BROOKVILLE, Pa. – There is a new team champion in District 9 wrestling for the first time in a decade.
Top-seeded Clearfield claimed the 2024 District 9 Class 2A team title with a 45-24 win over second-seeded Port Allegany Saturday afternoon at Brookville High School.
Rewatch the championship match
Early in the day, Port Allegany ended Brookville’s 10-year stranglehold on the title with a 39-27 semifinal victory over the sixth-seeded Raiders who had beaten the Gators in Port Allegany, 31-30, Tuesday.
Clearfield advanced to the championship match with a 43-20 semifinal victory over St. Marys.
In the championship, the Bison took any real drama out of the way quickly jumping out to a 21-0 lead thanks to three falls.
Colton Ryan got things started by pinning Colton Ferguson at 133 pounds at 1:28 and then Colton Bumbarger did the identical thing at 139 pounds pinning Kelvin BUrgess at 1:28 to put Clearfield ahead 12-0.
Ty Aveni then put the Bison ahead 15-0 when he won a hard-fought 2-0 decision over Aiden Furgeson at 145 pounds.
The lone two points came on a reversal with 1:26 to go in the second period.
Starting in the neutral position in the third period, neither wrestler could gain any kind of advantage leaving the match to Aveni.
Brady Collins then continued the onslaught for the Bison by pinning Peyton Stiles at 53 seconds at 152 pounds making it 21-0.
Port Allegany finally got on the board at 160 pounds when Mason Gordon broke a 2-all tie with a takedown with 35 seconds to go in the third period on his way to a 4-3 victory over Will Domico..
Gordon got Domico on one leg and then put him on his back before turning him to earn the 4-2 advantage.
After the wrestlers went out of bounds, Domico was on the bottom and was able to get an escape with nine seconds left. But Gordon held him off for the victory to close the gap to 21-3.
Aiden Bliss then picked up a 5-2 decision for the Gators at 172 pounds over Carter Freeland to make it 21-6.
After a scoreless first period, Bliss took a 2-1 lead in the second before getting an escape and a takedown in the third to get the victory.
The teams then traded falls at the next two weight classes with Clearfield’s Carter Chamberlain pinning Juuso Young at 189 pounds at 28 seconds before Miska Young avenged his brother by pinning Hunter Ressler ay 215 pounds at 1:05.
The fall tradeoff left Clearfield ahead 27-12.
Three moe falls followed with two coming from Port Allegany to leave the score at 33-24.
Carson Neely felled Nick Bailor at 285 pounds at 1:05 for the Gators before Xavier Lutz pinned Beau Stauffer at 107 pounds for the Bison.
Port Allegany’s Ian Fitzsimmons pinned Dakota Shugarts at 114 pounds at 2:12.
But any hope of a Gator comeback went by the wayside when Cash Diehl pinned O’Shea at 5:31 in the 121-pound bout to give the title to the Bison.
Brydin Chamberlain then set the final score with a pin of Isaac Posttlewait at 127 pounds at the 43-second mark.
The day started out with three quarterfinal bouts.
Port Allegany beat seventh-seeded Curwensville, 60-9, St. Marys took down fifth-seeded Brockway, 35-27, and Brookville avenged an earlier loss to third-seeded Central Clarion with a 52-21 victory.
In the third-place match, St. Marys edged Brookville, 36-31.
Clearfield advances to the PIAA championships where it will face the WPIAL runner-up Burgettstown at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Giant Center in Hershey.
RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP
(1) Clearfield 45, (2) Port Allegany 24 – Watch here
Third-Place Match
(4) St. Marys 36, (6) Brookville 31 – Watch here
SEMIFINALS
(1) Clearfield 43, (4) St. Marys 20 – Watch here
(2) Port Allegany 39, (6) Brookville 27 – Watch here
QUARTERFINALS
(2) Port Allegany 60, (7) Curwensville 9 – Watch here
(4) St. Marys 35, (5) Brockway 27 – Watch here
(6) Brookville 52, (3) Central Clarion 21 – Watch finish here (majority of match)/Watch start here
