Glenn Kaiser previews the 2017 District One Team Championships which will begin on Thursday.
2017 DISTRICT ONE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH GRABS #2 SEED
As expected, Council Rock South secured the second seed of the 16-team bracket for the 2017 District One Duals Sunday afternoon after the D1 Wrestling Steering Committee released the results of the seeding meeting. And to no one’s surprise, Boyertown will be opposite CRS on the bracket as the #1 seed. CRS will take on Oxford (#15) in Round One of the tournament at Methacton H.S. starting at 5:30 pm on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. The Golden Hawks are hoping to put a full and healthy line-up on the mat Thursday night and should not be challenged much by Oxford.
Thus, looking ahead, the Golden Hawks could face either #7 Spring-Ford or SOL Continental foe Souderton, the #10 seed. That match will follow the CRS/Oxford match at Methacton H.S. at 7 pm. And the winners will face off Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, at Pottsgrove H.S. in the quarterfinals at 6 pm. The D1 Dual Finals will be contested Saturday, Feb. 4, 3 pm, at Pottsgrove.
The Souderton Indians find themselves in a good position as a top ten team in the District with the absence of North Penn and Pennridge from the Continental Conference. The Indians have wrestled a rugged team schedule and are prepared for the challenge of a solid Spring-Ford team that has been here before. The only other SOL team to make the field was Neshaminy. Unfortunately, for the Redskins, they will be pitted against the 2016 PIAA AAA Team Runner-ups and #1 seed Boyertown at Methacton on Thursday at 5:30 pm. Neshaminy slid into the tournament as the #16 seed with key wins over Unionville and Pennsbury earlier this season. Pennsbury and William Tennent did not secure a spot in the duals.
Handicapping this year’s D1 Team Championships appears to be easy on paper, as the top four teams are clearly a level above the rest of the pack. Boyertown and CR South look to be headed for a showdown in the finals and a repeat match-up from just a year ago. Hopefully, all the talk can be settled on the mat between these two teams to determine who is the best dual team in D1. It remains to be seen who the best tournament team actually is, and that won’t be decided until March. Stay tuned as this rivalry is shaping up once again to be a fierce fight to the end.
Conversely, don’t be surprised to see #3 seed Methacton grappling Pioneer Athletic Conference rival Owen J Roberts (#4) in the consolation finals in just about two weeks. Surprisingly, Garnet Valley grabbed the 5th seed with a talented individual team, and the Jaguars will be challenged early by West Chester Henderson (#12) in the opening round. Upper Darby dropped down to the #9 seed after reaching the PIAA State Championship round a year ago and will have to tangle with #8 Bayard Rustin in perhaps the most competitive bout of the first round. So a look at the top half of the bracket has Boyertown cruising to the finals after a semifinal challenge by OJR.
Down below, CRS will have its hands full with the winner of the Downingtown West (#6)/Methacton winner in the semis. Upper Perkiomen is dangerous in the eleventh hole, but Downingtown West should have enough firepower up and down its lineup to hold seed for a rematch with Methacton who defeated them very early in the season 31-30. Nonetheless, the Golden Hawks should return to Hershey for the team championships, which begin Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. The consolation bracket will be where the fiercest battles will take place. With teams fighting for the shot at the state duals, Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, should certainly be the best wrestling of the tournament. It’s anybody’s spot for those that fight to the whistle and scrap to the end. The pick here is Methacton and Owen J Roberts to be the two other representatives coming out of D1 and moving on to the PIAA Team Championships. This one is a tossup, but Methacton may have the slight edge here and finish third.
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