D11Wrestling.com

AA Champion Bracket	AAA Champion Bracket
AA Consolation Bracket	AAA Consolation Bracket

Express-Times Articles Tuesday February,6, 2007 Wednesday, February 7, 2007 Friday, February 9, 2007 Saturday, February 10, 2007 Sunday, February 11, 2007

Morning Call Articles Wednesday February 7, 2007 Friday, February 9, 2007 Saturday, February 10, 2007 Sunday, February 11, 2007

AA - Championship
First Round Tues Feb 6 - 7pm	Second Round Fri Feb 9 - 8am	Quarterfinals Fri Feb 9 - 12pm	Semifinals Sat Feb 10 - 9am	Finals Sat Feb 10 - 1pm	Champion
		D3 #1 - Boiling Springs
		|
D9 #1 - Ridgeway		#5	NW Lehigh 53-15
|	Ridgway 37-21	|	|
D6 #2 - Mt. Union	#1	NW Lehigh 37-21	|
	D11 #1 - NW Lehigh		|
			#15	NW Lehigh 34-22
	D1 #1 - Pottstown		|	|
D7 #2 - Derry Area	#2	Greenville 50-7	|	|
|	Greenville 48-18	|	|	|
D10 #2 - Greenville		#6	Greenville 41-18	|
		|		|
		D4 #1 - Towanda		|
				|
Single Elimination Round				#20	Reynolds 33-20
				|
		D10 #1 - Reynolds		|
		|		|
D12 #1 - North Star|		#7	Reynolds 46-13	|
|	Bermudian Springs 44-18	|	|	|
D1 #2 - Bermuda Springs	#3	Bermudian Springs 34-27	|	|
	D2 #1 - Berwick		|	|
			#16	Reynolds 39-23
	D6 #1 - Westmont Hilltop		|
D4 #2 - Line Mountain	#4	Westmont Hilltop 36-26	|
|	Line Mtn 33 - 27	|	|
D11 #2 - Bethlehem Catholic|		#8	Burrell 32-20
		|
		D7 #1 - Burrell

AA - Consolations
Consie 1st Round Fri Feb 9 - 4pm	Consie 2nd Round Fri Feb 9 - 8pm	Consie Quarters Sat Feb 10 - 11am	Consie Semis Sat Feb 10 - 1pm	3rd Place
		Greenville
Ridgway		|
#9	Ridgway 35-18	#17	Ridgway 35-33
Westmont Hilltop	|	|	|
	#13	Ridgway 31-18	|
Pottstown	|		|
#10	Bermudian Springs 59-15		|
Bermudian Springs			|
			#19	Ridgway 36-20
Berwick			|
#11	Towanda 33-31		|
Towanda	|		|
	#14	Boiling Springs 35-34	|
Line Mountain	|	|	|
#12	Boiling Springs 30-29	#18	Burrell 35 - 25
Boiling Springs		|
		Burrell

Consolation round matches shall consist of three periods. The first period shall be one minute in length, and the second and third periods shall be two minutes in length.

AAA - Championship
First Round Tues Feb 6 - 7pm	Second Round Fri Feb 9 - 10am	Quarterfinals Fri Feb 9 - 2pm	Semifinals Sat Feb 10 - 9am	Finals Sat Feb 10 - 1pm	Champion
		D1 #1 - Upper Perkiomen
		|
D8 #1 - Brashear		#25	Upper Perkiomen 39-21
|	Penn Trafford 69-3	|	|
D7 #2 - Penn Trafford	#21	Penn Trafford 69-3	|
	D10 #1 - Erie McDowell		|
			#35	Easton 35 - 24
	D2 #1 - Hazleton		|	|
D4 #1 - Shikellamy	#22	Cumberland Valley 40-17	|	|
|	Cumberland Valley 46-12	|	|	|
D3 #2 - Cumberland Valley		#26	Easton 37 - 21	|
		|		|
		D11 #1 - Easton		|
				|
Single Elimination Round				#40	Nazareth 40 - 21
				|
		D7 #1 - Hempfield		|
		|		|
D12 #1 - Frankford		#27	Hempfield 36-26	|
|	Council Rock South 80-0	|	|	|
D1 #2 - Council Rock So.	#23	Council Rock South 35-22	|	|
	D6 #1 - Bellefonte		|	|
			#36	Nazareth 29 - 21
	D9 #1 - DuBois		|
D11 #2 - Nazareth	#24	Nazareth 52 -14	|
|	Nazareth 55 -10	|	|
D1 #3 - Pennsbury		#28	Nazareth 41 - 13
		|
		D3 #1 - Lower Dauphin

AAA - Consolations
Consie 1st Round Fri Feb 9 - 6pm	Consie 2nd Round Fri Feb 9 - 8pm	Consie Quarters Sat Feb 10 - 11am	Consie Semis Sat Feb 10 - 1pm	3rd Place
		Upper Perkiomen
Erie McDowell		|
#29	Lower Dauphin 50-12	#37	Upper Perkiomen 30-24
Lower Dauphin	|	|	|
	#33	Council Rock South 29-28	|
Hazleton	|		|
#30	Council Rock South 48-12		|
Council Rock South			|
			#39	Cumberland Valley 34-32
Bellefonte			|
#31	Cumberland Valley 36-18		|
Cumberland Valley	|		|
	#34	Cumberland Valley 36-22	|
DuBois	|	|	|
#32	Penn Trafford 33-30	#38	Cumberland Valley 28-26
Penn Trafford		|
		Hempfield

Consolation round matches shall consist of three periods. The first period shall be one minute in length, and the second and third periods shall be two minutes in length.

