Breaking down the regional brackets
District 11 looking for more success in 3A Northeast tourney
Will District 11 continue to train-wreck the competition at the Class 3A Northeast Regional?
Will Notre Dame-Green Pond maintain its Class 2A postseason momentum?
It appears that way, but little is normal in 2021, so there are no guarantees.
One thing didn’t change: the number of regional qualifiers by the districts. District 11 (21 teams) received three berths in 3A.
District 12, despite 10 of 19 teams not participating in the postseason, also has three qualifiers in each weight class. District 2 (13 teams) got two.
Father Judge, annually one of District 12 s best programs, is among those not participating.
There is a similar imbalance in the 2A Southeast Regional, where there are winless wrestlers among those who did not have to win a district match to qualify.
Here’s a breakdown of the weight classes in both classifications:
Northeast 3A
106: Northampton’s Carson Wagner is the top overall seed and ranked first in the state according to PA Power Wrestling. Abington Heights’ Luke Sirianni, the District 2 champ, is at the opposite end of the bracket. He gets Bethlehem Catholic’s Charlie Pavis in the quarterfinals. Pavis is ranked eighth in the state and pushed Wagner deep into the third period at districts.
Sirianni is 18th. He was sixth here last year. His lone loss in 2021 is to West Scranton’s Tyson Cook (3-1). Sirianni then beat Cook 7-4 for the district title. Cook likely sees Wagner in the semis. Stroudsburg’s Josh Jasionowicz, who lost to Wagner in the district final, is in the bottom bracket with Pavis and Sirianni.
113: This is a tough bracket for the locals because Delaware Valley’s Zach Jacaruso is the top overall seed. He was fifth at regionals last year at 106, losing to Wagner and Bethlehem Catholic’s Tyler Kasak. He beat Nazareth’s Charlie Bunting twice.
Jacaruso’s length will be a problem for Bunting, Bethlehem Catholic’s Cael McIntyre and Northampton’s Austin Noe, who faces Jacaruso in the quarters. That winner likely gets McIntyre in the semis. Jacaruso has six pins, three forfeits and a 12-2 major over Pottsville’s Dalton Monger in 2021.
120: Nazareth’s Jake Doone gets District 2 champion Austin Fashouer of West Scranton, a three-time regional qualifier at 106, in the quarterfinals. Liberty’s Javien DeLeon faces La Salle’s Bobby Barth, the District 12 champion, in the other quarter in the bottom part of the bracket.
District 11 champ Dante Frinzi of Bethlehem Catholic is the top overall seed. He faces St. Joe’s Prep’s Matt Pogwist in the quarters.
126: Bethlehem Catholic’s Tyler Kasak is the prohibitive favorite here. He faces Northeast freshman Nasir Rahming in the quarters. Northampton’s Patrick Snoke faces District 2 champion Beck Hutchison in the bottom half of the bracket.
Pottsville’s Parrish McFarland also is down there, facing District 12 champion Sean Herron in the quarters. Kasak was regional champion last year at 106.
132: Bethlehem Catholic’s Matt Mayer is the top overall seed and looking for his first regional title since his freshman season. He faces La Salle’s Comac Morrisey (6-8) in the quarters.
Nazareth’s Dominic Wheatley gets District 2 champion Austin Smith of Abington Heights, a freshman at 12-0. Emmaus’ Nick Velde faces District 12 champ Aaron Scalen of Roman Catholic.
138: Bethlehem Catholic’s Andrew Harmon, fourth last year at 126, is the top overall seed. He faces Northeast’s Tom Jennings in the quarters.
Northampton’s C.J. Fritz faces District 2 champion Sam Stevens in the quarters in the bottom half of the bracket. Nazareth’s Vinny Hebel gets Central’s Andrew Gordon before a possible third meeting with Fritz.
145: Northampton’s Dagen Condomitti, a returning regional champion, gets La Salle’s Brendan Purvis in the quarters. Whitehall’s Xavier Arner faces Central’s Aboubakare Diaby in the bottom half of the bracket.
That’s also where Bethlehem Catholic’s Trey Miletics is. He gets District 2 champion Preston Machado of Delaware Valley. Machado beat Arner in an ultimate tiebreaker for fifth last year at 132.
152: Bethlehem Catholic’s Evan Gleason, a regional runner-up last year at 138, is the top overall seed. He faces La Salle’s Matt Wiley in the quarters.
Nazareth’s Noah Okamoto and Emmaus’ Kordell Waiters are in the bottom half of the bracket. Okamoto faces Abington Heights unbeaten Sal Schiavone (12-0) in the quarters. Waiters takes on Central’s Andriy Luchko.
