Panthers take large clowder into postseason
District 11 storylines at the Southeast 2A Region tournament
District 11’s Class 2A wrestlers shift their posteason to Wilson High in Reading this weekend for the PIAA Southeast Region tournament.
Six wrestlers from each weight class will advance to next week’s PIAA championships in Hershey. The two-day event culminates with the championship finals at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Here’s what to watch this weekend.
Can Saucon Valley keep it rolling?
Saucon Valley won four titles and advanced 10 wrestlers from last week’s District 11 tournament, where it also claimed a fourth consecutive title. The Panthers, who wrestled through a series of injuries during the dual-meet season, looked fresher and healthier for the postseason’s first round.
They also wrestled with an edge, going 4-1 in the championship and third-place matches.
“If you don’t compete, if you don’t battle, then the season is over,” Saucon Valley coach Chad Shirk said. “There are no other options. You’ve got to fight through everything.”
Josh Jones, Saucon Valley’s returning PIAA silver medalist, looked dominant at districts.
He raced through the 132-pound bracket, winning with three first-period pins and a technical fall. Jones is favored to win a regional title.
At 138, Thomas Spirk could wrestle a district rematch with Wilson’s Marckis Branford. The two dueled in last week’s final, with Spirk hanging on for a 9-8 victory.
Elsewhere, the Arciuolo brothers, Chris and Matt, are finalist-contenders at 113 and 160, while the Panthers’ heavyweights will challenge as well.
In particular, Nick Warnke (285) looks to put a fourth-place finish at districts behind him and start fresh at regionals.
Andrew Cerniglia charts new course in Class 2A
Andrew Cerniglia won a state medal in Class 3A as a freshman at Nazareth, then didn’t wrestle in the postseason last year after being injured for most of the season.
At Notre Dame-Green Pond, he has been among the state’s top wrestlers at 145 and feels comfortable in his new home.
“I was a little nervous [at districts], but once the finals started, I was ready to go,” Cerniglia said after winning a district title.
Cerniglia said it helped that he faced returning state champ Nate Haubert of Palisades for the title.
The two are primed for a rematch in Saturday’s regional final, which would offer another look at Haubert’s progress in returning late in the season from an injury.
For Cerniglia, that bout truly launched his postseason.
“If it’s a good match, it doesn’t matter what time of year it is,” he said.
Result flips from districts
Regionals often produce rematches and result flips, and the 182-pound bracket might bring a few. Palisades’ Adam Marsh, the top-seed at districts, could face Wilson’s Alec Snyder in the semifinals. Snyder won their district bout 2-1.
At heavyweight, Warnke, who was the top seed at districts, faces a potential rematch with Tamaqua’s Bronson Strouse, who won their semifinal bout 3-2 last week. Warnke should be a title contender at regionals.