Just three consecutive wins are standing between nine Centre County wrestlers and PIAA gold this weekend in Hershey.
Each wrestler who qualified this year for the PIAA Championships is among the top eight in the state in his weight class. That means each of these nine county wrestlers is guaranteed a medal. The question is what color that medal will be.
All six of Centre County’s high schools qualified at least one wrestler for PIAAs. Bellefonte has the most with three.
Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy has a pair of wrestlers qualified. Bald Eagle Area, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola and State College each have one apiece.
The Class 2A schools of the Eagles, Rams, Mounties and Wolves will compete on Friday. The Red Raiders and Little Lions will hit the mat on Saturday.
Here’s a look at each wrestler looking for gold this weekend:
CLASS 3A
BELLEFONTE
State College’s Pierson Manville wrestles Bellefonte Area’s Jude Swisher during the PIAA NW AAA Regional Wrestling Tournament at Altoona Area High School on Feb. 27, 2021 in Altoona, PA. Noah Riffe nriffe@centredaily.com
132 pounds: Jude Swisher
Class: Junior
Record: 23-2
Quarterfinals opponent: Matt Mayer, Sr., Bethlehem Catholic, 11-1, Eastern Super Regional 2nd
How’d he get here?: Swisher had some work to do to get to this point.
The junior entered the Western Super Regional as a Northwest Regional champion, but he dropped his quarterfinals match 9-7 to Waynesburg’s Colton Stoneking.
Swisher won three straight in the consolation bracket to claim third in the super regional. He avenged his quarterfinals loss to Stoneking with a 8-5 win in the consolation finals for third.
Bellefonte’s Ethan Richner controls Hollidaysburg’s Campbell Walls in the 160 lb championship bout at the District 6 3A tournament on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021 at Altoona High School. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
160 pounds: Ethan Richner
Class: Senior
Record: 21-1
Quarterfinals opponent: Matt Colajezzi, Jr., Council Rock South, 23-2, Eastern Super Regional 3rd
How’d he get here?: The finals have been a familiar spot for Richner this postseason.
He’d like to be there again and replicate what he did in the district and regional tournaments — win. Richner opened his Western Super Regional by edging North Allegheny’s Collin McCorkle, 3-1, in sudden victory.
He then topped Norwin’s Chase Kranitz, 9-4. In the finals, Richner suffered his first loss of the season to Pine Richland’s Cole Spencer, 10-3.
Bellefonte’s Ethan Rossman controls Dallastown’s Brooks Gable in the 189-pound finals of the PIAA Western Super Regional on March 6, 2021 in Altoona. Rossman topped Gable 1-0 to claim the title. Marc Billett For the CDT
How’d he get here?: Rossman enters the PIAA Championships as the Western Super Regional champion.
The Lock Haven commit opened his title run with an 8-1 defeat of the South Central Regional champ in Penn Manor’s Colt Barley. Rossman then edged the Southwest Regional champion in Hampton’s Justin Hart, 4-3, to make the finals.
In the finals, Rossman used a third-period escape hold up to top Dallastown’s Brooks Gable, 1-0, for the crown.
STATE COLLEGE
State College’s Lance Urbas wrestles St. Marys’ Nick Crisp during the PIAA NW AAA Regional Wrestling Tournament at Altoona Area High School on Feb. 27, 2021 in Altoona, PA. Noah Riffe nriffe@centredaily.com
How’d he get here?: Urbas is back at Hershey for the second year in a row. He went 1-2 last year and didn’t medal.
This year, he’s already got a medal secured, so now it’s all about the color of that medal. The senior opened his Western Super Regional by topping Chambersburg’s Tate Nichter, who he beat 11-10 in the regular season, 6-1.
After suffering a 13-0 loss in the semifinals, Urbas rebounded to top Thomas Jefferson’s Brian Finnerty, 3-0. In the consolation finals, the Penn commit was handed another major decision loss to the tune of 12-2.
CLASS 2A
ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC ACADEMY
Zack Witmer, of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy, defeated Beth-Center’s Kyle McCollum 13-0 for third place at the 2021 PIAA West Class 2A Super Regional on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tami Knopsnyder For the CDT
How’d he get here?: Witmer has quietly gotten back to the medal round of the PIAA Championships.
In past season’s, he’d be in the finals. This year, Witmer has done what he needed to, to survive and advance.
It also didn’t help that he didn’t have a full season like other wrestlers. However, Witmer is now a four-time PIAA medalist.
