4 NW Regional wrestling champs propel Bellefonte to team title as county sends 10 to PIAAs
As special as the first day of the PIAA Class 3A Northwest Regional wrestling tournament was, it was even more rewarding on Saturday.
Centre County wrestlers claimed four regional crowns but had an astounding seven finalists. Bellefonte claimed all four crowns and had a school-record six finalists, advancing those six to states. State College had one finalist, but was able to get four secured for the PIAA Championships next week in the Giant Center.
The success the Red Raiders had propelled them to their first regional team title since 2000. Bellefonte finished third in the district tournament that year, just like this year.
“It’s been a long-time coming. It’s hard not to get emotional to be honest with you,” Red Raiders coach Mike Maney said. “We’ve seen guys that have been coming to the postseason for over 30 years and watching them be in tears, it’s hard not to get choked up yourself. I tell our guys all the time, it’s more than just individual and the program. It’s bigger than that, it’s the community. We’ve been so close so often, just little things here and there, but it finally came together.”
Bellefonte’s wrestlers were awestruck about the historic feat they accomplished.
“Our team is very special. There are kids that came here today that were in the finals that weren’t even suppose to place at all because they placed fourth at districts,” Ethan Rossman said. “We are such a tight team, every single person fought for the other guy right beside them.”
First-year Red Raider Jude Swisher added: “To go from a district third to winning regionals (as a team), is a big step up. I really like these Bellefonte brothers that I’ve made. We work hard every day. I know that we’ve put in the time and are deserving of it, so it’s really cool to just go out and prove it.”
The Red Raiders finished with 184.5 points, which was 18 points better than Cathedral Prep. Mifflin County, Central Mountain and DuBois rounded out the top five in that order.
The Little Lions finished seventh with 95.5 points.
Here’s a look at how each of the county’s teams will enter the PIAA Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey next week:
Bellefonte
Champions: Lane Aikey (120), Jude Swisher (126), Ethan Richner (160) and Ethan Rossman (182)
Other state qualifiers: Aidan O’Shea (2nd, 113) and Tyler Benner (2nd, 195)
Other finishers: Alex Coppolo (4th 132) and Max Barrier (4th, 220)
Eliminated: Stephen Ivicic (2-2, 170)
Team score: 1st, 184.5 points
Recap: Rossman recalled a moment from last year, when teammate Richner was boasting about his draw for the PIAA Championships after claiming his first regional crown.
Well, Rossman along with Aikey and Swisher will be returning the favor to their teammate this season after the quartet earned titles together on Saturday.
Even though the Red Raiders won the title as a team, it was Rossman’s win that clinched the team title.
“It felt so great to walk off the mat knowing I put it all out there,” he said. “To get the win for team and secure the team title, it felt so good.”
The junior controlled his match with Meadville’s Griffin Buzzell from start to finish. Rossman recorded a takedown in each period. He added an escape in the third period too for a 7-0 shut out of Buzzell.
“He puts in a lot of work. From last year, he made huge gains,” Maney said. “He has two losses, and they are both to state champions. It’s going to take a really good guy to beat Ethan Rossman. A sign of a really good wrestler is not only their accomplishments, but when they make the guys around them better. You see who he brings up like Tyler Benner and Max Barrier. It’s not only a sign of a good wrestler, but a great wrestler.”
Aikey, Swisher and Richner each claimed their second straight PIAA NW Regional titles. Aikey’s came at the same weight class. Swisher earned a 113-pound title last season with State College. Richner was the defending 152-pound champ.
Richner had an impressive win over a highly ranked Coy Bastian, of Selinsgrove, in his final. Leading 3-0 to start the third period, Richner gave up a quick escape to Bastian.
After that escape, it was all Richner. He took Bastian down for a second time in the match. He earned two sets of near-fall points and used a strong ride to close out a 9-1 major decision on Bastian. It was one of the best matches Richner feels he’s wrestled.
