Berks Catholic's Armistead, Kline and Schuylkill Valley's Vitalo win District 3 Class 2A wrestling titles

Matthew Knaub, Reading Eagle, Pa.
Updated ·4 min read

Feb. 26—HARRISBURG — One week after winning a section title, Berks Catholic picked up right where it left off on Saturday.

Led by two first-time district champions in juniors Marvin Armistead and Brody Kline, all 12 Saints wrestlers finished in the top six in their respective weight classes, lifting Berks Catholic to the District 3 Class 2A title with 219.5 points at Central Dauphin East.

It also was a golden day for Schuylkill Valley sophomore Ian Vitalo, who won the 139-pound title for his first district championship.

Overall, 23 Berks wrestlers advanced to the PIAA Class 2A Southeast Regional Championships next Saturday at Bethlehem Freedom by finishing in the top seven, led by the 12 from Berks Catholic.

"The guys did a great job," Saints coach Derek Sola said. "They came to wrestle and they're looking the best they've looked all year. I'm proud of them."

Armistead gave the Saints their first individual title of the day as he defeated Bermudian Springs' Hayden Yacoviello-Andrus 6-3 in the 127-pound final. Armistead won his opening two bouts by technical fall and 11-1.

"I just knew I had to work really hard to get this win," Armistead said. "This mentally just taught me that I belong here and that I can wrestle here against the greatest kids in the state."

Armistead (40-3) won his first sectional title last Saturday. He is undefeated against wrestlers from District 3 this season.

"This is a great accomplishment being district team champions and individual champions," Armistead said. "I'm just really thankful for my coaches and my practice partners."

Kline also captured his first district title Saturday, defeating Big Spring's Owen Hutchinson 3-1 with a takedown in the extra period at 215 pounds. Kline pinned his first opponent of the day before winning 3-2 in the semifinals.

"This means a lot," Kline said. "I just knew I had to keep on going and going until I finally broke him."

A three-time sectional champ, Kline (38-4) finished second in the district the past two seasons. He has 27 pins this season.

"It's about time I got the district championship," Kline said. "It's definitely exciting for me. It's been something I've always tried to get, and now I finally got (it)."

Berks Catholic's Gunnar Maciejewski (121), Carmine Lenzi (152), Gabriel Davis (172) and Owen Reber (285) finished in second place. Brayden Hartranft (114) and Ricardo Tinoco (160) placed third as the Saints had eight wrestlers finish in the top three.

"It's really special," Sola said about having all his wrestlers who competed at districts advance to the regional tournament. "It's definitely something I don't take for granted. This is a really good group of kids."

Also Saturday, Sola was named District 3 Class 2A Coach of the Year. He has guided the Saints, in their third season, to a 25-2 record, a Berks title, a District 3 Class 2A team dual title, a District 3 Class 2A team title and a fourth-place finish at the PIAA Class 2A team tournament.

"It definitely means a lot," Sola said. "I'm proud of the kids, they're the ones that go out there and compete, and they did a great job this weekend."

Vitalo won his title with a 7-1 victory over Biglerville's Devon Ponce. Vitalo pinned his first opponent of the day before winning his semifinal 8-4.

"It means a lot," Vitalo said. "I put in a lot of extra hours after practice."

The win comes one week after Vitalo won his first sectional title. The BCIAA champ at 139 pounds remains undefeated this season (36-0) with 22 pins.

"I keep (getting) one percent better every day," Vitalo said. "By the end of the season, I want to be (at) my best."

The other Berks wrestlers who advanced to the Southeast Regional Championships: Hamburg's Chase Homan (third, 107), Berks Catholic's Christopher Smith (fifth, 107), Tulpehocken's Abramm Schaffer (sixth, 107), Brandywine Heights' Jacob Greiss (seventh, 114), Brandywine Heights' Jacob Deysher (third, 127), Berks Catholic's Noah Rosa (fifth, 133), Hamburg's Daniel Brady (sixth, 133), Tulpehocken's Jonathon McQuillen (seventh, 139), Berks Catholic's John Maurer (sixth, 145), Wyomissing's Jeremiah Diaz (fifth, 172), Berks Catholic's Timothy Saylor (fourth, 189), Schuylkill Valley's Ethan Yoh (seventh, 189), Tulpehocken's Jack Heckman (fifth, 215) and Hamburg's Charles Sheppard (third, 285).