Class 3A Wrestlers Ready to Take the Next Step at Northwest Regional

The NW Class 3A Championship is scheduled for this Saturday (Feb. 27) at the Altoona Area High School Field House.

                        

Each weight class will see its top two placers (a true second will be determined) advance to the NW Super-Region tournament next weekend (Saturday, March 6) at the same location. Wrestling will be split into two sessions, with the 109-138 pound weight classes taking to the mat at 8:15 a.m. (finals slated to begin at 11:15 a.m.) and the 145-285 pound classes getting underway at 2:15 p.m. (finals scheduled for 6 p.m.).

(Note: Records are per PA-Wrestling.com as of Wednesday, Feb. 24. PA Power Wrestling [PAPW] state and regional [Districts 4, 6, 9, and 10] rankings are also as of Wednesday, Feb. 24. District 8 records are explained in the text for each weight owing to those teams’ lack of matches in comparison to most others in the region.)

Placements reflect the top five seeds in each classification. They are not predictions.

                              

106 Pounds (seeds)

is a first-time district champion and two-time regional qualifier. Staab, another first-time district titlist, is making his inaugural appearance at the regional tournament. He is ranked 20th in the state and third regionally. Suzensky, whose victories all came via forfeit, is making his regional debut. Choates, ranked sixth in the region, is also making his first trip to Altoona.

*this is a seven-person bracket

113 Pounds 

1. Jacob Van Dee, Jr. (8-0) – Cathedral Prep (District 10-1st)
2. Nic Allison, Jr. (16-0) – Mifflin County (District 6-1st)
3. Luke Seagraves, So. (3-5) – Williamsport (District 4/9-1st)
4. Jacob Goldberg, Jr. (6-0) – Taylor Alderdice (District 8-1st)
5. Aiden O’Shea, Jr. (14-3) – Bellefonte (District 6-2nd)

Notes: Van Dee won his third consecutive district title last week. A year ago, wrestling at 106 pounds, he used his district championship as a springboard for a first-place finish at regionals and second place at states. Van Dee also qualified for states as a 106-pounder his freshman season after taking second at regionals. He is ranked third in the state by PAPW and first in the NW Region. Allison also won his third district title in a row last Saturday. He has a good track record at regionals as a 106-pounder, placing first to qualify for states during his freshman year and then finishing second on his way to finishing eighth in Hershey as a sophomore. PAPW has him at fourth in the state and second regionally. Seagraves, a first-time district champion, qualified for regionals last year at 113 pounds. He is ranked sixth in the region. Goldberg, ranked eighth in the NW Region, is a three-time district champion and regional qualifier, advancing in 2020 at 106 pounds. Four of his six wins came via forfeit and the other two by fall. O’Shea advanced to Hershey at this weight a year ago after earning runner-up status at regionals. PAPW has him at 14th in the state poll and third in the region.

                          

*this is an eight-person bracket

120 Pounds (seeds):

1. Lane Aikey, Sr. (2-0) – Bellefonte (D6-1st)
2. Davey Aughenbaugh, Fr. (15-4) – DuBois (D4/9-1st)
3. Ian Irvin, So. (5-1) – Cathedral Prep (District 10-1st)
4. Dylan Mayer, Sr. (6-0) – Alderdice (District 8-1st)
5. Devin Harris, Fr. (7-6) – Williamsport (District 4/9-2nd)

Notes: After finishing second as a freshman, Ankley won his second consecutive district title at this weight a week ago. He has also won regionals twice to earn state berths, placing seventh at the Giant Center in 2020. Aikey is ranked third in the state by PAPW and first in the NW Region. Augenbaugh, ranked second in the NW, will be making his regional debut Saturday. Irvin, seventh-ranked in the NW, will be making his inaugural regional appearance after winning districts for the first time last week. Mayer won districts for the second year in a row, though last season his victory came at 113 pounds. He is a three-time regional qualifier. His record is the product of five forfeits and a pin. Like Augenbaugh and Irvin, Harris will be stepping on the regional tournament mat for the first time this weekend.

