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PIAA wrestling: Many District 10 athletes prepare together for state meet in Hershey

jeff uveino, erie times-news
·5 min read

What’s that saying? Iron sharpens iron?

In this case, state reps sharpen state reps.

Many of District 10’s PIAA wrestling representatives met Monday for one of their final training sessions before they leave for Hershey. Wrestlers from seven schools assembled at General McLane’s room, where some had already met for weeks while navigating the District 10 postseason.

There are few things more valuable to a wrestler than a good practice partner. McLane coach Ryan Cook and company created an environment with plenty of them.

“It’s great for the kids, and if you’re not doing what’s best for the kids, you’re not doing the right thing,” Cook said. “We appreciate the other coaches taking time to bring them up here. It could be easier just to stay home, but they realize the value in it as well.”

Small-school regionals: District 10 wrestling: These grapplers captured individual Class 2A championships

Ready for chocolate town

Erie County will send 17 total wrestlers to the PIAA meet, including 16 boys. Fifteen of them will compete in Class 2A, including five from McLane, the school’s most representatives since 2015.

North East, meanwhile, will send four wrestlers to Hershey, its most in program history.

At 114 pounds, North East High School's Rocky Kowle won the District 10 Class 2A Section 1 title at Meadville Area Senior High School on Feb. 17. North East will have four wrestlers at the PIAA meet.
At 114 pounds, North East High School's Rocky Kowle won the District 10 Class 2A Section 1 title at Meadville Area Senior High School on Feb. 17. North East will have four wrestlers at the PIAA meet.

“It felt really good to watch these guys and the smiles on their faces when they got their hand raised and realized they’re going to Hershey, especially at such a young age,” North East coach Matt Humes said. “(McLane) is a great practice room and to get different looks, even against people we might compete against… Getting good practice partners, you can’t beat it.”

When North East’s Cyrus Hurd and McLane’s Clay Kimmy met in a Northwest regional third-place match, it was essentially an extension of practice. The 133-pounders have sparred extensively this postseason, just one example of rival programs joining forces to improve.

Hunter Chew wrestled Rocky Kowle. Brody Beck wrestled Chance Kimmy. Ryan Dedrick wrestled Ty Tidball.

Rocky Kowle (standing) of North East spars with Harbor Creek’s Hunter Chew Monday at General McLane High School. Kowle and Chew are two of 17 Erie County wrestlers bound for the upcoming PIAA tournament.
Rocky Kowle (standing) of North East spars with Harbor Creek’s Hunter Chew Monday at General McLane High School. Kowle and Chew are two of 17 Erie County wrestlers bound for the upcoming PIAA tournament.

They sported the colors of Harbor Creek, Cambridge Springs, Meadville, Saegertown, North East, Girard and McLane. There was, however, only one goal — to improve.

“They get in here and battle hard,” Cook said. “A three-and-a-half month season gets kind of stale wrestling the same guys, beating up the same practice partners. To go somewhere different and see some different people has always benefitted us.”

Ryan Dedrick of General McLane (left) ties up with Girard head coach Jason Johnson.
Ryan Dedrick of General McLane (left) ties up with Girard head coach Jason Johnson.

Campbell set for historic girls meet

McLane junior Ashley Campbell, Erie County’s lone representative at the inaugural PIAA girls wrestling championships, was also on-hand Monday. The 106-pounder punched her ticket with a runner-up finish at last weekend’s West regional, moving her season record to 17-9.

Campbell will open the tournament against Natalie Handy of South Western, a 26-1 senior who finished third in the South Central region.

More: Gannon wrestling, led by first-year head coach and local heavyweight, wins super regional

D-10 will send 11 total girls, including 106-pound West champion Madilyn Enterline of Greenville. Conneaut's Daylee Watson (112 pounds); Hickory's Emma Johnston (112), Avry Ryhal (155 pounds) and Kailynn Purdy (190); Warren’s Kasey Kophazy (136) and Katrina Semens (148); Greenville’s Kelley Enterline (124); and Leah Sample (118) and Kacie Mook (130) of Saegertown round out the local field.

Northwestern junior Sierra Chiesa, of course, will compete at the boys meet for the second time. She seeks the first PIAA medal won by a girl after falling one match short a season ago at 107 pounds.

Oler alone in Class 3A

Cathedral Prep’s Keagan Oler is Erie County’s lone Class 3A qualifier. The 127-pound Northwest regional champion, he’ll open against Cael Rossi of Lower Dauphin in the round of 16.

Large-school regionals: Two District 10 wrestlers earn Class 3A Northwest Region titles as march to Hershey goes on

Keagan Oler, Cathedral Prep wrestling
Keagan Oler, Cathedral Prep wrestling

D-10 will send six total wrestlers to the Class 3A tournament, including three from Hickory: Elijah Scriven (114 pounds), Brody Bishop (121) and Brady Slicker (127). Meadville will be represented by Ben Fuller (114) and Ty Tidball (215).

Returning medalists seek gold

Seven D-10 wrestlers who medaled at the 2023 PIAA meet will return. Among them is 160-pound runner-up Hunter Hohman of Grove City, this year’s 172-pound Northwest regional champion.

Grove City’s Hudson Hohman, who was fourth at 121, and Conneaut’s Hunter Gould, who finished fifth at 127, are both now in the 133-pound bracket. So is North East’s Cyrus Hurd, who was sixth at 127 last year.

General McLane’s Chance Kimmy (left) scrambles with Cambridge Springs’ Brody Beck.
General McLane’s Chance Kimmy (left) scrambles with Cambridge Springs’ Brody Beck.

Cody Hamilton of Grove City is back at 152 after finishing eighth at 145 a year ago and Caullin Summers of Sharpsville returns to 152 after placing eighth there last season. McLane’s Magnus Lloyd is back at 189 after a sixth-place finish in 2023 and Commodore Perry's Wyatt Lazzar returns at 145 after finishing seventh at 139.

Fort LeBoeuf’s JoJo Przybycien seeks his third career state medal after finishing sixth as a freshman and fourth as a sophomore. Louie Gill of Reynolds, who did not wrestle in the 2023 postseason, seeks a return to PIAA glory after his 2021 state title and 2022 runner-up finish.

The following wrestlers will also represent D-10 at the Class 2A tournament: Angelo Lomonte (Reynolds; 107 pounds), Hunter Chew (Harbor Creek, 107) Carter Beck (Saegertown, 114), Rocky Kowle (North East, 114), Tanner Hamilton (Grove City, 114), Bryson Galloway (North East, 121), Kyler See (North East, 127), Logan Stewart (Reynolds, 127), Clay Kimmy (General McLane, 133), Chase Bell (Reynolds, 139), AJ Rueberger (Sharpsville, 139), Brody Beck (Cambridge Springs, 145), Chance Kimmy (General McLane, 152), Hudson Spires (General McLane, 160), Story Buchanan (Girard, 160), Mason Savitz (Corry, 172), Conner McChesney (Fort LeBoeuf, 189), Ryan Dedrick (General McLane, 215), Teague Calvin (Greenville, 215), John Duran (Fort LeBoeuf, 285), Joey Peterson (Greenville, 285).

Tournament schedule

Class 2A begins wrestling Thursday at 9 a.m. with pigtails preceding the preliminary round. Girls action will begin at 2 p.m. and the Class 3A boys at 4 p.m.

Semifinals for all three divisions will be wrestled at 7 p.m. Friday. They’ll then wrestle third-through-seventh-place matches together at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and finals together at 4 p.m.

Full brackets can be found here and a full tournament schedule here.

Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @realjuveino

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: PIAA preview: Erie County, District 10 wrestlers ready for Hershey