District 10 wrestling: New Year's questions to answer and can't-miss meets to kick off 2024
Ask the wrestling teams of District 10 for their New Year’s resolutions and one will likely receive 32 different answers.
Instead of resolutions, however, I have several questions as 2024 begins. Here are a few, plus a look at recent local results and upcoming fixtures.
Who are the early region favorites?
It helps that the top four teams in last week’s Times-News Toughest rankings each compete in a different region. Fort LeBoeuf (Region 4), Reynolds (Region 1), Cathedral Prep (Region 5) and Corry (Region 3) are favorites to win their respective regions, especially after Corry knocked off a surging Titusville squad Dec. 19.
Times-News Toughest: First District 10 individual and team wrestling rankings for 2023-24
Region 2 was D-10’s only conference without a team ranked in the top 10. Defending champion Commodore Perry already has two league victories, however, including a convincing 44-16 triumph over Saegertown Dec. 19.
The Panthers boast a full lineup and are 6-1 in duals, their only setback a 36-27 loss at Sharpsville. They’ll travel to Cambridge Springs (2-1 Region 2) on Wednesday and to Cochranton (2-1) on Jan. 17, two crucial steps toward clinching the league.
Who’s top dog in Class 3A?
If anyone looks poised to dethrone Cathedral Prep in Region 5, it’s Hickory.
The Hornets, ranked fifth in D-10 by the Times-News, open region competition Wednesday at Meadville. Prep defeated Meadville 48-18 on Dec. 20.
Hickory is young, but some of its top wrestlers have logged mat time beyond their years. The Hornets feature four consecutive ranked wrestlers from 114 to 133 pounds, matching Prep’s string of four ranked wrestlers between 145 and 189.
The sides went head-to-head — though not directly — at Canon-McMillan’s Powerade tournament. Those results don’t reflect how they’d match up in a dual, however, and might not be indicative of how they’ll finish in a five-team field at the D-10 Class 3A championships.
Prep visits Hickory Jan. 24.
Which is the toughest weight class in D-10?
Pound-for-pound rankings are a tough ask. How does the athleticism of middle weights compare to the power of upper weights, or to the speed of lighter weights?
D-10 is deep across the board, but two weights stand out so far this season — 133 and 160 pounds.
The former features two returning PIAA medalists in Hunter Gould (Conneaut) and Cyrus Hurd (North East), plus PIAA qualifier and soon-to-be 100-match winner Jake Bennett (Fort LeBoeuf). Also at 133 are a pair of Class 3A state contenders in Dylan O’Brien (Hickory) and Caleb Anderson (Meadville), who push several quality Class 2A wrestlers out of the district’s top five.
Looking for game stats? Check here to access District 10 schedules, more for Dec. 26-31
But 160 might be even better.
Three returning PIAA qualifiers top the 160-pound rankings in Caullin Summers (Sharpsville), JoJo Przybycien (Fort LeBoeuf) and Story Buchanan (Girard), each of whom will gun for a state medal come postseason. The class also boasts Meadville’s Brighton Anderson, who missed Class 3A states by one place last year, and a pair of Cathedral Prep standouts in Bo Martucci and Jaden Crockett, one of whom will be forced up to 172.
D-10 might not be as deep at 189 pounds, but it features two of the state’s best in PIAA medalist Magnus Lloyd (General McLane) and PIAA qualifier Conner McChesney (Fort LeBoeuf). Expect some battles between those two.
Savitz, Hurd win Southmoreland tournament; Corry team champs
Thirty-three teams attended the Southmoreland Holiday Classic. None were better than the Corry Beavers.
Corry’s 200.5 team points topped runner-up United (171.5), third-place Somerset (152) and 30 others in a tournament filled with teams from districts 5, 6 and 7. Mason Savitz defeated Charles Perkins of Valley 6-3 to win the 172-pound championship for the Beavers.
Logan Hodak (121 pounds) and Steven Willis (127) each finished second for Corry. Kael Albers (215) was third and Will Allen (139), Cody Proper (145) and Lamech Albers (152) finished fourth.
North East placed ninth with 102 team points. Cyrus Hurd won the 133-pound championship with a 12-7 finals victory over Gideon Bracken of United.
Medalists at Powerade, Trojan Wars and more
Louie Gill of Reynolds won his fourth career Powerade wrestling tournament medal, finishing third at the uber-competitive tournament at Canon-McMillian. The 2021 Powerade champion and 2022 runner-up was third at 121 pounds, helping Reynolds to a 13th-place standing among 69 teams and the third-best finish by a public school.
Hunter Hohman of Grove City finished in sixth place at 172 pounds, helping the Eagles to a 32nd-place team finish. Cathedral Prep (35th), Hickory (47th) and Saegertown (65th) also attended.
General McLane's 142 points were seventh-best at the 51-team MyHouse Trojan Wars, wrestled at Chambersburg. Magnus Lloyd finished second at 189 pounds, Ryan Dedrick was third at 215, Hudson Spires placed fourth at 160 and Chance Kimmy was fifth at 152.
Fort LeBoeuf traveled south of Cleveland for the Brecksville Holiday Tournament, where its 78 points were 18th among 43 teams. JoJo Przybycien, who placed eighth at 160 pounds, was the Bisons' lone medalist.
What to watch this week
Wednesday features 13 dual meets districtwide, including the annual clash between Cathedral Prep and McDowell in Region 5.
The Ramblers, who were third in the initial Times-News Toughest team rankings, are heavy favorites this year. Prep hasn’t lost to McDowell post-pandemic, including a 43-24 victory in last year’s region dual and a 37-29 triumph in the D-10 Class 3A team final.
Prep is now older and, arguably, deeper than the team which handled the Trojans last season. McDowell will turn to veteran leaders Javarie Blue (139 pounds) and Matt Eggleston (189) in its upset bid.
Prep visits McDowell at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Fort LeBoeuf, the Times-News’ top-ranked D-10 team, will face a Region 4 test in Wednesday’s trip to North East.
The Grapepickers overcame two forfeits to edge Harbor Creek 39-36 before the holiday break. Their dual with LeBoeuf could feature a matchup of two aforementioned 133-pounders.
Meadville’s Tool City tournament will host 15 teams Friday and Saturday, eight of which hail from Crawford County. Elsewhere in dual meet action, General McLane welcomes District 9 power St. Marys at 5 p.m. Friday.
More: Erie Times-News names Northwestern wrestler Sierra Chiesa its 2023 Sportswoman of the Year
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 wrestling: Questions to answer and top meets to start 2024
