From the little kids all the way to the full-grown adults, club wrestlers from all over the Local.News1.org coverage area packed the mats at Nittany Valley Sports Centre in State College on Saturday for the Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association West Region Tournament.
Their purpose? To qualify for Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association Nationals, set for May 3-4 at Wicomico Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland.
We counted at least 22 grapplers, including eight champions, who accomplished their mission by securing Top 4 finishes at the region tourney.
Waynesboro led the way with 10 qualifiers, with Ace Beltz, Noah Swope and Steven Howard all winning titles. Beltz (62 pounds) and Swope (54) both won Midget division championships, while Howard won the Elite division crown at 140 pounds. Other Waynesboro qualifiers include Luke Swope (2nd at Bantam 40), Aven Beltz (2nd at Bantam Girls 46), Emma Swope (2nd at Midget Girls 61), Kenadee Shockey (2nd at Elite Girls 190), Kristianna Kayhoe (4th at Midget Girls 55; 4th at Junior 58), Owen Hinkle (4th at Intermediate 128), and Wyatt Lowans (4th at Elite 160).
Hagerstown got region championships from Logan Ardinger (Advanced 100), Cameron Ashby (Open 190), and Isaiah Brooks (Open 190), with Paul Ngolle (3rd at Elite 160) and Maddox Lee (4th at Open 167) also qualifying for nationals.
Jackson Polifka, of Greencastle, captured 130-pound championship in the Advanced division, while teammate Kevin Hoffpauir (4th at Advanced 115) also secured a spot at the national tourney. One other area wrestler, Smithsburg’s Isabella Cox, won the 132-pound championship in the Elite Girls division, while her teammate Rileigh Romberger (2nd at Elite Girls 125) landed a top finish.
Finally, Chambersburg has qualified three wrestlers for the next round: Gabriel Creamer (2nd at Junior 108), Nathan Chambers (2nd at Advanced 145), and Justin Deneen (4th at Advanced 152).
Below is a team-by-team, wrestler-by-wrestler look at how grapplers from the Local.News1 coverage area performed last weekend:
Waynesboro
MAWA West Region Tournament
Friday-Saturday, April 18-19, at Nittany Valley Sports Centre
Bantam
40: Luke Swope (2-1, 2nd place)
Quarterfinals: W, 10-9 over Wyatt Howard (York)
Semifinals: W, by fall in 1:29 over Duke Walker (Warriors Mark)
Final: L, by fall in 1:29 to Lennox Milliken (Lewistown)
48: Elias Crummitt (0-2)
Round of 16: L, by fall in 2:00 to Kason Mathis (Dover)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, 20-5 (2:36) to Bearen Havers (Bradford)
Bantam Girls
46: Aven Beltz (1-1, 2nd place)
Semifinals: W, by fall in 0:59 over Teagan Risacher (Sewickley)
Final: L, by fall in 2:41 to Kora Knipple (Fort Ashby)
Midget
54: Noah Swope (3-0, 1st place)
Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 1:43 over Landon Keihl (Manchester)
Semifinals: W, by fall in 0:26 over Carson Carolus (Petersburg)
Final: W, by fall in 0:26 over Quay Vogt (Lewistown)
54: Issac Fann (2-2)
Round of 16: W, 11-0 over Brandon Alston Jr. (South Park)
Quarterfinals: L, 3-0 (SV1) to Quay Vogt (Lewistown)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, 10-6 over Shepherd O’Rourke (Everett)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, 9-0 to Evan Rogers (Street)
62: Ace Beltz (4-0, 1st place)
Round of 16: W, 13-2 over Travis Ocker (Newburg)
Quarterfinals: W, 12-0 over Micah Yerty (Hollidaysburg)
Semifinals: W, 8-0 over Mason Cramer (Duncannon)
Finals: W, 15-0 (2:14) over Wyatt Ault (Hanover)
