Next stop: Wilson High School

For 12 area wrestlers, the journey to the PIAA tournament now runs through West Lawn, a suburb of Reading, next Friday and Saturday in the Southeast Regional hosted by Wilson High School.

Five wrestlers in each weight class will advance out of the regional and into the state tournament at Hershey's Giant Center on March 6-8.

Wrestling begins at 5 p.m. Friday with the preliminary round bouts followed by the quarterfinals and the preliminary round consolations. According to the schedule, wrestling resumes at 9:30 a.m. Saturday with the semifinals and first round of consolations.

Now for the area qualifiers making the trek to Berks County:

103: Charlie Bise of East Pennsboro and Boiling Springs' Ean Starner could meet for a fourth time this year and third in as many weeks as they'll begin on opposite sides of the bracket. In the most recent encounter, Bise beat Starner, 7-4, for the district title Saturday.

112: Boiling Springs sophomore Joe Spisak will look to build on the momentum that helped him win his second district title rather easily this weekend with a fall, decision and two majors, including one in the district final.

119: East Penn's Garrett Conrad won three straight consolation matches before falling in the third-place bout Saturday.

125: Boiling Springs has another participant here as Tyler Thumma enters as a fifth seed after beating ELCO's Jason Weaver, 6-2, for fifth to snap a two-match losing streak.

140: Dakota Kuhn is simply rolling. The Boiling Springs junior collected the district title with a 15-6 rout of Biglerville senior Shay Shive.

145: Back-to-back district titles have Susquenita junior Joe Harper anxious for the state tournament. Just don't look past this weekend.

152: Maybe the biggest surprise at AA was Derec Sauve's run to the district final. The Susquenita sophomore rolled into the final with a fall, major and 10-5 decision in the semifinal.

160: Another Blackhawk, Kyle Gilbert, had an up-and-down district tournament that was highlighted by an 11-2 major over Jorge Castro of Milton Hershey in the fifth-place bout.

171: East Penn's third regional qualifier is Zack Nye, a freshman who battled through the consolation bracket to claim fifth.

189: Boiling Springs' Travis Empson needs to forget Saturday and focus on the future. Empson came into districts 21-14 but landed in the semifinals before losing 11-3 and 16-0. Empson did squeeze in a 10-3 win during the consolation semifinals to grab back some confidence. East Penn's Max Miller also makes an appearance here but it was he who suffered the loss to Empson on Saturday. Miller is the district's sixth-place finisher.

Regional qualifiers by team:

Boiling Springs 5

East Pennsboro 4
Susquenita 3

Locals bring home eight golds

Wrestling has concluded at the Hersheypark Arena and eight local wrestlers can call themselves District champions:

Class AAA
135 -- Tom Wiechelt (CV)
140 -- Bryce Busler (CV)
152 -- Mallie Shuster (BiS)
160 -- Mike Evans (CV)

Class AA
103 -- Charlie Bise (EP)
112 -- Joe Spisak (BoS)
140 -- Dakota Kuhn (BoS)
145 -- Joe Harper (Sus)

Wiechelt slips by Wilson

Cumberland Valley senior Tom Wiechelt used an escape point and a takdown to beat Carlisle freshman Jayson Wilson, 6-3, in the second overtime to secure the district 135-pound title.

Wilson led, 3-2, late in the bout when the referee hit Wilson with a stalling violation, giving Wiechelt the equalizing point he used to take first place.

Spisak repeats

One year after winning gold as a 103-pound freshman, Boiling Springs sophomore Joe Spisak grabbed the 112-pound version of the medal Saturday night at the Hersheypark Arena.

Spisak spent the majority of his sophomore season at 119, which helped prepare him to come out on top of a loaded bracket.

In the final, Spisak controlled Brandywine Hights sophomore Zane Yocco (41-7) for a 12-3 major decsion.

Bise beats Starner

East Pennsboro freshman Charlie Bise won the Class AA 103-pound title with a 7-4 win over Boiling Springs freshman Ean Starner on Saturday night at the Hersheypark Arena.

