OXFORD >> As the host of the Class 3A Southeast Regional tournament, Oxford only had two wrestlers to show off to the rest of the well-traveled District 1.
Boy, did they produce.
Friday, Oxford’s Cannon Hershey won his 100th career bout in the opening round, then electrified the crowd with a thrilling pin in what many expected to be the best match of the night. They weren’t wrong.
Austin McMillan rode the wave from his fellow Hornet, pulling off the biggest upset of the night by knocking off No. 1 seed, Nate Shippey of Interboro.
Oxford’s Cannon Hershey. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“I ground my (butt) off all summer with (Chance) Marstellar and (Oxford coaches) Tony (Fabri) and (Nick) Papa and Jesse (Combs), just training day by day,” Hershey said. “This really shows hard work pays off.”
Hershey, McMillan and eight other locals reached the semifinals and need just one win with three potential matches left to secure a top-five finish and qualify for states. Day two of regionals starts at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, with the first round of consolations, followed by the semifinals. The finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Hershey (126 pounds) will face Pennridge’s Sam Kuhns in the semis after a pin against Spring-Ford’s Quinn Smith. Hershey took a 3-1 into the third, but Smith eventually locked up a cradle. Somehow, Hershey kept his shoulders high enough to avoid near-fall points. After escaping, Hershey hit a double and when Smith didn’t bail fast enough, Hershey stacked him on his back for the fall.
Oxford’s Cannon Hershey pins Spring-Ford’s Quinn Smith in the 126-pound quarterfinals. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“I used a little setup Marstellar taught me and hit a quick double,” Hershey said. “(Smith) tried to sit out a little too hard and I took him straight to his back for the pin, almost like a WWE pin.”
Not long after, McMillan (132) took a 2-0 lead in the second with a reversal against Shippey, who placed eighth in the state last winter. The junior Hornet never surrendered the lead and held on, 5-2, to set up a semifinal with Souderton’s Tyler Geiger.
Oxford’s Austin McMillan rides Interboro’s Nate Shippey after a reversal in the second leading to a 5-2 win in the 132-pound quarterfinals. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“I heard the crowd roar and knew I had to do something big,” McMillan said of Hershey’s match. “I knew I could get the same reaction and wanted that, bad.”
The other local semifinalists are West Chester Henderson’s Carmen Cortese (120) and Billy Wilson (132), Downingtown West’s Dom Findora (138), West Chester Rustin’s Marek Seaman (172), Conestoga’s Jake Allred (189) and Kennett’s Josh Barlow (160), Darrale Barrett (172) and John Pardo (215).
West Chester Henderson’s Joey Wilson pins Hatboro Horsham’s Chris Staub in the 132-pound quarterfinals. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
The Blue Demons are the highest local squad in the team standings, sitting at third after the first two rounds.
Pardo breezed into semis with a pair of pins, while Barrett had a pin before using three back points to get past Central Bucks East’s Nils Updale.
Barlow had a little tougher night. In his first bout, against Perkiomen Valley’s Carson Pascoe, Barlow chose down after a second injury time and managed a peterson for the win as time expired in sudden victory. Against Harry S. Truman’s Colin Greenblatt in the quarterfinals, Barlow needed a late reversal to set up a date with his second cousin, Chase Barlow of Strath Haven.
Kennett’s Josh Barlow. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“I have to get to my attacks more and overall, just score more points,” Barlow said. “Hopefully I can come back and finish strong and get myself to Hershey.”
Barrett and Seaman will face each other in the semis, for their sixth high school matchup.
West Chester Rustin’s Marek Seaman nears a pin against North Penn’s Dylan Verway in the 172-pound quarterfinals. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Allred seems to be getting his legs back after missing over a month with an injury. He knocked off Central League rival, Jon Harwood of Haverford, 9-3, to set up a semi with another Central League foe, Sam DiTrolio of Garnet Valley.
“Most people will say it’s easier, but I think it’s tougher,” Allred said of wrestling a kid he beat during the regular season. “(Harwood) was coming in with more aggression, so I had to match his energy and go out and give everything I have.”
