2026 PIAA postseason

[El_Jefe]

Starts tonight. The schedule:

2/13 weekend:
- various sectionals
- District tourneys: D5 AA, D6 AA, D10 AAA

2/20 weekend:
- D1 AAA sectionals
- remaining District tourneys
- SC AAA Regionals

2/27 weekend:
- remaining Regionals

3/5-7: states

 

[Fan16801]

Commits in action:

133 Braiden Weaver into Finals
152 James Whitbred into Finals

Also of note:

139 Mason Sanderson into consis
172 Teag Sanderson into Finals

 

[El_Jefe]

Districts held so far:

No PSU commits or known recruits in completed brackets. A few Hawks and Tanners, otherwise general info so far ...

D1 AA:
- The big news here is 2x S1 Joe Bachmann (JR, Faith Christian, Iowa) remaining at 152 instead of dropping to 145, where he started the season before getting majored by Bo Bassett. So he will not compete in the state bracket with Bassett, Brandt Harer, and Greyson Music.
- FCA's other big guns pinned their way thru their brackets: 127 S1 Fred Bachmann (SO, Iowa); 160 Shane Wagner (SR, Little Rock); 172 S1 Nick Singer (SR, Deadlift U); 189 3x S1 Adam Waters (SR, Deadlift U); 215 S2 Cael Weidemoyer (SR, Lehigh); HWT S2 Mark Effendian (SR, Princeton).

D5 AA:
- 107: Kooper Deputy (FR, Chestnut Ridge) won, is now 44-0. Will be among the favorites at states.
- 127: Returning S1/3x finalist Dom Deputy (SR, Chestnut Ridge, NC State) won, is now 45-2.
- 145: not noteworthy except for champ's last name is Schardt. I'm sure teenage boys have never made fun of him.

D6 AA:
- 121: Good finals matchup on paper, S4 Keegan Bassett (SO, McCruit) vs. S3 Max Dinges (SO, Penns Valley). Bassett won 14-3.
- Bo Bassett (145) and Melvin Miller (160) each won with 4 TFs, but 2 of Miller's opponents made it into the 2nd period. Slacker.
- 189: Tyrone Head Coach Quentin Wright has an undefeated district champ. SR Kyle Scott (Pitt) is now 39-0. He'll be a state finalist contender, though he got teched by Waters last year, so winning will be a tall order.
- HWT: Caleb Rodriguez (SR, McCruit, Pitt) won with a ho-hum 4-0 win over a guy committed to Frostburg State. He's #2 in the state and won't beat Effendian, but a match like this at states could bounce him before the finals.

D10 AAA: Nothing to see here. No state finalist contenders, maybe no state medalists. They'll be lucky to qualify 5 guys out of regionals.

D12 AA: Not much to see here either. Conwell-Egan has a couple guys who might place at states -- 121 JR Thomas Boyce (12-0) and 145 Colin Walther (JR, 31-1) both medaled last year. 114 Hunter Webster (SO, 30-2) and 139 Michael Gorrell (SO, 32-6) are also state medal contenders. But probably none are regional champs next weekend or state finalists. Otherwise pretty weak district.

 

[El_Jefe]

@Tom McAndrew @GregPickel
We have at least 3 threads about the PIAA postseason now ... maybe they can be merged?

 

[PUR158]

Districts held so far:

No PSU commits or known recruits in completed brackets. A few Hawks and Tanners, otherwise general info so far ...

D1 AA:
- The big news here is 2x S1 Joe Bachmann (JR, Faith Christian, Iowa) remaining at 152 instead of dropping to 145, where he started the season before getting majored by Bo Bassett. So he will not compete in the state bracket with Bassett, Brandt Harer, and Greyson Music.
- FCA's other big guns pinned their way thru their brackets: 127 S1 Fred Bachmann (SO, Iowa); 160 Shane Wagner (SR, Little Rock); 172 S1 Nick Singer (SR, Deadlift U); 189 3x S1 Adam Waters (SR, Deadlift U); 215 S2 Cael Weidemoyer (SR, Lehigh); HWT S2 Mark Effendian (SR, Princeton).

D5 AA:
- 107: Kooper Deputy (FR, Chestnut Ridge) won, is now 44-0. Will be among the favorites at states.
- 127: Returning S1/3x finalist Dom Deputy (SR, Chestnut Ridge, NC State) won, is now 45-2.
- 145: not noteworthy except for champ's last name is Schardt. I'm sure teenage boys have never made fun of him.

D6 AA:
- 121: Good finals matchup on paper, S4 Keegan Bassett (SO, McCruit) vs. S3 Max Dinges (SO, Penns Valley). Bassett won 14-3.
- Bo Bassett (145) and Melvin Miller (160) each won with 4 TFs, but 2 of Miller's opponents made it into the 2nd period. Slacker.
- 189: Tyrone Head Coach Quentin Wright has an undefeated district champ. SR Kyle Scott (Pitt) is now 39-0. He'll be a state finalist contender, though he got teched by Waters last year, so winning will be a tall order.
- HWT: Caleb Rodriguez (SR, McCruit, Pitt) won with a ho-hum 4-0 win over a guy committed to Frostburg State. He's #2 in the state and won't beat Effendian, but a match like this at states could bounce him before the finals.

D10 AAA: Nothing to see here. No state finalist contenders, maybe no state medalists. They'll be lucky to qualify 5 guys out of regionals.

D12 AA: Not much to see here either. Conwell-Egan has a couple guys who might place at states -- 121 JR Thomas Boyce (12-0) and 145 Colin Walther (JR, 31-1) both medaled last year. 114 Hunter Webster (SO, 30-2) and 139 Michael Gorrell (SO, 32-6) are also state medal contenders. But probably none are regional champs next weekend or state finalists. Otherwise pretty weak district.

Easy on the D10 bashing, they only have a few AAA teams. Cathedral Prep is now AA and Reynolds always McGowan's themselves to a few medals in AA as well.

 

[CTStall]

Quick District 11 AAA update. Notre Dame GP leading Nazareth going into finals by about 10 points. They both have 5 in the finals.
Note
Reef Dillard as 4 seed beat 2024 State champ Trey Wagner in the Semis.
Reef is going to Lehigh with his brother.

