The PIAA State Wrestling Tournament is under way!
Hey Saucon Valley sports fans! Day-One of the PIAA Wrestling Championships is in the books and the Panthers are off to a great start. They quickly defeated Faith Christian Academy by a score of 65-9. The Panthers made it look easy with a number of first period pins, but the road to the a state title will certainly get more difficult.
Here is what happened so far…….
2018 PIAA-AA State Tournament Round 1
- District IV runner-up Muncy defeated District IX runner-up Brockway 52-18
- District II runner-up Bishop McDevitt defeated District IV, 3rd Place Line Mountain
- District VII champion Burrell- bye
- District XI champion Saucon Valley- bye
- District I champion Faith Christian- bye
- District VI champion Westmont Hilltop- bye
- District X champion Reynolds- bye
- District II champion Honesdale- bye
Round 2
- Muncy defeated Burrell 34-30
- Saucon Valley defeated Faith Christian 65-9
- Bishop McDevitt defeated Westmont Hilltop 35-19
- Reynolds defeated Honesdale 64-6
Quarterfinals (Friday at 12 p.m.)
- Saucon Valley v. Muncy
- Bishop McDevitt v. Reynolds
- Boiling Springs v. Chestnut Ridge
- Brookville v. Southern Columbia
Tomorrow at noon, Saucon will need to bring their “A” game for the Muncy Indians. Muncy (22-3) finished 2nd in the 2018 District IV tournament losing 30-28 to the Southern Columbia Tigers in the district final. It was their second loss of the season at the hands of Southern Columbia. Both Muncy and Southern Columbia are out of Division 3 in the Heartland Conference. The first time they met it was a 36-32 battle that favored the Tigers. The Indians’ only other loss was to Liberty (Bethlehem) 42-22 in the Zephyr Duals at Whitehall on January 6.
The Indians are tough and claim a formidable lineup that starts with undefeated Jacob Blair (106 or 113). Blair was a District champ, Regional champ and a PIAA State medalist last season finishing 8th. Sophomore Mario Barberio who finished 5th in Districts and 6th in Regionals last year will probably bump up to 126 lbs to face Josh Jones. Senior Joseph Klock may face Justin Kyra (138) or possibly bump up to take on Jason Jones (145). Klock is a former PIAA state medalist.
Junior Mike Kustanbauter (170/182) leads Muncy in the upper weights. He will wrestle either Braydyn Lugardo or bump up to battle Dane Csencsits. Hunter Poust (220/285) gives the Indians flexibility up top. Poust, a senior, is a District and Regional runner-up from a year ago.
Potential Quarterfinal matchups:
Saucon Valley Panthers v. Muncy Indians
106: SV’s Dane Druckenmiller (9-8, Sr.) v. Collin Wertz (6-13, Fr.)
113: SV’s Kevin Dyer (10-8, So.) v. Jacob Blair (27-0, So.)
120: Forfeit v. Christian Good (15-11, So.)
126: SV’s Josh Jones (17-0, Jr.) v. Mario Barberio (27-4, So.)
132: SV’s Nick Rosengrant (15-3, Jr.) v. Bryce Vollman (20-8, Fr.)
138: SV’s Justin Kyra (17-4, Jr.) v. Joseph Klock (28-3, Sr.) or Ethan Gush (17-10, Fr.)
145: SV’s Jason Jones (17-1, Sr.) v. Coleman Good (24-5, Jr.)
152: SV’s Angelo Mahaffey (18-3 , Sr.) v. Noah Gush 22-7, Sr.)
160: SV’s Thomas Spirk (17-5, So.) v. Gavin Eisenhower (14-12, Jr.)
170: SV’s Braydyn Lugardo (10-7, So.) v. Mike Kustanbauter (28-3, Jr.)
182: SV’s Dane Csencsits (16-4, So.) v. Josh Hall (3-5, Sr.)
195: SV’s Jarrett Hirschbeck (14-6, Jr.) v. Cael Hembury (12-13, So.)
220: SV’s Jared Harka (14-4, Jr.) v. Hunter Poust (27-1, Sr.)
285: SV’s Tim Weaver (6-1, Jr.) or Nick Warnke (7-2, S0.) v. Jacob Whitaker (3-4, Sr.)
*Notes: Records courtesy of www.PA-Wrestling.com. Muncy’s better wrestlers have been highlighted.
Good Luck Panthers, the Source is with you!
