58 local wrestlers set for Southwest Regional
Mar. 1—This weekend's PIAA Class 2A Southwest Regional tournament serves as the second stepping stone area wrestlers hope to pass on their road to Hershey, site of the state championships.
A total of 58 local wrestlers are prepared for the two-day event, which starts at 4 p.m. Friday inside Altoona Fieldhouse. The action picks back up at 9 a.m. Saturday with the finals, third-, fifth- and seventh-place bouts slated around 5:15 p.m.
Chestnut Ridge sophomore Dominic Deputy and Penn Cambria senior Trent Hoover earned 2023 regional titles. Hoover also won in 2022. Somerset junior Rowan Holmes and United junior Gideon Bracken were runners-up.
Bishop McCort Catholic leads local teams with 11 representatives, including seven District 6 champions to tie the previous record. The Crimson Crushers racked up 283 points to set a Class 2A district mark.
"Practices have been really good as they have been dialed in and focused on getting better leading up to regionals," Bishop McCort coach Howard Forrest said.
Jax Forrest (127 pounds), Mason Gibson (133), Bo Bassett (139), Jackson Butler (145), Melvin Miller (152), Devon Magro (160) and Owen McMullen (172) each won District 6 titles for the Crimson Crushers. Gibson also took home a crown in 2021 and finished as PIAA runner-up before Bishop McCort served a two-year postseason ban. Lincoln Sledzianowski (121) and Jordan Butler (215) were runners-up. Dealon Britt (107) and C.J. Pensiero (189) also qualified for this weekend's event.
"I feel it is a big asset to have so many talented like-minded wrestlers between 121-172 that push each other each day," Howard Forrest said. "Each one of them have a different style and different body type that allows each of them to train with a high level wrestler each day and get so many different feels before they ever step on the mat for a match."
Bassett, a sophomore, is 48-0 with 29 technical falls. The freshman Miller is 49-3 and has beaten Hoover twice this season. Jax Forrest, a sophomore, has a 46-1 mark. Gibson, a Penn State signee, is 40-5, and Magro, a Brown University commit, is 47-5. McMullen holds a 42-9 record, and Jackson Butler is 22-7.
"As far as expectations, nothing has changed," Howard Forrest said. "They are looking to be offensive, score a lot of points and look for bonus-point wins.
"Their goal is the same as it was at districts and we'll try our best to break records there, too."
There are 17 wrestlers — eight from District 7, six in District 6 and three from District 5 — in each weight class. The top six from each weight bracket advance to the PIAA championships on March 7-9 in Hershey.
Chestnut Ridge has won three out of the past four Southwest Regional team titles. The Lions had their 12-year string of District 5 team titles ended Saturday. Deputy (107), Jayden Imler (145), Easton Mull (114), Mason Weyant (127) and Carter Wharton (133) each earned individual crowns. Deputy is 42-0 and is a 2023 PIAA runner-up. Aaron Ickes (139), Maddux Sipe (152) and Trenden Willey (121) also advanced.
Somerset crowned four District 5 champions. Junior Zane Hagans (285) earned his third, and fellow classmate Holmes (215) collected his second.
Hagans is 31-6, and Holmes has a 35-1 mark with 29 falls.
Holmes earned a PIAA fourth-place medal in 2023. Seniors Logan Baker (160) and Colin Wood (139) took home titles. Wood was named District 5 outstanding wrestler.
Conemaugh Township senior Colten Huffman (172) and Meyersdale sophomore Caleb Snyder (152) collected district titles.
From District 5, Bedford's Kylar Claycomb (215); Berlin Brothersvalley's Grant Fisher (172), Trace Hay (189) and Moriek Jones (133); Conemaugh Township's Tristen Hawkins (139) and Rydell Walylko (145); Meyersdale's Samuel Deist (114), Jared Geiger (127) and Cooper Porter (160); North Star's Colton Frazier (133); and Somerset's Deshonn Valentine (127) also qualified.
District 6's other qualifiers are Cambria Heights' Marshall Eckenrode (160) and Hunter Jones (114); Central Cambria's Jake Wilson (139); Forest Hills' Lucas DeLoatch (285), Hunter Forcellini (133) and Kory Marsalko (172); Penn Cambria's Andrew Mardula (160), Layton Munyon (121) and Nick Summerville (215); Richland's Ryvan Audi (215), Brady Kostick (114) and Tucker Lindrose (145); United's Josef Garshnick (121), Colton Henning (133), Caden McCully (152), Jacob Sombronski (114) and Dylan Stephens (172); and Westmont Hilltop's Owen Dluhos (107) and Jonah McCoy (285).
At 172, Ligonier Valley freshman Jake Mundorff will face McMullen in the round of 16.
Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.