 

[El_Jefe]

Easy on the D10 bashing, they only have a few AAA teams. Cathedral Prep is now AA and Reynolds always McGowan's themselves to a few medals in AA as well.

Not bashing, facts. It's a down year for them. I don't wish it to be, but that's what it is.

Look at those brackets:

https://brackets.pa-wrestling.com/2025-2026/district-10-aaa

Here are the W-L records of the champs: 25-9, 20-13, 32-5, 11-3, 28-8, 18-7, 29-7, 26-13, 25-10, 28-9, 27-9, 21-12, 16-16. None of them qualified for states last year. And their records are inflated -- none of those schools compete at the top tourneys like Powerade or Ironman or Escape the Rock or Beast; or at the next level events like Chambersburg Trojan Wars or Bethlehem Holiday Tourney.

There are only 5 schools in D10 AAA, and 4 weights had 3 or fewer entries. The 215 champ didn't wrestle -- the other 4 schools didn't field an entry.

In reality, that was a sectional that was called districts, and I don't know why it even exists. That was last weekend. This weekend is a combined D9/D10 AAA tourney which has 8 schools combined, so it's not as if they needed a sectional qualifier into districts.

 

[GregPickel]

@Tom McAndrew @GregPickel
We have at least 3 threads about the PIAA postseason now ... maybe they can be merged?

Done.

 

[RockySmith]

Districts held so far:

No PSU commits or known recruits in completed brackets. A few Hawks and Tanners, otherwise general info so far ...

D1 AA:
- The big news here is 2x S1 Joe Bachmann (JR, Faith Christian, Iowa) remaining at 152 instead of dropping to 145, where he started the season before getting majored by Bo Bassett. So he will not compete in the state bracket with Bassett, Brandt Harer, and Greyson Music.

I had immense respect for DeSanto dropping into Lee’s bracket senior year.

 

[GregPickel]

 

[Fan16801]

Commits in action:

133 Braiden Weaver 1st, pinned his final opponent
152 James Whitbred 1st, 13-2 over his final opponent

Also of note:

172 Teag Sanderson 1st, 15-2 over his final opponent

 

[BigFella235]

D10 AAA: Nothing to see here. No state finalist contenders, maybe no state medalists. They'll be lucky to qualify 5 guys out of regionals.

D10 AAA is a joke of its former self. Jefe’s being generous by saying they might get 5 out of regions.

Team by team-
Harbor Creek: easily in the best shape talent wise. Chew is their best kid, followed maybe by Zillman. Chew probably stands the best shot at getting out of regions, but he’s had some close matches against kids I thought he’d blow out.

Meadville: not even close to the program they once were. Most (if not all) of their better youth kids are wrestling for Saegertown now. Their best wrestler is Jacoby Thompson followed by Ryder Say, but beyond that they’re not great. Either one could push for a podium spot at regions, but my gut says it’s a little bit of a long shot.

McDowell: an absolute mess top to bottom. Lots of egos trying to take the program in a bunch of directions at once. Best kid is probably Graeson Harris, but he’s at least a year away from pushing for a spot at states.

Erie: very slowly rising from the basement of D10. Finally seem to have some shred of cohesion as far as having a feeder program and some semblance of a JH. Best kid right now is Selby, but he’s probably 2 years away from being a state level kid.

Warren: best kid is easily Stuart who is probably good enough to win 1-2 matches at regions, but probably not make states. The rest of the team is below average. They’re a few years (at least) away from being good as a team. Their youth program is a mess.

One last little wrinkle- Meadville is dropping to AA next year.

 

[Efejle]

I have never been more disappointed in the PIAA than now. They are doing the sport a complete disservice by continuing to refuse the separation of Catholic schools and public schools.

 

[mvattivo]

D10 AAA is a joke of its former self. Jefe’s being generous by saying they might get 5 out of regions.

Team by team-
Harbor Creek: easily in the best shape talent wise. Chew is their best kid, followed maybe by Zillman. Chew probably stands the best shot at getting out of regions, but he’s had some close matches against kids I thought he’d blow out.

Meadville: not even close to the program they once were. Most (if not all) of their better youth kids are wrestling for Saegertown now. Their best wrestler is Jacoby Thompson followed by Ryder Say, but beyond that they’re not great. Either one could push for a podium spot at regions, but my gut says it’s a little bit of a long shot.

McDowell: an absolute mess top to bottom. Lots of egos trying to take the program in a bunch of directions at once. Best kid is probably Graeson Harris, but he’s at least a year away from pushing for a spot at states.

Erie: very slowly rising from the basement of D10. Finally seem to have some shred of cohesion as far as having a feeder program and some semblance of a JH. Best kid right now is Selby, but he’s probably 2 years away from being a state level kid.

Warren: best kid is easily Stuart who is probably good enough to win 1-2 matches at regions, but probably not make states. The rest of the team is below average. They’re a few years (at least) away from being good as a team. Their youth program is a mess.

One last little wrinkle- Meadville is dropping to AA next year.

Sadly, I don't have the time to stay on top of high school wrestling as much as I used to. I'm actually going to be in Florida, watching my son play college baseball the week of States (fly back Saturday of BIG's and States). This will be the first time in 25+ years where I won't be watching States live or streaming. I'll still be following and will catch up on watching matches when I get back.

All of that said, it is amazing what has happened to District 6 AAA over the years. I graduated in 1993, and I think there were 17 kids in my district bracket. There were district powers (at the time), like Bald Eagle Area and Phillipsburg. Then, you had State College, Central Cambria, Penn Cambria and several others to contend with. It meant something to get out of districts back then. Often, the D6 kids that made it to regionals moved on to States. I was one of them that did make it to states, but, my bracket at Regionals got really tough, with a returning state runner-up (Joe Farr from Warren) and a future state champ (Brett Ruth from Oil City), but, that was not the norm. It's sad seeing what that tournament has become.

 

[mvattivo]

Does anyone know of a thread anywhere that will show big upsets in Districts or Regionals?

