High School Sports

Here are Centre County’s high school wrestling stat leaders through Feb. 21

All six of Centre County’s wrestling teams got their postseasons underway this week.

Bald Eagle Area, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola and Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy began on Wednesday with a sectional tournament to qualify for the District 6 Class 2A Championships.

The four schools combined to send 24 wrestlers to the district tournament. Of those 24, 13 advanced to make the PIAA Southwest Regional tournament next weekend at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The Eagles’ Coen Bainey and the Rams’ Malachi DuVall each claimed their second District 6 crown. It was Bainey’s second consecutive district title, while DuVall had not won a district title since his freshman year with the Wolves.

State College and Bellefonte had to wait until Friday to get their postseasons underway in the District 6 Class 3A Championships. The Little Lions crowned a pair of champs in Pierson and Carson Manville on way to winning the team’s first District 6 Class 3A team title under coach Ryan Cummins.

The Red Raiders had a pair of champs in Lane Aikey, who made his season debut in the postseason, and Ethan Richner, who won his third straight district title.

With all the action, there was plenty of movement on the leaderboards:

Wins

Bald Eagle Area’s Coen Bainey controls Penn Cambria’s Trent Hoover in the 113 lb championship bout at the District 6 AA wrestling on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021.
Bald Eagle Area’s Coen Bainey controls Penn Cambria’s Trent Hoover in the 113 lb championship bout at the District 6 AA wrestling on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. Jordan Anderson For the Centre Daily Times

All season long, there has been a three-way tie at the top with Bellefonte’s Ethan Richner, Ethan Rossman and Jude Swisher.

This week it changed to a two-way tie with Richner and Swisher jumping up to 17 wins on the season. Richner and Swisher each added two wins in the district tournament, but Richner claimed a title as Swisher finished in a true second place.

With all the action this week for Class 2A wrestlers, Bainey made a huge jump up the leaderboard. He was just off the leaderboard a week ago, but after amassing five wins this week, collecting a District 6 Section 2 title and District 6 crown, the sophomore is tied for third in the county with 16 wins.

Bainey is joined by Rossman, who came up just short of claiming a district title in a loss to Carson Manville.

Speaking of Manville, Pierson Manville won three matches on way to the 132-pound District 6 title as a freshman, avenging his lone loss of the season from Swisher earlier in the year. Pierson Manville now has 15 wins this year, which is good for fifth in the county.

There’s a logjam at sixth in the county with four wrestlers holding 14 wins. BEA’s Cooper Gilham had a trio of wins this week to get to 14 on the season. State College’s Lance Urbas had two to climb into that four-way tie.

Rounding out the top 10 are four wrestlers that each have 13 wins this season. The Eagles’ Lucas Fye is the only one in that group that can still add to his season total, as the others had their seasons come to an end.

Here’s which Centre County wrestlers earned win No. 10 this week:

Bald Eagle Area: Mason Reese (10 wins), pinned West Branch’s Parker Johnson in the 138-pound quarterfinals of the Section 2 tournament on Wednesday in 2:31

Penns Valley: DuVall (10), pinned Glendale’s Suds Dubler in the 172-pound district finals in 1:47

Philipsburg-Osceola: Hunter Weitoish (10), defeated Bellwood-Antis’ Aiden Taylor 7-0 in the 160-pound district semifinals, also only five wins away from 100 in his career

State College: Bailey Weaverling (10), edged Central Mountain’s Zane Cooper, 4-3, in the 120-pound district consolation finals; Owen Woolcott (10), pinned Mifflin County’s Blake Aumiller in 126-pound district semifinals in 3:14; Ty Price (11), had 10-0 major decision of Juniata’s Jonathan Kauffman in 215-pound district consolation finals

Pins

Penns ValleyÕs Malachi DuVall controls Suds Dubler in the 172 lb championship bout at the District 6 AA wrestling on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021.
Penns ValleyÕs Malachi DuVall controls Suds Dubler in the 172 lb championship bout at the District 6 AA wrestling on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. Jordan Anderson For the Centre Daily Times

Richner has done nothing but pin people all season long.

He pinned his way to the 160-pound district title, which gave him 11 on the season. The 11 pins gave Richner his lead back over his teammate Rossman.

The Bellefonte duo are the only county wrestlers to have double-digit pins so far.

Richner’s 10th pin came in the District 6 semifinals, when he stuck Central Mountain’s Damien Galentine.

As Bainey leapfroged up on the wins board, he did the same in this category. All five of his victories this week were pins. The sophomore now has nine on the season, which is third in the county, with plenty of action remaining.

DuVall also had five pins this week to put him in a tie for fourth in the county with eight. He is tied with Gilham, who added two pins this week.

There are four wrestlers tied with seven pins on the season for sixth place with the Mounties’ Austin Foster joining that mix after he had three falls on his way to earning his third straight regional.

Foster’s teammate Marcuse Gable is part of a group of wrestlers tied for 10th with six pins on the season. He had three in the district tournament with two of them coming against a returning state qualifier in Central’s Jaxson Matthews.

Technical falls

State College’s Lance Urbas pulls in Chambersburg’s Tate Nichter in the 172 lb bout during the match on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021. Urbas won by decision, 11-10.
State College’s Lance Urbas pulls in Chambersburg’s Tate Nichter in the 172 lb bout during the match on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021. Urbas won by decision, 11-10. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com

After sitting in a tie with Swisher last week, Urbas has reclaimed his throne in this category.

The Little Lions’ senior had two technical fall victories during the District 6 Championships to climb to seven on the year. He opened his tournament with one and closed with one.