*this is an eight-person bracket

126 Pounds 

1. Carter Weaver, So. (16-2) – Williamsport (District 10-1st)
2. Like Simcox, Fr. (18-2) – Central Mountain (District 6-1st) 
3. Philip Stark, Sr. (6-2) – Cathedral Prep (District 10-1st)
4. Ryan Barnard, Sr. (5-1) – Brashear (District 8-1st)
5. Owen Woolcott, Sr. (10-4) – State College (District 6-2nd)

Notes: Weaver is a two-time district champion, having captured the title last year at 120 pounds. In 2020 he advanced to states after taking second at regionals. He is ranked 14th in the state by PAPW and third in the NW Region. Simcox, 12th in the state and first in the regional polls, is a firs-time district titlist and regional qualifier. Stark, district runner-up at 113 pounds in 2020, is a first-time district champion. He is ranked fourth in the NW Region. Barnard, another first-time district champion, advanced to regionals last season at 113 pounds. He has scored three pins and received two forfeits this season. Though Woolcott has never won a district or regional title, he has advanced to the state tournament the past two seasons, going in 2019 at this weight and in 2020 at 132 pounds. PAPW has him ranked second in the region.

*this is an eight-person bracket

132 Pounds

1. Pierson Manville, Fr. (15-1) – State College (District 6-1st) 
2. Kaeman Smith, Jr. (10-1) – Cathedral Prep (District 10-1st)
3. Braden Bower, Jr. (17-2) – Williamsport (District 4/9-1st)
4. Duane Cooper, Sr. (4-0) – Westinghouse (District 8-1st)
5. Weston Chess, So. (11-5) – Meadville (District 10-2nd)

Notes: Manville, who PAPW has ranked third in the state and first in the NW Region, is a regional tournament rookie. Smith, now a two-time district titlist, won the district tournament at 126 pounds in 2020. He followed that first championship up by taking second at regionals to qualify for states. He was also a regional qualifier as a freshman. PAPW has him fourth in the region. Bower did not compete last year. In 2019 he won districts and ultimately qualified for states at 113 pounds. He is ranked eighth in the state and third in the region. Cooper is a two-time district champ, having also won in 2018, and three-time regional qualifier (a year ago at 132 pounds). He has notched a pin and received three forfeits this season. Chess is a first-time district champion after finishing as the runner-up at 120 pounds last year.

*this is a seven-person bracket

                           

138 Pounds

1. Matt Sarbo, Sr. (7-1) – Altoona (District 6-1st)
2. Chandler Ho, Sr. (20-3) – DuBois (District 4/9-1st)
3. Logan Carrick, Jr. (8-1) – McDowell (District 10-1st)
4. Troy Jacobson, Sr. (6-0) – Taylor Alderdice (District 8-1st)
5. Luke Freeland, Jr. (6-6) – Clearfield (District 4/9-2nd)

Notes: Sarbo, ranked sixth in the state and first in the NW Region by PAPW, is a four-time district champion. Come this Saturday, Sarbo will be looking to qualify for states for the fourth consecutive year. The three-time state qualifier’s best finish in Hershey was seventh at 106 pounds as a freshman (he wrestled at 126 pounds as a sophomore and 132 pounds as a junior). Ho is now a two-time district champion, having won his first district title as a freshman. He finished as the district runner-up the last two years in a row. Ho made the trip to Hershey as both a sophomore (third at regionals) and junior (second at regionals), finishing eighth in 2020 at 138 pounds. He is ranked seventh in the state and second in the NW Region. Carrick won his first district title this year following a runner-up performance at 132 pounds in 2020. This is his second trip to Altoona. PAPW has him at 25th in the state and fourth in the region. Jacobson, ranked fifth in the NW Region, is a four-time district champion, winning a year ago at 132 pounds. Of his six victories this season, four were the product of pins and two the result of forfeits. Freeland qualified for regionals last season at 132 pounds.