 

[Nitlion1986]

I have never been more disappointed in the PIAA than now. They are doing the sport a complete disservice by continuing to refuse the separation of Catholic schools and public schools.

My disappointment in the PIAA is pretty much chronic.

 

[El_Jefe]

Does anyone know of a thread anywhere that will show big upsets in Districts or Regionals?

Maybe PA Power on the tweeter?

I'm gonna try to catch some of those where I can, but I probably won't catch all of them.

Brackets here: https://brackets.pa-wrestling.com

 

[Efejle]

Does anyone think that besides the obvious problem with the Catholic schools, maybe it's time to go back to throwing everything in one batch now instead of 2a and 3a?

 

[BigFella235]

Does anyone think that besides the obvious problem with the Catholic schools, maybe it's time to go back to throwing everything in one batch now instead of 2a and 3a?

You already have that for JH states. It’s easily one of the hardest to place at in youth wrestling. Kids that’ll go on to wrestle in the National Preps, AAA, and AA all under one roof. Seems like every year I see at least 1-2 former youth state finalists exit that tournament without a state medal.

As for HS, that’s a different discussion. The power dynamic between AA and AAA ebbs and flows year over year. Personally, I think having two classifications is fine for now. California and NJ have one class and there’s an unreal amount of talent hoarding concentrated in just a handful of schools

 

[Hardwork830]

District 7 WPIAL Tournament today update with recruits

121lb Landon Sidun dominated his way through the Tournament with a big pin in the finals. He looked like a complete beast.

189lb Mario Hutcherson teched his way through the bracket and then had a 14-2 win in finals over Pitt recruit Snyder from Latrobe.

215lb Elijah Brown dominated in the bracket and then had a 4-0 win in the finals over Roscosky who is a Buffalo recruit.

No one else really in the tournament of PSU caliber. At 127lb Slaboda from Butler looked good and is a Pitt recruit. At 145lb Kai Vielma dominated and is a Stanford recruit.

 

[psugrad85]

District 7 WPIAL Tournament today update with recruits

121lb Landon Sidun dominated his way through the Tournament with a big pin in the finals. He looked like a complete beast.

189lb Mario Hutcherson teched his way through the bracket and then had a 14-2 win in finals over Pitt recruit Snyder from Latrobe.

215lb Elijah Brown dominated in the bracket and then had a 4-0 win in the finals over Roscosky who is a Buffalo recruit.

No one else really in the tournament of PSU caliber. At 127lb Slaboda from Butler looked good and is a Pitt recruit. At 145lb Kai Vielma dominated and is a Stanford recruit.

Sidun won TF 16-0 1:28, TF 19-4 2:14, TF 15-0 4:16, F 7-0 3:03

Hutcherson won TF 17-2 1:13, TF 17-2 2:55, TF 15-0 1:13, MD 14-3

Brown won F 3-0 0:34, F 7-0 0:55, TF 18-0 0:56, DEC 4-0

I don’t think Hutcherson has commiTed anywhere yet.

 

[Psalm 1 guy]

You already have that for JH states. It’s easily one of the hardest to place at in youth wrestling. Kids that’ll go on to wrestle in the National Preps, AAA, and AA all under one roof. Seems like every year I see at least 1-2 former youth state finalists exit that tournament without a state medal.

As for HS, that’s a different discussion. The power dynamic between AA and AAA ebbs and flows year over year. Personally, I think having two classifications is fine for now. California and NJ have one class and there’s an unreal amount of talent hoarding concentrated in just a handful of schools

California has over 1000 high schools with boys wrestling programs. The state has a population of approximately 40 million. To win a state title in single classification California is quite the accomplishment. My home state, Oregon, has a population of approximately 4.3 million and there are five classifications that have a state tournament. Statistically then, for every one state champion awarded in California there would be 46.5 state champions awarded in Oregon!

 

[psugrad85]

Current Junior commit.

 

[royboy]

Glad to see my old high school Cedar Cliff (after a subpar dual season) had two SC AAA champs -- Kavin Muyleart at 127 and Aiden Herndon at 139.

I'll be interested to see if @El_Jefe thinks Muyleart in particular has a good shot at a State title when the field is complete.

 

[Headlock]

Does anyone think that besides the obvious problem with the Catholic schools, maybe it's time to go back to throwing everything in one batch now instead of 2a and 3a?

I personally prefer the two categories bc it provides more kids the opportunity to fulfill a dream.

 

[BaccaFarmer]

California has over 1000 high schools with boys wrestling programs. The state has a population of approximately 40 million. To win a state title in single classification California is quite the accomplishment. My home state, Oregon, has a population of approximately 4.3 million and there are five classifications that have a state tournament. Statistically then, for every one state champion awarded in California there would be 46.5 state champions awarded in Oregon!

Participation trophy for Oregon.

 

[dicemen99]

District 7 WPIAL Tournament today update with

215lb Elijah Brown dominated in the bracket and then had a 4-0 win in the finals over Roscosky who is a Buffalo recruit.

Brown has faced Roscosky eight times in his career, winning all of the bouts.

Three times last year winning 6-4, 1-0, and 4-3 in the state finals.

This year 10-0, injury default, and now 4-0.

Roscosky majored Hoare earlier this year and is undefeated against common opponents.

Expecting them to meet again this season a couple more times in finals.

 

[Hardwork830]

Sidun won TF 16-0 1:28, TF 19-4 2:14, TF 15-0 4:16, F 7-0 3:03

Hutcherson won TF 17-2 1:13, TF 17-2 2:55, TF 15-0 1:13, MD 14-3

Brown won F 3-0 0:34, F 7-0 0:55, TF 18-0 0:56, DEC 4-0

I don’t think Hutcherson has commiTed anywhere yet.

Sidun is a Jr, Brown a senior, Hutcherson a sophomore. Sidun will be PSU next 125lb hammer.

 

[CTStall]

District 11 AAA had 2 returning State Champs at 133 pounds.
Beca's Keanu Dillard beat Whitehall Will Kai 1-0 in finals.

 

[Dogfish]

Not bashing, facts. It's a down year for them. I don't wish it to be, but that's what it is.

