HS Wrestling: Teams gather for Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships
Pottsville's Terrell McFarland, top, battles Blue Mountain's Bradley Renninger during their 189-pound bout Dec. 11 at Martz Hall. McFarland (172) and Renninger (189) are top seeds for the Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
ORWIGSBURG — News, notes and observations as we await the first whistle at the Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships.
The schedule
Action will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Blue Mountain High School with the preliminaries, followed by the championship quarterfinals at 9:45 a.m. The second-round consolations and championship semifinals will start at 11 a.m., with the third round of consolations at noon and the fourth round of consolations at 12:30 p.m. The championship finals and bouts for third and fifth places will be contested on three mats starting at 2:30 p.m.
The Schuylkill League Junior Varsity Wrestling Tournament will be held concurrently starting at 9 a.m. and continuing until completion.
Returning champs
Five former champions are back in the field looking to add another gold medal to their respective collections.
Tri-Valley’s Owen Wolfgang (107), North Schuylkill’s Nate Sterner (145), Blue Mountain’s Owen Woll (152) and Pottsville’s Terrell McFarland (172) captured gold last season. Tamaqua’s Aiden Schlier (126) pinned Lehighton’s Connor Dugan in 2:24 to win the 107-pound crown in 2023.
McFarland, a junior, already has two league championships under his belt. He’s on track to become the league’s next four-time champion. Just 16 wrestlers since 1985 have achieved the feat. That last was Upper Dauphin’s Bronson Garber in 2017-19. Brian Burns (1998-2001) was Pottsville’s only four-time champion. The others: North Schuylkill’s Steve Cesari (1982-85), Pine Grove’s J.J. Fasnacht (1998-91), Shamokin’s Kirk Stehman (1989-92), Mount Carmel’s Mike Garcia (1991-94), North Schuylkill’s Matt Edwards (1999-2002), Blue Mountain’s Chris Renninger (2000-03), Blue Mountain’s Jeremy Cresswell (2002-05), Mount Carmel’s Josh Malick (2005-08), Blue Mountain’s Cort Choate (2006-09), Blue Mountain’s Josh Kindig (2007-10), Blue Mountain’s Brandon Choate (2008-11), Blue Mountain’s Corey Keener (2009-12), Tri-Valley’s Sammy Hepler (2014-17) and Blue Mountain’s Josh Mason (2015-18).
Team race
With the graduation of Pottsville’s heavy hitters over the past two years, the battle for the team title appears to be wide open.
Pottsville has a few strong individuals, but the Crimson Tide don’t have the depth they once had.
North Schuylkill is the only team to enter a wrestler in all 13 weight classes. Blue Mountain, Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove and Tri-Valley have entered 12 apiece. Tamaqua has 11 entrants, followed by Pottsville (10), Panther Valley (10), Schuylkill Haven (9) and Williams Valley (6).
On paper, Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill and Tri-Valley should rise near the top. Pine Grove could be a factor as well.
Blue Mountain hasn’t won the league title since 2016. It’s been a long time for Tri-Valley (2012), North Schuylkill (2005) and Pine Grove (2001), too.
There’s not a dominant team in the league, so getting contributions from everybody and battling back through the consolations will be keys to victory.
Weighty issues
Let’s take a closer look at each weight class:
107 — Defending champ Owen Wolfgang (18-6) leads a strong field as the No. 1 seed. North Schuylkill’s Gaige Mentusky (19-5) comes in at No. 2; he lost his first bout last season but battled back to take third. Williams Valley’s Magnus Monger (17-5) at No. 3 and Pottsville’s Cole Cook (19-7) at No. 4 could pull an upset.
114 — Wide-open weight led by North Schuylkill’s Alex Deritis (15-5), who finished third a year ago. No. 2 Stephen Karinch of Pottsville and No. 3 Keenan Hall of Blue Mountain should meet for a spot in the finals.
121 — Another weight that will crown a first-time champion. North Schuylkill’s Easton Edwards (16-3) gained the top seed, followed by Tamaqua’s Levi Kunkel (11-4) and Blue Mountain’s Cooper Leibold (14-12). Keep an eye on Pine Grove’s Drew Hikes, the No. 5 seed.
127 — Tamaqua’s Aiden Schlier (21-4), a 2023 champ and third last year, takes aim at a second gold medal as the No. 1 seed. He’s a strong favorite, with No. 2 Stanley Padakowski of North Schuylkill and No. 3 Brock Bossler of Tri-Valley contenders to join Schlier in the finals.
133 — Wide-open weight that will crown a new champ. Williams Valley’s Xzavion Tennis (15-7) took the No. 1 seed, but that was before No. 2 Jaxson Bruso of Tri-Valley defeated Tennis 5-2 in a dual meet Wednesday night. No. 3 Brian Brobst of Blue Mountain is a dangerous contender, and No. 4 Brody Schlier of Tamaqua could surprise.
139 — Some good young talent here, with Blue Mountain junior Bryce Bodenberg (20-5) earning the top seed. Pine Grove sophomore Aaron Osatchuck gained the No. 2 seed, with North Schuylkill freshman Bryce Kile at No. 3.
145 — One of the better weight classes. Tri-Valley’s Noah Hanlon (19-3), third a year ago, takes the top seed. North Schuylkill’s Nate Sterner (18-5), the champ at 139 last season, is No. 2. They didn’t meet during the dual meet. Pine Grove’s Isaiah Miller is an improving sophomore and the No. 3 seed. If it’s Hanlon-Sterner in the finals, that would be worth the price of admission.
152 — Defending champ Owen Woll (26-3) of Blue Mountain is the No. 1 seed and the overwhelming favorite to win his second league title. Watch for No. 7 Jah Bushati of Mahanoy Area to challenge No. 2 Jack Krammes of Schuylkill Haven and No. 3 Kaden Tavares of North Schuylkill in the bottom half of the bracket.
160 — Two standouts at the top here, followed by a slew of developing wrestlers set to do battle for spots on the podium. Williams Valley’s Colin Crisswell (14-2) takes the top seed, with Pine Grove’s Austin Martin (19-3) at No. 2. Both are having excellent seasons and are favorites to meet in the final. Crisswell pinned Martin in the dual meet Dec. 18.
172 — Pottsville’s Terrell McFarland (24-2) is a junior, a two-time league champ and the favorite in the toughest and deepest weight class. He’ll likely have to contend with No. 4 Jaden Meyer (16-7) of North Schuylkill or No. 5 Bradley Whalen (16-12) of Tamaqua in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Hunter Blankenhorn (21-7) and No. 3 Hunter Updegrave (18-7) could tangle for a berth in the finals.
189 — By far the deepest weight class, Blue Mountain’s Bradley Renninger (28-4) stands atop the bracket. Renninger finished second to McFarland the last two seasons. He’ll have to contend with Mahanoy Area’s Kyler Quick (15-7) at No. 2, Tamaqua’s Jacob Hehn (19-8) at No. 3, Pine Grove’s Zach Kurtz (10-4) at No. 4, Tri-Valley’s Max Masser (15-8) at No. 5, Pottsville’s Brayden Evans (10-7) at No. 6 and Williams Valley’s Skylor Green (14-8) at No. 7. One of two weight classes with a full bracket of 10 wrestlers.
215 — Every team is entered here, too. North Schuylkill’s Cadyn McGraw (16-9) is the No. 1 seed, with Pine Grove’s Robbie Schaeffer (18-5) a strong contender at No. 2. Tri-Valley’s Donovan Keeth (15-8) is dangerous at No. 3. Could see an upset or two here.
