District 10 Class 3A Wrestlers Ready to Take Center Stage Thursday

The postseason gets underway for District 10’s 3A wrestlers Thursday afternoon (Feb. 18) at Cathedral Prep’s Hagerty Family Events Center.

                        

Wrestling begins at 3 p.m., with the Parade of Champions scheduled for 6:15 p.m. and the finals following at approximately 6:30 p.m.

The top two placers (a true second will be determined) in each weight class will advance to the NW Regional Championships next weekend (Saturday, Feb. 27) in Altoona.

(Note: PA Power Wrestling [PAPW] state and regional [Districts 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10] rankings are as of Wednesday, Feb. 17.)

                              

106 Pounds: 1. Mekhi Walker (11-3) – Meadville 

2. Sam Staab (7-2) – Cathedral Prep 
3. Logan Sallot (4-0) – McDowell

Notes: Walker is a freshman. Staab, a sophomore, is ranked fourth regionally by PAPW. Sallot was district runner-up at this weight last season. PAPW has the sophomore ranked 10th in the state and second in the region.

113 Pounds: 1. Jacob Van Dee (7-0) – Cathedral Prep 

2. Ben Watkins (7-9) – General McLane 
3. Caden Ream (9-5) – Meadville 

Notes: Van Dee will be looking to win his third consecutive district title. Last year, wrestling at 106 pounds, he used it as a springboard for a first-place finish at regionals and second place finish at states. Van Dee also qualified for states his freshman season after taking second at regionals. A junior, he is ranked second in the state by PAPW and first in the NW Region. Watkins and Ream are both freshmen.

120 Pounds: 1. Ian Irvin (4-1) – Cathedral Prep 

                          

2. Ethan Brest (11-8) – General McLane 
3. Shane Altman (4-3) – Meadville 

Notes: Irvin is a sophomore, while Brest and Altman are freshmen.

126 Pounds: 1. Philip Stark (6-2) – Cathedral Prep 

2. Aiden Northup (3-2) – Erie 
3. Jacob Zeiser (10-8) – General McLane

Notes: Stark, a senior, was district runner-up at 113 pounds in 2020. He is ranked fifth in the NW Region by PAPW. Also a senior, Northup is a two-time regional qualifier, last year at 132 pounds. Zeiser is a freshman.

132 Pound: 1. Kaeman Smith (8-1) – Cathedral Prep 

2. Westin Chest (7-2) – Meadville 
3. Nathan Digello (2-3) – McDowell 

Notes: Smith, a junior, won districts at 126 pounds in 2020, taking second at regionals to qualify for states. He was also a regional qualifier as a freshman. PAPW has him 13th in the state poll and fifth in the region. A sophomore, Chess was runner-up at 120 pounds last year. He is ranked eighth regionally. Digello, a senior, is a three-time regional qualifier, doing so a season ago at 126 pounds.

138 Pounds: 1. Brighton Anderson (10-2) – Meadville 

2. Elijah Hunt (5-2) – Cathedral Prep 
3. Logan Carrick (5-1) – McDowell

Notes: Anderson is a freshman. Hunt, a junior, is ranked eighth in the region by PAPW. A junior, Carrick was district runner-up at 132 pounds in 2020.

145 Pounds: 1. Steffan Lynch (10-3) – Cathedral Prep

2. Matt Leehan (3-1) – General McLane 
3. Donovan Fiscus (5-3) – Warren

Notes: PAPW has Lynch, a sophomore, ranked 19th in the state and second in the NW region. Last season he was the district champion at 132 pounds. A senior, Leehan qualified for states as a freshman, as well as last year (doing so at 132 pounds). He is ranked 16th in the state and first regionally. Fiscus, a senior, was a regional qualifier as a freshman and sophomore.

152 Pound: 1. Paniro Johnson (7-0) – Cathedral Prep

                           

2. Ryan Dedrick (2-7) – General McLane 
3. Artis Simmons (3-1) – McDowell

Notes: Johnson will be looking for his fourth consecutive district title, hoping to use it as a springboard to go after a fourth regional crown. The senior has placed at states each year he has wrestled at the varsity level, finishing eighth as a freshman (120 pounds), fifth as a sophomore (145 pounds), and third last year (145 pounds). Johnson is ranked third in the state by PAPW and first in the NW Region. Dedrick is a freshman and Simmons a sophomore.

160 Pounds: 1. Jackson Spires (10-2) – General McLane

2. Ty Tidball (10-4) – Meadville 
3. Kelyn Blossey (6-3) – Cathedral Prep 

Notes: Spires, a senior, is on the hunt for his third district championship in a row. Last year 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 sixth in the state and third regionally. Tidball is a freshman. Like Spires, Blossey, a junior, will be looking for his third consecutive district title, winning at 160 pounds the past two years. He is 25th in the state poll and fifth in the regional.

172 Pounds: 1. Magnus Lloyd (17-3) – General McLane

2. Noah Bielak (5-1) – McDowell 
3. Owen Shetler (4-4) – Cathedral Prep

Notes: Lloyd is a freshman and ranked sixth in the NW Region by PAPW. Bielak is a three-time regional qualifier, making the trip to Altoona last year at 170 pounds. He finished first at this tournament during his sophomore season, wrestling as a 170-pounder. PAPW has him in seventh regionally. Shetler is a sophomore.

189 Pounds: 1. Griffin Buzzell (7-0) – Meadville 

2. James Laird (17-3) – General McLane
3. Troy Peterson (2-4) – McDowell

Notes: Buzzell qualified for states at 182 pounds in 2020 after winning districts and earning runner-up status at regionals. He was also a regional qualifier in 2019. The junior is ranked 21st in the state and fifth regionally by PAPW. Laird, a senior, is a three-time regional qualifier, last year at 170 pounds. He is ranked 17th in the state and third in the NW Region. Peterson is a sophomore.

215 Pounds: 1. John Campbell (9-0) – Cathedral Prep

2. Rhoan Woodrow (10-4) – Meadville 
3. Wyatt Hall (7-10) – General McLane 

Notes: Campbell qualified for regionals last year at 285 pounds. The senior is ranked eighth in the NW Region by PAPW. Woodrow, a sophomore, was district champion at 195 pounds in 2020. Hall is a senior.

285 Pounds: 1. Mark Chambers (6-0) – McDowell 

2. Wilson Spires (15-5) – General McLane
3. Jason Philips (7-4) – Meadville 

Notes: Chambers, a senior, qualified for regionals at this weight in both 2018 and 2019. PAPW has him eighth in the NW Regional poll. Spires, a sophomore, qualified for regionals last season at 220 pounds. Phillips is a junior.