Look at those brackets:

https://brackets.pa-wrestling.com/2025-2026/district-10-aaa

Here are the W-L records of the champs: 25-9, 20-13, 32-5, 11-3, 28-8, 18-7, 29-7, 26-13, 25-10, 28-9, 27-9, 21-12, 16-16. None of them qualified for states last year. And their records are inflated -- none of those schools compete at the top tourneys like Powerade or Ironman or Escape the Rock or Beast; or at the next level events like Chambersburg Trojan Wars or Bethlehem Holiday Tourney.

There are only 5 schools in D10 AAA, and 4 weights had 3 or fewer entries. The 215 champ didn't wrestle -- the other 4 schools didn't field an entry.

In reality, that was a sectional that was called districts, and I don't know why it even exists. That was last weekend. This weekend is a combined D9/D10 AAA tourney which has 8 schools combined, so it's not as if they needed a sectional qualifier into districts.

D10 AAA will be lucky to get even 1 state qualifier this year, they are down. D9 AAA with 3 schools, DuBois, Cranberry, and Punxsy, will do better than D10 AAA, and may get up to 5 state qualifiers.

 

[bapsu_1]

Glad to see my old high school Cedar Cliff (after a subpar dual season) had two SC AAA champs -- Kavin Muyleart at 127 and Aiden Herndon at 139.

I'll be interested to see if @El_Jefe thinks Muyleart in particular has a good shot at a State title when the field is complete.

After seeing what he did to Frank Leanza twice I’d put him as a favorite. I’d put Frank as top 4.

 

[El_Jefe]

Districts are all complete. AA in this post, AAA in the next.

D2 AA:
- 107: SO Nathan Schuman (SQ) looks like a state medal contender. 4 pins in under 1:20, now 44-1.
- 127: SO CJ Caines (S6) is now 40-0.
- 139: SR Matthew Almedina (SQ) is now 31-5. He's good, but how bad was this bracket? TF 1:01, TF 0:41, F 0:27, F 0:29.
- 152: Here is an example of an inflated record -- the champ, Valley View SO Tywone Giles, is 39-1. He faced one SQ all year, and lost. This is a very weak weight at NE Regionals, so he'll probably make it to states.

D4 AA:
- Returning state medalists who won: 121 JR Brock Rothermel (Pitt); 133 JR Bradley Wagner (Bucknell); 145 Brandt Harer (Rutger); 160 SR 3x state finalist Reagan Milheim (American); 172 SR Gage Wentzel (WVU).
- 107: SO Branden Eisenhower dominated, is now 45-3, should place at states.
- Upset at 139: Mifflinburg SR Ben Straub, 39-1 entering the weekend, lost his opener to a 30-15 sectional 3rd. Straub then teched/pinned the consi bracket for 3rd. He was NE Regional champ and S7 last year.
- 172: Wentzel and runnerup Max Wirnsberger are probably the 2nd and 3rd best wrestlers in the state. Next week's NE Regional finals will be a war, because the loser will be on the same side of the Hershey bracket as Nick Singer.
- 215: Mifflinburg SO Landon Tucker might be someone to watch at states. He's now 40-1 with only 3 regular decisions; the loss was by injury default.

Congrats to Harer! This weekend he broke Aaron Seidel's record for most career wins. He's now 51-0 on the year.

Also of note: Warrior Run SR 189 Tyler Ulrich scratched from sectionals. He was S7 last year and likely would've medaled again this year.

(Note, I put D2 + D4 side-by-side since they're in the same regional.)


D3 AA:
- 107: FR Arav Pandey (32-3) looks like a possible state finalist. He was 3rd at Powerade, losing 1-0 to Deputy. His other 2 losses are 4-3 and 4-0 to Lotier.
- 114: Returning state champ Braiden Lotier (JR) dominated as expected.
- 121: Returning state finalist Sam Wolford (SR) dominated. He's probably the favorite to win states. Last year he lost by 1 pt to Freddy Bachmann in the finals.
- 133: Really good district-level weight with SR Will Detar (S3, NW commit) winning over SR Chase Homan (S6). SR Liam Lawler (S7) took 3rd.
- 139: SR state finalist Camden Baum (Purdue) won as expected. He's probably the favorite to win states with Herring at NLWC and Bassett + Harer at 145.
- 145: SR state finalist Greyson Music (Stanford) dominated, as expected. He'll win regionals and probably finish 3rd at states behind Bassett and Harer ... though he has a chance against Harer.
- 189: Good finals match between 2 JRs, with 43-1 Gavin Boyd winning 6-3 over 34-2 Troy Ruffner. This is Adam Waters' weight at regionals, still both look likely to qualify for states and possibly medal.

D7 AA:
- I couldn't get too excited here. Most of these guys are gonna get squashed by McCruit and/or Chestnut Ridge next weekend.
- The likely exceptions: 133 SR Lucas Barr (139 SQ last year), 41-4; both 152 finalists, SR Jonah Erdely (SQ, 28-1) and JR Lucas Boyer (S6, 26-4); 172 JR Mason Horwat (S4, Pitt)); 189 JR Brady Brown (S5); 215 SR Noah Layhue; 285 SR Colin Whyte (Kent State).
- The best SW Regional finals next weekend should be 152 (Erdely vs Boyer rematch); 189 (Brown vs Kyle Scott); and HWT (state #3 Whyte vs #2 Caleb Rodriguez).

D9 AA:
- Not a lot to report here. Several FR champs with gaudy records: 107 Max Jovenitti, 38-1; 114 Cody Householder, 37-4; 145 Greyson Meyer, 37-1. We'll see at regionals how well these hold up ... or more likely, how well they'll hold up at states.
- Most upperclass champs had more losses than one would expect, though no real upsets either. With one clear exception ...
- 215 SR Aiden Bliss (S3), 36-1 with only 2 regular decisions. He'll win NW Regionals and has a decent shot at the state finals. He's uncommitted, and in past years he'd be a good target for HWT depth ... but not now with Mirasola and Bundy both FR, Brown incoming, and Cael pursuing Hoare and/or Hazelett in 2028 ... only so many HWT spots to go around.

