There is a certain buzz swirling around the Pennsylvania high school wrestling during the first four weeks of the season.

Individual tournaments trump dual meets and take center stage. That means high-profile tournaments, big-time bouts, and a possible look ahead to future match-ups in the March PIAA Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center.

One of the top events in the December stretch is the King of the Tournament at Central Mountain High School. This event features plenty of star power and provides a measuring stick for wrestlers trying to build momentum and make a name for themselves against top-flight talent.

This year’s edition of the King of the Mountain is no different. Below is a fan guide with storylines, returning champs, seeds, and more to bring you up to speed on the event. You can follow along the action on the Flo Arena.

 

SCHEDULE

 

FRIDAY:

Preliminary and Consolation Round 1: 2-5:15 p.m.

Preliminary and Consolation Round 2: 5:30-8:45 p.m.

 

SATURDAY

Quarterfinals and Consolation Round 3: 10 a.m.-Noon.

Consolation Round 4: 12:15-1:15 p.m.

Semifinals and Consolation Round 5: 1:30-3:15 p.m.

Consolation Round 6: 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Championship and Consolation Finals: 5:30-8 p.m.

 

RETURNING CHAMPIONS

 

Kyle Waterman, 113, Jr, Council Rock South (106)

Colton Camacho, 132, Sr, Franklin Regional (132)

Jared McGill, 182, Sr, Chestnut Ridge (170)

Jacob Edwards, 285, Sr, Central Mountain (285)

 

TOP EIGHT SEEDS

 

106: 1. Carter Dilbert, so, Franklin Regional; 2. Kai Burkett, so, Chestnut Ridge; 3. Jay Maldonado, so, Boyertown; 4. Hunter Robinson, fr, General McLane; 5. Nic Allison, fr, Mifflin County; 6. Cavan Kinne, so, Council Rock South; 7. Troy Hohman, fr, Penn-Trafford; 8. Easton Toth, fr, Forest Hills.

113: 1. Kyle Waterman, jr, Council Rock South; 2. Sammy McMonagle, so, West Chester Henderson; 3. Nick Onea, sr, Pottsville; 4. Logan Maczko, so, Phillipsburg; 5. Dylan Chappell, so, Seneca Valley; 6. Braden Bower, fr, Williamsport; 7. Jackson Arrington, fr, Forest Hills; 8. Ruston Dzielak, jr, Cumberland Valley.

120: 1. Alejandro Herrara-Rondon, so, Seneca Valley; 2. Killian Delaney, jr, West Chester-Henderson; 3. Ben Monn, jr, Cumberland Valley; 4. Christian Fisher, sr, Mifflin County; 5. Maximino Mendez, sr, Council Rock South; 6. Andrew Brest, sr, General McLane; 7. Trent Valovchik, jr, Burrell; 8. Noah Hunt, jr, Warrior Run.

126: 1. Ian Oswalt, so, Burrell; 2. Will Betancourt, jr, Manheim Central; 3. Shane Hanson-Ashworth, sr, Council Rock South; 4. Derek Burk, jr, Mifflin County; 5. Owen Woolcott, so, State College; 6. Hunter Arbogast, jr, Cumberland Valley; 7. Alex Kightlinger, jr, Saegertown; 8. Micheal Palmer, fr, Delaney.

132: 1. Colton Camacho, sr, Franklin Regional; 2. Travis Jones, sr, Phillipsburg; 3. Matthew Leehan, so, General McLane; 4. Cade Zeamer, sr, Manheim Central; 5. Byron Daubert, sr, Forest Hills; 6. Cal Schoffstall, jr, Pottsville; 7. Braden Ricchini, sr, Council Rock South; 8. Ryan Smith, sr, Bellefonte.

138: 1. Anthony Corrado, so, Burrell; 2. Cade Reichart, sr, Cumberland Valley; 3. Jack Coulston, sr, Boiling Springs; 4. Drew Vlasnik, jr, Seneca Valley; 5. Cole Meredith, sr, Owen J. Roberts; 6. Logan Newton, jr, Wyalusing; 7. Evan Courts, jr, State College; 8. Cole Stewart, sr, Bellefonte.

145: 1. Kollin Myers, sr, Boiling Springs; 2. Nick Coy, sr, Penn-Trafford; 3. Kenny Kiser, jr, Saegertown; 4. Antonio Petrucelli, jr, Owen J. Roberts; 5. Kyle Tino, sr, Phillipsburg; 6. Erik Gibson, fr, Forest Hills; 7. Antonio Amelio, so, Seneca Valley; 8. Griffin Smeltz, sr, Line Mountain.

152: 1. Cody Harrison, sr, Phillipsburg; 2. Luke Phayre, sr, West Chester Henderson; 3. Eric Woloshyn, sr, Council Rock South; 4. Hunter Gregoris, sr, Big Spring; 5. Nick Montalbano, sr, Seneca Valley; 6. Austin Sauder, sr, Manheim Central; 7. Alec Supanick, jr, North Star; 8. Brett Breidor, sr, Boyertown.

160: 1. Trey Kibe, so, Mifflin County; 2. Cole Flanagan, jr, Council Rock South; 3. Evan Mortimer, jr, Boyertown; 4. Anthony Robinson, sr, Williamsport; 5. Braden Goodman, sr, Pottsville; 6. Ty Nixon, fr, Muncy; 7. Ryan Weyandt, so, Forest Hills; 8. Josh McCall, sr, Ft. LeBoeuf.

