At long last, a “normal” wrestling postseason is upon us.
After COVID-19 altered last season’s postseason, limiting competitors and adjusting tournament formats, District 1’s second season begins Saturday.
Church Farm School and Devon Prep will compete at the District 1/12-2A tournament at Archbishop Ryan, starting at 9 a.m. The top three finishers will advance to regionals.
Church Farm’s Sebastian Chiesa. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
In Class 3A action, Conestoga and Great Valley will be at Perkiomen Valley, starting at 8:30 a.m., competing with the Pioneer Athletic Conference, as well as Radnor and Souderton, in the District 1-3A North tournament.
The rest of the Ches-Mont League will be at Oxford for the District 1-3A West tournament, starting at 8:30 a.m., and will be joined by Chichester, Garnet Valley, Marple Newtown and Penncrest.
The top four finishers from the four District 1-3A tournaments will advance to the 3A Southeast Regional the following weekend.
Here’s a look at what to watch for at the West tournament:
Downingtown West’s Chase Siglel. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
106
Seven of the 10 contestants here are freshmen, but none of the older kids have any postseason experience, either. Unionville’s Cole Haines claimed the top seed, while Downingtown West’s Chase Sigle, who pinned Haines in the finals of the Ches-Mont Championships, is No. 2. Haines has a clearer path to the finals, though Sun Valley’s John Deorio could offer some resistance. On Sigle’s side, West Chester Henderson’s Ryan Schalleur and Garnet Valley’s Dominic May are solid sophomores.
Coatesville’s Andrij Szczesniuk. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
113
The finals matchup between Sun Valley’s Timmy Kearney and Coatesville’s Andrij Szczesniuk that didn’t happen at the league tournament, could happen here. But there is an actual rematch that could happen first, between Kearney and Garnet’s Ethan Bliss. Kearney is the top seed and he and Bliss split bouts earlier this season. Unionville’s Mason Coursey can threaten Bliss’ trip to the semifinals. Szczesniuk has a little less traffic as the No. 2 seed, though No. 3 Will Evans of Marple Newtown is dropping from 120 and Oxford’s Jordan Schaible is always up for a good scrap.
Sun Valley’s Shane Holefelder lifts Henderson’s Carmen Cortese. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
120
Sun Valley’s Shane Holefelder is one of two seniors in the bracket and is the top seed, opposite of No. 2 Carmen Cortese of Henderson. Holefelder edged Cortese, 7-6, at leagues and boasts a 28-1 record. Cortese has a favorable road to the finals, with No. 3 Connor Whitton of West Chester East and West Chester Rustin’s James Pizzi also on the bottom half. Holefelder’s half is a bit more precarious, with Kennett’s Kane Lengel as the No. 4 seed. Lengel lost to Holefelder, 9-8, and Cortese, 9-7, this season, but showed he can hang. He could be a wildcard, but would likely have to get past Garnet freshman, Nolan Carroll, first.
Oxford’s Cannon Hershey. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
126
After dropping to 120 for leagues, Hershey decided to come back to 126 and he’s the top seed. Garnet’s Matt Ricci is No. 2 and he and Hershey are both are sitting on 96 career wins, but have first-round byes, so hitting 100 this week looks doubtful. Five of Hershey’s 96 wins have come against Ricci, including three last postseason. Henderson’s Max Jackman is on Ricci’s side, and is motivated after being kept out of the postseason as a junior. Hershey will likely see either Coatesville senior, Malik Lavalais, or Sun Valley freshman, Brecken Strickland, in his semifinal.
West Chester Henderson’s Billy Wilson. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
132
Henderson’s Billy Wilson is the top seed as a returning state qualifier in a bracket that lacks in postseason experience. Sun Valley’s Danny Kearney, the No. 3 seed, reached regionals two years ago as a sophomore, but no one else has advanced in a postseason. Kearney dropped a 2-0 decision to Oxford’s Austin McMillan at leagues, and they could be headed to a rematch in the semis on the bottom half. Coatesville’s Jason Seagreaves is the No. 4 seed, on Wilson’s side. Everyone seeded five and below has a losing record on the season.
Downingtown West’s Dom Findora. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
138
Six of the 15 wrestlers here have 24 wins or more, this season, which could make for a pretty competitive race for second. Of course nothing is guaranteed, but Downingtown West’s Dom Findora, the lone returning state medalist in the tournament, is a heavy favorite. Garnet’s Daniel Husain does own a win over a state medalist this year. Husain is the No. 3 seed, on the same side as WC East’s No. 2 Max Parnis, and both have state-level aspirations. If they meet in the semis, the loser will be favored in the consolation bracket, where Coatesville’s Evan Seagreaves, Oxford’s Reiland Canaday and Henderson’s Matt English could be duking it out, as well.
