Glenn Kaiser previews this weekend’s upcoming District One East and District One Central Tournaments.
TIME TO ADVANCE
By Glenn Kaiser
With the league tournaments completed, it is time to step up the game, as a Southeast Regional berth is at stake this weekend at three District One Individual Wrestling Championships for local wrestlers. The SOL American Conference will travel to Oxford High School for the D1 Central Tournament with the Ches-Mont League. The SOL Continental and National Conferences will be joined with the Delaware Valley League at Quakertown High School this Saturday. Wrestling starts at 9 am at Quakertown. The finals are scheduled for 6 pm.
Although there were a few surprises at leagues, some missed out on advancing to Districts who should have made it, and there were some matches that affected placement of others; nonetheless, the real start of the postseason is underway now. The future of league and district tournaments in District One are up for discussion. The concept of “Super Districts” is on the table. This would allow all District One wrestlers to compete at Districts, thus eliminating league tournaments as qualifiers for the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships.
League tourneys could still be wrestled, but only for local bragging rights, as league championship tournaments do not count toward season competition points. Even better, they could be wrestled on an open Saturday in January. But for now, let’s take a look at this weekend’s District One Tournaments.
District One East has a very deep 145-pound weight class that features a couple of returning state qualifiers in Truman’s Dustin Stone and Interboro’s Eric Thomas. But two very determined wrestlers from the SOL - North Penn’s Mikey O’Brien and Council Rock South’s Lucas Martoccio - are lurking here, and both want to wrestle in Hershey in two weeks. O’Brien and Martuccio will meet in the quarterfinals, thus forcing one of them to wrestle their way back to gain a regional berth. O’Brien, the third seed at 145 via his SOL Continental Championship with a win over Central Bucks East’s Ryan Chalifoux, and Martuccio, moving in with a forfeit to face O’Brien after suffering a loss to Stone in the SOL National finals, will have to battle right out of the gate. All four should advance with cross bracketing being the determining factor with O’Brien and Martoccio possibly meeting again in a third place match-up. However, Chalifoux and/or Neshaminy’s Joe Little will challenge for one of the top four spots at this weight, but only one will get to do so as they will battle in a preliminary bout that will have the loser eliminated due to not having complete wrestle backs. Lose in the pigtails and your season is over.
113 is extremely deep as well with two returning state place winners in Matt Parker (Pennridge) and Aidan Burke (CR North), along with state qualifier Antonio Martoccio (Pennsbury). Burke defeated Parker 1-0 the last time they wrestled, which was in Hershey in the consolation semifinals. This could set up to be the first rematch - and possibly a three-part series - on the road to Hershey. CB South’s Ray Calderaio and Souderton’s Harrison Andrade will also be in the mix for advancement in this always-tough weight class that features returning 106-pounders from the previous season.
126 has some question marks. Is Kordell Rush (Pennridge) back to state placing form? Can Sophaine Bensmail (North Penn) challenge others to return to Chocolate Town, USA as he will face off with Cary Palmer (CRS) in his first bout Saturday in the quarterfinals? Connor Joyce (Pennsbury) will need to get into the tournament from a prelim bout versus Hatboro-Horsham senior Nick Giuliani.
Freshmen are aplenty at 120 and 132-pounds, with National champ Gunnar Fuss (Truman) and Neshaminy’s Jackson Erb. Erb carries a 30-5 record, while Fuss who defeated Erb at leagues in the finals is 27-2. But a surging Brandon Bach (Souderton) is the top seed at 120 pounds, which also includes fellow sophomore Gianncarlo Flores (CRN) and another impressive freshman, Nicholas Polinchock from CB South. This class is wide open with Austin Rush (Pennridge), a senior, trying to match his brother Kordell’s efforts. Flores and Rush will do combat in a preliminary bout. Freshman Evan Widing (Pennridge) and super frosh Ryan Vulakh (NP) want to see where they stand with the one of the state’s best at 132 in CR South’s Zack Trampe. Vulakh is perhaps one of the best pound for pound wrestlers in the state amongst his fellow freshmen.
The heavyweight class features fifth place finisher a year ago in Bruce Graeber from Neshaminy, the top seed with newcomers to the big stage in Continental champ Matt Chapman (H-H) and Bensalem’s Nick Cooper, who should hit Chapman in the quarters. CR South’s John Anderson has 45 matches under his belt this year and joins those two in the lower half of the bracket to see who will square off with Graeber in the finals. With all the talent in the District One East tournament, it would be fitting for the SOL American foes to join the mix next season in an all SOL District. But for now the Americans will travel close to the Maryland border to fight it out with the Ches-Mont’s best.
