Glenn Kaiser recaps the SOL Championships and looks ahead to this weekend’s District One East and District One Central Championships.
LEAGUES OPEN THE ROAD TO HERSHEY
By Glenn Kaiser
Despite the doubters, the half empty types, and those that want Sectionals back, the 2015 PIAA Individual Championships started for many in District One this past Saturday right here in the Suburban One League Wrestling Championships. The SOL’s three conferences held individual championships to see who would advance to the next level at this weekend’s District Championships.
The SOL Continental and National’s top four wrestlers in each weight class move on to Interboro this Saturday to compete in the District One East Championships. Meanwhile, the American Conference stays at home at Wissahickon and will compete with the Ches-Mont’s top seven in the District One Central Championships. The D1 East tournament includes the five-team Del Val League‘s best three to comprise the 11-man bracket.
You may wonder why the SOL is separated when it comes to Districts, and this is a good question with no logical answer. It is so because that is how the D1 Wrestling Committee restructured the three District One tournaments when Sectionals were dropped and Leagues were introduced three years ago. Without a doubt, the Leagues don’t seem to live up to the hype of the old Sectional tournaments, but nonetheless, they serve the same purpose - to produce District Qualifiers.
Certainly in the eight-man League tournaments held at Hatboro-Horsham (Continental) and at Neshaminy (National), the action was superb and had some very competitive bouts throughout. In the seven-team American Conference, the action was good but somewhat watered down with AA team, Springfield Montco, in the mix. As their place winners do not advance to the D1 AAA events, they head to the AA District tournament, thus essentially, making it a six-team event.
Changes are coming in SOL wrestling as Norristown’s departure to the PAC 10 in 2016-17 will force the league to look at realignment for wrestling and possibly other sports. With some moves already being made in football, that could be the precedent that shapes the wrestling conferences, or perhaps making the SOL two conferences for wrestling. We shall see…
Nonetheless, each SOL Conference will be well represented at their respective District tourneys this coming Saturday. Wrestling begins at 9 am with the finals starting at 6:00pm for the AAA.
No surprises in the team titles as Pennridge (Cont), Council Rock South (Natl) and Plymouth-Whitemarsh (Amer) won their respective conferences. They all won dual league titles as well. The biggest surprise in Leagues was the number one wrestler in the state at 106-pounds, Riley Palmer (CR South), missed weight and will not be competing in the postseason. Pennridge had eight individual champs at the Continental Championships, a feat that may be a record. I cannot remember such dominance, even dating back to the old Bux-Mont Leaugue (Section) in the early 80’s and certainly not anytime in the modern era with the old Section I, II and III for the SOL teams. Council Rock South had six champs, and Plymouth-Whitemarsh, five.
In the Continental, Kordell Rush garnered the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the Rams with his hard earned win over Quakertown’s Harrison Campbell, 6-2. Phil Stolfi was dominant at 182 pounds, a dangerous weight class that pitted Pennridge’s Zach Tuerke (3rd Place) against Stolfi in the opening round. Stolfi was victorious in overtime 4-1. Stolfi eventually won the title on a medical forfeit from Evan Wilson (CB East), who was a state qualifier a year ago. Wilson was obviously saving himself for Districts and the long haul to Hershey. With Palmer out, Pennridge’s Matt Parker should have the inside track on his bid to head to the top of the podium at the Giant Center in March. Riley Barth (CB West) remained undefeated for the Bucks and upped his record to 28-0 with his title at 145. Barth defeated rugged sophomore Colin Shannon from North Penn in the finals 7-3. Josh Stillings (Pennridge) tagged Ryan Chalifoux (CBE) with his first loss of the season in the 132-pound final, with a perfect 8-0 major decision. Stillings is a freshman to keep an eye on through out the postseason. Central Bucks West swept the middleweights with three champs in a row at 145, 152, and 160 as Jason Stout (152) and Jason Douple (160) followed Barth with SOL Continental titles.
Pennridge swept the upper weights, winning titles at 195 - Andrew Reinhold, 220 - Ezra Outlaw, and 285 - Joe Kracz. Kracz, along with Hatboro-Horsham’s Nick Schuck (2nd), will do battle in a loaded heavyweight class at the D1 East tourney. Both were Regional qualifiers a year ago. Joey O’Brien (North Penn), up three weight classes from last season, won the 138-pound title and will look for his first trip to Regionals this weekend at Interboro.