160: Northampton’s Jagger Condomitti is the overwhelming favorite to win his first regional title and become a four-time regional medalist. He faces St. Joe’s Prep’s Mike Ditrolio in the quarters. In the bottom half of the bracket, Bethlehem Catholic’s Landon Muth faces George Washington’s Artem Skyba in the quarters. Nazareth’s Ryan Fairchilld gets Jimmy Spindler of Pittston Area.
172: Easton’s Dom Falcone is the top overall seed and faces
Central’s Aldo Beqiraj in the quarters. Nazareth’s Sonny Sasso gets La Salle’s unbeaten Regan Loughney (13-0) in the bottom half. East Stroudsburg North’s Wayne McIntyre gets Dallas unbeaten Thaddeus Mead (8-0) in the other quarter.
McIntyre beat Mead 11-8 in last year’s 152 regional. Mead beat Abington Heights’ James Brown 4-3 in the District 2 final.
189: Nazareth’s Drew Clearie faces Roman Catholic’s Nate Porter in the quarters. Easton’s Isaiah Reinert takes on District 12 champion John Colburne in the bottom half of the bracket. Bethlehem Catholic’s Anthony DeRosa faces Hazleton Area’s Bryce Molinaro (14-0), who was second last year at 160. Molinaro could break up an all-District 11 final, but he’ll have to beat DeRosa and Reinert to do it.
215: This is the first of two weight classes where a District 11 wrestler is not the favorite. Delaware Valley’s Jason Henderson, last year’s regional champion at 195, is the top overall seed. He faces East Stroudsburg South’s Ajay Hiller in the quarters.
Allen’s Manuel Rodriguez faces Overbrook’s Kalik Smith-Pettyjohn in the other quarterfinal up top. Nazareth’s Chase Levey faces St. Joe’s Prep’s Mike Campbell in the quarters in the bottom half. Hazleton Area’s Seth Hunsinger, third at 195 last year, also is in the bottom part of the bracket. Henderson beat Hunsinger 8-2 in last week’s District 2 final.
285: This is the only weight where District 11 got the third overall seed. Nazareth freshman Sean Kinney last week’s district hero, faces Hazleton Area’s Dante Matarella in the quarters. Easton’s Matt Cruise, who Kinney beat in the semis, also is in the bottom half of the bracket. He gets La Salle’s Ryan Wills in the quarters.
Stroudsburg’s Sebastian Khamis faces Northeast’s Gehad Mohammed in the quarters, with a likely semifinal meeting with overall top seed Cameron Butka of West Scranton. Butka was sixth last year at 195.
Southeast 2A
106: Notre Dame-GP freshman Ayden Smith, the District 11 champion, has two returning regional medalists in District 3 champion Mason McLendon of Susquenita and Northern Lebanon sophomore Owen Lehman. McLendon pinned Lehman in last week’s semis.
Lehman is Smith’s quarterfinal opponent. District 3 runner-up Jacob Deysher of Brandywine Heights, a regional qualifier last year, could be Smith’s semifinal opponent. Tamaqua’s Gabe Erbe gets Archbishop Ryan freshman Connor McGuigan (0-1) in the quarters with McLendon likely next in the semis.
113: District 11 champion Adam Schweitzer has a tough draw with returning regional runner-up Deven Jackson of West Perry in the quarterfinals. Jackson, who has no legs below the knees, was fourth in the state in 2020 and is ranked fourth in PA Power Wrestling’s most recent state rankings.
Northern Lehigh’s Brenden Smay faces Faith Christian freshman Cody Wagner in the quarters, with unbeaten District 3 champion Dillon Reinert of Brandywine Heights looming in the semis.
120: Returning regional champion (at 113) Brett Ungar of Notre Dame-GP has two other returning medalists in his bracket: Hamburg senior Parker Davidson (third last year at 113) and Faith Christian’s A.J. Stayton (fourth at 113 in 2020).
Stayton faces North Schuylkill’s Danny Grigas in the quarters. District 3 champion Eric Howe of Lancaster Catholic was a regional qualifier last year. Howe beat Davidson in last week’s final on a last-second takedown, his first win against him in four tries.
126: Notre Dame-GP’s Evan Maag, a regional champion last year at 106, faces 2020 regional qualifier Christian Doi of Camp Hill in the quarters. Pequea Valley’s Jace Beegle, the District 3 champion, was a state qualifier two years ago but didn’t compete last season. He faces returning regional qualifier Nolen Zeigler of West Perry in the quarters. Beegle beat Zeigler in SV in last week’s district semifinals.