“He was a very tough opponent. Coy Bastian is very strong and very fast,” he said. “I just felt I wrestled really well against him.”
Maney added about his two-time champ: “He’s been solid for the last three years. Obviously, the banged up knee a few weeks, (we were) not quite sure if he gets back on the mat. Last week, he wrestled in dominant fashion. He controlled the match. He came out with a big win and hopefully sets himself up for next week.”
Swisher looked like a man possessed in his bout against Cathedral Prep’s Kaeman Smith.
The sophomore scored 14 first-period points. He had three takedowns, five near-fall points and an escape.
He led 16-4 after two periods of wrestling. Swisher came up short of getting the technical fall with a 17-4 win.
“Last year, being an underdog at regionals and being a favorite this year was cool. I got to prove myself in a different way,” Swisher said. “I proved myself at regionals last year by getting to the top. This year, getting to the top, I stayed this good and kept improving. It meant a lot to me.”
Aikey’s was the closest of the trio. He had a takedown in the first and third periods, added an escape in the second period to shut out Williamsport’s Carter Weaver to defend his throne.
“It feels great. Last year, I didn’t have a match in the finals. This year, I got to actually become the champ,” Aikey said with a chuckle. “All of my matches (were really close), so I got some good competition. I’m ready for this weekend.”
Benner and O’Shea were the other finalists for Bellefonte. They didn’t taste the same success as their teammates in winning, but they will still be making the trip to Hershey next week.
Coppolo and Barrier were right where they needed to be to join their teammates, but just came up short. Coppolo won three matches to get to the consolation finals, where he dropped a 1-0 loss. Barrier, who fell in the semifinals to start the day, rebounded to make the consolation finals, but suffered a 9-4 loss.
Ivicic, who dropped his first match of the tournament, rallied to reach the consolation quarterfinals. However, he suffered an 8-1 loss to have his season come to a close.
“It’s hard to put everything together. This tournament, more than any other, has its ups and downs,” Maney said. “You are ecstatic for guys like Tyler Benner, who was 1-6 last year to almost 30 wins this year. You have some tough losses in the third-place match with Alex Coppolo and Max Barrier. We feel for those guys, but at the same time they are the reason we won a team title as well. Every one of the guys we brought here scored points and that’s what it takes to win team titles.”
State College
Champions: None
Other state qualifiers: Hayden Cunningham (3rd, 106), Owen Woolcott (3rd, 132), Clayton Leidy (3rd, 138) and Lance Urbas (2nd, 170)
Other finishers: Ty Price (4th, 195)
Eliminated: Eric Weaver (1-2, 120), Carter Weaverling (2-2, 126), Kyle Martin (0-2, 145) and Harrison Schoen (0-2, 285)
Team score: 7th, 95.5 points
Recap: The Little Lions brought nine to the PIAA NW Regional tournament.
They were so close to getting almost half of them to Hershey with four moving on.
Urbas was the lone finalist the Little Lions had after sending four to the semifinals. He had a tall task in recent Penn State commit in Mifflin County’s Trey Kibe.
The pair squared off in the District 6 finals last week with Kibe winning 11-3. Saturday’s result was the same Kibe winning by eight points, 10-2.
“He’s tough. As good as he is a wrestler, mentality is tough too,” Urbas said. “You got to stick to your game plans and warm-up plan. You got to keep fighting and leave it all on the mat; and that’s what I did.”
This will mark Urbas’ first trip to Hershey not as a spectator or as “Cole’s little brother.” He missed out on an opportunity last year as he recovered from a football injury.
He said it’s nice to see the hard work paying off that he put in. Another thing he is looking forward to is actually competing there and stepping out of his older brother’s shadow.
“It’s pretty cool, honestly. I’ve always been cheering for him, but now I’m going to get to be the one wrestling,” Urbas said. “It’s going to be real cool just to be able to prove myself. I’m not just Cole’s brother, I’m Lance now. It’s fun to be able to show what I can do on the big screen.”