West Chester Henderson’s Palmer Delaney. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
145
Garnet’s Chris Wood and Henderson’s Palmer Delaney bookend the bracket as top-seeded seniors. Wood finished sixth in the region as a freshman and fifth last year, while Delaney was sixth as a junior. Both are hungry for a first trip to Hershey, and a win here would set them up better at regionals. Wood’s biggest challenge on his side looks to be Avon Grove junior, Garrett Landon, who likes to roll around and see who ends up on top. On Delaney’s side, Downingtown East junior, Noah Pagaduan, gets a taste of his first Pennsylvania postseason after moving from New Jersey, as the No. 3 seed. A pair of potential breakout wrestlers — Kennett’s Tyler Maiers and West’s Jordan Barry — face off in the first round, but both could hang around.
Unionville’s Topher Tryon. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
152
This could be one of the more entertaining brackets, with a lot up in the air. Penncrest’s Nikko Partsanakis is the top seed, and after qualifying for regionals his first two years and placing sixth there as a sophomore, he did not advance there last year. His potential top challenger from the other side, Unionville’s Topher Tryon, is making his postseason debut as a junior. Downingtown East’s Ryan Loraw made states as a freshman, and should see Henderson’s Brett Patton, who’s up a weight, in the quarterfinals. Kennett’s Josh Kochersperger has had his best season, as a junior, and he should get Tryon in quarters, while Sun Valley’s Alexander Gamble-Williams is on their side, also. Gamble Williams went 6-3 at 145 this season, but opted up, where he was 11-3. Good luck trying to guess which four get out from this bracket.
West Chester Rustin’s Ryan Corp. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
160
Once again, only the top four seeds have winning records at this weight. Kennett’s Josh Barlow is No. 1 and is a victory away from his second 30-win season. Garnet’s Shane Olinger is No. 4, on Barlow’s side. Rustin’s Ryan Corp sits at No. 2 and should get to the semis where he could find Chichester senior, Luke Trefz, who’s 22-7. Barlow beat Corp, 6-4, in the Ches-Mont finals, and would be the picks to meet again for gold. Keep an eye on Henderson’s Jackson McMonagle as a sleeper to steal a top-four spot.
Kennett’s Darrale Barrett. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
172
Rustin junior, Marek Seaman, has only wrestled 33 matches in his high school career, but four have come against top-seed, Darrale Barrett of Kennett. Seaman is 3-1 against his rival, including their only matchup this season, and the duo appears headed for a fifth battle. Up top, with Barrett, is No. 4 Connor Huntoon of Downingtown East, and Oxford’s Nathan Vance. Marple’s Jimmy Hally is the biggest threat on Seaman’s side, but Hally is yet to advance to regionals, as a junior. Garnet’s Jared Park could find himself in the mix, because you can never count a Jaguar senior.
Garnet Valley’s Sam DiTrolio. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
189
If there were to be an all-Delco final, it likely would be here, with Garnet’s Sam DiTrolio the top seed and Sun Valley’s Chase Thompson at No. 2. Like his lighter teammate, DiTrolio has 96 career wins, but would have to lose his first match and wrestle back for third to get to 100. Assuming he’d rather just hit 100 next week, DiTrolio has a great path to the finals. Rustin’s Chris Yanko is on his side, but the senior Golden Knight is giving up some size, wrestling up. Chichester’s 18-win senior, Eli Harvey, is the No. 3 seed, but Henderson’s Owen McCarthy could upend him to find Thompson in the semis.
Downingtown West’s Mason Hale scores a reversal before pinning Kennett’s John Pardo. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
215
The two wrestlers with the most wins at this weight in District 1 are Kennett’s John Pardo and West’s Mason Hale, the top two seeds. Pardo has 30 wins a sophomore, but one of his three losses this season came by fall against Hale in the Ches-Mont final. Hale has bounced back from a lackluster sophomore campaign and is 29-4 with 20 pins. On his side, Hendersons’ Wyatt Hampton is in the way. Hampton won their only matchup, last January. Up top, WC East’s Jacob Sbur and Rustin’s Andrew Brown meet in the first round, with Sun Valley’s Anthony Laird waiting next, for a spot in the semis.
Downingtown West’s Troy Mack. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
285
Like 215, there are only three seniors at this weight, meaning these kids will be seeing a lot of each other next year, as well. There’s no dominant force at heavyweight, though there are a handful of contenders. Garnet senior, Nick Mahoney, is the top seed, up top with No. 4 Ronald Weaver of Sun Valley and Henderson’s much-improved Liam Keevil. West’s Troy Mack is No. 2, and should see Rustin senior, Anthony Meadows, in quarters. Kennett’s Bailey Shindle has been dealing with an injury but will give it a go as the No. 3 seed, and he could be tested by Coatesville’s Dylan McGuire in quarters.
