PIAA’s BEST WRESTLERS SHOWCASED IN SOL AT 2022 DISTRICT ONE SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
District One East Will Feature SOL’s Best Chances for Area Wrestlers In Hershey Come March
By Glenn Kaiser
The Quakertown Panthers get to wrestle in the first leg of the long road to Hershey at home this Saturday, as they host the District One-East Individual Championships. It is here where we will see some of the top PIAA (AAA) competitors and several with legit shots to be crowned state champions in Chocolate Town, USA (March 10-12, 2022) at the Giant Center. In the South, a handful of SOL teams will compete at Interboro High School Saturday, and Souderton will be the lone SOL team wrestling in D1-North at Perkiomen Valley.
The fireworks will be displayed at Q-town for sure, where 16 SOL teams will battle in the 16-man bracket as many weight classes will feature match-ups that may repeat themselves at both the SE Region at Oxford High School next Friday and Saturday (3/4 & 3/5/22), and again in the Giant Center for hardware. Here’s a look at some feature weight classes and match-ups.
106-pounds: This is a stacked weight class with young and experienced talent. Eren Sement (CRN) is the legit fav here as he is ranked #3 by PA Power Ranking, and the rest of the weight class features many PA Power ranked studs. Key bout: Quarters-Teague McCormack (CBW) #24 vs. Colby Martinelli (Pennridge) #25. McCormack blanked Martinelli 5-0 not long ago after he dropped to 106 for good.
113-CR North’s Tony Burke #10 will be challenged by Pennridge’s Cole Coffin #13 and freshman Patrick Kelly (CBW), who moves up to 113 with McCormack down for the Bucks. Coffin and Kelly should meet in the quarterfinals in the key bout here.
126-Feature bout will be in the finals with #25 Sam Kuhns (Pennridge) vs. Q-town’s Todd McGann. McGann got the best of Kuhns earlier this year, look for Kuhns to get revenge here.
145-This loaded weight class will be a battle royal, with #13 Shermuhummad Sadriddinov (CRS) sitting atop the bracket as #1 seed here. Abington’s #9 ranked wrestler Shane Kibler is peaking and will have to go thru the host’s #24 Zach Borzio in a potential key bout in the semis to meet up with Saddridinov in the finals. Kibler was a state qualifier in 2020 and only wrestled seven times during the pandemic a year ago.
There will be a handful of great matches throughout this full bracket with a hot Angelo Guzman from Tennent and an explosive Gio Iodonisi from Pennridge.
152-Most likely the most loaded bracket in all of D1 features four grapplers in PA Power’s top 25 in the state. William Morrow (NP) is ranked #6, Bek Sadriddinov (CRS) #9, Mason Stien (CBE) #16 and Neshaminy’s Dan Hansbury is #21. Bek, just a sophomore, will have to go thru Hansbury up top to get to Morrow down below in the finals. Stein will challenge Morrow in the semis down below in the bracket. Morrow is on a mission, and should move to regionals as the #1 seed there. Derek Mironenko from Lower Moreland is up a class from the PIAA (AA) may make some noise here as he should see Hansbury in the quarters in a key bout.
160-Council Rock South’s Matt Colajezzio is the #1 ranked wrestler in the state and odds on favorite to win the state title here. He will need to deal with #25 Andrew Pokalsky (Neshaminy) who has had a tremendous season. Pennridge freshman, Talan Hogan is seeded third and should advance to regionals.
172-is wide open. #17 Nils Updale (CBE) should have the upper hand as the three-seed. He should see CR South’s Anthony Cerulli in the semis, and #20 Calvin Lachman (Q-town) in the finals. But Lachman will have to deal with either Terrel Dorceus (HST) or Tennent’s Nolan Cataldi in the semis. Dorceus and Cataldi will meet in a key bout in the quarters.
189-Quinn Collins (CBE) owns this weight class in D1 after securing a championship belt at ETR, and is currently ranked #3 in the state. He will be pushed by Upper Moreland’s Owen Dunleavy or Pennsbury’s Gabe Gabbet who should square off in the semis in the key bout here.
215-It might be a walk in the park for CB West’s #2 Carl DiGiorgio here, but he will hook up again with CR South’s #8 Lucas Doyle for the title at stake in the finals. DiGiorgio is 4-0 lifetime against Doyle.
285-Quakertown’s Frederick Retter is a beast and ranked #8 and may see either Joe Collins (CBE) or Devon Pinkett (NP) in the finals after the two of them tangle in the semis. That’s if Pinkett can get by #2-seed Brian Hegedus (Lower Moreland) in a key bout in the quarters. Pinkett has a win over Collins this season, but Collins avenged it 6-1 recently at leagues. Hegedus has yet to see this level of competition this season.
Others to watch at D1 East: Mason Ziegler #7 at 120, fellow Panther Colin Gaj, just a freshman, is ranked #7 at 132.
Souderton will look to advance #20 Tyler Geiger (132), along with Charlie Arobone (113). Ben Beckett (160) and Erik Dominquez (138) should also advance with their late addition to the post-season. Beckett is the two-seed as is Dominquez. Doninquez is a Kansas transfer in his senior year, he owns a state title there.
In the South, Hatboro-Horsham’s 145-pounder Joe Martini, III, is the #1 seed, and H-H looks to advance freshman Ryan Allgeier (106), outstanding Chris Staub at 132-pounds and big man Hunter Long at 189. Long will have to battle again with P-W’s Matt Sadel again in a quarterfinal match. Sadel is 3-1 lifetime against Long, with Long winning the last tilt by fall at the Liberty championships.
P-W should fare well in the South with Jinuk Han at 113, Jake Williams (120), Ashton Wittenberg (126), Jared McGee (138), and Justin Bainbridge (160) joining Sadel. Upper Dublin has Zach Gallagher, who should battle Han in a key bout at 106, Caden Cerminaro (120), #1 seed Colin Higgins at 126, Dan Gorman (132), Tommy Clayton (145) Gus Platt (152) and big man Connor “Shrek” Devitt at 285 all with a chance to advance.
Cheltenham’s Kahliq McCalman is the #1 seed at 215 with a 22-7 record and should win a title. Fellow big man David Cappel has a shot at 285 to advance as well. Maxim Borisov (126) is looking good in his bracket along with Nathan Homa at 106 who will need to garner some upsets to advance.
Wissahickon’s Daniel Chez is the #4 seed at 172 along with 285-pounder Ryan Lee who will both need to wrestle well to advance from the top-half of their brackets.
Wrestling starts at 8:30am tomorrow, good luck to all the SOL wrestlers.
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