Ten D9 Wrestlers Win First-Round Matches at PIAA Championships

HERSHEY, Pa. (EYT) — Eight District 9 Class 2A and two 3A wrestlers won their first-round matches Thursday at the PIAA Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center.

They are all poised to reach the semifinals if they can win their quarterfinal matches Friday.

(Photo of Brockway’s Anthony Glasl by Robin Brinkley)

Brockway, Ridgway and Curwensville each put two grapplers into the quarterfinals Thursday.

The Rovers have sophomore Anthony Glasl (120) and junior Garrett McClintick (182) in the quarters after both won tight matches.

Glasl took on Wilson’s Marckis Branford and claimed a 4-2 win after scoring a reversal with 12 seconds left in the match.

For McClintick, he beat West Branch’s Kyle Myers, 2-0. The Rover scored with an escape early in the third, then added a point when Myers was called for a technical violation.

Elker wrestlers Lukas McClain and Logen McClain also won close matches to reach the quarterfinals.

Lukas scored a 4-3 win over Notre Dame Green Pond’s Nicholas Vonelli, 4-3, at 138 pounds.

Logen won a thriller at 145 pounds when he took down South Fayette’s Mike Cusick with 28 seconds left in a 4-3 win.

For the Golden Tide, Blake Passarelli (113) and Steve McClure (285) each won their first-round matches.

Passarelli was in control in a 5-1 win over Brandywine Heights’ Dalton Gimbor.

For McClure, he beat Central Cambria’s Nate Martin, 3-2.

For Brookville, 145-pounder Caleb Hetrick beat Saucon Valley’s Thomas Spirk, 3-1.

Colby Whitehill lost his opener, 5-2, to Valley’s David Schuffert at 285 pounds. But he did rebound to beat Saucon Valley’s Nicholas Warnke, 9-0, to stay alive.

Port Allegany’s Jake Kallenborn won his opener, pinning Burrell’s Shaun Gates in 5:58.

Oswayo Valley’s Dylan Pesock opened with an exciting win as he scored a takedown with 17 seconds left in the second tiebreaker for an 8-7 win over Wilson’s Jon Consorti.

Pesock got a takedown with 39 seconds left to force overtime.

For Clarion’s Tom Wurster, he was 1-1 Thursday.

Wurster opened with a 10-1 major decision over Salisbury’s Jonah Nisenbaum before dropping an 11-5 match to Muncy’s Hunter Poust.

Redbank Valley’s Mason Songer also was 1-1. He pinned Northern Lebanon’s Kyler Anspach in 4:53 before dropping a 6-4 decision to Bishop McDevitt’s Nate Smith.

Coudersport’s Elijah Ayers opened with a pin of Panther Valley’s Derrick Byham in 1:38. He then lost 8-1 to Bentworth’s John Vargo. Teammate Julian Smith also was 1-1. After a 4-2 loss, Smith beat Boiling Spring’s Zach Martin.

Kane’s Alec English dropped a 7-3 decision to Burrell’s Corey Christie. He had a bye in the first round of consolations and will wrestle Friday.

Three D-9 wrestlers were 0-2 Thursday and eliminated from the tournament. They included Smethport 106-pounder Bryent Johnson, Bradford 132-pounder Tyler Thompson and Brookville 138-pounder Dontae Constable.

Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. Friday with the quarterfinals. The semifinals will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Class AAA

District 9’s big school wrestlers had a decent beginning to Thursday’s PIAA Class 3A Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center.

For the DuBois Beavers, Kolby Ho rolled over Neshaminy’s Jackson Erb, 14-4, at 145 pounds.

Ho jumped out to a 4-1 lead after one period and made it 11-3 after two.

Ho had six takedowns while not surrendering one.

Ho will face Penn Trafford’s Job Chishko Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals.

At 126 pounds, Ed Scott started strong with a 2-0 lead after one and a 4-0 lead with a second-period takedown midway through the frame against Greater Latrobe’s Gabe Willochell.

But Willochell pulled off a five-point move late in the second to take a 5-4 lead. An escape made it 6-4 in the third and Scott couldn’t get anything else going.

Scott had a bye in the first round of consolations and will be back on the mat Friday afternoon.

At 195 pounds, Clearfield’s Luke McGonigal opened with Chartiers Valley’s Shamil Zaynullaev, and he destroyed his opponent with a technical fall in just 3:37, 16-1.

McGonigal, coming off a 1-0 loss to State College’s Cole Urbas in last week’s Northwest Regional final, came out with a vengeance in the first period and never let up.

McGonigal had a 5-0 lead just one minute in and bumped it to 8-0 after one. His takedown in the second with 23 seconds left gave him the tech fall.

McGonigal will face Boyertown’s Elijah Jones Friday in the quarterfinals.

McGonigal’s teammate, Hunter Wright dropped an 8-4 decision to Dallastown’s Jarrett Feeney at 160 pounds.

Wright led 2-0 before Feeney scored a point on a technical violation, then got two more on a reversal and three back points to end the second with a 6-2 lead.

Wright then bowed from the tourney with a 6-5 loss to Spring Grove’s Anthony Hinson.

At 170, St. Marys’ Zach Becker dropped his first match, 14-0, to Bethel Park’s Jason Montgomery. In the consolations, he lost a 5-4 decision to Council Rock South’s Nik Korbich.

Friday’s quarterfinals begin at 2:15 p.m.