Clymer, Strouse earn top seeds

Lehighton’s Lucas Sangiuliano turned heads at last year’s District 11 Class 2A wrestling tournament.

As a freshman, Sangiuliano ripped through the 106-pound bracket, knocking off the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds to reach the district final.

Though his run didn’t end with a title, it was still a remarkable showing for a wrestler that carried the sixth seed and a 17-14 record into the tournament.

So, who will surprise this season?

You might not have to look outside the Indians’ wrestling room to find one contender.

Lehighton’s Cody Scherer missed a good chunk of the early portion of the season, but hasn’t missed a beat since his return. The senior is 8-0 since coming back on Jan. 23, with five of his victories coming by fall.

A Schuylkill League runner-up a year ago, Scherer is the 11th seed at 170 pounds, but figures to be in the mix for a medal – and potentially a spot at next week’s Southeast Regional Tournament.

Scherer, who placed fifth at districts last year, won’t be flying under the radar, but he could certainly dash the hopes of some higher seeds with championship aspirations very early on.

As for those top seeds, Northwestern’s Caleb Clymer (160) and Tamaqua’s Bronson Strouse (220) both earned No. 1 seeds in their respective weight classes.

Clymer, the only returning champion from the Times News area, will be going after his third district title and second in a row. Strouse, a Schuylkill League champion this year, is seeking his first district crown after placing third at 220 pounds a year ago.

If things play out by seeding, Clymer could meet Panther Valley’s Tanner Kennedy, the No. 2 seed at 160 pounds, in the final. Clymer picked up a 6-0 decision over Kennedy at the Coal Cracker Tournament in January, and also defeated Kennedy 3-0 in the district semis a year ago.

While Clymer and Strouse are the only top seeds, several other area wrestlers are positioned well to make a deep run in the district tournament.

Jim Thorpe’s John Newhall (113), Northwestern’s Matt Peters (132), Palmerton’s Lucas Christman (145), and Panther Valley’s Tanner Kennedy, Hunter Kennedy (170) and Derrick Beckham (182) are all seeded second.

Hunter Kennedy has plenty of big-match experience under his belt. A state-qualifier a year ago, Kennedy was a district and regional runner-up to Northern Lehigh’s Ryan Farber.

The top seed at 170 pounds is Mahanoy Area’s Colin Fegley, who edged Kennedy for the Schuylkill League title earlier this season.

At 182, it would be interesting to see what Beckham could do if he got another shot at top seed Matt Lewandowski of Mahanoy Area. Lewandowski edged Beckham 5-4 at the Schuylkill League tournament and 5-2 at the Coal Cracker tourney. Both were very winnable matches for Beckham.

The 132-pound weight class is loaded with area wrestlers. In addition to Peters, Northern Lehigh’s Seth Fronheiser (third), Lehighton’s Nate Kemmerer (fourth) and Tamaqua’s Pierce Demetriades (sixth) are all seeded in the top six.

Notre Dame Green Pond’s Ryan McGuire is the top seed at 132. Peters defeated McGuire 1-0 for the 132-pound title at the Coal Cracker tournament. McGuire was third at 120 pounds last year.

Northwestern’s Colin Rex knows what it means to take advantage of an opportunity. Rex made it to the regional tournament a year ago as an injury replacement after placing fifth and one spot out of automatically qualifying at districts. Rex cashed in on his chance to keep his season going and qualified for states.

Rex is the third seed at 138 pounds this season. Jackson Bernhard is also a third seed (152 pounds) for the Tigers, while teammates Quin Moyer (220), Harrison Bernhard (126) and Ryan Havercamp (170) are all seeded fourth.

Lehighton’s Chris Whiteman (145) and Logan Pagotto (138) are both seeded fourth, as are Jim Thorpe’s Austin Williams (182) and Ethan Mordaunt (195).