Starner had beaten Bise in the wrestlers' previous two encounters this year.

The gold is East Penn's first since 1997.

Estricher finds bronze in OT

Mechanicsburg senior heavyweight Danny Estricher scored a takedown in overtime to beat Chris Butterworth, 3-1, for third place in Class AAA on Saturday evening.

Estricher lost in the semifinals earlier this afternoon before rallying in the consolation semifinals for a 3:46 pin of Brandon Kline to keep his PIAA tournament hopes alive.

Stephenson takes bronze

Northern 140-pounder Eddie Stephenson used a late rally to beat Muhlenberg's Bo Cadelaria, 4-3, and stake his claim to a bronze medal in Class AAA Saturday evening at the Hersheypark Arena .

Stephenson won three matches in a row in the consolation bracket after losing to top-seeded Central Dauphin sophomore Marshall Peppelman, 5-0, Friday evening in the quarterfinals.

Digging for district gold

Two matches highlight the evening session of the District 3 individual wrestling tournament at the Hersheypark Arena (right).

In Class AA a pair of rivals – Boiling Springs’ Ean Starner and East Pennsboro’s Charlie Bise – meet for the third time this year. In the two previous meetings, Starner handled Bise 17-6 in January and took an 8-6 win last weekend for the title at the Section IV tournament.

In Class AAA, Cumberland Valley’s Tom Wiechelt meets Carlisle’s Jayson Wilson in a battle pitting rival schools.

Other local AAA wrestlers still alive for district gold include CV’s Bryce Busler, Joey Napoli and Mike Evans, Big Springs’ Mallie Shuster and Cedar Cliff’s Keith Dickey.Local entrants vying for gold at AA include Boiling Springs’ Joe Spisak and Dakota Kuhn and the Susquenita tandem of Joe Harper and Derec Sauve.

Class AA Team Standings

Heading into the bronze and gold medal matches this evening, here are the top 10 team standings for Class AA:

1. Bermudian Springs 128
2. Brandywine Heights 122.5
3. Boiling Springs 101
4. Schuylkill Valley 100.5
5. Delone Catholic 90
6. Biglerville 66.5
7. ELCO 55.5
8. Littlestown 54.5
9. East Pennsboro 54
10. Lancaster Catholic 50.5

Nye, Miller move on

Zack Nye took a 10-3 win from Blaine Miller at 171 to move into the consolation semifinals while teammate Max Miller pinned Daniel Johnson in 1:38 to move into the 189 consolation semifinals.

Each wrestler assured themselves of a spot in next weekend's Southeast Regional with the wins.

Sauve advances, Gilbert stays alive

Susquenita 152-pounder Derec Sauve (33-2) advanced to the District 3 final thanks to a 10-5 win over Littlestown's Charles Walls.

Sauve meets Schulykill Valley's Kyle Deeds (42-5) tonight.

In the 160-pound consolation bracket, Susquenita senior Kyle Gilbert pinned Boiling Springs' Corey Mattila in 3:55 to set up a bout with James Leedy of Hanover for the right to wrestle for bronze.

Kuhn, Harper into finals

Dakota Kuhn became the third Boiling Springs wrestler to qualify for a District 3 final when he knocked out Brandywine Heights' Nate Gross, 9-3, in the semifinals.

Kuhn (34-4) meets Biglerville senior Shay Shive (36-2).

At 145, Susquenita junior Joe Harper (31-0) moved a step closer to defending his district gold medal with an easy 11-2 major over Phil Calafati of Brandywine Heights.

Harper faces Bermudian junior Devin O'Brien (38-3) tonight.

Starner, Bise, Spisak in finals

HERSHEY -- Ean Starner picked up his third fall Saturday morning in the District 3 Class AA semifinals to advance to the 103-pound title against East Pennsboro's Charlie Bise, who beat Wayne Resh, 6-3. Starner has two previous wins over Bise this year.

At 112 Boiling Springs' Joe Spisak advanced to the final via a 10-2 major over Bermudian Springs' Nick Blasone.

