,” Brinker said. “The kids have adjusted their weights. We are healthy. This has been a unique year, but I’m very happy and impressed with how the kids have improved throughout the year. They want to end the year on a good note, so that’s what we’ve been talking about.”
Sharer, who is 12-1 on his senior season, has only competed in the district tournament once before Friday. The reason, he’s been dealing with injuries his entire high school career. Brinker said that Sharer had been putting in the work in the wrestling room while waiting to be officially cleared to compete.
“This is his swan song. He’s ready to go. He knows what’s at stake,” Brinker said. “He’s been chomping at the bit for this moment his whole life. He knows what his goals are, so looking forward to getting them.”
Behind the three wrestlers ranked in the top three of their weight class in Royer, Sharer and DuVall, comes Wolfe, who’s No. 6 seed is the next highest.
Wolfe isn’t the flashiest of wrestlers, but he just gets the job done. Last season, he finished with an 8-10 record and was two wins shy of making the PIAA Southwest Regional tournament. This season, he’s 15-8, and if he wrestles to his seed, Wolfe will be heading to regionals this season.
“Dristen is kind of a guy that he knows his strengths and weaknesses,” Brinker said. “He wrestles within himself. He wrestles smart. He wrestles more tactical matches.”
Philipsburg-Osecola
Seeds: Nick Coudriet (No. 6, 113), Nick Bryan (No. 13, 120), Scott Frantz (No. 9, 126), Gabe Dunkelberger (No. 8, 132), Chapman (No. 3, 138), Austin Foster (No. 6, 145), Alex Dunkelberger (No. 12, 152), Hunter Weitoish (No. 2, 160), Dominic Shaw (No. 9, 170), Parker Moore (No. 2, 195), Tyler Anderson (No. 5, 220), Chase Klinger (No. 6, 285)
Outlook: Pataky is in his fourth year at the helm of the Mounties.
This year’s squad seems to be the best he’s had since taking over the program. He believes it’s because of the way the team has grown and buying into his staff’s philosophies.
“We are just focusing on two things we have control over, which is our effort and our attitude,’ Pataky said. “Those are our fundamental bases. Without your effort and your attitude, you can have all the technique in the world.
“Understanding that if you give your best effort and have a great attitude every single time you step on the mat, you already have an advantage over your opponent. I think that is one of the biggest things our kids focus on is bringing that every single time they wrestle.”
It came as no surprise to see Chapman, Weitoish and Moore as the top seeded wrestlers for P-O. The trio have led the team all season long.
Moore leads the team in wins with 25. They’ve combined to lose just 17 matches.
“Chase is a gamer. He loves wrestling. You can see it every time he steps on the mat,” Pataky said of his trio. “Parker is a big inspiration coming up through the program. Last year, his record was the complete opposite. He’s worked really hard.
“You can tell the hard work is paying off. He’s been doing all kinds of extra over the offseason, so that is truly showing a testament to his work ethic. Hunter has been putting some work in the room. I think all three of those guys have a really big shot of giving their best effort this weekend. It’s great to see their success when you know they’ve put the time in.”
St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy
Seeds: Amonn Ohl (No. 2, 132), Witmer (No. 1, 138), Mike LaVallee (No. 21, 145), Dowling (No. 1, 152), Rothrock (No. 1, 160), Stoltzfus (No. 1, 170)
Outlook: Yes, the Wolves only have six wrestlers.
However, they have a great shot of repeating as team champs with five of those six wrestlers seeded in the top two of their weight class.
“They’ve been there before. They know what to do. They are just going to go out and wrestle a hard six minutes,” assistant coach Ronnier Garbinsky said. “They are all excited. I know Keegan wants to win a District 6 title. He had a tough match last year in the finals. They all want state titles, so they are all working towards that goal in the end.”
All six wrestlers were part of the title winning team from last season. They are missing a big piece in Kolby Franklin, who decided to go to Wyoming Seminary Prep School and finished first last season.
Ohl, Witmer, Dowling and Stoltzfus will be looking to win another District 6 title after each claimed one last season.
“They are all a great group of guys, high quality wrestlers and individuals,” Garbinsky said. “I think they know what they need to achieve when they step out on the mat. It’s the same thing as every tournament, just go out there, do your best, work your hardest and the result will come.”
It’s no surprise to see St. Joseph’s have the success it does in the District 6 tournament. The Wolves usually wrestle in nothing but tournaments all season long since they don’t field a full team. However, some of those tournaments are dual tournaments, so they do still get a taste of dual meets.
Garbinsky knows that tournament season helps for the postseason.
“Throughout the whole season, we wrestle tournaments non stop. There aren’t dual meets twice a week,” he said. “Their bodies are fresh and good to go. They are used to the tournament atmosphere. They’ve been doing it since they were six years old, so they are ready to go and excited.”
District 6 Class 2A Championships
When: 10:30 a.m. Friday (Session 1), 5 p.m. Friday (Session 2), 11 a.m. Saturday (Session 3), 6 p.m. Saturday (Championship session)
Where: Fieldhouse, Altoona
Brackets: FloWrestling.com
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
