Bellefonte, State College wrestling ready to start postseason with District 6 Class 3A Championships
Bellefonte coach Mike Maney and State College coach Ryan Cummins were both surprised that the high school wrestling postseason is already here. It’s hard to blame them, though, since the season started less than two months ago.
After a condensed regular season, the Red Raiders and Little Lions will get things underway on Friday in the District 6 Class 3A Wrestling Championships in Altoona.
The schools’ wrestlers found out their paths to a district crown and a regional berth on Wednesday.
The county had four of the 13 top seeds, with Bellefonte collecting all of them.
Red Raiders earning that No. 1 seed were Lane Aikey (120), Jude Swisher (132), Ethan Richner (160) and Ethan Rossman (189).
In all, the Little Lions and Bellefonte combined to grab 13 of the 26 top-two seeds.
Here’s a look at how each team stacks up:
Bellefonte
Seeds: Garrett Choates (No. 2, 106 pounds), Aidan O’Shea (No. 2, 113), Aikey (No. 1, 120), Nate Smith (No. 4, 126), Swisher (No. 1, 132), Dylan Dann (No. 4, 138), Gage Long (No. 5, 145), Andrew McChesney (No. 4, 152), Richner (No. 1, 160), Stephen Ivicic (No. 3, 172), Rossman (No. 1, 189), Max Barrier (No. 2, 215), Addison Shawley (No. 4, 285)
Outlook: Maney said this season has been a “roller coaster” ride.
One that didn’t seem like it was going to end.
“When you reflect back, the PIAA decided to move on with the regular start date,” Maney explained to the Centre Daily Times on Tuesday. “Then, you hear about the changes, the masks and so on, the competitions get pushed because of schools being shut down. Then, you’re cautiously optimistic that things will continue to press on. We got our first dual meet in and things have been rolling along. In some aspects, it seems like it has taken longer to get here, but with the sprint of competition, we are here and grateful for that.”
Of all six of Centre County’s wrestling teams, Bellefonte had the most duals with 13. It won all of them along with the inaugural Big 7 tournament.
Being able to get in that much competition says a lot of what the Red Raiders’ wrestlers had to do. They had to isolate themselves for most of the season to reduce the risk of missing matches due to COVID-19.
“We talked about that the other day,” Maney said. “I said, ‘Hey, take some time this weekend and reflect back on the things you’ve been asked to do, from wearing a mask, to screenings, to temperature checks.’ Whatever has been asked of them, they stepped up. I told them I was going to try and seek out as many competitions as I can. In some cases, it was a one-day notice and guys had to make weight and they did every single time.”
All season long, Bellefonte didn’t have its full lineup in place, either. There was always a piece missing.
It was PIAA placewinner Lane Aikey.
The senior was out all season recovering from an injury. Aikey is back now and aiming to make a run in the postseason and finish his career as a two-time PIAA medalist.
“Ideally, we’d like to get some rust off with some matches, but he certainly has some good practice partners,” Maney said. “I can tell in practice, he’s excited. He’s been through a lot this year. There was a time there where he didn’t know if he was going to get the opportunity at all. He just has to embrace it and leave it all on the line as a senior.”
With a full lineup at his disposal, Maney said the ideal day Friday would be that all 13 wrestlers make it to the regional tournament.
He knows it will be difficult to accomplish. However, he is confident that over half of his lineup could advance through.
“I think if guys wrestle to their potential, we could certainly take a double digit amount of guys on to the next round,” Maney said. “Obviously, nothing is easy, especially in this postseason, but we believe in our guys. I think over half or double digits is obtainable.”
State College
Seeds: Madeline Baney (No. 5, 106), Jacob Campbell (No. 4, 113), Bailey Weaverling (No. 4, 120), Owen Woolcott (No. 2, 126), Pierson Manville (No. 2, 132), William Tennity (No. 3, 138), Kyle Martin (No. 4, 145), Carter Weaverling (No. 2, 152), Braden Newby (No. 6, 160), Lance Urbas (No. 2, 172), Carson Manville (No. 2, 189), Ty Price (No. 4, 215), Harrison Schoen (No. 3, 285)
Outlook: Some coaches have differing opinions about costs and benefits of the shorter season this year.
Cummins has become a “fan” of the shorter year.
“As much as I thought having that extra experience was a good thing,” Cummins told the Centre Daily Times on Tuesday, “I think that maybe having them fresh and not having as many lingering things going on, I think it helps. Going into the end of season, feeling better is a huge advantage.
“Most of the time you are dinged up when you have a full schedule of matches. This year, we have a lot less of that, but so does everybody else. I don’t know if that will translate to anything as far as more success, but we may see better wrestling at the end here because of that.”
The Little Lions are in familiar territory when it comes to postseason. They claimed their first District 6 Class 3A team title since 2003 last year.
Most of the wrestlers who were on that team are back this year. Cummins believes that experience and having a lineup full of seniors will calm nerves for this year’s postseason run.
“I feel good about them. We are senior heavy, so we’ve got quite a bit of experience, so I think that helps,” Cummins said. “Having guys that wrestled in the postseason last season on the team, helps to add that expectation of wanting to win and get more. I think we are a better team this year, but they have to prove that.”
State College also participated in the Big 7 tournament in January and finished second as a team. Other teams that competed in it were Bellefonte, Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Central Mountain, Bald Eagle Area and Jersey Shore.
It just so happens that the Red Raiders, Mountain Lions, Golden Tigers and Wildcats will also all be in attendance for the district tournament. So State College was able to get a taste of the district tournament early.
“I thought that was great. I think it was nice to be able to see them in an individual tournament setting and see them early,” Cummins said. “You kind of get an idea of what’s going. Now, some people are moving, so it’s not all going to be the same, but I’m looking forward to it for next year.”
Cummins said this postseason has a little extra special feeling to it because the season is shorter than usual.
He said the postseason is something he “always looks forward to, because it is so much fun.”
“Not having as many dual meets this year, you don’t get to see as much as you’d like to,” Cummins said. “You get to see guys lay it on the line. This year, I’m looking forward to seeing it a little more because of not having as much of a season.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 8:15 AM.