 

[Psalm 1 guy]

California has two qualification events in order to qualify for the State tournament, which only has one classification. Forty wrestlers qualify per weight. How many qualification events does Pennsylvania have and how many wrestlers are there per bracket? TIA.

 

[PAgeologist]

Districts are all complete. AA in this post, AAA in the next.

D2 AA:
- 107: SO Nathan Schuman (SQ) looks like a state medal contender. 4 pins in under 1:20, now 44-1.
- 127: SO CJ Caines (S6) is now 40-0.
- 139: SR Matthew Almedina (SQ) is now 31-5. He's good, but how bad was this bracket? TF 1:01, TF 0:41, F 0:27, F 0:29.
- 152: Here is an example of an inflated record -- the champ, Valley View SO Tywone Giles, is 39-1. He faced one SQ all year, and lost. This is a very weak weight at NE Regionals, so he'll probably make it to states.

D4 AA:
- Returning state medalists who won: 121 JR Brock Rothermel (Pitt); 133 JR Bradley Wagner (Bucknell); 145 Brandt Harer (Rutger); 160 SR 3x state finalist Reagan Milheim (American); 172 SR Gage Wentzel (WVU).
- 107: SO Branden Eisenhower dominated, is now 45-3, should place at states.
- Upset at 139: Mifflinburg SR Ben Straub, 39-1 entering the weekend, lost his opener to a 30-15 sectional 3rd. Straub then teched/pinned the consi bracket for 3rd. He was NE Regional champ and S7 last year.
- 172: Wentzel and runnerup Max Wirnsberger are probably the 2nd and 3rd best wrestlers in the state. Next week's NE Regional finals will be a war, because the loser will be on the same side of the Hershey bracket as Nick Singer.
- 215: Mifflinburg SO Landon Tucker might be someone to watch at states. He's now 40-1 with only 3 regular decisions; the loss was by injury default.

Congrats to Harer! This weekend he broke Aaron Seidel's record for most career wins. He's now 51-0 on the year.

(Note, I put D2 + D4 side-by-side since they're in the same regional.)


D3 AA:
- 107: FR Arav Pandey (32-3) looks like a possible state finalist. He was 3rd at Powerade, losing 1-0 to Deputy. His other 2 losses are 4-3 and 4-0 to Lotier.
- 114: Returning state champ Braiden Lotier (JR) dominated as expected.
- 121: Returning state finalist Sam Wolford (SR) dominated. He's probably the favorite to win states. Last year he lost by 1 pt to Freddy Bachmann in the finals.
- 133: Really good district-level weight with SR Will Detar (S3, NW commit) winning over SR Chase Homan (S6). SR Liam Lawler (S7) took 3rd.
- 139: SR state finalist Camden Baum (Purdue) won as expected. He's probably the favorite to win states with Herring at NLWC and Bassett + Harer at 145.
- 145: SR state finalist Greyson Music (Stanford) dominated, as expected. He'll win regionals and probably finish 3rd at states behind Bassett and Harer ... though he has a chance against Harer.
- 189: Good finals match between 2 JRs, with 43-1 Gavin Boyd winning 6-3 over 34-2 Troy Ruffner. This is Adam Waters' weight at regionals, still both look likely to qualify for states and possibly medal.

D7 AA:
- I couldn't get too excited here. Most of these guys are gonna get squashed by McCruit and/or Chestnut Ridge next weekend.
- The likely exceptions: 133 SR Lucas Barr (139 SQ last year), 41-4; both 152 finalists, SR Jonah Erdely (SQ, 28-1) and JR Lucas Boyer (S6, 26-4); 172 JR Mason Horwat (S4, Pitt)); 189 JR Brady Brown (S5); 215 SR Noah Layhue; 285 SR Colin Whyte (Kent State).
- The best SW Regional finals next weekend should be 152 (Erdely vs Boyer rematch); 189 (Brown vs Kyle Scott); and HWT (state #3 Whyte vs #2 Caleb Rodriguez).

D9 AA:
- Not a lot to report here. Several FR champs with gaudy records: 107 Max Jovenitti, 38-1; 114 Cody Householder, 37-4; 145 Greyson Meyer, 37-1. We'll see at regionals how well these hold up ... or more likely, how well they'll hold up at states.
- Most upperclass champs had more losses than one would expect, though no real upsets either. With one clear exception ...
- 215 SR Aiden Bliss (S3), 36-1 with only 2 regular decisions. He'll win NW Regionals and has a decent shot at the state finals. He's uncommitted, and in past years he'd be a good target for HWT depth ... but not now with Mirasola and Bundy both FR, Brown incoming, and Cael pursuing Hoare and/or Hazelett in 2028 ... only so many HWT spots to go around.

I was wondering if Bliss might go to a small school for football (D2?). He was a joy to watch play. Too slow to play college RB, but he would likely be ok at linebacker.

He does have a former teammate wrestling at Clarion (Neely-285).

 

[Headlock]

Districts are all complete. AA in this post, AAA in the next.

D2 AA:
- 107: SO Nathan Schuman (SQ) looks like a state medal contender. 4 pins in under 1:20, now 44-1.
- 127: SO CJ Caines (S6) is now 40-0.
- 139: SR Matthew Almedina (SQ) is now 31-5. He's good, but how bad was this bracket? TF 1:01, TF 0:41, F 0:27, F 0:29.
- 152: Here is an example of an inflated record -- the champ, Valley View SO Tywone Giles, is 39-1. He faced one SQ all year, and lost. This is a very weak weight at NE Regionals, so he'll probably make it to states.

D4 AA:
- Returning state medalists who won: 121 JR Brock Rothermel (Pitt); 133 JR Bradley Wagner (Bucknell); 145 Brandt Harer (Rutger); 160 SR 3x state finalist Reagan Milheim (American); 172 SR Gage Wentzel (WVU).
- 107: SO Branden Eisenhower dominated, is now 45-3, should place at states.
- Upset at 139: Mifflinburg SR Ben Straub, 39-1 entering the weekend, lost his opener to a 30-15 sectional 3rd. Straub then teched/pinned the consi bracket for 3rd. He was NE Regional champ and S7 last year.
- 172: Wentzel and runnerup Max Wirnsberger are probably the 2nd and 3rd best wrestlers in the state. Next week's NE Regional finals will be a war, because the loser will be on the same side of the Hershey bracket as Nick Singer.
- 215: Mifflinburg SO Landon Tucker might be someone to watch at states. He's now 40-1 with only 3 regular decisions; the loss was by injury default.