Regional berths for lightweights Marco DiBittista (Plymouth-Whitmarsh) and Norristown’s Justin Altrogge look promising at 106 pounds. Congrats to Upper Moreland’s Amanda Walker for advancing to Districts. She enters the D1 Central tourney as the American third place finisher with a 21-8 record. The Bears Jason Amy (113) and Matt Amy (120), both conference champions, are the #2 seeds in their respective weight classes and figure to do well enough to advance to Souderton for the SE Region event. Norristown’s Eric Fuentes won the 132-pound title at leagues, but will be challenged by Ches-Mont grapplers Mitch Camp (Unionville) and West Chester Henderson’s Kyle Meadrow for the D1 Central title at this weight.
Upper Dublin’s Colin Devlin is a sure bet to move into regionals at 138 pounds, as he has only one loss on the season at 36-1. Devlin looks to get back to the Giant Center for the PIAA Championships, as his only loss this season was to Cheltenham’s Austin Gershwin, who won the 145-pound title at the SOL American tourney, and is the second seed at districts, as are all of the American Conference champs. This seeding is done by a formula with all Ches-Mont champs seeded first to avoid their seven qualifiers to districts from meeting early in the tournament. This is a somewhat flawed method as champs and the third seeds should all be seeded according to points to eliminate bracket busters, and those less deserving, in higher seeds, that could advance from their placement formula spot. Nonetheless, Ben Billings from P-W should get out and be wrestling at 145 for another weekend.
The Flying Cardinals have another champ in the #2 spot at 152 in Upper Dublin freshman Mason Novak, Novak has been impressive in his first year, and definitely has what it takes at this level to qualify for Regions. Novak posted 25 wins this season so far and is certainly one to watch. Tommy DiSisto from P-W, one of the Colonials four league champs that enabled them to capture the American Conference team title over Norristown, will seek a regional berth at 170 lbs. He will be tested but should reach the finals to face Downingtown West stud Cole Zapf.
Patrick Walker from Upper Moreland, a fierce thrower, is in the two hole of a loaded weight class at 195, but he should have what it takes to advance, and with his sights set on Hershey, he will be extremely motivated throughout the tournament. A showdown with Univonville’s Mike Maguire in the semifinals and a title tilt with West Chester East’s Eric Gassenmeyer are on his agenda. The 285-pound heavyweight class features two of the regions top wrestlers in P-W’s Quincy Williams and Avon Grove’s Vincent Walls, which should make for an entertaining final at Oxford.
Pennridge and Council Rock South won the team titles at the Continental and National Conference tournaments respectively as predicted here a week ago. Pennridge got some revenge on North Penn after dropping the conference team dual title to them during the regular season despite splitting their two dual meets. North Penn was victorious when it counted for the league title. Plymouth-Whitmarsh - while not a surprise team champ in the American Conference tournament - also gained some satisfaction with their feat over a Norristown squad that kept them at bay in the regular season, capturing the dual title.
With Individual Team titles at stake this weekend at both the District One East and Central tourneys, we could start to see who will challenge Boyertown from the West for the SE Regional title. Pennridge - with 13 of 14 qualifiers - has the firepower with potential champs in Parker, Kordell Rush, Josh Stillings (160), and Kyle Gentile (182). The Rams will battle CR South in the East. North Penn, CR North, and Neshaminy are dark horses in the D1 East war. Council Rock matches the Rams with 13 qualifiers, and with title contenders Trampe, Riley Palmer (138) Dylan Schwartz (152), and Joe Doyle (195), they will need their teammates help to capture the team title without one of their standouts, Ben Radner, who did not compete this past Saturday. So the team title could come down to wrestle backs or upsets in head to head contests between the likes of Pennridge’s Andrew Reinhold at 195, South’s Tyler Gettman (182) and Lucas Martoccio (145). The Golden Hawks had six champions at leagues, one more than Pennridge’s five champs in the Continental, and may have the grit to stay on top of D1 East with grapplers such as Cary Palmer (126).
The D1 Central tournament should see Downingtown East and West Chester Rustin on top of the team standings; however Plymouth-Whitmarsh could be in the mix with an outside chance of capturing the team title. And Norristown, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, and at least one Cheltenham wrestler could spread out the scoring enough to make this a closer team race then it looks on paper. Downingtown East is the prediction here to grab the title.
So here we go wrestling fans, turn up the volume, as it’s time to see SOL wrestlers maximize their efforts to advance…
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