Urbas racked up a 21-6 victory in 5:50 over Bellefonte’s Stephen Ivicic in the 172-pound semifinals. He then took on Hollidaysburg’s Aaron Sleeth in a true second-place match later.

Urbas teched the Golden Tigers wrestlers for the third time this season, this one was 18-3 in 3:36.

Pierson Manville, who has trailed Swisher and Urbas all season long, climbed into a tie with Swisher for second with five technical falls this season. Manville used an 18-1 victory over Altoona’s Damion Finnegan to reach the finals.

Saint Joseph’s Zack Witmer got out of a jam of wrestlers as he earned his third technical fall of the season. He beat Tyrone’s Lukas Walk 17-2 in the district quarterfinals.

As Witmer left the pack of wrestlers with two technical falls, the Red Raiders’ Nate Smith joined the pack. He shut out Altoona’s Jordan Carlucci 16-0 in the 126-pound district quarterfinals.

Major decisions

Bald Eagle Area’s Cooper Gilham controls Penns Valley’s Justin Darlington in a 126 lb bout during the District 6 AA section 2 tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021.
Bald Eagle Area’s Cooper Gilham controls Penns Valley’s Justin Darlington in a 126 lb bout during the District 6 AA section 2 tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com

There’s now a three-way tie at the top here as Gilham joined Woolcott and Bellefonte’s Garret Choates with three major decisions this season.

Gilham topped Penns Valley Justin Darlington, 16-2, in the 126-pound Section 2 finals.

Witmer previously had no major decisions this season, but this week he collected two. He outscored his opponents 24-4.

Witmer topped the Rams’ Ty Watson 10-2 in the 132-pound Section 2 finals. In the district tournament, he tallied a 14-2 win over Richland’s Allen Mangus to make the finals.

Fastest Falls

Penns ValleyÕs Cole Felker controls Philipsburg-OsceolaÕs Jimmy Richetscheit in the 160 lb bout during the match on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Felker won by fall.
Penns ValleyÕs Cole Felker controls Philipsburg-OsceolaÕs Jimmy Richetscheit in the 160 lb bout during the match on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Felker won by fall. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com

There were three new times added this week.

Richner added his fourth fastest time of the season. He tied his top mark at 13 seconds with the previously mentioned win over Galentine.

Richner is also joined now at the top as Carson Manville had a 13-seconds pin this week. The State College senior stuck Juniata’s Josh Pacheco to open his first District 6 tournament.

Penns Valley’s Cole Felker added the last time this week. The Rams’ junior pinned Saint Joseph’s Josh Hershbine in 24 seconds during their 160-pound Section 2 consolation quarterfinals match.

Wins

NameSchoolTotal
T1. Ethan RichnerBellefonte17
T1. Jude SwisherBellefonte17
T3. Coen BaineyBald Eagle Area16
T3. Ethan RossmanBellefonte16
5. Pierson ManvilleState College15
T6. Cooper GilhamBald Eagle Area14

T6. Aidan O’Shea

Bellefonte

14

T6. Gage LongBellefonte14
T6. Lance Urbas

State College

14
10. 4 wrestlers

13

Falls

NameSchoolTotal
1. Ethan RichnerBellefonte11
2. Ethan RossmanBellefonte10
3. Coen BaineyBald Eagle Area9
T4. Cooper GilhamBald Eagle Area8
T4. Malachi DuVallPenns Valley8
T6. Lucas FyeBald Eagle Area7
T6. Jude SwisherBellefonte7
T6. Nate SmithBellefonte7
T6. Austin FosterPhilipsburg-Osceola7
T10. 5 wrestlers

6

Fastest Fall

NameSchoolTime
T1. Ethan RichnerBellefonte:13
T1. Ethan RichnerBellefonte:13
T1. Carson ManvilleState College:13
4. Pierson ManvilleState College:15
5. Ethan RossmanBellefonte:18
6. Noah FoltzBald Eagle Area:21
T7. Ethan RichnerBellefonte:23
T7. Ethan RichnerBellefonte:23
9. Cole FelkerPenns Valley:24
10. Ethan RossmanBellefonte:28

Technical Falls

NameSchoolTotal
1. Lance UrbasState College7
T2. Jude SwisherBellefonte5
T2. Pierson ManvilleState College5
4. Zack WitmerSt. Joseph’s3
T5. Garrett ChoatesBellefonte2
T5. Nate SmithBellefonte2
T5. Malachi DuVallPenns Valley2
T5. Owen WoolcottState College2
T9. 12 wrestlers

1

Major Decisions

NameSchoolTotal
T1. Cooper GilhamBald Eagle Area3
T1. Garrett ChoatesBellefonte3
T1. Owen WoolcottState College3
T4. Mason ReeseBald Eagle Area2
T4. Noah FoltzBald Eagle Area2
T4. Aidan O’SheaBellefonte2
T4. Ethan RossmanBellefonte2
T4. Justin DarlingtonPenns Valley2
T4. Parker MoorePhilipsburg-Osceola2
T4. Zack WitmerSt. Joseph’s2
T4. Kyle MartinState College2
T4. Thomas HillState College2
T4. Ty PriceState College2
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Nate Cobler
Centre Daily Times
Nate Cobler is a part-time reporter covering all things wrestling, either Penn State or Centre County’s high schools, for the Centre Daily Times. He’ll also cover other sports too. When he isn’t writing about sports, he is working for a local mortgage broker, Providence Mortgage Group.
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