Every wrestler travels a different path to the PIAA Wrestling Championships.
For the ultra elite, it can be a smooth ride, sweeping to district and regional titles as a prelude to the main event in Hershey.
For the next tier down, it can be a grind, but a grind they win more often than not — say a district championship but a regional runner-up finish.
And for the next tier, they’ve waded through the infested waters of the wrestlebacks, their season teetering on the brink more than once along the way. Yet they persevered and prevailed and earned their place in the 20-man bracket at states, which begins this morning at the Giant Center with the Class AA preliminaries.
Over the next three days, 12 months of blood, sweat and sacrifice culminate with a chance at glory.
Let’s take a look at some storylines to watch this weekend:
More the merrier
This year marks the debut of the PIAA’s expanded state bracket. For years, they’ve gone with 16 before voting to increase the field to 20.
I wasn’t a big fan of that at the beginning, but I’ve softened that position. It’s great for kids to have the opportunity to compete at states, and the level of wrestling I’ve seen from many of those fifth- and sixth-place finishers has been pretty good.
It will be interesting to see if any of them make a run through the tournament to earn a place on the medals podium come Saturday.
All-time greats
Pages 84-85 of last year’s state program featured the wrestlers who have placed four times in the PIAA Championships.
For many years, only the top six earned medals before expanding to top eight in the late 1990s.
Seven locals are on that list, the last Blue Mountain’s Corey Keener in 2012.
This season, Tri-Valley senior Caleb Bordner has a chance to join that group. Eighth as a freshman, sixth as a sophomore and seventh as a junior, Bordner has battled through the consolations each season to make the podium.
He comes into the tournament 40-4 on the season and looking to add to his school-record wins total of 153.
Chance at redemption
Last season, Upper Dauphin senior Coy Campbell came within two minutes of earning his first state medal.
In the second round of consolations, Campbell led Jamestown’s Faris Messai 5-0 before Messai caught Campbell off-balance and pinned him in 3:26.
Campbell is back at states once again looking to end his high school career with that elusive state medal.
Last chance
In addition to Bordner and Campbell, Tri-Valley’s Hunter Harner and Anthony Snyder; North Schuylkill’s Alek Hummel and Nate Gadinski; and Panther Valley’s Rian Shubeck; are returning state qualifiers and seniors.
Tamaqua’s Dylan Rynkiewicz and Williams Valley’s Matt Miller are the other senior state qualifiers.
The breakdown this season has nine seniors, six juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen.
For seniors like Harner, it’s time to go out with a bang. A four-time state qualifier, the Dawgs’ 160-pounder has an eighth-place medal to his credit. He’s been wrestling great during the postseason and is capable of collecting another state medal of a different color.
As a district and regional champion, Hummel comes in with a lot of momentum in what looks like a pretty tough weight class.
Hummel went 1-2 at states last season, coming one win short of medal status.
“I think it’s going to set me up good in the bracket at states, and hopefully get in the finals,’’ Hummel said after last Saturday’s regional finals win. “That’s the plan.’’
On the cusp
Lehighton junior Connor Frey enters the tournament with 99 career wins. Jim Thorpe junior Kevan Gentile has 97. It’s possible both could reach the century mark in Hershey.
Odds and ends
• For the third straight season, no Class AAA wrestlers have qualified for states. Blue Mountain and Pottsville both have some excellent young talent, but it’s up to these guys to dedicate themselves and improve. Here’s hoping they put in a great offseason of training and they earn places in the state field in 2016.
Coming through District 11 and the Northeast Regional in Class AAA is a daunting task, but that’s the hand the Eagles and Tide have been dealt.
Local wrestlers have qualified through this gauntlet before and they can again.
• Eight of the 18 qualifiers are members of the 100-win club, and as noted earlier, two more could join them at states.
• Freshmen Dan Scheib (220) of Tri-Valley and Ignacion Reynoso (182) of Hamburg will get their first experience competing today under the bright lights of the Giant Center.
As ninth-graders in the upper weights, they’ve more than held their own against older competition.
• Nine different schools — Hamburg, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, North Schuylkill, Panther Valley, Tamaqua, Tri-Valley, Upper Dauphin and Williams Valley — are represented at states. Tri-Valley has six qualifiers; Panther Valley three; Williams Valley and North Schuylkill two apiece; and the rest one each.
Medal count
Five of the area’s 17 state qualifiers last season came home with medals.
Tri-Valley’s Bordner and Sammy Hepler and North Schuylkill’s Auston Hummel were seventh. Panther Valley’s Richard Nase and Hamburg’s Cody Miller took eighths.
Auston Hummel, Nase and Miller have gradauted.
(Lipsky is the wrestling beat writer for The Republican-Herald. Follow him on Twitter
at @boblipskyRH)
Area PIAA wrestling qualifiers
Year AA AAA Total Champs
1996-97 13 1 14 2
1997-98 10 2 12 2
1998-99 11 5 16 0
1999-00 11 6 17 0
2000-01 14 3 17 2
2001-02 16 2 18 0
2002-03 7 4 11 0
2003-04 14 0 14 1
2004-05 6 1 7 0
2005-06 8 0 8 0
2006-07 9 1 10 0
2007-08 13 2 15 1
2008-09 14 6 20 1
2009-10 15 6 21 1
2010-11 11 4 15 2
2011-12 13 3 16 1
2012-13 13 0 13 0
2013-14 17 0 17 0
2014-15 18 0 18 ?
NOTES: Area includes Schuylkill League plus Hamburg, Mount Carmel and Shamokin. In 2002-03 season, a 14th weight class (215) was added. In 2011-12 season, weights were realigned, but 14 classes remained. In 2014-15, PIAA expanded state bracket from 16 to 20 per weight class.
PIAA schedule
At Giant Center
Hershey
Today
9 a.m. — Class AA preliminaries and first round
12:30 p.m. — Class AA first-round consolations
4 p.m. — Class AAA preliminaries and first round
7:30 p.m. — Class AAA first-round consolations
Friday
9 a.m. — Class AA quarterfinals and second-round consolations
11:15 a.m. — Class AA third-round consolations
1:30 p.m. — Class AAA quarterfinals and second-round consolations
3:45 p.m. — Class AAA third-round consolations
6:30 p.m. — Class AA semifinals and fourth-round consolations
9 p.m. — Class AA fifth-round consolations
Saturday
9 a.m. — Class AAA semifinals and fourth-round consolations
11:30 a.m. — Class AAA fifth-round consolations
2 p.m. — Class AA finals, 3rd-, 5th- and 7th-place consolations
7 p.m. — Class AAA finals, 3rd-, 5th- and 7th-place consolations
Directions
From Schuylkill County, take Interstate 81 South to Exit 77 (Manada Hill). Off ramp, turn left and follow Route 39 East to Giant Center. Continue across Hersheypark Drive into arena parking lot. Alternate route: Exit 80 off I-81, left off exit. Follow Route 743 to Hersheypark Drive. Turn right and follow to arena.
Follow live
Keep up with the results of local wrestlers by following Bob Lipsky on Twitter at @boblipskyRH.