Locals look for more gold
Rams’ Stillings, NP’s Cody hope to defend district titles
Pennridge’s Josh Stillings goes for a four-peat while SOL Continental tournament champ North Penn looks to continue their momentum in the second stage of the high school wrestling postseason.
Three District 1-AAA tournaments take place Saturday with 21 teams from the Suburban One League heading to Quakertown for the East Championships, the Central featuring the PAC and Central League at Spring-Ford with the Ches-Mont and Del-Val league competing in the West Championships at Interboro.
Top four finishers from each tournament advance to the PIAA South East Regional March 2-3 at Oxford.
Stilling — ranked 15th in Intermat’s national high school rankings at 182 pounds — looks to go 4-for-4 in claiming district goals off the heels of being named Most Outstanding Wrestling at the Suburban One League Continental Conference Championships last Saturday. The Drexel commit picked up a pair of first-period pins to take the 182 title and enter districts with a 21-1 mark on the season — his lone loss coming at the Beast of the East in December to Jacob Cardenas of New Jersey’s Bergen Catholic.
The Rams have nine wrestlers at districts, while North Penn — which won its third-straight SOL Continental title along with conference championships team crown — had 11 qualify for Quakertown. The Knights took second at East last season behind Council Rock South and at this year’s districts have six wrestlers that took Continental goal, including senior Ryan Cody, the defending East champ at 285. NP Senior Owen Verespy (30-3) at 220 and junior Patrick O’Neill (26-7) at 160 both took silver at districts last season.
Souderton had eight wrestlers advances to districts, three coming in as SOL Continental champs — freshman Samuel Beckett (25-9) at 126, senior Harrison Andrade (22-6) at 138 and junior Bruno Stolfi (28-5) at 195. Andrade has placed fourth
the past two years at districts.
Plymouth Whitemarsh has a dozen wrestlers at East — tied for secondmost with Neshaminy and just behind’s Rock South’s 13 — after taking third at SOL American Championships. The Colonials had two conference gold-medal winners last Saturday — Zach Fisher (23-7) at 160 and Paolo DiSanto (19-7) at 285.
Wissahickon brings eight to districts while Upper Dublin has four competing.
At District 1 Central, Methacton brings nine to Spring-Ford after taking fourth at the PAC Championships lead by Kibwe McNair’s conference crown at 132. Spring-Ford claimed the Pioneer tournament team title and has 13 wrestlers at districts led by PAC champs Brandon Meredith (120), Joey Milano (160) and Chase Smith (182).
Norristown has five at districts with Upper Merion represented by three — Vikings senior Anthony Yacovetti placing second at 170 last week at PACs. Perkiomen Valley qualified nine while Pope John Paul II will have four with freshman Matt Vulakh (106) and junior Ryan Vulakh (145) entering districts after taking PAC gold.