The Bubblers' Tyler Thumma was pinned in 2:31 by Brandywine Heights senior Nick Yocco in the 125 semifinals

Punxy, West A. tabbed

A month after failing to land any teams in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's high school top 30, Pennsylvania had four teams named by the newspaper as best in state.

According to the newspaper the top teams to beat are in Class AAA. Defending state champion Punxsutawney and defending WPIAL champion West Allegheny lead the field. Both teams garnered the same recognition a year ago. The ironic twist to this scenario is that if both win their respective districts, they square off in the PIAA first round. Last June the Chucks took a thrilling 3-2 win in eight innings after the previously unbeaten Indians watched a 2-0 lead evaporate in the top of the seventh. Punxy then stormed to 7-0 and 14-3 wins to reach the state final, where it beat Marple-Newtown, 5-4.

Listed under the 'also' category are a pair of Quad-A schools that also met in the PIAA tournament last June. Eventual state champion Seneca Valley returns almost its entire lineup (see last month's post about top players) and the team the Raiders beat to advance to the title game, State College, is also listed as one of the best. SV downed the Little Lions, 8-3, in the PIAA semifinals.

All four teams were listed by CBN last February.

Local Sectional Alignments

As sectionals draw near, here's a look at where teams in The Sentinel's coverage area will be headed Saturday (local teams are bolded and italicized):
Class AAA
Section I
at Mechanicsburg High School
Big Spring
Carlisle
Chambersburg
Cumberland Valley
Gettysburg
Greencastle-Antrim
Mechanicsburg
Northern
Shippensburg
Waynesboro
West Perry

Section II
at Central Dauphin East High School
Cedar Cliff
Central Dauphin
Central Dauphin East
Elizabethtown
Harrisburg
Hershey
Lower Dauphin
Middletown
Red Land
Susquehanna Twp.

Class AA
Section IV
at Susquenita High School
Boiling Springs
Camp Hill
East Pennsboro
James Buchanan
Susquenita
Halifax
Juniata
Newport
Upper Dauphin

PIAA Team Championships update

If you're like me and can't be at Giant Center today for the second installation of this weekend's PIAA Team Wrestling Championships, you can still follow the action live. The PIAA offers live updates of each dual meet while it's in progress. Simply check the box next to the dual(s) you want to follow and hit the "Watch The Selected Duals" button at the top. And yes, you can follow more than one at a time.

For the record, Cumberland Valley beat Erie Cathedral Prep this morning, 48-9, in the consolation bracket's second round. The Eagles meet the loser between Central Dauphin and Central Mountain at 1 p.m. in the consolation semifinals at Giant Center.

CV collected six bonus-point wins and a forfeit against three losses. CV sophomore Mike Evans lost for the first time this season in a 5-2 decision to Nick Milano at 171.

PIAA Class AA consolation scoreboard

PIAA Class AA first round consolation results
Loser eliminated
Mount Carmel 33, Forest Hills 31
Shady Side Academy 38, Brandywine Heights 20
Berwick 31, Towanda 31 (Berwick wins on Critera B, most matchs won, 8-6)
Northwestern Lehigh 38, Mount Union 32

Friday's Class AAA consolation schedule

The elimination round for Class AAA kicks off in roughly 30 minutes as Cumberland Valley tries to defend its bronze medal. The first step is an encounter with District 1 runner-up Council Rock North, a team that lost to Central Mountain, 37-27, in the second roud.

That bit of information is important because the District 6 Wildcats had a much easier time disposing of Connellsville in the quarterfinals than they did of the Indians this morning.

CV coach Dave Heckard admitted he was worried how his Eagles will matchup with CR North, saying the winner could be the one who earns the most bonus points.

Here's the rest of this evening's consolation schedule. All first round consolations begin at 6 p.m.

Nazareth (11-2, 15-7) vs. Penn Trafford (7-2, 16-4)
Hazleton (2-1, 18-2) vs. Connellsville (7-1, 17-5)
Council Rock North (1-2, 16-6) vs. Cumberland Valley (3-2, 17-6)
Erie Cathedral Prep (10-1, 17-1) vs. St. Marys (9-1, 16-3)

Second round consolations begin Saturday at 9 a.m.