After opening his Western Super Regional with a pin of Commodore Perry’s Zane Grinnell, the Columbia commit suffered a 4-3 loss in the semifinals. Witmer edged Tussey Mountain’s Hunter Horton, 4-3, to secure his spot this weekend.
He then used a 13-0 shutout of Beth-Center’s Kyle McCullom to win the consolation finals and finish third.
Amonn Ohl, of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy defeated Mercer’s Carson Filer 11-0 to finish third at the 2021 PIAA West Class 2A Super Regional on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tami Knopsnyder For the CDT
138 pounds: Amonn Ohl
Class: Senior
Record: 12-4
Quarterfinals opponent: David Kreidler, Sr., Allentown Central Catholic, 12-4, Eastern Super Regional 2nd
How’d he get here?: Ohl has now been to Hershey all four years of his high school career. He hasn’t won a medal since his freshman campaign, where he finished sixth. But this year’s trip may be the healthiest Ohl has been.
He opened his Western Super Regional with an 8-2 win over Mercer’s Carson Filer. Ohl then suffered 16-6 loss to Glendale’s Brock McMillen, who has handed Ohl two of his four losses — both in the postseason.
Ohl rebounded with a pin to secure his spot in Hershey. He then shut out Filer, 11-0, to finish third in the super regional.
BALD EAGLE AREA
Bald Eagle Area’s Coen Bainey defeated Bryce Beatty of Mount Union 12-2 in the 113-pound final at the 2021 PIAA West Class 2A Super Regional on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tami Knopsnyder For the CDT
113 pounds: Coen Bainey
Class: Sophomore
Record: 22-1
Quarterfinals opponent: Adam Schweitzer, Jr., Notre Dame Green Pond, 12-3, Eastern Super Regional 4th
How’d he get here?: Bainey suffered his first loss of the season in the Southwest Regional tournament to Bentworth’s Chris Vargo.
In the Western Super Regional, the sophomore topped Vargo 5-1 in the semifinals to reach the title match. Bainey may see Vargo again, in the semifinals on Friday.
Bainey took on a fellow District 6 wrestler in Mount Union’s Bryce Beatty in the super regional finals. Bainey dominated Beatty in a 12-2 major decision to claim the crown.
PENNS VALLEY
Penns Valley’s Malachi Duvall was defeated 9-4 by Rune Lawrence of Frazier in the 172-pound finals of the PIAA West Class 2A Super Regional on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tami Knopsnyder For the CDT
172 pounds: Malachi DuVall
Class: Senior
Record: 14-2
Quarterfinals opponent: Jacob Jones, Soph., Saucon Valley, 16-5, Eastern Super Regional 3rd
How’d he get here?: DuVall will attempt to make some history for the Rams. Should he win on Friday, he’ll be the first Penns Valley wrestler to claim a PIAA title since Max Dinges in 1963.
The Navy commit has two losses this season. They’ve both come to Frazier’s Rune Lawrence. The duo squared off for the Southwest Regional title and Lawrence pinned DuVall.
Last weekend, DuVall opened with a 16-0 technical fall in 3:14. He used an 8-3 win to set up up a rematch with Lawrence in the finals. In the Western Super Regional final, Lawrence got DuVall again, this time it was 9-4 in sudden victory. DuVall and Lawrence will be on opposite sides of the bracket on Friday.
PHILPSBURG-OSCEOLA
Philipsburg-Osceola’s Parker Moore is pinned by Mount Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer in :33in the 215-pound finals of the PIAA West Class 2A Super Regional on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tami Knopsnyder For the CDT
215 pounds: Parker Moore
Class: Senior
Record: 12-7
Quarterfinals opponent: Dante Mahaffey, Jr., Saucon Valley, 15-2, Eastern Super Regional 3rd
How’d he get here?: Moore went from a third-place district finish, to a fourth-place regional finish, to a super regional runner-up finish. He has the most losses in his bracket with seven, but that doesn’t mean anything at this point in the year.
Moore had a Cinderella-type run through the postseason last year, where he finished sixth in the state. He has had a similar run so far this year, but now, everybody knows who he is.
He edged Corry’s Hayden Linkerhof, who was 15-1 at the time, 4-3 to open his super regional. Moore then used a late takedown to top Carlynton’s Collin Milko, 3-2 in the semifinals.
The finals didn’t go as well for Moore as he was pinned by Mount Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer, who is considered the favorite to win the state title, in 33 seconds.
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.