Second Round for local teams

PIAA State Duals AAA - Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7pm Freedom HS, Bethlehem Nazareth 55 - Pennsbury 10 130 - Colin Fischl (N) WBF Mark Nicholson, 3:56 135 - Bobby Ward (N) WBF Tyler Stanhope, 0:37 140 - Mike Greck (N) Maj DEC Ed Shupe, 13-5 145 - Andrew Ritchie (N) Tech Fall Chris Maples, 15-0; 4:00 152 - Adam Counterman (N) DEC Matt Cutchineal, 3-2 160 - Tim Darling (N) WBF Rob Watson, 5:38 171 - Thad Frick (N) Maj DEC Brian Watson, 16-4 189 - Eric Sergent (N) DEC Matt Johnson, 8-3 215 - Bill Farrell (P) Maj DEC Dave Crowell, 10-2 285 - Jim Mutch (N) DEC Joe Erb, 3-1 103 - Greg Flamisch (N) WBF Pat Hyland, 5:48 112 - Eric Hurd (N) WBF Steven Healy, 3:29 119 - Dave Dotter (N) DEC Matt Funk, 3-2 125 - Josh Dziewa (P) WBF Jerel Elliott, 1:07

PIAA State Duals AA - Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7pm Shikellamy HS, in Sunbury. Line Mountain 33 - Bethlehem Catholic 27 135 -- Brandon Harris, LM, d. Aaron Ross 7-2. 140 -- Ryan Cressman, BC, p. Mark Bobb 1:03. 145 -- Kyle John, BC, d. Calvin Myers 14-7. 152 -- Nick Lansberry, LM, tf. Anthony Laverghetta 16-1, 3:08. 160 -- Jon Fausey, LM, d. Matt Derwinski 5-2. 171 -- Shaun Fausey, LM, p. Kyle O'Donnell 1:50. 189 -- Mason Hoover, LM, d. Anthony Carney 10-5. 215 -- Ziad Haddad, BC, d. Ed Klock 4-1. 285 -- Dave Deming, BC, md. Zachary Ossman 9-1. 103 -- Bryan Smith, BC, forfeit. 112 -- Alex Mellin, BC, p. Robert Long 1:41. 119 -- Chad Thorpe, LM, d. Evan Kolb 5-4. 125 -- Tyler Erdman, LM, tf. Andrew Duckworth 16-0, 4:48. 130 -- Jesse Erdman, LM, tf. Brandon Johnson 17-2, 5:53. Note: Bethlehem Catholic had one team point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Nazareth plots new course to title PIAA TEAM WRESTLING. Blue Eagles vow district title defeat won't derail their state destination. Tuesday, February 06, 2007 By MIKE WEILAMANN The Express-Times The Nazareth Blue Eagles saw their season take a slight detour on Saturday. However coach Dave Crowell's team has been here before and is confident they can still reach their destination on the Road to Hershey. Nazareth begins another title quest 7 p.m. tonight when it hosts Pennsbury in a PIAA Class AAA first-round match at Freedom High School. The winner advances to meet District 9 champion DuBois in Friday's second round at the Giant Center. "You have to look at it like we have another chance," said Crowell, whose team's repeat bid was spoiled with a 29-26 loss to Easton in Saturday's District 11 final at Freedom. "I personally believe these things happen for a reason." In Class AA, Bethlehem Catholic meets Line Mountain in a first-round clash at Shikellamy. Coach Brian Nesfeder's Golden Hawks (15-3) are making their first state appearance. Becahi lost 36-26 to Northwestern in Saturday's District 11 final. Nazareth (17-2) will follow the same path it did two years ago after losing to Easton in the district final -- wrestling two matches before the quarterfinals. Easton (16-2), which has lost two of the last three finals, is already in the quarters. The Red Rovers will meet whichever team emerges between Shikellamy, Cumberland Valley and Hazleton. The Blue Eagles finished third in the state tournament last year -- losing 27-26 to Upper Perkiomen in the final seconds of the final bout in the semifinals. Nazareth also lost 35-19 to eventual champion Connellsville in the 2005 semifinals. The Red Rovers, who won four straight titles from 2001-04, could be headed for another showdown with Upper Perk, provided both reach the semifinals. Easton, which lost to Upper Perk 46-19 in last year's final, beat the Indians 32-28 on Jan. 13. Nazareth must first get by a good Pennsbury team tonight. The Falcons (32-2), who finished third in District 1, are making their first PIAA appearance since 2003. "They've got some pretty good guys," Crowell said of Pennsbury. "You hope by this time of year that the tests you need get you tough for this time of year." The only common opponent between these two is Council Rock South. Nazareth pounded CR South 41-18 on Dec. 9. Pennsbury has lost twice to the Golden Hawks -- 39-27 and most recently 34-29 in the District 1 semifinals. Nazareth is still smarting from Saturday's loss to Easton. The Eagles beat the Rovers 30-28 on Jan 24. One-point losses at 130 and 285 hurt the Eagles in the rematch. Easton's Ju-Ju Drummond beat Bobby Ward 3-2 with a takedown in the final seconds at 130, while Chris Wilson beat Nazareth's Jim Mutch 2-1 on a locked hands penalty. Mutch beat Wilson 4-1 to seal Nazareth's win in the first go-round. "I don't think we wrestled poorly -- for the most part," Crowell said. "We wrestled an extremely good team. We didn't wrestle quite well enough to win. A lot of the match was predictable except for those two matches. We lost both of them." Maybe this is the year for the first All-District 11 state final. "We want to win the state title," said Nazareth 135-pounder Mike Greck. "We've worked all season to get there." Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com. Nazareth dominates Pennsbury The Blue Eagles open the Class 3A Team Wrestling Championships with a resounding victory. By Beth Hudson Of The Morning Call Nazareth junior Eric Sergent said being in the same practice room with seniors Tim Darling, Thad Frick and David Crowell — one state champion and two state silver medalists, respectively — has had a profound effect on him. ''I work a lot harder,'' Sergent said. ''Being with Tim, Dave and Thad, you can't really slack, or you'll get beaten pretty badly. My entire game has gotten better.'' In fact, Nazareth's entire game looked pretty strong on Tuesday night. Sergent won 8-3 over Pennsbury's Matt Johnson at 189 pounds and helped the Blue Eagles soundly defeat the Falcons, 55-10, in the opening round of the PIAA Class 3A Team Wrestling Championships at Freedom High School. ''It gets us ready for the weekend — kind of loosens us up,'' Sergent said. ''It was nice to bounce back from a loss.'' Nazareth, the District 11 runner-up, will face District 9 champion DuBois at 10 a.m. Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey. District 11 champion Easton and District One champion Upper Perkiomen earned byes into the Friday afternoon quarterfinals. Nazareth coach Dave Crowell wasn't sure yet if his team was over its three-point loss to Easton in the district final, but his wrestlers had few problems dispatching the third-place team from District One. Nazareth won 12 of 14 bouts, including pins from Colin Fischl (130), Bobby Ward (135), Darling (160), Greg Flamisch (103) and Eric Hurd (112). Mike Greck (140), Andrew Ritchie (145) and Frick (171) also turned in bonus-point victories. ''They did OK,'' Crowell said. ''Pennsbury has some decent kids there. You don't win 30 matches by luck.'' Even so, the Blue Eagles had this one under control from the opening bout — Fischl's second-period fall over Mark Nicholson at 130. How dominant were they? Nazareth had a 34-0 lead before Pennsbury scored its first points for anything more than an escape. Johnson reversed Nazareth's Sergent in the first period at 189 (the eighth bout of the night) before eventually losing the decision. Pennsbury didn't score its first takedown until the ninth bout, when Bill Farrell won a major decision over Nazareth's David Crowell. Crowell, ranked fourth in the state at 189 by Off The Mat, moved up a weight class to face the fifth-ranked wrestler at 215. ''Adam Counterman could not wrestle 145,'' coach Crowell said, referring to the fact that Counterman had wrestled at 152 over the weekend. ''With the weight loss plan … the lowest he could weigh [Tuesday] was 1471/2. He couldn't weigh in at 145.'' This caused a ripple effect, with Nazareth wrestlers moving up throughout the lineup. Even so, they won easily and had only a few close victories. Counterman (152) scored a takedown with 40 seconds left in the third period to defeat Matt Cutchineal, 3-2. Sergent used two takedowns and two reversals to defeat Johnson. Jim Mutch (285) had the lone takedown in his 3-1 decision over Pennsbury's Joe Erb. And Dave Dotter used a two-point near fall in the third to beat Matt Funk, 3-2, at 119. ''You work on doing the things that you do, you try to get into a rhythm of wrestling your best,'' Crowell said. ''Hopefully, you try to cut down on your mistakes.'' The goal, of course, is to get another shot at a state title. Nazareth finished third at the state duals in 2006 and then won the team trophy at individual states in March. If the Blue Eagles beat DuBois, they'll face District 3 champion Lower Dauphin in the quarterfinals. District 7 champ Hempfield is also in the lower half of the state bracket. Upper Perk and Easton are in the upper half. beth.hudson@mcall.com 610-820-6501 Blue Eagles back on track NAZARETH 55, PENNSBURY 10. District 1 school provides few problems for District 11 power. Wednesday, February 07, 2007 By NICK FIERRO The Express-Times BETHLEHEM TWP. | If any athletes on the Nazareth High School wrestling team were still troubled by Saturday night's loss to Easton in the finals of the District 11 Duals, it sure was hard to tell Tuesday night. Forced by that setback into a first-round match against Pennsbury from District 1, the Blue Eagles responded with some of their most inspired wrestling of the season, winning all but two bouts in a 55-10 romp at Freedom. Pennsbury, which came in with 32 dual-meet victories, finished with just four takedowns and didn't get its first one until the ninth bout. By then, the match was out of reach. "They were trying to win every one," veteran Pennsbury coach Joe Kiefer said, "and they almost did it." Not helping Pennsbury's cause was the rejection at weigh-ins of sophomore Jason Ongradi at 112 pounds due to a skin rash. Winless freshman Steve Healy was plugged in to take his place and lasted just 3 minutes, 29 seconds against Eric Hurd, who scored one of Nazareth's five pins. Smelling blood from the opening bout, Blue Eagles coach Dave Crowell began bumping his guys up a weight class to get better matchups and try for the shutout. Colin Fischl went first at 130 instead of his usual 125 and pinned Mark Nicholson in the second period. Bobby Ward bumped to 135 and pinned Tyler Stanhope in just 37 seconds. Mike Greck bumped to 140, where he came through with a takedown at the buzzer to get a 13-5 major decision over Ed Shupe, who would have wrestled at 135 but came in overweight. Everyone else through 215 also wrestled up a weight, with only the coach's son, David Crowell, paying the price against undefeated senior Bill Farrell at 215. Farrell, who won with surprising ease, was able to get an 11-2 major decision with the help of Crowell backing away following a neutral restart with 7 seconds remaining and getting hit with his fourth stall warning, worth two points. "He wasn't feeling too good tonight," the coach said. On the other hand, junior Eric Sergent was feeling great, albeit exhausted, after going a tough six minutes in an 8-3 win over bigger, stronger Matt Johnson at 215. "He's definitely one of the strongest kids I wrestled this year," said Sergent, who claims the loss to Easton helped raise the team's level on this night. "All it did was motivate us to work harder in the room," he said. "We came out Monday and ran harder and we were ready to go but we always try to wrestle better than the last time." Another reason for the weight bumps was the new weight-loss rule that prohibited Adam Counterman, who weighed in at 148.5 but was allowed to compete at 145 with the allowance on Saturday, was not allowed to weigh in at 145 for this match. No problem. He went out at 152 and outlasted Matt Cutchineal, 3-2, in a one-takedown match. Also getting falls for the Blue Eagles were Tim Darling at 160 and Greg Flamisch at 103. Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at nfierro@express-times.com. Easton, Nazareth among favorites to win 3A title By Beth Hudson Of The Morning Call February 9, 2007 Losing to one of your fiercest rivals is frustrating, but the wrestlers from Easton and Nazareth don't dwell on those losses for long. They can't afford to. ''It's not too bad,'' Nazareth junior Eric Sergent said. ''We go back and forth a lot with them. Losing to them just makes us want to work harder.'' That's what the Blue Eagles decided after falling to the Red Rovers by three points last Saturday in the District 11 Class 3A dual-meet final. And it's what Easton said after losing to Nazareth by two points during the regular season. Maybe they'll break the tie this weekend. The third edition of the 2007 Easton-Nazareth rivalry could play out on Saturday at the PIAA Team Championships in Hershey. Even so, there are at least four or five other talented teams that have a shot at derailing the District 11 squads along the way. Easton and Nazareth — along with 2006 state champion Upper Perkiomen, District 7 champ Hempfield and District 3 champ Lower Dauphin — are the favorites among the 12 teams heading into today's action at the Giant Center. Hempfield is No. 1 in the Off The Mat rankings, followed by No. 2 Easton, No. 3 Nazareth, No. 4 Upper Perk and No. 5 Lower Dauphin. Upper Perk, Easton, Hempfield and Lower Dauphin have one clear advantage: By winning their districts, they earned byes into today's quarterfinals and will not wrestle until 2 p.m. Nazareth, on the other hand, will take a longer road if it's to reach the state final. After easily beating Pennsbury in Tuesday night's opening round, the Blue Eagles will meet District 9 champion DuBois at 10 a.m. Here's a look at the top contenders: Easton understands better than anyone what it takes to win the dual-meet title. The Red Rovers won it four consecutive years from 2001-04 and then finished second the past two seasons. Easton enjoys a distinct advantage at the lower weights with seniors Desmond Moore (103) and JuJu Drummond (130), juniors Kegan Handlovic (112) and 2006 state champ Jordan Oliver (119) and freshman Mark Hartenstine (125). The Rovers, who earned a four-point victory over Upper Perk earlier this season, will wrestle the winner of the Hazleton-Cumberland Valley match in the quarterfinals. Upper Perk, meanwhile, could have another shot at Easton in the semifinals — if the Indians defeat the winner of the Penn Trafford-McDowell match, that is. Like the Red Rovers, the Indians have experience on their side. Seniors Zack Kemmerer (140) and Chris Sheetz (119) have won individual state titles, and Upper Perk defeated Easton in the state dual-meet final last year. Sophomore Ryan Kemmerer is one of the top-ranked 135-pounders in the state, and Bruce Augustine (25-6), Brian Keyser (31-10), Shane Smith (34-7) and Anthony Uhrik (25-10) have been strong contributors as well. Upper Perk is the first team to win four straight District One titles. Then there's Nazareth, paced by two-time state champion Tim Darling and state runners-up Thad Frick and David Crowell. If the Blue Eagles beat both DuBois and Lower Dauphin, they're likely to meet Hempfield in the semifinals. Nazareth is formidable in the middle with Mike Greck (second in the state at 135), Andrew Ritchie (fourth at 140), Darling (first at 152) and Frick (second at 160). Crowell is ranked fourth in the state at 189. Nazareth finished third at last year's duals after a 27-26 loss to Upper Perk in the semifinals. Lower Dauphin won its first District 3 title since 1995 and also ended Cumberland Valley's four-year reign as the district champ. Top wrestlers include Jonathan Crawford at 125 and Jarred Kane at 140. Hempfield, meanwhile, became an improved team through unusual circumstances. Several of its top wrestlers competed for Greensburg Central Catholic last year. Transfers are hardly unheard of in Pennsylvania, but this wasn't a typical transfer situation. In this case, the PIAA permitted wrestlers from Greensburg Central Catholic to join Hempfield's squad after the Catholic school dropped its wrestling program. Returning state runner-up Nico Cortese (119), Travis Uncapher (160), T.J. Valore (215) and Steve Santia (285) are ranked among the top six in Pennsylvania at their respective weights. The Spartans should get a serious challenge if they face Council Rock South in the quarterfinals. But if the state rankings hold, Easton would take on Upper Perk in one semifinal, while Hempfield would wrestle Nazareth in the other. Semifinals will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by the championship and third-place match at 1 p.m. beth.hudson@mcall.com 610-820-6501 Tigers carry banner for area teams in 2A By Gary R. Blockus Of The Morning Call February 9, 2007 This time, the Tigers prowl alone. Northwestern will continue its quest for its first-ever PIAA Team Wrestling Championship today at the Giant Center in Hershey. The Tigers will meet District 9 champion Ridgway in an 8 a.m. match. Should they win, the Tigers (20-0) will advance to the noon quarterfinals against District 3 champion Boiling Springs. The District 11- and Colonial League-champion Tigers are looking to make some noise at the tournament this year. Last season, Northwestern finished fourth in the state after a quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Reynolds, which is the District 10 champion again. Northwestern is in the top half of the bracket, Reynolds in the lower half, so that means that as long as the teams win, they will not meet until the champion final at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Last year, Northern Lehigh lost to Reynolds in the finals. The Bulldogs were the District 11 champions and Northwestern was the district runner-up. Bethlehem Catholic (17-4) knocked off the Bulldogs in the district semifinals last week, then lost to Northwestern for the district title. