14 Can't Miss Quarterfinals in Class 2A

It was a great opening day at the state tournament in Hershey, but Day 2 promises to be even better with quarterfinals and semifinals in Class AA.

Even though the quarterfinal round begins at 9 a.m. Friday, you’ll want to have your popcorn ready for these matchups:

 

106 lbs.

#3 Nathan Smith, Bishop McDevitt vs. #7 Anthony Glasl, Brockway

The freshman will do battle after winning in different ways on Thursday. Glasl pinned #9 Allen Simmonss of Cambria Heights in the first round while Smith eked out an (8-7) victory over #10 Baylor Shunk of Penns Valley.

 

113 lbs.

#4 Austin Burkhart, Athens vs. #2 Chase Shields, Bishop McDevitt

This is a rematch from Escape the Rock, where Shields won (5-0). The sophomore looked very strong in a tech fall over Burrell’s Bryan Gaul in the first round, and he’ll need to be to beat Burkhart again.

 

120 lbs.

#6 Colin Pasone, E.L. Meyers vs. #16 John Wheeler, Northwestern

Wheeler stunned #4 Jacob Powers of St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy (1-0) in the first round after beating Northern Lebanon’s Colin Leonard in the preliminary round. Pasone had an even bigger win, beating #8 Bronson Garber of Upper Dauphin, who was #1 for much of the year, (7-3).

 

126 lbs.

#3 Kollin Myers, Boiling Springs vs. #5 Tye Varndell, Cambridge Springs

This is another rematch, as Myers beat Varndell (11-5) at the Tool City Tournament in January. Myers is coming off a third-place finish at the Southeast Regional but is still the favorite.

 

132 lbs.

#5 Caleb Dowling, St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy vs. #2 Gabe Miller, Pequea Valley

Miller is just a sophomore, but the 41-0 wrestler will be the veteran here, as Dowling is just a freshman. After falling short of a medal last year, Miller has been on a mission this season.

 

138 lbs.

#3 Sammy Hepler, Tri-Valley vs. #5 Thayne Lawrence, Frazier

Speaking of differences in experience … Hepler is a three-time state qualifier looking to cap his high school career with a second medal while Lawrence is a freshman just getting used to the Giant Center. But Lawrence looked every bit the seasoned wrestler in his (5-1) loss to #1 Max Murin in the Southwest Regional final.

 

145 lbs.

#2 John Pipa, Bishop McDevitt vs. #3 Kody Komara, Freedom

Talk about a quarterfinal to watch! Who needs semifinals to get huge matchups? These two haven’t met this season, but they have a common opponent in #1 Justin McCoy of Chestnut Ridge. Pipa dropped a 8-7 heartbreaker to McCoy at King of the Mountain while Komara fell to the Southwest Regional champion three times – including twice by a single point.

 

152 lbs.

#2 Robert Patrick, Ligonier Valley vs. #3 Caleb Clymer, Northwestern

There are a few great matchups here, but we can’t pass up #2 vs. #3. Patrick looked very good in the quarterfinals, with a technical fall over Kane’s Aiden Hulings while Clymer won (8-4) over #8 Josh Haley.

 

160 lbs.

#5 Seth Baney, Huntingdon vs. #6 Gavin Wilkerson, Reynolds

Baney beat Wilkerson (7-3) in the state duals a month ago, but the senior has hit a few potholes since then, falling in the District 6 and Southwest Regional tournaments while Wilkerson might be peaking at the right time of the season.

 

170 lbs.

#4 Joel Leise, Reynolds vs. #2 Jared McGill, Chestnut Ridge

These two didn’t match up when their teams met at the Brookville Ultimate Duals in January, but they’ll collide Friday morning! Both were impressive on Thursday, with Leise picking up a first-period fall and McGill rolling to a tech fall.

 

182 lbs.

#11 Christian Hutzell, Meyersdale vs. #7 Julian Gorring, Fort LeBoeuf

After placing sixth last season, Hutzell has had a bit of an up-and-down year – so much so that he was in the preliminary round on Thursday. But a fall there and an injury default victory over #2 Luke Funck has him a win away from the semifinals. Goring has been much more consistent in his sophomore season.

 

195 lbs.

#1 Gavin Hoffman, Montoursville vs. #4 Jerry Moore, Blairsville

Hoffman will be a heavy favorite here, but a few upsets mean that this weight doesn’t have an ultra-intriguing matchup.

 

220 lbs.

#1 Josiah Jones, Bishop McCort vs. #4 Devin Fontanez, Saucon Valley

Jones was a state runner-up at this weight last year, losing 2-1 to Cole Nye in Tiebreaker 2. Fontanez lost 4-3 to #2 Nye in the Southeast Regional final.

 

285 lbs.

#4 Cole Rickert, Reynolds vs. #3 Evan Sweesy, Freedom

Rickert has gone 17-0 since returning from a foot injury that kept him out for much of the season, but he’ll face a big – figuratively and literally – test in Sweesy, who took eighth at 285 last year while Rickert was placing eighth at 220.

 

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