132: Notre Dame-GP’s Brandan Chletsos, a regional champion last year at 120, faces returning regional qualifier Danny Capozzoli of Newport in the quarters. Two other returning regional qualifiers — Conwell-Egans Anthony Lavis and Bermudian Springs’ Brennan Schisler — face each other in the other quarterfinal in that half of the bracket.
District 3 champion Dominic Caldwell of Susquenita also is a returning regional qualifier. Salisbury’s John Samy faces Archbishop Ryan’s Alex Pfeffer in the quarters, with Caldwell a possible semifinal opponent.
138: Notre Dame-GP’s Josh Bauman is in a tough bracket with four 2020 regional medalists, including quarterfinal foe Justice Hockenberry-Folk of West Perry who was sixth last year at 126. Faith Christian’s Eric Alderfer, third last year at 120 on his way to an eighth-place state medal, faces Boiling Springs’ returning regional qualifier Kobin Karper in the quarters.
Karper beat Hockenberry-Folk 5-0 in last week’s District 3 semis before losing 3-1 to Littlestown’s Connor Brown in the final. Brown was second at regionals and eighth at states last year at 113. Central Catholic’s David Kreidler, fourth last year at 126, could see Brown in the semis if he beats Conwell-Egan’s Ricky Horger in the quarters.
145: Northwestern’s Dalton Clymer has four 2020 regional medalists and two other qualifiers in his bracket, including quarterfinal foe Andrew Christie of Bishop McDevitt, who was third last year at New Oxford.
Saucon Valley’s Cael Markle faces Faith Christian’s Lincoln Hower in a quarterfinal of returning qualifiers. The winner of two returning regional medalists — District 3 champion Levi Haines and Littlestown’s Ayden Dillon — faces the Markle/Hower survivor. Brandywine Height’s Noah Frack, third last year at 126, is in Clymer’s half of the bracket.
152: Notre Dame-GP’s Joe LaPenna faces Northern Lebanon’s Kayden Clark in the quarters, with Boiling Springs’ Michael Duggan, third last year at 145, lurking in the semis. District 3 champion Dalton Gimbor of Hamburg beat Duggan 3-2 in last week’s final.
Palisades’ Mason Smeland faces returning regional qualifier Dylan Culver of Conwell-Egan in the quarters, with the winner likely facing Gimbor in the semis.
160: Notre Dame-GP’s Holden Garcia, fifth last year at 138, faces Newport senior William Davis in the first round. Davis, a regional qualifier last year, lost by a point to Boiling Springs’ Eli Crum in last week’s District 3 semis.
District 3 champion Bailey Gimbor of Hamburg (17-0) is on the other side of the bracket and likely faces the winner of the quarterfinal between Saucon Valley’s Liam Scrivanich and Faith Christian’s Caleb Sine. Gimbor was fifth last year.
172: Palisades’ Ben Haubert is one of four returning regional medalists. The senior, who was first at 152 in 2020, faces Camp Hill senior Sean Getty in the quarters. Getty lost last year to Saucon’s Matt Arciuolo in the regional final. He also lost twice to Trinity’s Makoa Neibel, the District 3 runner-up likely awaiting the Haubert/Getty winner, and by a point to District 3 champ Brant Mason, a likely semifinal foe for Saucon Valley’s Jake Jones. Jones gets Conwell-Egan’s Jake McGuigan (2-8) in the quarters.
189: Saucon Valley’s Ty Csencsits is one of three returning regional medalists. He faces Bishop McDevitt’s Kade Werner, a District 3 third-place finisher, in the quarters. District 3 champion Brad Morrison of West Perry is in the other half of the bracket. He could be paired with Tri-Valley Jake Scheib in the semis.
Morrison and Scheib were third and fifth, respectively, last year at different weights.
215: Saucon Valley’s Dante Mahaffey faces Hamburg’s Tristan Baer in the quarters. Faith Christian’s Leo Muzika, fifth last year at 195, gets Berks Catholic’s Brody Kline in the other quarter in that half of the bracket. Tamaqua’s Nate Wickersham faces Archbishop Ryan freshman Matthew Clarke (0-1) in one quarter in the top half of the bracket, then likely Bermudian Springs unbeaten Savauri Shelton in the semis. Shelton was second to Wilson’s Kolby Flank last year at 220.
285: Pen Argyl’s Aiden Compton faces Fairfield’s Jacob Moyer, who was fifth here last year after losing to Saucon graduate Nick Warnke, in the quarters. Jim Thorpe’s Derek Hunter faces Faith Christian’s Luke Slack in the quarters up top.
Bishop McDevitt’s unbeaten Riley Robell, who was a regional runner-up to Saucon graduate Dane Csencsits last year at 182, is the District 3 champ. He faces Pequea Valley’s Nate Miller in the other top quarter. Miller was a regional qualifier as a freshman.