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they suffered a loss to Line Mountain in the opening round of the PIAA tournament at Shikellamy on Tuesday and did not advance to today's action. That means that Northwestern is the lone Class 2A team representing the area at the PIAA Championships. Last year, Northwestern beat Greenville and North Star in Friday's consolation rounds, then defeated Boiling Springs 38-20 in the consolation semifinals. Northwestern coach Mike Williams knows his team cannot afford to look past anyone in Hershey. Ridgway, which is coached by Gary Gerber, has several wrestlers ranked highly in the state according to Off The Mat Rankings, including senior Brock Leitzel (No. 9 at 130), senior Colby Pisani (No. 2 at 135), senior Nikko Leitzel (No. 1 at 145) and junior Jericho Weitzel (No. 2 at 189). Ridgway is ranked No. 5 in the state according to Off The Mat. Should Northwestern, which is ranked No. 2 in the state, get past Ridgway, the task looks a bit easier on paper against seventh-ranked Boiling Springs. Despite the lopsided victory last season, coach Rod Wright's Bubblers have improved greatly this season. Boiling Springs' state-ranked wrestlers include freshman Joe Spisak (No. 9 at 103), senior Josh Cook (No. 20 at 171) and senior heavyweight Gabe Nurtorff (No. 7). The Tigers, who trail only Reynolds in the state rankings, also have several wrestlers ranked highly in the state: sophomore Evan Yenolevich (No. 10 at 112), junior Victor Konno (No. 13 at 125), senior Scott Clymer (No. 1 at 135), senior Ben Marich (No. 10 at 145), senior Brandon Williams (No. 8 at 160), junior Ben Clymer (No. 7 at 171), senior Garrett Sukanick (No. 14 at 189) and senior Tony Culp (No. 12 at 285). The 8 a.m. matchup against Ridgway could feature a preview of the state finals in March at 135. Northwestern's Scott Clymer, a returning state champion, is ranked No. 1 and will take on second-ranked Colby Pisani if neither coach juggles his lineup. Northwestern wrestlers: Fr. Eddie Faust (9-6), Fr. Dylan Long (8-2), So. Evan Yenolevich (32-3), So. Eddie Keichel (13-6), Sr. Scott Eby (1-2), Jr. Victor Konno (19-10), Jr. Adam Bandel (26-9), Sr. Scott Clymer (31-3), Kyle Hill (1-0), Sr. Brad Snyder (1-0), So. Ricky Williams (22-11), Sr. Ben Marich (31-6), Jr. Noah Billig (0-7), Jr. Dalton Shorts (15-11), Sr. Brandon Williams (19-7), Jr. Ben Clymer (31-6), Sr. Garrett Sukanick (22-5), Sr. Madison Kubat (4-4), Sr. Brian Barr (0-1), So. Tyler Sell (19-8), Sr. Tony Culp (29-7). gary.blockus@mcall.com 610-820-6782 Easton's Dailey: It's our time PIAA WRESTLING. Path to state final for Easton and Nazareth loaded with stiff competition. Friday, February 09, 2007 By BRIAN FORTNER The Express-Times Colin Dailey remembers watching from the stands as Easton Area High School's wrestling team made winning state dual-meet titles an annual event. Dailey was an eighth grader when the Red Rovers completed their run of four straight team championships in 2004. "I still remember watching those great teams and thinking that someday I could be out there," Dailey said. "I definitely wanted to be part of it." Dailey will get his chance starting today when the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships get under way at the Giant Center in Hershey. The Red Rovers (16-2) get a bye into the quarterfinals, where they'll face the winner of the Hazleton-Cumberland Valley second-round match at 2 p.m. Dailey, now Easton's starting 145-pounder, realizes winning it all isn't as easy as it looked way back then. "The goal every season is to win it," Dailey said. "We haven't done it since I got to high school. I think it's our time." "Colin has been here before," Easton coach Steve Powell said. "He's been a leader for us all year. He works hard and knows what it takes to win this tournament." Easton, which was elevated to the No. 1 spot in The Express-Times rankings this week after claiming the District 11 duals championship with a 29-26 win over Nazareth last Saturday, has reached the state finals six straight seasons. The last two ended in defeat, including last year's 46-19 loss to Upper Perkiomen -- a possible semifinal opponent on Saturday morning should both teams advance. Dailey (30-5) was in the lineup for both of the Red Rover losses. He lost by a 17-5 major decision to former PIAA state champion Ashtin Primus when Easton was stunned by Connellsville (34-25) in 2005. And last season he dropped a 9-2 decision to Upper Perk's Sam Martin. Cory Rutt was also part of those teams. "We got to the finals last year and lost. That makes us hungry to get back," Rutt said. "We had a young team and Upper Perk was so loaded. This year is a different mindset." The Rovers know all too well, however, that they can't get caught looking ahead to the semifinals. "We have to get by some very tough competition before we think about Upper Perk," Powell said. "Cumberland Valley beat Northampton (39-21) earlier this year and we saw them at the Manheim Tournament. We know they're tough. And the other side of the bracket is loaded. There are a lot of obstacles out there." Nazareth, which finished third a year ago after dropping a 27-26 semifinal heartbreaker to Upper Perk, squares off against District 9 champ DuBois in the second round at 10 this morning. The Blue Eagles (18-2), ranked No. 2 in region, punched their ticket to Hershey with a 55-10 win over Pennsbury at Freedom High School on Tuesday. A Nazareth win would