Lucykanish, Heaney, Erbe seeded second
As the District 11 wrestling tournaments begin, the Road to Hershey starts to take shape.
The path the leads to the Giant Center at the end of the season is often unpredictable and unforgiving.
But the wrestlers are unwavering.
And the legacies created are undeniable.
Those stories will begin to unfold Friday night as action in the Class 2A and 3A brackets gets underway.
“I like where a lot of our guys are seeded,” said Palmerton head coach Justin Petersen. “We’re excited for the challenges and opportunities that are ahead of us. Our guys are peaking at the right time and in great shape. I think they are primed to make a nice postseason run. They know anything can happen, so its important to stay within the moment and focus on one match at a time.”
There are three area wrestlers seeded second in the Class 2A tournament, which gets underway at Freedom High School.
Daniel Luckykanish is the No. 2 seed at 160 pounds for the Blue Bombers.
Also seeded second are Jim Thorpe’s Gabe Heaney (152) and Tamaqua’s Gabe Erbe (113).
Erbe battled through the true-second place match at last year’s district tournament to reach regionals as a freshman.
“Seeding means nothing to me, I was a sixth seed as a sophomore and got tech falled by the 28th seed,” said Blue Raiders’ coach Jim McCabe. “Took the seed lightly and paid dearly. I’ve had numerous wrestlers with ‘low’ seeds that had overcome the ‘better wrestler.’ Be the aggressor and believe in yourself.”
The 152- and 160-pound brackets feature several area wrestlers seeded in the top five.
At 152, Palmerton’s Dennis Lombardi is seeded third, with Lehighton’s Lukas Ferguson and Northwestern’s Dalton Clymer fifth.
Clymer won a district title at 145 pounds as a freshman last season, the only area wrestler to capture gold.
“As a team, we are not bringing a lot of wrestlers, but the individuals we are bringing I expect to wrestle their absolute best tournament of the year,” said Tigers’ head coach Jim Moll. “I expect to see us compete with guys that might be better than us, and I expect us to beat a few guys we lost to earlier this year. If that doesn’t happen, then I did not do a good enough job preparing them.”
In the 160-pound weight class, Jim Thorpe’s Cameron Tinajero is seeded third, while Northwestern’s Mason Brensinger is fourth.
“I’m excited for the postseason. I look forward to it every year,” said Olympians’ head coach Dan Heaney. “We have five or six guys who are capable of placing. I think if we wrestle well we can compete for a top-5 finish as a team and have a few wrestlers move on to the regional tournament.”
Lehighton’s Aidan Gruber is the third seed at 113 pounds.
“We are super excited for the postseason,” said Indians’ head coach Floyd Brown. “It is what we have practiced for all season. I am hoping we can have a number of guys place in the top six, and get a few guys through to the regional tournament. Team-wise, I am hoping we can finish the season strong, and wrestle our best this weekend.”
Jim Thorpe’s Ridge Snyder (126) and Caleb McDermott (189) are both seeded fourth, as are the Tigers’ Lucas Miller (172) and Noah Schlofer (215).
“I’m not overly concerned about seeding,” said Moll. “My focus will be to make sure our guys are prepared to wrestle their best. We have a handful of guys that have a great shot to advance to regionals. If we come out and compete the way we know how, I think we will leave the gym Saturday night pleased.”
Northern Lehigh’s Sam Frame earned the fourth seed at 285 pounds.
The top four wrestlers advance to regionals in Class 2A, which will be 12 wrestlers per weight class.
In Class 3A, five wrestlers advance to regionals. The 3A regional tournament will be 14 wrestlers per weight class.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to compete at the district tournament,” said Bears’ head coach Alex Depew. “As far as seeds are concerned, we preach to our athletes not to worry about any of that. At this level, you need to beat high-level opponents regardless of what your seed is. I think if our leaders and more experienced wrestles open up and believe in their training, they can achieve their goals. We just expect our wrestlers to wrestle all six minutes and focus on scoring points and dictating the pace of the match.”
Pleasant Valley’s James Syracuse, who is 24-2 this season, is seeded fifth at 189 pounds.
“James Syracuse has taken his training to another level,” said Depew. “Our coaching staff works out with James every day, so he is seeing high level technique and different styles regularly. He’s improving every day. He is really starting to understand the sport, and his wrestling IQ has elevated greatly. I feel that James is the dark horse of the tournament, and is a very unfavorable draw for anyone else at 189 pounds.”
Syracuse suffered a 7-0 loss to third-seeded Wayne McIntyre of ES North in the quarterfinals last year.
This will be Depew’s first district tournament as the Bears’ head coach.
James Barruzza earned the seventh seed at 215 pounds for Pleasant Valley, while Aldin Vukel (138) is ninth. Josh Griffith (132 pounds) and Edward Lauritsen (120) are both seeded 10th, while Everett Lata is 12th at 126.
“Everett Lata and Jimmy Barruzza are also in the mix,” said Depew. “Both are hard workers, and if they believe in their coaches and their training, they have the ability to win big matches.
“Josh Griffith has stepped his intensity up in the room, and has really bought into the culture that our staff is implementing. He is an awesome kid to coach. Josh is really coming along, and has the potential to turn some heads if he wrestles the way he is capable.”
The Class 2A regional tournament will be held March 4-5 at Freedom High School, while the 3A event will take place on the same dates at Liberty.
The state tournament will take place March 10-12 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“If I’m not excited, or my wrestlers are not excited about districts, I’d think it would be time to walk away from the sport,” said McCabe. “Competition is key to success; you should love the atmosphere of great wrestling and being part of it.
“Personal growth is what is expected by the wrestlers this weekend, and that alone fulfills the goals of the team.”
********
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
... A schedule for the 2A and 3A district tournaments is listed below. All finals and consolation finals in both classes will take place at Liberty High School.
3A at Liberty High School (six mats);
2A at Freedom High School (four mats)
Friday, Feb. 25
Session I (6 p.m.)
Pigtails
Preliminary Round
Session II
Quarterfinals (8 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb, 26
Session III
First Round Consolations (9 a.m.)
Second Round Consolations (10:30 a.m.)
Semifinals/Third Round Consolations (11:45 a.m.)
Fourth Round Consolations (2 p.m.)
Session IV
Consolation Finals (third, fifth) 5:30 p.m.
Parade of Champions 7 p.m.
Finals 7:15 p.m. (2A/3A finals, two mats, at Liberty)
********
COSTS
... Individual session tickets will cost $7. Tickets for consolation and championship finals will also cost $7. An all-sessions ticket for Friday and Saturday will cost $20.
********
********
COMING UP
... The postseason is ramping up for both boys and girls. Several teams, such as Northwestern, will be looking for success on both fronts. “Our girls, Josie (Wehr) and Katie (Brensinger), are prepping for the girls regional tournament next Sunday at Parkland,” said Moll. “And the girls state tournament the following weekend at Central Daulphin.” Wehr was third at the girls’ tournament at the Coal Cracker earlier this season.