Bullets relegated

Two-time defending PIAA Class AA state champion Reynolds rolled a 42-21 win over District 3 runner-up Brandywine Heights on Friday in the PIAA Class AA Team Championship quarterfinals.

The Bullets (25-2) meet District 7 runner-up Shady Side Academy at 4 p.m. in the consolation first round.

Bermudian in semifinals

Thanks to a 36-27 win over District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh, Bermudian Springs punched its ticket to the PIAA Class AA Team Championship semifinals.

The District 3 champion Eagles (20-0) await the winner of Bedford/Towanda at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Bedford has retaken the lead, 32-22, from the Black Knights. Three bouts remain.

Consolation opponent known

The loser of the PIAA Class AAA Team Championship quarterfinal between Cumberland Valley and Northampton will meet Council Rock North this evening at 6 in an elimination dual.

CR North, the District 1 runner-up, dropped a tough 37-27 decision to District 6 champion Central Mountain in the second round this morning.

The winner of CV vs. Northampton will face the winner of Erie Cathedral Prep/Council Rock South tomorrow in the semifinals at 11 a.m.

CV advanced as far as the quarterfinals last year before losing to Easton. The Eagles eventually claimed third place.

Mixed results in AA

District 3-AA champion Bermudian Springs is having its way with District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh, 27-16, as the PIAA Class A Team Championship quarterfinals draw near conclusion.

District 3 runner-up Brandywine Heights isn't having as much luck with two-time defending state champion Reynolds. The Raiders hold a comanding 33-12 lead over Brandywine.

If the Bullets lose they'll face District 7 runner-up Shady Side Academy at 4 p.m. If Bermudian Springs hangs on they'll face the winner of Bedford vs. Towanda in the semifinals tomorrow at 11 a.m. The District 4 champion Black Knights lead Bedford 22-18.

Class AAA results and schedule

PIAA Class AAA second round results
Erie Cathedral Prep 35, Penn Trafford 29
Cumberland Valley 40, Hazleton 25
Central Mountain 37, Council Rock North 27
Nazareth 43, St. Mary's 9
Quarterfinal schedule
All quarterfinal duals at 2 p.m.
Erie Cathedral Prep (10-1, 17-0) vs. Council Rock South (1-1, 16-4)
Cumberland Valley (3-2, 16-5) vs. Northampton (11-1, 22-0)
Central Mountain (6-1, 19-0) vs. Connellsville (7-1, 17-4)
Nazareth (11-2, 15-6) vs. Central Dauphin (3-1, 17-1)

Cumberland Valley updates

To follow CV's progress against Hazleton check our main page under NEWS NOW.

PIAA Class AA second-round results

Northwestern Lehigh 38, Forest Hills 24
Bedford 34, Shady Side Academy 32
Brandywine Heights 51, Berwick 22
Mount Carmel 39, Mount Union 33

Quarterfinal pairings (noon)
Northwestern Lehigh vs. Bermudian Springs
Bedford vs. Towanda
Brandywine Heights vs. Reynolds
Mount Carmel vs. Burrell

Bullets advance

Brandywine Heights, the District 3-AA runner-up, opened PIAA Team Championships second-round action with an easy 51-22 win over District 2 champion Berwick.

The Bullets (25-1) face District 10 champion Reynolds in the quarterfinals at noon. Reynolds, the two-time defending champion, comes in 16-0.

Class AA heating up

As most Class AA duals move to the lightweights (all meets started at 130) the action is growing intense. On Mat 1 Northwestern Lehigh leads Forest Hills 27-18; Shady Side Academy holds a slim 29-25 edge on Bedford; District 3 runner-up Brandywine Heights continues to control Berwick as the Bullets lead 27-7 on Mat 3, and on the fourth mat Mount Carmel has clawed back and trails District 6 champion Mount Union 30-21.