*this is an eight-person bracket

145 Pounds 

1. Riley Bower, Jr. (18-0) – Williamsport (District 4/9-1st)
2. Matt Leehan, Sr. (12-3) – General McLane (District 10-1st)
3. Griffin Walizer, Fr. (16-6) – Central Mountain (District 6-1st) 
4. Steffan Lynch, So. (10-1) – Cathedral Prep (District 10-2nd)

Notes: PAPW has Bower ranked seventh in the state and first in the NW Region. A three-time district champ, he won regionals a year ago at 138 pounds and made his first appearance at states. Leehan, a first-time district champ, qualified for states as a freshman, as well as last year (doing so at 132 pounds). He is ranked 15th in the state and second regionally. Walizer, ranked 17th in the state and third regionally, will be a first-time visitor to Altoona. Lynch, 21st in Pennsylvania and fifth in the NW region, was the district champion at 132 pounds a year ago. This is his second trip to regionals.

*this is a six-person bracket, as of Feb. 24 no fourth seed had been specified

152 Pounds

1. Paniro Johnson, Sr. (9-0) – Cathedral Prep (District 10-1st)
2. Roman Marrone, Jr. (17-1) – Williamsport (District 4/9-1st)
3. Rocco Serafini, Fr. (14-7) – Central Mountain (District 6-1st) 
4. Nate Lucas, Sr. (5-0) – Taylor Alderdice (District 8-1st)
5. Brady Smith, So. (6-2) – Punxsutawney (District 4/6-2nd)

Notes: Johnson is a four-time district champion and will be seeking his fourth regional crown this weekend. He’s been to states each year, finishing eighth as a freshman (120 pounds), fifth as a sophomore (145 pounds), and third last season (145 pounds). Johnson is ranked third in the state by PAPW and first in the NW Region. Marrone, a first-time district titlist, qualified for regionals a year ago at 145 pounds after taking second at districts. He was also a regional qualifier his freshman season. Marrone is ranked 19th in the state and second in the region. Serafini, who will be making his regional tourney debut, is ranked sixth in the NW. Lucas is now a two-time district champion (he won in 2019 at 132 pounds) and a four-time regional qualifier. All his victories this year have been the result of forfeits. Smith has qualified for regionals for the second consecutive year, doing so in 2020 at 132 pounds. PAPW has the sophomore ranked third regionally.

*this is a seven-person bracket 

160 Pounds 

1. Jackson Spires, Sr. (12-2) – General McLane (District 10-1st)
2. Ethan Richner, Sr. (17-0) – Bellefonte (District 6-1st) 
3. Coy Bastian, Sr. (27-3) – Selinsgrove (District 4/9-1st)
4. Hussein, Mganga, Jr. (3-1) – Brashear (District 8-1)
5. Campbell Wells, Sr. (15-4) – Holidaysburg (District 6-2nd)

Notes: Spires won his third consecutive district championship last weekend. A year ago he parlayed it into a trip to states, where he finished seventh at 145 pounds after taking second at the regional tournament. He was also a state qualifier at 145 pounds as a sophomore, again after a runner-up finish at regionals. PAPW has him ranked seventh in the state and third regionally. Richner won his third district championship in a row this season and will be aiming for his third consecutive regional title (he has advanced to regionals four times overall). He’s also finished sixth at the state tournament the past two seasons, doing so at 152 pounds in 2019 and 160 pounds in 2020. Richner is fourth in the state and first in the regional polls. Bastian, is a three-time state qualifier, most recently making the trip to Hershey at this weight. Now a three-time district titlist, he also won districts as a freshman and junior. He was runner-up as a sophomore. Bastian has finished second each year at regionals. PAPW has Bastian ranked fifth in the state and second regionally. An Altoona rookie, all of Mganga wins this season are the product of forfeits. Campbell, ranked fifth in the NW Region, is making his third trip to the regional tournament. He qualified for states a year ago at 160 pounds.

*this is a seven-person bracket

172 Pounds

1. Trey Kibe, Sr. (14-0) – Mifflin County (District 6-1st)
2. Nick Crisp, Sr. (13-0) – St. Marys (District 4/9-1st)
3. Magnus Lloyd, Fr. (19-3) – General McLane (District 10-1st)
4. Mateo Bradbury, So. (5-0)  – Westinghouse (District 8-1st)
5. Carter Chamberlain, Fr. (13-8) – Clearfield (District 4/9-2nd)

Notes: Kibe is ranked first in both the state and region by PAPW. The four-time district champion will be looking for a like number of regional titles on Saturday. He did not place in the state tournament as a freshman, but won it as a sophomore at 160 pounds and placed fourth as a 170-pound junior. Crisp is a first-time district champion and now a three-time regional qualifier. Last year he advanced to Altoona as a 160-pounder. He is ranked 16th in the state and third in the NW Region. Lloyd, who will be making his Altoona debut Saturday, is ranked seventh regionally. Bradbury qualified for regionals as a 170-pounder a year ago. All his victories this season came by way of forfeit. Chamberlain, another Altoona first-timer, is ranked sixth in the region.