set up a quarterfinal-round match with Lower Dauphin (14-0), which defeated Cumberland Valley 34-21 in the District 3 final. The winner of that match will advance to face Hempfield, the top-ranked Class AAA team in Pennsylvania in the quarters. Hempfield (17-0), the WPIAL AAA champion, benefited when neighboring Greensburg Central Catholic dropped its wrestling program after last season, prompting a slew of transfer activity prior to last fall. The Spartans, who are making their first trip to Hershey, absorbed five starters from Greensburg C.C., including PIAA qualifiers Nico Cortese (119), Rudy Chelednick (130), Travis Uncapher (160) and T.J. Valore (215). Cortese was beaten by Easton's Jordan Oliver in last season's 103-pound state final in March. "They have five quality kids that came over," Powell said. "We don't know a whole lot about them except that they've beaten everyone they've wrestled by 15 or 20 points." Easton senior Ju-Ju Drummond has his own opinion about how things will shake out this weekend. "I don't see anyone beating Nazareth until the finals," said Drummond, whose 3-2 decision over Nazareth's Bobby Ward at 130 pounds led the Rovers over the Blue Eagles last weekend. "And that would be us." Brian Fortner can be reached by e-mail at sports@express-times.com Northwestern totes banner for Colonial Saturday, February 10, 2007 By NICK FIERRO and BRIAN FORTNER The Express-Times HERSHEY, Pa. | The Northwestern Tigers are two matches away from becoming the third Colonial League team to win a Class AA state dual-meet championship. Coach Mike Williams' squad improved to 22-0 Friday with a pair of impressive victories. After knocking off District 9 champion Ridgway 37-24 in the second round, Northwestern won 11 of 14 bouts in a 53-15 blowout of previously undefeated District 3 champion Boiling Springs. Senior state champ Scott Clymer kicked off the Tigers' win over Ridgway with a second-period fall over Jake Bogacki before capping the win over Boiling Springs by pinning Corey Mattila in 4:43. Evan Yenolevich (112), Eddie Keichel (119), Victor Konno (125), Ben Marich (145-152), Brandon Williams (160-171), Ben Clymer (171-189) and Garrett Sukanick (1189-215) also went 2-0 for the Tigers. Next up for the Tigers is District 2 runner-up Greenville in today's 9 a.m. semifinals. Perennial title contender Reynolds (17-0) faces District 7 champion Burrell in the other semifinal matchup. A Tigers win would assure District 11 a Class AA finalist for the third straight season. Northern Lehigh won the 2005 title by beating Reynolds 35-22 in the finals. Last season, the Bulldogs were beaten 38-19 by the Raiders in the rematch. Wilson won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 under Dave Crowell, who now coaches Nazareth and has the Blue Eagles two wins away from the first state dual-meet title in school history. Upper Perkiomen is battling a little adversity that could be a factor in this morning's Class AAA semifinal matchup against Easton. During weigh-ins on Friday, freshman 189-pounder Nick Hale was not cleared to compete due to a skin condition. At first inspection, officials made the same ruling for heavyweight Bruce Augustine. But a doctor overruled the decision on Augustine after examining him later. Augustine competed in his team's 39-20 quarterfinal win over Penn-Trafford, winning a 7-2 decision over Drew Theys. The Indians also were without 20-match winner David Irwin at 112. Irwin was declared ineligible by the school to compete on Friday. However, sources say it's possible Irwin might be eligible to wrestle today. Hear all about it WGPA (1100 AM) radio host Jack Logic will do his weekly show from the Giant Center this morning, providing live updates throughout. He'll be on from 9 to 11. ... On the Internet, get the match breakdowns on www.d11wrestling.com. Nick Fierro and Brian Fortner can be reached by e-mail at sports@express-times.com. Ju-Ju juices up Rovers Easton 37, Cumberland Valley 21. Ju-Ju Drummond leads the Red Rovers to a matchup with Upper Perk. Saturday, February 10, 2007 By BRIAN FORTNER The Express-Times HERSHEY, Pa. | The Easton Red Rovers should know what it takes to win a championship in state dual meet wrestling. If they've forgotten, all they have to do is follow the lead of Ju-Ju Drummond. Easton's senior 130-pounder was the picture of precision Friday afternoon, pinning Cumberland Valley's state place-winner Bryce Busler. Drummond's performance led the Red Rovers to a 37-21 victory over the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA Team Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center. Easton (17-2), which has reached the championship match six consecutive years, advanced to this morning's semifinal round and will meet defending champion Upper Perkiomen at 9. The winner moves on to face either Nazareth or Hempfield at 1 p.m. Those two square off in the morning's other semifinal. Nazareth (20-2) was impressive in winning a pair of Friday matches. The Blue Eagles defeated DuBois 52-14 and Lower Dauphin 41-13. Hempfield (18-0), the WPIAL champion, beat Council Rock South 36-26 in a quarterfinal. Upper Perkiomen (20-4), which defeated Easton 46-19 in last season's title match, reached the semifinals with a 39-20 win over Penn Trafford. Easton and Upper Perk met Jan. 13 for a regular-season dual, which the Red Rovers won 32-28 at 25th Street Gym. Drummond (30-6) clinched Friday's victory by pinning Busler with a perfectly-executed tight-waist tilt in 5:49. Both wrestlers placed sixth -- Busler at 112 and Drummond at 125 -- in last year's state tournament in March. "I guess they thought they had a better chance with (Busler) on me," Drummond said. "I really didn't know who I'd be wrestling until I saw who Jordan (Oliver) had. They matched up pretty well against us, but