Congrats to Harer! This weekend he broke Aaron Seidel's record for most career wins. He's now 51-0 on the year.

(Note, I put D2 + D4 side-by-side since they're in the same regional.)


D3 AA:
- 107: FR Arav Pandey (32-3) looks like a possible state finalist. He was 3rd at Powerade, losing 1-0 to Deputy. His other 2 losses are 4-3 and 4-0 to Lotier.
- 114: Returning state champ Braiden Lotier (JR) dominated as expected.
- 121: Returning state finalist Sam Wolford (SR) dominated. He's probably the favorite to win states. Last year he lost by 1 pt to Freddy Bachmann in the finals.
- 133: Really good district-level weight with SR Will Detar (S3, NW commit) winning over SR Chase Homan (S6). SR Liam Lawler (S7) took 3rd.
- 139: SR state finalist Camden Baum (Purdue) won as expected. He's probably the favorite to win states with Herring at NLWC and Bassett + Harer at 145.
- 145: SR state finalist Greyson Music (Stanford) dominated, as expected. He'll win regionals and probably finish 3rd at states behind Bassett and Harer ... though he has a chance against Harer.
- 189: Good finals match between 2 JRs, with 43-1 Gavin Boyd winning 6-3 over 34-2 Troy Ruffner. This is Adam Waters' weight at regionals, still both look likely to qualify for states and possibly medal.

D7 AA:
- I couldn't get too excited here. Most of these guys are gonna get squashed by McCruit and/or Chestnut Ridge next weekend.
- The likely exceptions: 133 SR Lucas Barr (139 SQ last year), 41-4; both 152 finalists, SR Jonah Erdely (SQ, 28-1) and JR Lucas Boyer (S6, 26-4); 172 JR Mason Horwat (S4, Pitt)); 189 JR Brady Brown (S5); 215 SR Noah Layhue; 285 SR Colin Whyte (Kent State).
- The best SW Regional finals next weekend should be 152 (Erdely vs Boyer rematch); 189 (Brown vs Kyle Scott); and HWT (state #3 Whyte vs #2 Caleb Rodriguez).

D9 AA:
- Not a lot to report here. Several FR champs with gaudy records: 107 Max Jovenitti, 38-1; 114 Cody Householder, 37-4; 145 Greyson Meyer, 37-1. We'll see at regionals how well these hold up ... or more likely, how well they'll hold up at states.
- Most upperclass champs had more losses than one would expect, though no real upsets either. With one clear exception ...
- 215 SR Aiden Bliss (S3), 36-1 with only 2 regular decisions. He'll win NW Regionals and has a decent shot at the state finals. He's uncommitted, and in past years he'd be a good target for HWT depth ... but not now with Mirasola and Bundy both FR, Brown incoming, and Cael pursuing Hoare and/or Hazelett in 2028 ... only so many HWT spots to go around.

Super analysis and am appreciative of your sharing!

 

[El_Jefe]

AAA here ... note, D1 and D3 both go straight to regionals, will be separate posts.

D11 AAA (NE):
- Great team race. NDGP beat Nazareth for the title. Beca finished 5th despite having the most (3) champs.
- 114: S2 Brayden Wenrich 16-1 over Cael Muller. Wenrich lost in OT of the state finals last year and looks ready for another run this year.
- 127: S3 Emilio Albanese 4-2 over S1 Nicholas Salamone. They'll face again in the NE Regional finals.
- 133: Champ on Champ crime! 3x S1 Keanu Dillard (Lehigh) 1-0 over 1x S1 Willmont Kai (Nebraska). Like 127, they'll meet again at regionals and at states.
- Upset at 139: Reef Dillard beat 2024 S1 Trey Wagner 4-1 SV in the semis, and then teched his finals opponent. Dillard was 16-12 heading into regionals, though he faced a rugged schedule. A rematch in the regional finals seems likely, and possible in the state finals.
- 145: S2 Gabe Ballard 7-3 over S5 Cade Campbell. Another match we'll see again at regionals.
- 189: S5 Dom Sumpolec 4-3 over S4 Brayden Zuercher. These 2 have met a lot over the years, will again at regionals, and could at states.
- 215: SR Evan Gillespie won with 4 first-period pins. Next weekend could be a good bracket with Gillespie, Spindler, and Boggs.

Note, D11 will dominate NE Regionals, so only a cursory look at the other 3 districts.

D2 AAA (NE):
- Most of these weights will be dominated by D11 at regionals ...
- 133: JR Mason Whitney (S8), 43-5 ... good wrestler, capped at 3rd in regionals because D11 has 2 returning state champs at the weight.
- 145: FR Micah Engleman, 39-3. I don't expect him to be a regional finalist, but a 145 FR with that record is still notable.
- 215: SR Brody Spindler, 40-2. I think he's the nephew of past PA state champ and Pitt/Detroit Lions legend Marc Spindler.

D4 AAA (NE):
- I'm barely looking at these, because (1) there are only 4 schools; (2) brackets don't include W-L records -- really?; (3) I only recognize a few names.
- Of note: HWT finals, SR Brody Rebuck (S8 at 215) 18-2 over SR Jack Peters (SQ at HWT). I did look up their records because both are D1 commits: Rebuck is 35-0, headed to Lock Haven. Peters is 28-5, headed to Davidson. Both should medal at states, though neither is a threat to Bechtold. Rebuck is likely the favorite at regionals; Peters could make the regional finals.

D12 AAA (NE):
- A lot of champs with double digit losses.
- Best bets to qualify for Hershey: 139 SR Alisajjod Kahramonov 26-5; 145 JR Cole Trzeciak 39-8 and SR Omar Morales 24-4; 215 SR John Boggs 28-3; HWT SR Colton Anderson 23-3.