*this is a seven-person bracket

189 Pounds 

1. Griffin Buzzell, Jr. (9-0) – Meadville (District 10-1st)
2. Carson Manville, Sr. (7-0) – State College (District 6-1st)
3. Waylon Wehler, So. (14-0) – St. Marys (District 4/9-1st)
4. Bryan Allen, Sr. (4-0) – Obama Academy (District 8-1st)
5. Ethan Rossman, Sr. (16-1) – Bellefonte (16-1)

Notes: Buzzell, a two-time district titlist, qualified for states at 182 pounds in 2020 after winning the district tournament and earning runner-up status at regionals. He was also a regional qualifier in 2019. Buzzell is ranked 17th in the state and third regionally by PAPW. Manville, a first-time regional qualifier, is third in the state poll and first in the regional. Wehler, a first-time district champion and regional qualifier, is ranked fifth in the NW Region. Allen is a three-time district champ and regional qualifier, advancing the last two seasons at 182 pounds. His four victories in 2021 came via forfeit. Rossman won districts and regionals in 2020 at 182 pounds. He qualified for states in 2019 as a 182-pounder. The three-time regional qualifier is ranked fifth in the state and second in the NW.

*this is a seven-person bracket

215 Pounds 

1. Mark McGonigal, Jr. (17-3) – Clearfield (District 4/9-1st)
2. Nickolas Miller, Sr. (18-6) – Central Mountain (District 6-1st) 
3. John Campbell, Sr. (11-0) – Cathedral Prep (District 10-1st)
4. Bryson Jones, Sr. (4-0) – Obama Academy (District 8-1st)
5. Ty Price, Sr. (11-6) – State College (District 6-2nd)

Notes: McGonigal, now a two-time district champion, is also a two-time state qualifier, doing so last year at 152 pounds after placing second at districts and third at regionals. He was a district champion and regional runner-up his freshman year. PAPW has him ranked eighth in the state and first regionally. After finishing as the district runner-up the last two years, Miller broke through for his first regional championship last weekend. He advanced to regionals the past two seasons, winning at 195 pounds in 2020 to make his first trip to Hershey. Miller is 11th in the state poll and second in the region. Campbell, a first-time district titlist, advanced to regionals last year at 285 pounds. He is ranked 25th in the state and eighth in the NW Region. Jones is a first-time district champ and regional qualifier. His four victories are the result of a pin and three forfeits. Price won districts as a 195-pounder in 2020. The three-time regional qualifier is ranked fifth in the NW.

*this is an eight-person bracket

285 Pounds 

1. Nate Schon, Sr. (32-0) – Selinsgrove (District 4/9-1st)
2. Trevor Manley, Sr. (12-5) – Altoona (District 6-1st)
3. Mark Chambers, Sr. (8-0) – McDowell (District 10-1st)
4. Hamadi Muhina, Jr. (4-0) – Brashear (District 8-1st)
5. Harrison Schoen, Sr. (9-7) – State College (District 6-2nd)

Notes: Schon won his fourth district crown last weekend. He has qualified for states each of his varsity seasons, winning the 220-pound title in 2019. As a freshman he finished eighth in Hershey and was runner-up last year, wrestling at 220 pounds on both occasions. He is ranked first in the state and region by PAPW. Manley is a first-time district champ and two-time regional qualifier, also advancing a year ago at this weight. PAPW has him at 22nd in the state and third regionally. Chambers, a first-time district champion, qualified for regionals at this weight in both 2018 and 2019. He’s ranked eighth in the NW Regional poll. Muhina won his first district champion a weekend ago and is set to make his first regional appearance this coming Saturday. He has collected four forfeits this season. This is the second year in a row Schoen has qualified for regionals at 285 pounds. He is ranked fourth regionally.

*this is a seven-person bracket