Sangiuliano (126), Northwestern’s Jake Dellicker (106) and Tyler Watson (182), Northern Lehigh’s Preston Bauer (113) and Palmerton’s Matt Lalik (138) and Kyle Kralik (195) are all seeded fifth.

Lehighton’s Tyler Schock (152) and Brett Gasker (220) are No. 6 seeds.

With only four wrestlers from the Class 2A bracket moving on to next week’s Southeast Regional Tournament at Wilson West Lawn High School, there is little room for error.

But in the postseason, anything can happen.

Just like Sangiuliano and Rex showed last year.

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THE SKINNY …. While four wrestlers from the Class 2A tournament will move on to regionals, five from the 3A bracket will be moving on to wrestle another week. Six wrestlers will medal in the 3A tournament. The top-five wrestlers will earn medals in the 2A event.

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BACK FOR MORE … Several wrestlers who were champions in the Class 2A tournament return this season. Wilson’s Marckis Branford, Saucon Valley’s Josh Jones, Palisades Nathan Haubert, Mahanoy Area’s Matt Lewandowski and Tri Valley’s Dan Scheib all return after winning titles a year ago. Jones (126), Haubert (145), Lewandowski (182) and Scheib (285) are all No. 1 seeds. Branford is seeded third at 120 pounds.

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LAST YEAR ... In addition to Clymer winning his second district title last year, Northern Lehigh’s Ryan Farber (160) won his third, Palmerton’s Jared Mooney (182) his second and Tamaqua’s Tanner McHugh (132) his first. All three have graduated.

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OTM … Northwestern’s Caleb Clymer remains third at 160 pounds this week in the eighth issue of Off the Mat’s Class 2A state rankings. The Tigers’ Jackson Bernhard moved up from seventh to fifth at 152, while teammate Colin Rex is 15th at 138. Panther Valley’s Hunter Kennedy went from 10th to sixth at 170 pounds, while Tamaqua’s Bronson Strouse held steady at No. 14 at 220. Palmerton’s Lucas Christman retains the No. 16 spot at 145 pounds. Saucon Valley is still ranked ninth in the Class 2A team rankings. Wilson remains 19th, while Northwestern Lehigh stays in the 21st spot.

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ICYMI … Lehighton closed out the regular season with a 36-33 Schuylkill League Division 1 win over Tamaqua last Thursday. Nate Kemmerer (126), Chris Whiteman (145), Cody Scherer (170) and Brett Gasker (220) all had pins for Lehighton, while Tyler Schock (152) and Jack Zimmerman (195) both won by decision. Bronson Strouse (285) and Michael Shlanta (106) won by fall for the Blue Raiders. Pierce Demetriades (132), Carson Krell (182) and Nate Wickersham (160) all won by major decision, while Randy Steigerwalt picked up a decision victory.

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SCHEDULE …. Here’s the schedule for the two-day District 11 wrestling championships.

CLASS 3A (at Liberty)

and Class 2A (at Freedom)

FRIDAY, FEB. 23, 2018

Session I

4-6:30 p.m ... Pigtails, Prel

Session II

6-8 p.m. ... Quarterfinals

8-9:30 p.m. ... First Round Consolations

SATURDAY, FEB. 24, 2018

Session III

9-10:15 a.m. ... Second Consolation Round

10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ... Semifinals/Third Consolation Round

1-2 p.m. ... Fourth Consolation Round

Session IV

4-5:15 p.m. ... Consolation Finals (3rd, 5th) (At Liberty High School)

5:30 p.m. ... Parade of Champions

5:45 p.m. ... Class 2A/3A Finals – Two mats at Liberty High School

TICKET PRICES

Friday

Adult Tickets - $6

Student/Senior Citizen - $4

Saturday

Semifinals

Adult Tickets - $6

Student/Senior Citizen - $4

Finals

All Tickets - $6

All Sessions Ticket (Friday & Saturday)

Adult Tickets - $17.00

Student/Senior Citizen - $13.00