66: Leo Kutchey (0-2)
Round of 16: L, 18-0 (1:30) to Chase Boyer (McKeesport)
Cons. 1st Round: L, 5-1 to Mattis Goldsmith (Seven Valleys)
66: Connor Geesaman (0-2)
Round of 16: L, 17-2 (1:21) to Jose Herndon (New Cumberland)
Cons. 1st Round: L, by fall in 0:31 to Rowdy Romig (Burnham)
75: Keyzlin Hollimon (1-2)
Round of 16: L, 8-0 (2:30) to Dawson Gallerani (Sturgeon)
Cons. 1st Round: W, 8-0 over Thomas Wilk (Lewistown)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, 9-0 to Aden Prichard (Palmyra)
Midget Girls
55: Kristianna Kayhoe (0-2, 4th place)
Semifinals: L, by fall to Areia Wilkinson (Drifting)
3rd Place: L, 14-5 to Leianna Greenawalt (Steelton)
61: Emma Swope (1-1, 2nd place)
Round-Robin 1: L, by fall in 0:25 to Willow Kerr (Millerstown)
Round-Robin 2: W, by fall in 0:32 over Madisyn Drobnoek (Claysburg)
Junior
58: Kristianna Kayhoe (0-2, 4th place)
Semifinals: L, by fall in 0:37 to Hayden Long (Hanover)
3rd Place: L, 13-0 to Dominic Dandrea (Hollidaysburg)
66: Freedom Young (1-2)
Quarterfinals: L, 4-3 (UTB) to Stone Esposito (Wexford)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, by fall in 1:59 over Dylan Glucksman (Montgomery)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, 8-0 to Ethan Mills (Fairmont)
78: Alonso Chavez (0-2)
Round of 16: L, by fall in 0:24 to Nathan Pfursich (Lancaster)
Cons. 1st Round: L, by fall in 2:34 to Carson Ditty (Harrisburg)
82: Caiden Fann (1-2)
Round of 16: W, 6-2 over Greyson Wertz (New Bloomfield)
Quarterfinals: L, 17-2 (2:18) to Colten Beacom (Robinson)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, by fall in 2:18 to Kamden Kindig (New Bloomfield)
Intermediate
120: Colton Ogburn (1-2, 5th place)
Quarterfinals: L, 16-0 (3:27) to Carter Kindig (New Bloomfield)
Cons. Semifinals: L, by fall in 1:24 to Gunner Zellman (Creekside)
5th Place: W, by fall in 1:18 over JJ Williams (Finleyville)
128: Owen Hinkle (2-2, 4th place)
Quarterfinals: W, 8-6 over Hunter Flickinger (Boiling Springs)
Semifinals: L, by fall in 4:02 to Noah Beacom (Robinson)
Cons. Semifinals: W, by fall in 0:39 over Silas Dick (Clearfield)
3rd Place: L, by fall in 2:29 to Zander Jones (Marysville)
Advanced
125: Samuel Young (1-3, 6th place)
Quarterfinals: L, 17-1 (2:24) to Shae Salerno (Carlisle)
Cons. Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 3:59 over Maynard Snowberger (Duncansville)
Cons. Semifinals: L, 12-7 to Jimmy Stivers (New Castle)
5th Place: L, 17-2 (2:52) to Shae Salerno (Carlisle)
135: Kamden Stover (2-3, 6th place)
Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 0:39 to Caleb Detrick (Duncansville)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, 7-4 over Tyler Gardner (Dauphin)
Cons. Quarterfinals: W, by forfeit over Vincenzo Mazzamuto (Carlisle)
Cons. Semifinals: L, by fall in 0:57 to Lukas Norbury (Harrisburg)
5th Place: L, by fall in 1:24 to Logan Skuta (Latrobe)
Elite
140: Steven Howard (3-0, 1st place)
Quarterfinals: W, 5-0 over Jonathan Gould (Mechanicsburg)
Semifinals: W, 10-4 over Jasiel Gonzalez (Harrisburg)
Final: W, 8-0 over Colton Wasmer (Westminster)
145: Colton Biser (0-2)
Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 2:39 to Luke Hitchcock (Harrisburg)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 0:43 to Colin Yingst (Carlisle)
160: Wyatt Lowans (4-2, 4th place)
Round of 16: W, by fall in 0:11 over Harrison Harter (Karthaus)
Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 3:52 to Paul Ngolle (Hagerstown)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, by fall in 2:07 over Jacik Hess (Mount Union)
