2016 POWERade Field to Feature 3 of Nation's Top 10 Teams

The participants for the 2016 POWERade tournament were released on Monday, and the 50th Annual event will again bring in one of the top fields in the nation.

Last year’s event was ranked as the toughest tournament in Pennsylvania and the second-toughest in the nation. It’s hard to imagine this year’s being ranked much lower, as it will include three of the top 10 teams in Intermat’s final team rankings and five of its top 50. PA prep school Wyoming Seminary finished the year ranked second and New Jersey’s Bergen Catholic, a new addition for 2016, was fourth. District 7 power Belle Vernon is back after concluding the season in the No. 10 spot.

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Bergen Catholic won the New Jersey state title last season, one of six championship teams from five states in the field. In addition to PA AA champ Brookville, Maryland (South Carroll), Virginia (Colonial Forge) West Virginia (Independence in AA and Parkersburg South in AAA) will be sending their top teams.

Wyoming Seminary won the POWERade team title a year ago, and seven individual champs will return in 2016. They are: Job Chisko (106, Penn-Trafford), Gavin Teasdale (113, Jefferson-Morgan), Josh Humphreys (120, St. Albans, WV), Jake Riegel (126, Wyoming Seminary), Cameron Coy (145, Penn-Trafford), Brandon Kui (182, DePaul Catholic, NJ) and Ronald Tucker (285, Lockport Township, IL). And, of course, there is Spencer Lee, the two-time champion from Franklin Regional who missed the 2015 tournament.

Lee did go on to win his third PIAA title last season – one of 22 state champions scheduled to be in the 2016 field. He’s also one of three wrestlers ranked No. 1 Nationally by Intermat who should be in the tournament, joining Teasdale – his fellow Iowa recruit – and Cameron Coy. All three are from Pennsylvania.

The 48-team field includes squads from California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Thirty-nine PA teams are scheduled to participate, representing PIAA districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11.

The tournament will be held Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30 at Canon-McMillan High School in Canonsburg. Get more information about the tournament at poweradewrestling.com.

 

Competing teams

 

Pennsylvania

Belle Vernon (District 7)

Benton (District 4)

Bethel Park (District 7)

Bishop McDevitt (District 3)

Brookville (District 9)

Burrell (District 7)

Canon-McMillan (District 7)

Cedar Cliff (District 3)

Chestnut Ridge (District 5)

Connellsville (District 7)

Erie Prep (District 10)

Franklin Regional (District 7)

Freedom (District 7)

Hempfield (District 7)

Jefferson-Morgan (District 7)

Kiski Area (District 7)

Latrobe (District 7)

Mifflin County (District 6)

Montoursville (District 4)

North Allegheny (District 7)

Parkland (District 11)

Penn-Trafford (District 7)

Pine Richland (District 7)

Reynolds (District 10)

Saegertown (District 10)

Seneca Valley (District 7)

Waynesburg (District 7)

Westmont Hilltop (District 6)

Wyoming Seminary (Prep)

 

California

Oakdale

 

Georgia

Ridgeland

 

Illinois

Lockport Township

 

Maryland

Good Counsel

St. Paul’s

South Carroll

 

New Jersey

Bergen Catholic

Bound Brook

DePaul Catholic

 

New York

Penfield

 

Ohio

Moeller

 

Virginia

Battlefield

Cave Spring

Colonial Forge

 

West Virginia

Huntington

Independence

Parkersburg South

St. Albans

University

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