ALTOONA — Five State College wrestlers have been unstoppable so far through the District 6 Class 3A tournament and the northwest regional tournament.
After going 5-1 in the District 6 finals, the Little Lions went 5-0 in the northwest regional finals on Feb. 25 at the Altoona Fieldhouse. They had the most champions in both tournaments.
State College junior Pierson Manville (139), sophomore Asher Cunningham (145) and junior Nick Pavlechko (285) repeated as regional champions. Seniors Hayden Cunningham (127) and Carter Weaverling (172) earned their first regional titles. All were district champs as well.
“I’m very proud of the guys, with that many champs,” State College Coach Ryan Cummins said. “They did a nice job. I hoped for it (to happen), sure. I knew the guys could do it if they wrestled the right way, and they did. They lived up to my expectations, for sure.”
Junior Jacob Campbell (133) finished fifth, but only the top three wrestlers at the weights qualified for the PIAA championships. The state tournament begins March 9 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
The Little Lions put the pressure on District 6 champion Central Mountain in the regional team race. But the Wildcats, who had one champ and three runners-up, held off State College by 5.5 points, 145.5-140.
Manville won another showdown with fellow state champion Dalton Perry of Central Mountain. The District 6 Class 3A Outstanding Wrestler followed up his 1-0 win over Perry in the district finals with a 3-0 victory on Saturday.
Manville went 3-0, and he reached a milestone win with his pin of Cathedral Prep’s Brandon Boyd in 1:41 in the semifinals. Including his two years as a high school-eligible varsity wrestler in seventh and eighth grade in Minnesota, Manville earned the 200th win of his career.
After a scoreless first period, Manville (29-2) rode tough in the second period, reacting to everything Perry (40-5) did from the bottom position. Perry, a sophomore who is a Penn State verbal commit, released Manville to begin the third period. But Manville took him down and rode him the rest of the way.
“Dalton Perry is such a strong wrestler, and it’s tough every time,” Cummins said. “When the two of them get together, it’s very close. Thankfully, Pierson’s riding is so good, it’s really hard for anybody to get out. He uses it very well. He’s strong in all those positions. He did a tremendous job, and I’m really proud of him.”
Manville, who is ranked second in the state at 139 by PA Power Wrestling, and the third-ranked Perry could meet again in the state finals. Bethlehem Catholic sophomore Kollin Rath, who has beaten Manville, 3-1, and Perry, 1-0, is ranked No. 1.
“Hey, maybe,” Cummins said with a smile. “We’ll see what the brackets look like.”
Asher Cunningham, ranked fourth at 145, reached the finals with an 11-8 decision over Williamsport’s Carter Weaver in the semifinals. In the finals, Cunningham made a second-period reversal stand in a 2-0 win over CM’s Griffin Walizer in another rematch of district finalists.
“He’s strong in all of those different positions,” Cummins said. “Any time things go sideways, he knows where he’s going. Nobody else in the gym does, but he somehow knows. He’s fun to watch. His will to win is huge.”
The second-ranked Pavlechko bulldozed his way through another tournament, recording three first-period falls. In the finals, he notched three takedowns of Mifflin County’s Peyton Kearns to build a 6-2 lead before putting Kearns on his back and pinning him in 1:56.
“Nick is so strong and such a competitor,” Cummins said. “He just goes out there and makes it happen. He’s fun to watch. He’s another one who is going to be exciting at states. We’re definitely looking forward to watching him.”
Second-ranked Hayden Cunningham, who missed last year’s postseason with a knee injury after finishing third at regionals as a freshman, breezed to the finals with pins in 21 seconds and 25 seconds. In the finals, he had to go the full six minutes in an 11-3 major decision over Cathedral Prep’s Sammy Staab.
“I want to see him achieve everything he can. I want him to be standing on top of the podium at states. I think he can do it. Nobody has had to deal with those kinds of setbacks. He didn’t feel sorry for himself, just came in and made himself better every time.”
As usual, he started fast, scoring a takedown and six nearfall points in the first 1:20. Staab reversed, but Cunningham escaped for a 9-2 lead. Cunningham added a takedown and rode tough in the second period.
Weaverling didn’t place in last year’s regional, but he rolled to the finals with two pins in 1:03 and 3:02. In the finals, he held off Mifflin County’s Avery Aurand, 3-1. Weaverling notched a first-period takedown and third-period escape.
“Oh man, I’m so proud of that kid,” Cummins said. “He really has worked hard this season. He’s committed himself and does all the right things. He’s going to college (Chatham University) to play baseball. To come in and win those matches are definitely a boost for his confidence going into states. I’m excited to see what he can do.”
Watson eyes second regional title
Penns Valley junior Ty Watson will be looking to repeat as southwest regional tournament champion this weekend at the Altoona Fieldhouse.
Watson (32-4), who won at 145 last season, is aiming for the 152-pound title in this regional tournament.
Bald Eagle Area four-time District 6 champion Coen Bainey will attempt to claim his first regional title.
The second-ranked Bainey (32-5) has finished second twice, including a 4-0 loss to Bentworth’s Chris Vargo last season. The senior could get a rematch with the top-ranked Vargo in the 127-pound finals.
BEA’s fourth-ranked Lucas Fye (25-1) is also a returning regional runner-up. Fye, a junior, is coming off his first district title in three finals appearance.
A total of 25 Centre County wrestlers — eight from District 6 champ BEA, seven from Bellefonte, six from Penns Valley and four from Philipsburg-Osceola — will look to finish in the top six of their weights to qualify for the PIAA championships.
The tournament begins at 3:30 p.m. with the pigtail round. A 7:15 p.m. quarterfinal round will follow. Saturday’s wrestling starts at 9 a.m. with a consolation round. The semifinals are set for 12:30 p.m. Championship finals, third-place, fifth-place and seventh-place bouts are at 5:15 p.m.