==================

D6 AAA (W):
- 133: SR Braiden Weaver (S3, PSU) pinned his bracket, now 32-5.
- 139: SR Mason Sanderson went 1-2, DNP. He finishes his SR year 9-24 (not a typo).
- 145: JR Aiden Kunes pinned his bracket, now 35-1.
- 152: SR James Whitbred (S6, PSU) won 20-2 and 13-2, is now 41-5. The finals win was over Penn commit Ezra Swisher.
- 172: FR Teag Sanderson won 21-5 and 15-2. This was a weak bracket -- everybody else had 10+ losses entering the weekend. He'll get tested at regionals. He's now 34-9.

D7 AAA (W):
- MASSIVE upset at 114: S1/S3/Stanford commit Nicholas McGarrity lost in the semis, and then injury defaulted to 6th. He is still qualified for West Regionals, though no idea if he will be able to compete.
- 121: JR Landon Sidun (S1, PSU) won 16-0, 19-4, 15-0 in the semis over S6 Tommy Gretz, and F 3:03 in the finals over last year's Regional Champ Nico Kapusta. Sidun is now 44-0, #1 nationally, and the clear favorite to win states this year.
- 127: SR Santino Sloboda (S3) 4-0 over SR Dominick Canali (S5). This might be a state finals preview, except Dillard and Kai and Muyleart and Salamone and Albanese.
- 145: SR Kai Vielma (S3, Stanford) dominated the weight. He's #1 in the state, and a Vielma-Ballard state final should be fun.
- 189: SO Mario Hutcherson (S6) won 17-2, 17-2, 15-0, and in the finals 14-3 over S3 Hunter Snyder (Pitt). He's 40-1 and #1 in the state, though Sumpolec and Zuercher will both be challenges.
- 215: SR defending state champ Elijah Brown (PSU) won 0:34, 0:55, 18-0, and in the finals 4-0 over long-time rival S2 Cooper Roscosky. Brown is #1 in the state, and now 39-1.
- Upset at 285: SR Cam Danna (39-7) 5-2 SV over SR Bradyn McConneha (35-3). Danna won his last 3 matches 3-2 UTB, 4-2, and 5-2 SV.

D8 AAA (W): results not yet released, also D8 will have little impact on regionals.

D9/10 AAA (W):
- 121: SO S2 Mateo Gallegos 18-3 over Hunter Chew. Gallegos will face Sidun in the regional finals and possibly again in the state finals (with past S1 Dominick Morrison also at 121).
- 215: SO Kendahl Hoare (S6) had 1 match, a pin in the finals. He's now 36-3. He'll get Roscosky in the regional finals, with a chance to face Brown in the finals. Good weight at states with those 3 + Hoare + Decker Bechtold.

 

[El_Jefe]

SC AAA Regionals:

For some reason PIAA continues to allow SC AAA to take off the week before states ... anyway:

- 114: SR Thunder Beard (S4, Utah Valley) teched 3 of 4 opponents. He'll likely be the 2 seed at states behind Wenrich.
- 121: SR SQ Abramm Schaffer (42-6) won. He's not at the level of Sidun or Gallegos or Morrison.
- 127: JR Kavin Muyleart (S2) won, now 34-4. More on his chances at states below ...
- 139: JR Aiden Herndon (S4) 8-1 over SR Isaiah P. Jackson. It only feels as though both have been around forever.
- 145: JR Miles Grossman (S6) is now 27-1. He's not a threat to Vielman or Ballard, but should finish top 5. He's coached by Levi's uncle Chris Haines.
- 172: SR McKaden Speece (Navy) blew up the field. He's 51-1 and #1 in the state. Has made a major jump this year after finishing S4 at 145 last year and getting dominated by both Sement and Turi at Hershey.

=======================

Muyleart's draw is gonna depend on NE and W Regionals. There are 2 returning champs at 127: Nicholas Salamone (NE) and Chase Williams (SE). If both win regionals, then by rule they must be separated in the brackets.

The 4 regional champs will be (all records before regionals except Muyleart):
SE = Williams, S1, 33-4
NE = Salamone, S1, 31-7 OR Albanese, S3, 33-2
W = Sloboda, S3, 39-1 OR Canali, S5, 41-5. Sloboda is the favorite.
SC = Muyleart, S2, 34-4

Williams will get the 1 seed at states as long as he wins SE Regionals (which he will).

If Salamone and Sloboda win, then seeds will be Williams 1, Sloboda 2, Salamone 3, Muyleart 4. Albanese would get random drawn against either Williams or Muyleart in the quarters.

If Salamone and Canali win, then Williams 1, Muyleart 2, Salamone 3, Canali 4. Sloboda would get random drawn against Muyleart or Salamone in the quarters.

If Albanese and Sloboda win: Williams 1, Sloboda 2, Albanese 3, Muyleart 4. Salamone would get random drawn against Williams or Muyleart in the quarters.

If Albanese and Canali win: Williams 1, Albanese 2, Muyleart 3, Canali 4. Salamone would be in the top, Sloboda in the bottom.


Bottom line: get out the Magic 8 ball.

 

[CTStall]

AAA here ... note, D1 and D3 both go straight to regionals, will be separate posts.

D11 AAA (NE):
- Great team race. NDGP beat Nazareth for the title. Beca finished 5th despite having the most (3) champs.
- 114: S2 Brayden Wenrich 16-1 over Cael Muller. Wenrich lost in OT of the state finals last year and looks ready for another run this year.
- 127: S3 Emilio Albanese 4-2 over S1 Nicholas Salamone. They'll face again in the NE Regional finals, and probably again in the state finals.
- 133: Champ on Champ crime! 3x S1 Keanu Dillard (Lehigh) 1-0 over 1x S1 Willmont Kai (Nebraska). Like 127, they'll meet again at regionals and at states.
- Upset at 139: Reef Dillard beat 2024 S1 Trey Wagner 4-1 SV in the semis, and then teched his finals opponent. Dillard was 16-12 heading into regionals, though he faced a rugged schedule. A rematch in the regional finals seems likely, and possible in the state finals.
- 145: S2 Gabe Ballard 7-3 over S5 Cade Campbell. Another match we'll see again at regionals.
- 189: S5 Dom Sumpolec 4-3 over S4 Brayden Zuercher. These 2 have met a lot over the years, will again at regionals, and could at states.
- 215: SR Evan Gillespie won with 4 first-period pins. Next weekend could be a good bracket with Gillespie, Spindler, and Boggs.