Cons. Quarterfinals: W, by DQ over Collin Weir-Khamis (Brockway)
Cons. Semifinals: W, by fall in 2:33 over Charlie Warfield (York)
3rd Place: L, 3-0 to Paul Ngolle (Hagerstown)
171: Brady Mansfield (0-2)
Round of 16: L, 8-2 to Rowan McClain-Hartman (Huntingdon)
Cons. 1st Round: L, 8-4 to Santo Cerminaro (Pittsburgh)
Elite Girls
190: Kenadee Shockey (1-1, 2nd place)
Round-Robin 1: W, by fall in 2:28 over Arianna Miller (Roaring Springs)
Round-Robin 2: L, 4-0 to Arianna Bernard (New Kensington)
Open
142: Laken Rouzer (0-2)
Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 2:15 to Colten Shunk (Centre Hall)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, 7-5 to Kyle Miller (Reedsville)
158: Kaden Rouzer (1-3, 6th place)
Quarterfinals: W, 17-0 (2:09) over Taylor Bierly (West Decatur)
Semifinals: L, by fall in 3:00 to Ricky Via (Mount Joy)
Cons. Semifinals: L, by forfeit to Cordell Renninger (Beavertown)
5th Place: L, by forfeit to Joey Bainey (Phillipsburg)
Greencastle
MAWA West Region Tournament
Friday-Saturday, April 18-19, at Nittany Valley Sports Centre
Junior
120: Liam Dietrich (1-2, 5th place)
Semifinals: L, by fall in 0:46 to Tanner Ingle (Thompsontown)
Cons. Semifinals: L, 3-0 to Brigham Larson (Harrisburg)
5th Place: W, by forfeit over Leonidas White (Oakdale)
Intermediate
175: Mychael Hebron (0-3, 6th place)
Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 2:25 to Darrien Reed (Marysville)
Cons. Semifinals: L, by fall in 1:48 to Tristan Burbules (Waterford)
5th Place: L, by fall in 0:46 to Darrien Reed (Marysville)
Advanced
115: Kevin Hoffpauir (2-2, 4th place)
Quarterfinals: W, 11-1 over Tommy Logue (Punxsutawney)
Semifinals: L, 10-6 to Gavin Lease (Hanover)
Cons. Semifinals: W, 9-6 over Jacob Dattoli (New Oxford)
3rd Place: L, 9-1 to Parker Holt (Latrobe)
115: Kahl Cordell (1-2)
Round of 16: L, 8-0 (SV1) to Ridge Casner (Shermans Dale)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, 6-1 over Dominic DiZenzo (Felton)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 0:54 to Jacob Dattoli (New Oxford)
125: Chance Zimmerman (0-2)
Quarterfinals: L, 15-2 to Brody Bronson (Greensburg)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, 5-2 (SV1) to Jack Aderman (Allegany)
130: Jackson Polifka (3-0, 1st place)
Quarterfinals: W, 16-4 over Lucas Jansen (Dallastown)
Semifinals: W, 15-0 (4:24) over Carson Linker (York)
Final: W, 8-3 over Vincent Reina (Littlestown)
189: Benjamin Jansen (2-2)
Round of 16: W, 4-0 over Jace Bender (Lewistown)
Quarterfinals: L, 19-1 (1:49) to Rocco Reifer (Houtzdale)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, by fall in 4:09 over Izaiah Dawson (Abbottstown)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, 15-10 to Hunter Anderson (Glen Rock)
Elite
145: Myles Ingram (0-2)
Round of 16: L, by fall in 0:35 to James Bialo (Duncansville)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, 15-0 (1:53) to Colin Yingst (Carlisle)
Chambersburg
MAWA West Region Tournament
Friday-Saturday, April 18-19, at Nittany Valley Sports Centre
Junior
108: Carter Shetler (0-2)
Quarterfinals: L, 3-0 to Jackson Alleman (Jefferson Hills)
Cons. Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 1:00 to Hayden Myers (East Petersburg)
108: Gabriel Creamer (2-1, 2nd place)
Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 2:39 over Hayden Myers (East Petersburg)
Semifinals: W, 13-0 over Jackson Allemang (Jefferson Hills)
Final: L, 6-3 to John Boyd (Alexandria)
Advanced
105: Hunter Johnson (0-3, 6th place)
Quarterfinals: L, 13-1 to Kyler Craig (Worthington)