Leidy will also be making his first trip to Hershey.
Getting there wasn’t easy, though. Leidy dropped in the semifinals, but rebounded to make the consolation finals with a 4-2 win. He then had to take on Mifflin County’s Kyler Everly, who beat him 2-0 last week in the District 6 finals.
This time around, Leidy wasn’t going to be shut out or lose.
“I’ve been very consistent this year with my wrestling. Every match I’ve had the mindset that it’s my best match,” he said. “I wrestled that match with a mindset that I wasn’t losing. I feel that was probably one of my best matches this year.”
Leidy scored the first points of the bout with a takedown at the buzzer in the first period. He used a solid ride to hold that 2-0 lead to start the third period.
In the third period, Leidy got an escape to lead 3-0. Everly went for a takedown late, that Leidy countered. Leidy finished the match out on top and secured a 5-0 win and his PIAA berth.
He jumped to his feet, had his hand raised and ran and leaped into the arms of assistant coach Max Miller.
“It’s been a monkey on my back for sure. It’s amazing. I’m so proud of myself,” Leidy said. “I want to thank every single person that has been with me in the room. They pushed me every single day. They helped me get that monkey off my back. It took a very long time. To lose to him last week and get revenge on him this week, is amazing.”
Woolcott will be making his second straight trip to Hershey. He fell in the semifinals and pinned his consolation semifinals opponent to make the consolation finals.
Woolcott took on Bellefonte’s Coppolo in a matchup of similar styles. There was just one point scored.
It came in the second period and it was an escape for Woolcott. He used a strong third period ride to keep Coppolo from scoring to win and advance.
“Coppolo is a tough kid. He is a great wrestler. He is slippery,” Cummins said. “It’s not always fun to sit in the corner and coach that, but man that’s exciting. He knew what he had to do. He is a smart wrestler. His wrestling IQ is high. I’m super proud of him.”
Cunnigham was the other Little Lion wrestler to advance, and has done so in his freshman campaign. He was pinned in the semifinals by eventual regional champ in Cathedral Prep’s Jacob VanDee.
Cunningham used a 7-2 win to make the consolation finals. In the consolation finals, he shut out McDowell’s Logan Sallot 3-0 to advance.
Price, who dropped his first match of the tournament, won three matches to make the consolation finals. He suffered an 11-2 major decision loss to Selinsgrove’s Ryan Aument, who pinned Price in the second round on Friday night.
“Our guys fought and clawed their way for it. They deserved it,” State College coach Ryan Cummins said. “Coming back for third, is not easy. Three of those guys really dug deep, got after it and won it. Ty came back hard and just came up short in the end. He was right there.”
PIAA Class 3A Northwest Regional
Saturday at Altoona
Team key: Allderdice (AD), Altoona (A), Bellefonte (B), Bradford (BF), Brashear (BS), Carrick (C), Cathedral Prep (CP), Central Mountain (CM), Clearfield (CF), Cranberry (CB), DuBois (D), Erie (E), Hollidaysburg (H), Johnstown (JT), Juniata (J), McDowell (MD), Meadville (MV), Mifflin County (MC), Obama (O), Perry (P), Punxsutawney (PT), Selinsgrove (S), Shikellamy (Shik.), St. Marys (SM), State College (SC), Warren (W), Westinghouse (WH), Williamsport (WT).
Team scores: 1. Bellefonte 184.5, 2. Cathedral Prep 166.5, 3. Mifflin County 146, 4. Central Mountain 118.5, 5. DuBois 114.5, 6. Meadville 96, 7. State College 95.5, 8. Williamsport 92.5, 9. Selinsgrove 68.5, 10. Altoona 65.
