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When it comes to wrestling, there’s no doubt it, no state does it better than Pennsylvania.
From the youth ranks, where it’s not unusual to see teams jam-packed with dozens of wrestlers, to the college level, where Penn State has won 11 of the last 14 NCAA Championships, this state just takes wrestling a little more seriously than its peers.
There’s no exception at the high school level, where every teen wrestler’s dream is to compete at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships, widely regarded as the toughest high school tournament in the country. Even the journey to get to states is cruel and unforgiving, with only the most battle-hardened of grapplers advancing to do battle on the biggest stage.
That journey begins this weekend with the Section Championships, an event we’ve selected as our Tournament of the Week.
Waynesboro, Chambersburg, Greencastle-Antrim and Fairfield will all have wrestlers in attendance at section tournaments across the region fighting for the right to advance to district and region qualifiers.
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 games or matches we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
Start time: Saturday, 9 a.m., at Mechanicsburg/South Western/Susquenita
What’s at stake: In District 3, the road to the PIAA Championships begins with the Section Championships. Two local Class 3A teams, Chambersburg and Greencastle-Antrim, travel to Mechanicsburg for the Section III Championships, while another 3A squad, Waynesboro, will be at South Western for the Section IV tourney. Both sections are composed of 16 schools, and the Top 4 finishers from each weight class advance to the South Central Region Championships, held at Spring Grove. Fairfield will hit the road for Susquenita for the 15-team, Section I-2A tourney, with the Top 6 finishers moving on to the District 3-2A Championships at CD East.
Meet the Trojans: Chambersburg enters the individual postseason after a deep run with its dual squad at team districts and states … The Trojans have a lineup that is heavy on postseason experience, with three-time section medalist and region qualifier Zach Sherman (29-6, 13 falls) leading the way … Sherman, a senior who owns a career record of 114-42, was the section champion at 121 pounds last year … Another senior, Ashton Romberger (27-8, 17 falls), is looking to nail down his third section medal in as many seasons after finishing second at 133 pounds at last year’s tournament … Junior heavyweight Frank Barrientos led Chambersburg in both wins and pins this winter after going 32-6 with 27 falls, and will be aiming to move past sections once again after taking third place last year … Three other Trojan grapplers — Cody Seabolt (114-116, 21-14, 12 falls), Isiah Tasker (170-172, 16-12, 4 falls), and Jaccob Stoner (189-215, 23-10, 12 falls) — all qualified for regions last season and are expected to compete this weekend … Senior Logan Mickey (152-160, 23-11, 7 falls) will be wrestling at his third section tournament and angling to qualify for regions for the first time … Freshman 107-pounder Isaac Brambley is projected to make his postseason debut after going 26-10 with 12 falls this season … After wrestle-offs, we could see a number of other Chambersburg wrestlers in action this weekend, including Brayan Gonzalez (116-121, 6-21, 4 falls), Ethan Pazkowski (131-133, 8-18, 6 falls), Justin Deneen (145-152, 10-14, 3 falls), Zethan Sleighter (160-172, 14-17, 11 falls), and Omar Henchey (11-14, 6 falls) … This will be the last postseason run for Chambersburg Matt Mentzer, who announced he will be resigning after the season.
Meet the Tribe: Under the leadership of first-year head coach Casey Glunt, Waynesboro is eager to make an impact with a lineup that includes three returning regional qualifiers … The most notable of the bunch is three-time section medalist and regional qualifier Jayden Rooney, a senior who has compiled a 113-40 career record up to this point … Combining for more than 100 career wins are two others who advanced past the section round last year: Junior Steven Howard (133 pounds, 14-7, 3 falls) and senior Calvin Myers (152, 21-11, 17 falls) … Sophomore Anthony Ausherman is expected to compete this postseason after posting a 22-8 record with 15 falls at 215 pounds … Another projected entry into the section tournament is Wyatt Lowans, who went 15-9 with 10 falls this season after going 1-7 as a sophomore last year … Several others on the Waynesboro roster could also make their postseason debut this weekend, including sophomore Michael Brewer (107-114, 1-23), Sam Young (127, 5-22, 2 falls), Brady Myers (139, 13-13, 8 falls), Brady Mansfield (172-189, 14-14, 9 falls), Logan Smith (189, 14-12, 8 falls), and Alexander Duenas (285, 1-10, 1 fall).
Meet the Blue Devils: Greencastle-Antrim’s program, guided by coach Brandon Crouse, has made some big steps forward in recent seasons, and the Blue Devils could take their success a step further by winning a medal at sections this weekend. Doing so would be a first for any of the wrestlers in Greencastle’s lineup … The Blue Devils have four grapplers with postseason experience, and we expect at least three of them — Chance Zimmerman (121-127 pounds, 14-6, 6 falls), Aidan Crouse (133, 11-7, 7 falls), and Landon Hinkle (160-172, 10-7, 9 falls) — to make a return this weekend … Senior Ayden Amsley (172-189, 2-4, 2 falls) also competed at the section tournament last year, but he has not competed since Jan. 9 this season … Sophomore Kahl Cordell (107-114, 11-8, 5 falls) brings a winning record to the postseason, while Jackson Polifka, a freshman at 127 pounds, has shown promise this season with a 7-2 record and one fall, but has not wrestled since Dec. 28 … Pending wrestle-offs, we could see a number of other Blue Devils on the mat, including Brock Neville (107-114, 7-8, 2 falls), Carter Kuykendall (139-145, 5-13, 3 falls), Myles Ingram (145, 0-10), Braden Eckert (152-172, 2-10, 1 fall), Ethan South (152-172, 4-10), Gerard Dominguez (172-215, 3-12, 1 fall), and Nathan Painter (4-11, 2 falls).
Meet the Knights: Fairfield’s best chance at a section medal rests on the shoulders of junior 215-pounder Lincoln Kearchner, a two-time district qualifier and one-time regional qualifier … Kearchner is 14-10 with 12 falls this season and owns a career record of 38-34 … Freshman Nathan Anders (152-172) could make an appearance at the section tournament after compiling five victories this season, with all of those wins coming by fall … There are a number of other Knights grapplers we could see in action this weekend, including Gavin Cramer (139-145, 3-15, 2 falls), Heath Cramer (145-160, 3-16, 3 falls), Jeremiah Harbaugh (145-152, 2-4), and John Perez (127-133, 1-14).