we were able to pick up bonus points that helped." Easton, ranked No. 1 in The Express-Times region, won nine bouts in dominating a solid Cumberland Valley squad that defeated Northampton 39-21 earlier in the season. "They were trying to get their state place-winner away from Jordan," Easton coach Steve Powell said. "But then you have to beat Ju-Ju. I like to think our schedule prepares us for this weekend. We've improved steadily over the course of the season." The Eagles (18-4) took an early 15-6 lead before Powell opted to forfeit at 189 and bump junior Cory Rutt up to 215. Rutt sparked a run of four straight Easton wins with a 3-0 decision over Jake Martin. "We were looking at winning two of three from 189 to 285," Powell said. "It turned out to be a 6-6 split there. We had seven bouts left at that point and we were favored in five." Chris Wilson followed Rutt with a 6-4 win over Travis Friend at heavyweight before back-to-back technical falls by Desmond Moore (103) and Kegan Handlovic (112) gave the Rovers a 22-15 lead. Moore had 13 takedowns to pound Ian Ritchie 26-11 in 5:07. Handlovic used a similar strategy, racking up nine takedowns to go with a reversal and three-point nearfall in a 24-8 rout of Gavin Reilly. "I was trying to take (Ritchie) down to his back for a while, but then I just concentrated on the tech," Moore said. "I didn't want to waste time and maybe lose a bonus point trying for a pin." Easton's Colin Dailey opened the match with a 3-0 win over Tristan Warner at 145. Cumberland Valley, the District 3 runner-up, took the lead briefly when freshman Mike Evans pinned Jeremy Snyder in 1:14 at 152, but it was all Easton from there. Jules Knighton (160) and Tevin Gibson (135) also won for the Red Rovers. "We're right where we want to be," Moore said. "I think we're a better team now than when we wrestled (Upper Perk) the last time. We just have to keep doing what do every match." Brian Fortner can be reached by e-mail at sports@express-times.com. Eagles' big day: Easton looming Nazareth 41, Lower Dauphin 13. But first, the Blue Eagles must beat Hempfield Area. Saturday, February 10, 2007 By NICK FIERRO The Express-Times HERSHEY, Pa. | Maybe the Blue Eagles of Nazareth Area High School have discovered the difference between looking ahead and looking forward. Maybe they were just due to wrestle one of their best matches. Whatever the case, they went above and beyond all expectations Friday when they steamrolled previously unbeaten District 3 champion Lower Dauphin 41-13 in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA Team Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center. The victory kept them on a collision course with neighboring archrival Easton for the state crown after the Red Rovers dispatched Cumberland Valley 37-21 in one of the other quarterfinals. Nazareth will face Hempfield Area of District 7 and Easton will take on defending champion Upper Perkiomen in this morning's quarterfinals. Earlier, Nazareth was a 52-14 winner over DuBois in the second round. "I thought this (Lower Dauphin match) was definitely going to come right down to the wire," Nazareth coach Dave Crowell said. "I thought our guys wrestled very well. I was just very, very proud of the kids. They wrestled extremely well." Nazareth won 11 bouts, three after giving up the first takedown. Eric Sergent started that trend by coming back to earn a 4-3 decision over Dalton Tonkin at 189 pounds. The difference was Sergent's ability to ride Tonkin out for the final 48 seconds after a second-period takedown, and Tonkin's inability to do the same after his one takedown in the first. Jim Mutch followed suit two bouts later with an 8-5 decision over James Miller at heavyweight, and Eric Hurd rebounded even more spectacularly by pinning Taylor Stuart at 112. "Jim Mutch wrestled great," Crowell said. "That kid (Miller) was pretty good. And Eric Hurd ... and (Dave) Dotter was not feeling well at all and he scratched out a tough win (2-1 over Peter Kulp at 119). "Sergent is another guy who wrestled a great match. Oh, man!" Mutch, who weighed in at 205 on Friday, bumped up only because his twin brother Mike, one of the region's and state's best heavyweights, is out for the season with a knee injury. "I figure I'll just go where the coaches tell me to go, and I don't really mind wrestling bigger guys," Mutch said. "It's a little bit of a challenge, actually." Encouraging results were everywhere. At 215, David Crowell worked a methodical 14-5 major decision over Jared Phoenix, securing the bonus points with a late takedown. At 130, Ray Ward survived an overtime bout against Nick Kristich, winning 3-2. And at 135, Mike Greck took down Jason Kane in overtime to earn an 8-6 decision. "I think, as a team, we're really starting to work together good right now," Hurd said. "We're just trying to take it one match at a time. It definitely is hard not to look ahead and stuff, but we really want to win this." Thanks to countless peak performances, they'll have a very good chance if they can re-create that kind of magic today. "Twenty years from now, how are we going to remember tomorrow?" Mutch said. "That's really what it's going to come down to. We're going to go to sleep easy tonight, but when we wake up tomorrow, we're going to know that we have a big day ahead of us." Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at nfierro@express-times.com. Northwestern wins twice, advances to 2A semifinals The Tigers roll to victories over Ridgway and Boiling Springs in the quarterfinals. By Gary R. Blockus Of The Morning Call Scott Clymer knows pressure. As a returning PIAA Class 2A state champion, the Northwestern senior has had a bull's-eye on his singlet all season, but hasn't let it affect his performance. His team is doing the exact same thing at the right time. ''It's this team we have right now,'' Clymer, the 33-3 senior said after Northwestern crushed Boiling Springs 53-15 in the quarterfinals Friday of the PIAA Class 2A Team Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center. ''Don't get me wrong. We're hungry, but we're laid back.'' That laid-back attitude — never too high after a pin, never too low after giving up a takedown — has the District 11 Tigers (22-0) in today's 9 a.m. semifinals against District 10 runner-up Greenville. The winner faces the winner of the Burrell-Reynolds match for the state title. Clymer got the Tigers off to a big start in the morning's first match, a 37-24 win over District 9 champion Ridgway. Clymer decked Jake Bogacki in 2:33 at 135, the first bout of the day. ''Greenville, Burrell and Reynolds are all really good teams,'' Clymer said. ''We're not taking anything for granted, but everybody's starting to mellow out right now. If you do give up a takedown or a reverse, you just keep wrestling and pushing your pace.'' That strategy worked extremely well for the undefeated Tigers on Friday. After the tough win over Ridgway, the Tigers won 10 of 13 bouts to pound previously unbeaten District 3 champion Boiling Springs. Sophomore Evan Yenolevich (112) clinched the victory with a pin to give Northwestern a 41-9 lead with four bouts remaining, quieting a very loud contingent of Bubblers' fans. ''I would say we're wrestling like we need to wrestle to keep advancing,'' coach Mike Williams said. ''Greenville looks tough, and Reynolds was up in the stands taping our whole match. Let's wrestle that first match [today] before worrying about [Reynolds].'' Last year, the Tigers beat Greenville 48-12 in the consolation round after losing to Reynolds 42-12 in the quarterfinals. Today will be another big match. ''I don't get psyched up or pumped up for the big matches,'' Clymer said. ''This is my sixth trip out here, and I'm comfortable. I'm doing what I like to do.'' So is the rest of Northwestern's talented team. Fellow senior Brandon Williams (160) picked up his 100th career win with a pin in the win over Ridgway just a week after his father won his 100th match as a head coach. ''It's great to get it out here, and the pin was a nice bonus,'' Mike Williams said. ''Certain people are peaking at the right time. I'd like to see them keep it going for a few more weeks.'' Mike Williams used a straight-up lineup out here last year, never bothering to bump anyone a weight class. He served notice on Friday, however, that he is willing to do that. Ridgway declined to send second-ranked Colby Pisani after Clymer, which started a brief period of Northwestern wrestlers bumping up a weight class. Northwestern sent Matt Rabenold against Ridgway's Nikko Leitzel at 145. Leitzel, a returning PIAA champion, earned a pin in 21 seconds to give Ridgway a 9-6 team lead. ''We definitely didn't want [Ben] Marich going out against Leitzel,'' Williams admitted. ''[Leitzel] weighed in at 140. … We already planned to bump Marich away if we could and bump everybody up.'' That allowed Northwestern to bump Marich to 145. The Lehigh-bound Marich missed a major by one-point with a 9-2 decision over Roy Krise to tie the match at 9. The big payoff for the Tigers came at 189, when Ben Clymer, normally a 171-pounder, knocked off Jerico Weitzel, ranked No. 2 in the state, at 189. Clymer, a junior and the brother of Scott, earned a reverse with 37 seconds left in the second period. Weitzel scored a controversial escape with 41 seconds left, but it didn't matter as Clymer held on for the 2-1 win despite giving away 15 pounds. Garrett Sukanick (215) earned the third pin of the morning as the Tigers gained a nine-point lead. Eddie Keichel (119) clinched the second-round victory for the Tigers with an 11-8 decision over Ed Buhler, giving Northwestern an insurmountable 33-20 lead with two bouts remaining. Mat notes: District 11 referees Vic Lesky and Barry Rutt are officiating in the Class 2A tournament. Lesky, the high school principal at Nazareth, and Rutt, whose son Cory wrestles at Easton, will not be given a 3A match because of those connections. That didn't stop Lesky, a native of DuBois, from enjoying the 3A second round match between Nazareth and DuBois. gary.blockus@mcall.com 610-820-6782 Hershey has local flavor in semifinal round Easton, Nazareth, Upper Perkiomen all advance. By Beth Hudson Of The Morning Call | Easton senior Ju Ju Drummond said the Class 3A wrestling teams didn't have much time to warm up before their state quarterfinal matches on Friday afternoon at the Giant Center. For Drummond, that meant a slower start than he would have liked against Cumberland Valley sophomore Bryce Busler. ''I felt a little weird on my feet,'' he said. ''Every time I had his leg, it was the end of the period.'' But Drummond eventually got what he wanted. He took his first lead, 3-2, with a takedown at the second-period buzzer and then tilted Busler for the pin with 11 seconds remaining in the 130-pound match. He also gave the Red Rovers an insurmountable 16-point lead with two bouts to go. The District 11 champions defeated Cumberland Valley, 37-21, and advanced to today's 9 a.m. semifinals against District One champion Upper Perkiomen. The Indians beat Penn Trafford, 39-20. Nazareth, the District 11 runner-up, will take on District 7 champ Hempfield in the other semifinal. The Blue Eagles advanced with a 41-13 win over Lower Dauphin, while Hempfield knocked off Council Rock South, 36-26. In other words, the state's top four teams (according to Off The Mat's rankings) will compete for gold medals today at the PIAA Team Championships. The final and third-place match will begin at 1 p.m. Easton coach Steve Powell wasn't surprised that Cumberland Valley stayed close until the end; a