Note, D11 will dominate NE Regionals, so only a cursory look at the other 3 districts.

D2 AAA (NE):
- Most of these weights will be dominated by D11 at regionals ...
- 133: JR Mason Whitney (S8), 43-5 ... good wrestler, capped at 3rd in regionals because D11 has 2 returning state champs at the weight.
- 145: FR Micah Engleman, 39-3. I don't expect him to be a regional finalist, but a 145 FR with that record is still notable.
- 215: SR Brody Spindler, 40-2. I think he's the nephew of past PA state champ and Pitt/Detroit Lions legend Marc Spindler.

D4 AAA (NE):
- I'm barely looking at these, because (1) there are only 4 schools; (2) brackets don't include W-L records -- really?; (3) I only recognize a few names.
- Of note: HWT finals, SR Brody Rebuck (S8 at 215) 18-2 over SR Jack Peters (SQ at HWT). I did look up their records because both are D1 commits: Rebuck is 35-0, headed to Lock Haven. Peters is 28-5, headed to Davidson. Both should medal at states, though neither is a threat to Bechtold. Rebuck is likely the favorite at regionals; Peters could make the regional finals.

D12 AAA (NE):
- A lot of champs with double digit losses.
- Best bets to qualify for Hershey: 139 SR Alisajjod Kahramonov 26-5; 145 JR Cole Trzeciak 39-8 and SR Omar Morales 24-4; 215 SR John Boggs 28-3; HWT SR Colton Anderson 23-3.

==================

D6 AAA (W):
- 133: SR Braiden Weaver (S3, PSU) pinned his bracket, now 32-5.
- 139: SR Mason Sanderson went 1-2, DNP. He finishes his SR year 9-24 (not a typo).
- 145: JR Aiden Kunes pinned his bracket, now 35-1.
- 152: SR James Whitbred (S6, PSU) won 20-2 and 13-2, is now 41-5. The finals win was over Penn commit Ezra Swisher.
- 172: FR Teag Sanderson won 21-5 and 15-2. This was a weak bracket -- everybody else had 10+ losses entering the weekend. He'll get tested at regionals. He's now 34-9.

D7 AAA (W):
- MASSIVE upset at 114: S1/S3/Stanford commit Nicholas McGarrity lost in the semis, and then injury defaulted to 6th. He is still qualified for West Regionals, though no idea if he will be able to compete.
- 121: JR Landon Sidun (S1, PSU) won 16-0, 19-4, 15-0 in the semis over S6 Tommy Gretz, and F 3:03 in the finals over last year's Regional Champ Nico Kapusta. Sidun is now 44-0, #1 nationally, and the clear favorite to win states this year.
- 127: SR Santino Sloboda (S3) 4-0 over SR Dominick Canali (S5). This might be a state finals preview, except Dillard and Kai and Muyleart.
- 145: SR Kai Vielma (S3, Stanford) dominated the weight. He's #1 in the state, and a Vielma-Ballard state final should be fun.
- 189: SO Mario Hutcherson (S6) won 17-2, 17-2, 15-0, and in the finals 14-3 over S3 Hunter Snyder (Pitt). He's 40-1 and #1 in the state, though Sumpolec and Zuercher will both be challenges.
- 215: SR defending state champ Elijah Brown (PSU) won 0:34, 0:55, 18-0, and in the finals 4-0 over long-time rival S2 Cooper Roscosky. Brown is #1 in the state, and now 39-1.
- Upset at 285: SR Cam Danna (39-7) 5-2 SV over SR Bradyn McConneha (35-3). Danna won his last 3 matches 3-2 UTB, 4-2, and 5-2 SV.

D8 AAA (W): results not yet released, also D8 will have little impact on regionals.

D9/10 AAA (W):
- 121: SO S2 Mateo Gallegos 18-3 over Hunter Chew. Gallegos will face Sidun in the regional finals and possibly again in the state finals (with past S1 Dominick Morrison also at 121).
- 215: SO Kendahl Hoare (S6) had 1 match, a pin in the finals. He's now 36-3. He'll get Roscosky in the regional finals, with a chance to face Brown in the finals. Good weight at states.

Nico Emili is a kid to watch at 121 for Beca. Ranked 3rd in State. Had some weight issues during season.
He has 6 losses ,5 from out of state studs and one to Spencer, Wyoming Seminary. He beat Lambardo from Malvern. I do understand Sidun is the obvious favorite. Emili is pretty talented.

 

[El_Jefe]

After seeing what he did to Frank Leanza twice I’d put him as a favorite. I’d put Frank as top 4.

Leanza is not a sure thing to place in that meat grinder of a weight.

Nothing against him, but holy hell, 2 state champs, a finalist, 2 thirds, and a S5 at least. He is guaranteed to get one of them in the quarters if not sooner. Assuming he gets that far. And he might have to beat another in the blood round.

Just a brutal weight.

 

[El_Jefe]

California has two qualification events in order to qualify for the State tournament, which only has one classification. Forty wrestlers qualify per weight. How many qualification events does Pennsylvania have and how many wrestlers are there per bracket. TIA.

2-4 paths depending on the # schools in the area:

Sectionals --> Districts --> Regionals --> States
OR
Districts --> Regionals --> States
OR
Sectionals --> Regionals --> States (this is only for the extra large 1-district regionals, SC AAA and SE AAA)

Hilariously, there's a 4th option: Districts --> Districts --> Regionals --> States. This applies only to D9 AAA and D10 AAA, which combine for 8 schools. For some reason there is a D9 AAA and a D10 AAA on one weekend, followed by a combined D9/D10 AAA. Don't ask why.