In the National Conference, Neshaminy was a surprise second in the team race with three champs, finishing ahead of Pennsbury (3rd) and CR North (4th). Justin Kramer (132), Noah Kisselback (182), and Bruce Graeber (285) all won in the finals. CR North’s Aiden Burke (106) was aided by Palmer being out to claim his title but nonetheless will be a force at this weight the rest of the way in the postseason. Burke was dominant with a 17-2 tech fall over solid Antonio Martoccio (Pennsbury) in the title tilt. Dylan Nuttall from Harry S Truman will be a force at 120 as he claimed a title with his 4-0 win over Pennsbury’s Conner Joyce. Joyce will also be a tough out in the post-season, and both he and Nuttall will look to knock off three-time state medalist Derek Gulotta from Owen J Roberts as they march to Hershey at the Southeast Regional in two weeks. Nuttall already holds a win over Gulotta this season.
CR South will look to top Pennridge in the D1 East team race, as they will try to back up their second place finish in the D1 Duals. The Golden Hawks will have plenty of firepower with number one seeds Zack Trampe (126), Dylan Schwartz (152) and Ben Kenis (195). The Rams from the ridge will counter with number one seeds of their own in Parker (106), Rush (113), Stillings (132), Kyle Gentile (170), and Joe Kracz (285).
Here is a look at possible final match-ups and champs at the D1 East Championships:
106-Parker (Pennridge) over Burke (CRN)
113-Rush (CRS) over Radner (CRS), Qtown’s Campbell could be Wild Card here
120-Nuttall (HST) over Joyce (Pennsbury) again, watch out for freshmen Micah Visuwan (Pennridge)
126-Trampe (CRS) over Chichester’s Chris Smarkola
132-Stillings (Pennridge) over Tommy Smarkola (CHI), Smarkola will have to get by Califoux (CBE) in the quarterfinals.
138-Eric Thomas (Interboro) over O’Brien (NP), Eric Mongiello could be here
145-Barth (CBW) over Lucas Martoccio (CRS)
152-Schwartz (CRS) over Dominic Stabilito (Neshaminy), rematch from the National title tilt
160-Luke Kowal (Pennsbury) over Josh Shalinsky (CRN), watch out for Douple (CBW)
170-Gentile (Pennridge) over Joe Doyle (CRS), Doyle will be tested in lower half of the bracket by Nick Bonomo (Qtwn) and Daniel Allen (Pennwood)
182-Wilson (CBE) over Zack Tuerke (Pennridge)
195-Kenis (CRS) over Reinhold (Pennridge)
220-Outlaw (Pennridge) over Kyle Thorpe (CRN)
285-Kracz (Pennridge) over Graeber (Nesh), John Barlow (CHI) will test Kracz in the semis, as will Elijah Brooks (Glen Mills) test Graeber in his semi, this weight class will leave a good wrestler home from Regionals
Pennridge will win the team title with more champs, bonus points, and wrestlers that wrestle back through the consolations. It will be a tight one with Council Rock South not far behind.
The American Conference qualifiers’ road will be a stiff one as the Ches-Mont League will be solid through out the weight classes with seven wrestlers in each class in the Central District. Nonetheless, American champs Eric Fuentes (106) Norristown, August Gershwin (126) Cheltenham, Colin Devlin (132) Upper Dublin, Gianpiero DiBattista (138) Plymouth-Whitmarsh, Ben Billings (145) P-W, Dom DeLaurentis (160) Upper Moreland, Isaiah Samuels (220) Norristown, and Shaheed Hill (285) Norristown, should all advance to the SE Regional tourney. Others to watch are Matt Amy (106) Upper Moreland and Francesco Palagruto (132) P-W.
I look forward to my friendly competition with my friend and peer, Drew Markol, from the Intelligencer as we have our annual wager over the “picks” for District, Regional, and State champions. I won last year after many years of losing to him. Hopefully, this Spring will get to settle our debt as I owe him many of rounds of golf at Talamore Country Club.
As the days get longer, and the weather warms up…LOL, you know that each day we get closer to the final whistle in Chocolate Town, USA, where SOL wrestlers will put it all on the line to be the best in Pennsylvania at the Hershey Giant Center.
Good luck to all this weekend.
- Log in to post comments
