Class AA wrestling runs through IUP
When it comes to Class AA wrestling, the last stop before the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through some very unfamiliar territory for most of the wrestlers in this year’s field: the Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex at Indiana University of Pa.
Another deviation from the norm will be the size of the Greene County representation at the event.
For years, Jefferson-Morgan and West Greene both brought their fair share of wrestlers to the event. This weekend, just four local AA competitors will make the trip to IUP, none of which wear the blue and gold of West Greene.
It’s hard to believe that in 2013, both the Rockets and Pioneers each sent more representatives than this year’s total collection of athletes. That year, both teams qualified six wrestlers each to wrestle at the Cambria Country War Memorial Arena in Johnstown. In 2014 and 2015, nine individuals (seven from Jefferson-Morgan and two from West Greene both years) made the trip. Last year, that number shrunk further to three for the Rockets and two for the Pioneers.
This year’s quartet is split evenly between J-M and Mapletown, and, with the obvious exception of two-time undefeated state champion Gavin Teasdale, it will be anything but an easy road to Chocolate Town. It’s possible that Teasdale will carry the Greene County banner into Hershey for Class AA. There are certainly worse choices to handle the job.
The Rockets’ Josh Agnew, who placed fifth in the WPIAL at 120 pounds, will get the ball rolling at IUP. If he can get past HOPE for Hyndman’s Brian Dawson, the runner-up from District 5, he will likely face a familiar face in McGuffey sophomore and WPIAL champion Jett Pattison. Pattison pinned Agnew at the recent Section 2-AA tournament.
Other big names to watch out for at 120 include top-seeded and returning state qualifier Keaton Furry, of North Star. The No. 2 seed is a bit of an unknown in District 6 champion Jacob Powers, of Saint Joseph’s Catholic. The tiny private school does not field a full squad, but Powers, a sophomore, made history last year, when he became the program’s first regional qualifier.
There’s really no need to analyze Teasdale’s 126-pound bracket, which, barring an injury or other extreme circumstance, will prove no problem to one of the best in the country. Senior District 5 champion Zach Clark, of Northern Bedford, is 27-1 this year, but even he stands little chance against the Teasdale machine.
No one will face a bigger challenge in his first match of the tournament, in terms of local talent, than Mapletown senior Seth Shubert. Junior Robby Patrick comes into the weekend with a 31-1 overall record and is the champion out of District 6. He is a two-time PIAA Class AA place-winner for Ligonier Valley and is a heavy favorite at 152 pounds.
The No. 2 wrestler in the bracket, Carlynton’s Logan Witwicki, is the newly-crowned WPIAL champion, but he struggled with Shubert at Canon-McMillan this past weekend. Witwicki managed to just edge Shubert, 3-1.
Last, but not least, is Mapletown senior 195-pounder Gavin Uphold, who placed sixth at WPIALs and comes into regionals with a 31-11 record. While there are no superstars at the weight, there are several solid competitors sprinkled throughout the bracket.
Top-seeded junior and District 6 champion Anthony Walters, of Bishop McCort, and District 5 champion Hunter Tremain, a sophomore from North Star, bookend what is a fairly young bracket for such a heavyweight. Only seven of the 16 competitors are seniors.
The two-day event is scheduled to get going at 3 p.m. this Friday. If you can’t make it to IUP, Greenesports.net will be providing live audio coverage on its website.