Cons. Semifinals: L, 3-0 to Brayden Broadwater (Perryopolis)
5th Place: L, 11-2 to Trevor Calp (Glen Rock)
145: Nathan Chambers (2-1, 2nd place)
Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 0:12 over Gabriel Alley (Altoona)
Semifinals: W, by fall in 1:58 over Thomas Naviglia (Natrona Heights)
Final: L, 11-2 to Braxtan Kerr (Millerstown)
152: Justin Deneen (2-2, 4th place)
Quarterfinals: W, 17-2 (3:26) over Matthew Shaffer (Bedford)
Semifinals: L, 12-5 to Ryland Rudy (Duncannon)
Cons. Semifinals: W, 14-13 over Johnathan High (Etters)
3rd Place: L, 11-4 to Mason Nagle (Tyrone)
171: Malachi Tasker (1-2)
Round of 16: L, by fall in 3:36 to Adam Burns (Delta)
Cons. 1st Round: W, 8-0 over Duncan Kowal (Pittsburgh)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, 7-6 to Caleb Ringler (Buffalo Mills)
Elite
189: Isaiah Tasker (2-3, 6th place)
Round of 16: W, 20-3 (1:20) over Blane Saylor (Wrightsville)
Quarterfinals: W, 6-1 over Cole Ramberger (Harrisburg)
Semifinals: L, 7-0 to Landon Delara (Scottdale)
Cons. Semifinals: L, by fall in 1:13 to Nathaniel McLeod (Westminster)
5th Place: L, by forfeit to Quinn Park (Bellefonte)
SMITHSBURG
MAWA West Region Tournament
Friday-Saturday, April 18-19, at Nittany Valley Sports Centre
Elite Girls
125: Rileigh Romberger (1-1, 2nd place)
Semifinals: W, by fall in 2:55 over Finley Gilbert (Clearfield)
Final: L, 7-1 to Kaylee Dayhoff (New Bloomfield)
132: Isabella Cox (2-0, 1st place)
Semifinals: W, by fall in 1:38 over Lea Borchardt (Williamsport)
Final: W, by fall in 4:06 over Elizabeth Akintoye (Hanover)
Hagerstown
MAWA West Region Tournament
Friday-Saturday, April 18-19, at Nittany Valley Sports Centre
Bantam
52: Bryntley Houman (0-2)
Round of 16: L, by fall in 0:45 to Carson Peters (Urbana)
Cons. 1st Round: L, 5-0 to Luke Russler (Lewistown)
Junior
78: Jaden Brooks (0-2)
Round of 16: L, 11-1 to Lincoln Knable (McVeytown)
Cons. 1st Round: L, by fall in 0:43 to Luca Sundo (Pittsburgh)
Advanced
100: Logan Ardinger (3-0, 1st place)
Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 2:33 over Cayden Berry (Allison Park)
Semifinals: W, 16-0 (3:40) over Gavin Galeano (Harrisburg)
Final: W, by fall in 1:38 over Nathan Morris (Roaring Spring)
285: Gavyn Decker (0-2, 5th place)
Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 1:00 to Hudson Soccio (Mifflintown)
Cons. Semifinals: L, by fall in 0:30 to Carter Pullium (New Castle)
5th Place: No opponent
Elite
160: Paul Ngolle (3-1, 3rd place)
Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 3:52 over Wyatt Lowans (Waynesboro)
Semifinals: L, 18-0 (2:13) to Carter Wharton (Buffalo Mills)
Cons. Semifinals: W, 11-0 over Nicholas McCully (Bellefonte)
3rd Place: W, 3-0 over Wyatt Lowans (Waynesboro)
189: Bennett Mayne (0-2)
Round of 16: L, by fall in 0:27 to Jackson Long (Pleasant Gap)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, by fall in 2:06 to Cole Ramberger (Harrisburg)
Open
167: Cameron Ashby (3-0, 1st place)
Quarterfinals: W, 16-10 over Alex Coppolo (Bellefonte)
Semifinals: W, 17-2 (3:00) over Kobe Harr (Imler)
Final: W, 9-1 over Jared Bair (New Oxford)
167: Maddox Lee (1-2, 4th place)
Quarterfinals: L, 17-6 to Jared Bair (New Oxford)
Cons. Semifinals: W, by forfeit over Kobe Harr (Imler)
3rd Place: L, 9-7 to Alex Coppolo (Bellefonte)
190: Isaiah Brooks (3-0, 1st place)
Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 4:05 over Tristan Ice (Scottsdale)
Semifinals: W, 18-2 (4:00) over Christian Conner (Gettysburg)
Final: W, by fall in 0:48 over Jack Moyer (New Paris)