Heights cruising

Entering the 160-pound bout, Brandywine Heights has a 21-3 edge on Berwick.

Correction

Brandywine Heights leads Berwick 9-0 in the third bout.

Early update

Cumberland Valley begins the PIAA second round on Mat 3 this morning against District 2 champion Hazleton at 10.

Brandywine Heights, the District 3-AA runner-up, is tied, 6-6, with District 2 champion Berwick as they wrestle in the third bout.

The plan for Friday

Pending an available spot to hook my computer up and a useable Internet connection, I'll be posting updates throughout the day as Cumberland Valley competes in the PIAA Team Championship at Giant Center on Friday.

The Eagles open against District 2 champion Hazleton (17-1) at 10 a.m. A win there earns a berth opposite undefeated District 11 champion Northampton (22-0) in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. The Konkrete Kids own a win over CV earlier this year.

If the Eagles fall into the consolation bracket at any time Friday, they'll be cross-bracketed with a team from the opposite end of the bracket at 6 p.m. The loser there will head home.

CV could wrestle as many as three times Friday but a pair of losses will elimiate the Eagles from defending their bronze medal from last winter.

A win over Northampton will put CV into the semifinals Saturday at 11 a.m.

Road cooking

The domination continues.

Tuesday night marked the fourth consecutive year that the District 3 Class AAA runner-up made the trek north to face the District 4 champion. More often than not, the opponent was Shikellamy and the site was the Shikellamy field house.

The trend continued on a rainy night in Sunbury as Cumberland Valley cruised to an easy 55-15 win over Shikellamy. At first glance, that score may drop some jaws. A 40-point win in the state tournament must mean one of two things. Either the winner was upset in the district final and was an exceptional runner-up or the loser simply didn't deserve to be there. But history points to another argument.

District 4 simply isn't on the same level of District 3 yet. Shikellamy is very young, so the Braves have at least two or three more shots at the District 3 runner-up if they capture District 4.

Here's the year-by-year results of the first round duals between these two districts:

2004-05: Central Dauphin 42, Shikellamy 20
2005-06: Dallastown 37, Jersey Shore 18
2006-07: Cumberland Valley 46, Shikellamy 12
2007-08: Cumberland Valley 55, Shikellamy 15

District duals by conferences

As the District 3 Team Wrestling Tournament heads into the semifinals and finals starting Saturday, let's take a look at each conference.

As a whole the Mid-Penn is second in winning percentage with a 7-7 record, good for a .500 percentage. The conference was hurt by Colonial champion Big Spring bowing in the first round and Capital champion Boiling Springs goinlosing to Delone Catholic in the quarterfinals.

The YAIAA leads the way with a .642 percentage (9-5), Berks is third at .444 (4-5) and Lancaster-Lebanon brings up the rear at .300 (3-7).

Breaking it down by classifications, the Mid-Penn leads 3-AAA at .600 (6-4) while the YAIAA heads up 3-AA at .750 (6-2). The Mid-Penn is last in AA at .250 (1-3). Tri-Valley had one entry, Newport, and wasn't taken into consideration. The Buffaloes finished 1-1.

Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley are alive for the Mid-Penn in 3-AAA while the YAIAA has Spring Grove in AAA and Bermudian Springs and Delone Catholic still wrestling in AA.

Berks is left with two AA teams, Brandywine Heights and Schulykill Valley, while undefeated Warwick carries the lone Lancaster-Lebanon banner into the AAA semifinals.

Here's a closer look at the team standings based on winning percentage:
Overall Conference Totals
Conf. W-L Percentage
YAIAA 9-5 .642
Mid-Penn 7-7 .500
Berks 4-5 .444
Lancaster-Lebanon 3-7 .300

Class AAA Conference Totals
Mid-Penn 6-4 .600
YAIAA 3-3 .500
Lancaster-Lebanon 3-4 .428
Berks 0-2 .000

Class AA Conference Totals
YAIAA 6-2 .750
Berks Conference 4-3 .571
Mid-Penn 1-3 .250
Lancaster-Lebanon 0-3 .000