Fifty teams. Hundreds of wrestlers. And only 13 of the coveted trojan helmets up for grabs.
It’s going to be some kind of rumble on Saturday when competition kicks off at CASHS Field House for the 11th MyHOUSE Trojan Wars. Three teams from the Local.News1 coverage area — Chambersburg, Greencastle-Antrim, and Fairfield — will be in the hunt this weekend, with three seeded area wrestlers expected to contend for spots on the medal stand.
We’ve selected this event as our Tournament of the Week.
Nothing will come easy at the Trojan Wars, a tournament that includes top-tier squads from all corners of Pennsylvania, and has drawn the attention of out-of-state programs from Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. Grab your popcorn and find a good spot to settle in, it’s going to take until Sunday evening for these “wars” to be settled.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming contests we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
11th MyHOUSE Trojan Wars
Start time: Saturday, 10 a.m., at Chambersburg
Meet the Trojans: Chambersburg have two seeded wrestlers, Frank Barrientos and Cody Seabolt, at the Trojan Wars this season … Seeded No. 5 at 285 pounds, Barrientos is 6-2 with six falls this winter. He is a two-time section podium finisher, who finished fourth in the region last year on his way to an appearance at states … Seabolt, a two-time section medalist and one-time regional qualifier who is 3-3 this season, is seeded No. 8 at 121 pounds … Look for senior Jaccob Stoner, a two-time regional qualifier who is off to a 5-2 start this season, to be a medal contender at 189 pounds … After finishing as the section runner-up as a freshman last season, Isaac Brambley is 4-2 at 127 pounds this year and aiming to make a splash at the Trojan Wars … Justin Deneen, who is 5-3 at 145 pounds, is a wrestler with postseason experience who should get an opportunity to wrestle this weekend … Three freshmen — Hunter Johnson (4-2 at 107), Aiden Yarnell (4-3 at 114), and Deakon Snavely (4-4 at 215) — have proven themselves in battle this season and will likely be in action at the Trojan Wars … There are plenty of other Chambersburg grapplers with varsity experience that could see mat time this weekend, including Ethan Paszkowski (1-4 at 133-139), Nathan Chambers (0-2 at 139), Jett Rugh (0-5 at 152), Ty Paetow (0-5 at 160), Alex Lozius (1-3 at 172), Yaziel Valentin (0-2 at 172), Christopher Wilkerson (2-2 at 215), and Gabe Nolan (2-2 at 133).
Meet the Blue Devils: Greencastle-Antrim has been brilliant in duals, rolling up a 7-1 record, and now the squad will be tested on the tournament stage for the second time this season … Greencastle previously competed at the Carlisle Holiday Classic, placing 20th and landing three placewinners in Ben Jansen (6th at 215), Kahl Cordell (6th at 114), and Silas Robertson (8th at 139) … Jansen, a sophomore, checks in with a 12-4 record with seven falls, while junior Cordell is 6-6 with one pin … Robertson, at 9-4 with five falls, is having a winning freshman season … Undefeated Aidan Crouse, who is 7-0 with six falls this winter, should be competing this weekend at either 145 or 152 pounds … Freshmen Damien Johns (9-4 at 172-189) and Carter Startzman (6-2 at 107) are expected to see the mat, and the same can be said for Jackson Polifka (9-2 at 133) and Chance Zimmerman (7-2 at 139-145) … Senior Landon Hinkle, a competitor at 160-172, will be aiming to extend a seven-match winning streak this weekend … A number of other Blue Devils could be in competition, including Mason Cummings (1-1 at 127), Kevin Hoffpauer (4-7 at 121-127), Myles Ingram (1-5 at 152-160), and Brody Shafer (0-1 at 160).
Meet the Knights: Look for Fairfield’s Caleb Tyler, the No. 4 seed at 285 pounds, to make a run this weekend. Tyler, a two-time district champion and two-time state qualifier, is competing for the Knights this winter after spending his first two seasons at Delone Catholic … Heath Cramer, a senior 160-pounder who finished sixth in the section last winter, should be in competition this weekend. Cramer is 4-5 this season with two falls … Two other Fairfield wrestlers, Nathan Anders (172) and Riley Stoner (127-133), have postseason experience and could be competing … We could see a number of other Knights in action at the Trojan Wars, including Logan Cramer (152), Aiden Gillis (121-127), Kasen Hankins (172-189), Justus Sacco (189), and Colton Weishaar (139-145).
Meet the contenders: Two local heavyweights — Fairfield’s Caleb Tyler and Chambersburg’s Frank Barrientos — are expected to contend for medals, but a path to the top of the medal stand will likely have to come through top-seeded Nolan Reinert of Gettysburg. Reinert, a region qualifier, owns a career record of 65-22 with 31 falls … Another Gettysburg wrestler, Myles Grossman, is seeded No. 1 at 145 pounds. Grossman is a two-time region champion who finished sixth in the state last year … Warrior Run boasts a pair of No. 1 seeds in Reagan Milheim (160) and Max Wirnsberger (172), as does Skyline (Va.) with top-seeded Paden Alyea (114) and Josiah Skyes (152) … Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown (215) and Easton’s Nicholas Salamone (121) are defending state champs in 3A and top seeds this weekend, while Perkiomen Valley’s Max Tancini, a two-time PIAA placewinner, is the favorite to win the Trojan Wars at 127 pounds … Bald Eagle’s Tanner Guenot, the top seed at 139 pounds, is a two-time state placewinner … Other No. 1-seeded grapplers include Downingtown West’s Shaefer Hoffman (107), The Hill School’s Kole Davidheiser (121), and West Springfield’s Wylan Snoddy (189).
