Lebanon County wrestling: What to know, wrestlers to watch for in 2021
The 2021-2022 Lebanon County wrestling season is already underway.
Below is a team-by-team look at the season.
Annville-Cleona Little Dutchmen
Head coach: Mike Miller
Key returnees: Liam Pulaski, Ethan Missimer
Last season: Annville-Cleona went 3-8, 1-5 in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Three last season and had a trio of wrestlers qualify for the District 3 Class 2A sectional tournament. Missimer finished fifth in the tournament and returns this season, hoping to advance further.
The breakdown: Last season was the first in at least 20 years that no Annville-Cleona wrestler reached at least the District 3 Class 2A tournament. The postseason format, however, was different than in years past. Missimer, a senior, is coming off a 12-5 season, which included a fifth-place finish in the sectional tournament that would have been good enough to reach the District tournament in prior years. The Little Dutchmen opened the season on Dec. 11 at the Ephrata Duals, going 1-2 with a victory over Reading. Individually, junior Phoenix Music went 3-0.
Cedar Crest Falcons
Head coach: Cameron Eisenhauer
Key returnees: Jason Brooks, Erik McLaughlin, Bryce Houser
Last season: Cedar Crest went 5-10 last season, 2-5 in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two. As a team, the Falcons sent five kids to the postseason with Taylor Gehman as the highest placing individual, finishing fourth in the District 3 Class 3A Section 1 tournament.
The breakdown: The Falcons return a trio of postseason qualifiers in juniors Brooks and McLaughlin as well as senior Houser. Cedar Crest opened the season on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Warwick Duals, going 0-3. Bright spots for the Falcons came from Trayvon Zerbe, who went 3-0. McLaughlin, Houser and Lucas Garrett each went 2-1.
Elco Raiders
Head coach: Ben Moser
Key returnees: Landen Brubaker, Elias Know, Wesley Doll, Austin Antonucci, Ira Gensamer, Brendon Stauffer, Jake Williams
Last season: Elco went 13-6, 4-2 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Three. A pair of wrestlers qualified for the District 3 Class 2A tournament — Landen Brubaker and Trenton Brubaker — with four others also qualifying for the sectional tournament.
The breakdown: Just two of the six postseason qualifiers return for the Raiders in junior Brubaker and junior Elias Know. But the cupboard is hardly bare for Elco as it returns a large roster, with many having wrestled varsity matches. The Raiders will open their season on Wednesday, Dec. 15, hosting Annville-Cleona.
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Lebanon Cedars
Head coach: Vaughn Black
Key returnees: Griffin Gonzalez, Eddiean Naphtali, Thomas Hershey, Samuel Davenport
Last season: As a team, Lebanon went 2-19, 0-8 in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two. Individually, Griffin Gonzalez, now a junior, had a standout season, winning gold at the Lancaster-Lebanon League championships, District 3 Class 3A Section 1 championships, as well as the District 3 Class 3A championships. He finished the season 29-3. Three other wrestlers qualified for the sectional tournament: Eddiean Naphtali, Jaden Deitzler and Thomas Hershey.
The breakdown: The Cedars will be led by returning PIAA qualifier Gonzalez, who is ranked No. 6 in the state at 152 pounds coming into the season by PA Power Rankings. Gonzalez will look for his third L-L championship in three seasons and was named outstanding wrestler at the District 3 Class 3A Section 1 tournament last season and L-L championships. Hershey, a 285-pounder, returns to the fold after a 14-win junior season and is a two-time sectional qualifier. Lebanon opened the season on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the East Pennsboro Big Cat Brawl and crowned a pair of champions in Gonzalez (160 pounds) and junior Riley Houck (189 pounds). Naphtali and Hershey added third-place finishes at 120 and 285 pounds, respectively.
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Northern Lebanon Vikings
Head coach: Rusty Wallace
Key returnees: Owen Lehman, Owen Breidegan, Kayden Clark, Grady Stichler, Conor Leonard, Kalani Adams, Owen Stichler, Julian Zargoza
Last season: Northern Lebanon finished 14-2 last season, claiming its ninth straight Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Three championship. They lost to Newport, 37-32, in the District 3 Class 2A semifinals to end their team season. Individually they sent three wrestlers to the regional tournament — Kayden Clark, Owen Lehman and Owen Breidegan — all of whom return.
The breakdown: The Vikings return their entire lineup from a year ago and will be the favorite to win the L-L Section Three championship for the 10th season in a row. Northern Lebanon will be led by a trio of returning regional qualifiers in seniors Kayden Clark and Owen Breidegan along with junior Owen Lehman. Also returning are District 3 Class 2A qualifiers, sophomore Julian Zargoza and juniors Grady Stichler and Conor Leonard. New to the fold for the Vikings is standout freshman Aaron Seidel. Seidel begins the season as the No. 2-ranked 106 pounder by PA Power Wrestling and has an accomplished youth resume. Northern Lebanon is already 3-0 to start the season, all league victories against Columbia, Pequea Valley and Octorara. Leonard, Clayton Erb, freshman Hayden Adams, Seidel, Zargosa and Breidegan each went 3-0 in those victories on Friday night.
Palmyra Cougars
Head coach: Shane Manney
Key returnees: Nathaniel Foltz, Mason Bucks, Jase Jones, Kasen Bixler
Last season: Palmyra as a team went 5-11, 3-4 in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division. The Cougars took four wrestlers to the postseason last year, with the now graduated Jacob Myers' third-place finish at the sectional tournament being the best finish.
The breakdown: Palmyra graduated just three seniors and will bring back a bunch of wrestlers with varsity experience. That group is led by junior Nathaniel Foltz, who in his first two seasons was a two-time sectional tournament qualifier and has 29 wins, 16 by pin. The Cougars opened the season on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Sam Lovello Classic at Brandywine Heights, finishing ninth in the 14 team field with 87.5 points. Sophomore Joshua Smith led the way with a second place finish at 106 pounds. Foltz (126 pounds) and Keagan Klinefelter (152 pounds) each added fourth-place finishes.
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: District 3 wrestling: Lebanon County team by team season previews
