State College wrestling falls to Central Mountain in District 6 Class 3A dual semifinals
Only four teams qualify for the District 6 Class 3A dual championships — compared to the 12 that qualify for Class 2A — so, while State College took part Saturday, it lost its only dual to the eventual champ.
State College joined Altoona, Central Mountain and Mifflin County at Central Mountain High School for a shot at the district crown Saturday. The Little Lions and Wildcats were the only participating schools not to have double-digit wins on the year, and the pair squared off in the semifinals, with Central Mountain topping State College 50-23 before beating Mifflin County 36-18 for the title.
“It certainly wasn’t the best we’ve ever wrestled. Central Mountain has a tough team. They wrestled well,” Little Lions coach Ryan Cummins said. “We certainly have some room to improve across the board. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do that over the next couple of weeks to get ready for the (individual) postseason.”
The first half of the dual began well for State College, even though Central Mountain’s Gavin Heverly racked up an 11-3 major decision on Noah Young in the opener at 107 pounds.
The Little Lions’ Jon Whitbred gave his team the lead after earning a pin with five seconds left in the first period against Collin Bauman. Central Mountain won the next two bouts with a pin and major decision to go ahead 14-6.
Whitbred’s twin brother, James, came to the mat at 133 pounds and lit up the scoreboard. James took Jaggar Pardoe down in the first period and collected two sets of near-fall points to lead 8-0 after one period.
The second period saw James escape, add a second takedown and two sets of near-fall points to earn a 16-0 technical fall.
After Penn State commit Dalton Perry earned the second pin of the night for the Wildcats, State College’s Pierson Manville countered with another at 145 pounds.
Manville’s win had the Little Lions to within striking distance, trailing 20-17, with six bouts left.
“Noah had a tough match at (107). Jon Whitbred had the fall for us, which was nice,” Cummins said. “James (Whitbred) had a nice match. He’s wrestling well. He seems to be peaking here at the right time of the year.”
The dual went downhill from there for State College, as a three-point deficit inflated into a 44-17 score in a matter of five minutes.
Central Mountain won four straight bouts with first-period pins from Luke Simcox (152 pounds), Griffin Walizer (160), Jake Weaver (172) and Bryce Brungard (189).
The dual ended with the teams trading forfeits. Rocco Serafini collected one for the Wildcats, as Nick Pavlechko had his hand raised for the Little Lions.
With State College’s dual season now over, it shifts its gears toward the individual postseason, which takes place on Feb. 17 at Altoona’s Fieldhouse.
“We look at it as a whole new season,” Cummins said. “Everything else is done. Nothing else really matters anymore other than getting ready for (individual) districts and beyond. We are going to be cleaning up little mistakes, polishing up technique stuff and getting them ready to roll. This is the fun time of the year.”
District 6 Class 3A Championships
Saturday at Mill Hall
Semifinals
Central Mountain 50, State College 23
107: Gavin Heverly, CM, major dec. Noah Young, 11-3
114: John Whitbred, SC, pinned Collin Bauman, 1:55
121: Aiden Kunes, CM, pinned John Coates, 3:35
127: Pat Tarantella, CM, major dec. Nick Berrena, 14-3
133: James Whitbred, SC, tech. fall Jaggar Pardoe, 16-0
139: Dalton Perry, CM, pinned Jacob Campbell, 1:04
145: Pierson Manville, SC, pinned Luke Ananea, :48
152: Luke Simcox, CM, pinned Brady Bucher, :57
160: Griffin Walizer, CM, pinned Levi Mellott, 1:32
172: Jake Weaver, CM, pinned Alexis Papazoglou, :46
189: Bryce Brungard, CM, pinned Reagan Dillon, 1:32
215: Rocco Serafini, CM, won by forfeit
285: Nick Pavlechko, SC, won by forfeit
Takedowns: SC 5, CM 15
Records: State College (4-5), Central Mountain (8-0)