Finals
106: Jacob VanDee, CP, dec. Nic Allison, MC, 7-3; 113: Derek Keen, CM, dec. Aidan O’Shea, B, 7-1; 120: Lane Aikey, B, dec. Carter Weaver, WT, 5-0; 126: Jude Swisher, B, major dec. Kaeman Smith, CP, 17-4; 132: Matt Sarbo, A, tech. fall Trenton Donahue, D, 20-4 (2:53); 138: Riley Bower, WT, dec. Chandler Ho, D, 1-0; 145: Paniero Johnson, CP, dec. Cade Balestrini, Shik., 3-2; 152: Ed Scott, D, pinned Marques McClorin, CP, 3:16; 160: Ethan Richner, B, major dec. Coy Bastian, S, 9-1; 170: Trey Kibe, MC, major dec. Lance Urbas, SC, 10-2; 182: Ethan Rossman, B, dec. Griffin Buzzell, MV, 7-0; 195: Nikolas Miller, CM, pinned Tyler Benner, B, 2:20; 220: Dorian Crosby, CP, dec. Nate Schon, S, 6-5; 285: Thomas Pollard, MV, dec. Oliver Billotte, CF, 5-1.
Third-Place Match
106: Hayden Cunningham, SC, dec. Cael Nasdeo, WT, 3-0; 132: Owen Woolcott, SC, dec. Alex Coppolo, B, 1-0; 138: Clayton Leidy, SC, dec. Kyler Everly, MC, 5-0; 195: Ryan Aument, S, major dec. Ty Price, SC, 11-2; 220: Adam Young, Shik., dec. Max Barrier, 9-4.
Semifinals
106: VanDee, CP, pinned Cunningham, SC, 1:55; 113: O’Shea, B, dec. Vincen Rinella, MV, 2-0; 120: Aikey, B, dec. Jamale Crockett, CP, 3-0; 126: Swisher, B, major dec. Damion Finnegan, A, 10-1; 132: Trenton Donahue, D, dec. Woolcott, SC, 3-2; 138: Riley Bower, WT, dec. Leidy, SC, 4-1 (UTB3); 160: Richner, B, tech. fall Gauge Gulvas, D, 18-2 (2:27); 170: Urbas, SC, dec. Trent Tidball, MV, 5-0; 182: Rossman, B, pinned Garrett Starr, D, 3:52; 195: Benner, B, pinned Ryan Aument, S, 5:43; 220: Nate Schon, S, pinned Barrier, B, 2:40.
Consolation Semifinals
106: Cunningham, SC, dec. Logan Sallot, MD, 7-2; 132: Coppolo, B, pinned Lane Dellaquilla, SM, :49; Woolcott, SC, pinned Brady Smith, P, 4:19; 138: Leidy, SC, dec. Hayden Butterfield, MD, 4-2; 195: Price, SC, def. Garrett Eddy, P, DQ (4:43); 220: Barrier, B, pinned Alex Lukaschunis, SM, 2:51.
Consolation Quarterfinals
126: Lucas Laktash, BF, pinned Carter Weaverling, SC, 2:55; 132: Coppolo, B, dec. Steffan Lynch, CP, 8-2; 170: Noah Bielak, MD, dec. Stephen Ivicic, B, 8-1; 195: Price, SC, major dec. Jeremy Garthwaite, SM, 10-1.
Consolation Second Round
120: Carter Stanley, CB, dec. Eric Weaver, SC, 5-2; 126: C. Weaverling, SC, major dec. Jermaine Williams, BS, 19-6; 132: Coppolo, B, pinned Duane Cooper, WH, 3:16; 170: Ivicic, B, pinned Sean Conley, C, 1:32; 195: Price, SC, def. Mohammed Hattab, BS, forfeit; 285: John Campbell, CP, dec. Harrison Schoen, SC, 5-3.
Consolation First Round
145: Karson Kline, CF, dec. Kyle Martin, SC, 8-3; 170: Ivicic, B, pinned Dean Hollenbach, S, :44.
This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 12:26 AM.