170: 1. Austin Mele, sr, Burrell; 2. Nick Kostyak, sr, Boiling Springs; 3. Brent Burbules, sr, Ft. LeBoeuf; 4. Ricky McCutchen, sr, Owen J. Roberts; 5. Matt Colajezzi, fr, Council Rock South; 6. Elliot Park, so, Brookville; 7. Shane Quick, jr, Pottsville; 8. Bay Blaschak, so, Northern York.

182: 1. Jared McGill, sr, Chestnut Ridge; 2. Julian Gorring, sr, Ft. LeBoeuf; 3. Nik Korbich, sr, Council Rock South; 4. John Bachar, sr, Penn-Trafford; 5. Jake Lucas, so, Cumberland Valley; 6. Mike Kustanbauter, sr, Muncy; 7. Dylan Bisel, sr, Bald Eagle Area; 8. Keegan McCord, sr, Manheim Central.

195: 1. Cole Urbas, sr, State College; 2. Jake Miller, sr, Boyertown; 3. Hunter Tremain, sr, North Star; 4. Austin Crouse, sr, Chestnut Ridge; 5. Giani Gilch, jr, Council Rock South; 6. Kyle Swartz, jr, Northern York; 7. Tym Nevadomsky, sr, Pottsville; 8. Austin Roth, sr, Phillipsburg.

220: 1. Duane Knisely, jr, Chestnut Ridge; 2. David Close, jr, Bald Eagle Area; 3. Jake Sonder, sr, Boyertown; 4. Gavin Range, sr, West Chester Henderson; 5. Jackson Chilson, jr, Wyalusing; 6. Tanner Riggle, sr, Central Mountain; 7. Seth Yarger, jr, General McLane; 8. Mason Slahtovsky, sr, Burrell.

285: 1. Colby Whitehill, jr, Brookville; 2. Jacob Edwards, sr, Central Mountain; 3. Damon James, sr, Boiling Springs; 4. Dalton Seace, sr, Chestnut Ridge; 5. RJ Wildrick, sr, Wyalusing; 6. RJ Quinn, so, Pottsville; 7. Cody Cruts, jr, Phillipsburg; 8. Lucas Donovan, jr, Big Spring.

 

STORYLINES TO WATCH

 

Class 2A Team Top-Heavy: This is an individual tournament, but you have a strong contingent of ranked Class 2A dual teams sprinkled throughout the 32-team field. Three of the top five teams in PA Power Wrestling’s team rankings are slated to compete at Central Mountain High School, and nine of the top 25 squads will be in attendance. Muncy enters the scrap as the No. 3 team, with Burrell (4^th) and Chestnut Ridge (5^th) following close behind. Brookville (7^th), Boiling Springs (10^th), Bald Eagle Area (11^th), North Star (13^th), Line Mountain (15^th), and Ft. LeBoeuf (25^th) are also in the field. It will be interesting to see how these teams negotiate loaded brackets and stack up against one another in what could be a preview of things to come at states.

 

Liking 145: It’s difficult to decipher the toughest weight in the King of the Mountain this early in the season, but I’m intrigued by the 145 bracket. Boiling Springs three-time state placer Kollin Myers garnered the top seed — he has two runner-up finishes in Hershey — with Penn-Trafford’s Nick Coy lurking as the two seed. Myers is ranked No. 1 at 152 in PA Power Wrestling’s initial rankings, with Coy sitting at No. 2 in Class 3A-138. The weight also includes Saegertown two-time state qualifier and No. 3 seed Kenny Kiser, ranked second at Class 2A-152, and Owen J. Roberts’ Antonio Petrucelli — he is ranked 10^th at 152 in Class 3A — positioned in the No. 4 slot. Throw in Forest Hills’ Erik Gibson, winner of The Surge and No. 2 on PA Power Wrestling’s list of Top Incoming Freshmen, and you could have a pretty good semifinal and championship round.

 

The Hawks are coming: If you don’t know a lot about District 1 bully Council Rock South, you could get a crash course in this year’s edition of the King of the Mountain Tournament. The Hawks enter the weekend as the No. 4-ranked Class 3A dual-meet team by PA Power Wrestling for a reason, and that showed in the seeding process. There are 11 seeded Hawk wrestlers, five of whom are positioned in the top four spots. Defending KoM 106-pound champ Kyle Waterman — he was fifth at states a year ago — tops this group and has earned the top seed at 113. Shane Hanson-Ashworth (126), Eric Woloshyn (152), Cole Flanagan (160), and Nik Korbich (182) are also seeded in the top four at their respective weights. This team doesn’t have a ton of stars, but they have depth and are in good position to claim the team title this weekend.

 

Missing Men: A pair of expected returning King of the Mountain champs are not in this year’s field. Muncy’s 113-pound title holder Jacob Blair is out with an injury, while Kaden Cassidy, last year’s 120-pound champion, has transferred to Bedford after wrestling at Chestnut Ridge a year ago. The Bison aren’t competing in this year’s event. These two wrestlers would have garnered high seeds and been a tough out in an already stacked pool of talented wrestlers.

 

Looking for that must-see title bout …: It might just come at 120. Seneca Valley’s Alejandro Herrara-Rondon is the top seed at the weight, and he appears to be on a collision course with West Chester Henderson’s Killian Delaney. The two wrestlers are seeded first and second at the weight and have a pretty good resume heading into the King of the Mountain. Herrara-Rondon, a sophomore, is the lone returning state champion in the tournament, as he captured last season’s Class 3A-106 title with a record of 46-8. Delaney, a junior, counters with a 41-6 mark last season on his way to a runner-up finish in Class 3A-113. Herrara-Rondon is ranked No. 1 at 113 by PA Power Wrestling, with Delaney checking in at No. 3 at 126.