H.S. WRESTLING: Northeast Regional Class 3A capsules

For the first time in four seasons, the Wyoming Valley Conference crowned a Class 3A regional champion last season when Hazleton Area’s Shane Noonan won 220-pound gold.

Can the league go back-to-back this weekend?

As always, nothing will come easy when District 2’s best grapplers head to Bethlehem Liberty and take on District 11’s and 12’s finest. But there’s certainly hope for a WVC or Lackawanna League qualifier to earn the Northeast Region’s top seed for next week’s PIAA Championships.

Like Noonan a year ago, Dallas heavyweight Taylor Bolesta starts Friday in the quarterfinals with a first-round bye. Two wins clinch a trip to states and a regional title bout.

Second seeds with first-round byes also give the WVC’s fans plenty to root for. Valley West’s J.J. White (126 pounds), Berwick’s Nick Yule (138), Crestwood’s Garrett Swank (145), Hazleton Area’s Jake Marnell (182) and Wilkes-Barre Area’s Connor Lee (220) are already quarterfinalists, too.

The Lackawanna League is still looking to end its own 3A regional title drought since 2015, when Scranton’s Kazim Bakhriyev and Delaware Valley’s Matt Wagner took first place.

If another title is won this weekend, odds are a Del Val wrestler will get the job done. The Warriors’ Jason Henderson (195) is a top seed, and teammates Zachary Jacaruso (106) and Preston Machado (132) also skip the preliminary round. Del Val’s Gavin Brazanskas (170) and Honesdale’s Tristyn Bodie (113) are other D2 champions from the LL.

Here’s a look at the other contenders who stand out in all 14 weight classes this weekend.

 

106 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Delaware Valley’s Zachary Jacaruso (33-6), West Scranton’s Austin Fashouer (38-3), Abington Heights’ Luke Sirianni (30-11), Wallenpaupack’s Jaden Colwell (24-10).
• 2019 champion: Braxton Appello, Easton (now at 113)
• This weekend’s top seed: Father Judge’s Sean Logue (40-2) repeated as District 12 champion and is looking to build on a fifth-place finish here a year ago.
• Other contenders to watch: Jacaruso pinned his way to the D2 finals, where he topped Fashouer, 6-1. … Fashouer is in his third consecutive regional tournament. … Bethlehem Catholic’s Tyler Kasak (12-0), District 11’s champion, is ranked No. 9 nationally by InterMat.com. … Belmont Charter’s Yasire Brooks (22-2) is another tournament returnee.

 

113 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Honesdale’s Tristyn Bodie (22-6), Delaware Valley’s Connor Crescimanno (29-15), Valley West’s Ian Ratchford (29-6), Hazleton Area’s Johnny Corra (26-14).
• 2019 champion: Tal-Reese Flemming, Bethlehem Liberty (graduated)
• This weekend’s top seed: Easton’s Braxton Appello (23-5) is a defending regional champion who finished last season seventh in the PIAA.
• Other contenders to watch: Back on top of D2, Bodie was a Class 2A regional medalist in 2018. … Bethlehem Catholic’s Dante Frinzi (26-12) took second at last year’s regional — to Appello, by one point — to qualify for states. … St. Joseph’s Prep’s Dante Iuliano (30-6), who repeated as D12 champion, placed sixth at regionals last year.

 

120 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Hazleton Area’s Oscar Zamudio (18-14), Valley West’s Cadden Kucek (32-6), Delaware Valley’s Travis Norman (27-13), West Scranton’s Martin Turi (30-16).
• 2019 champion: Sean Pierson, Nazareth (graduated)
• This weekend’s top seed: Nazareth’s Andrew Smith (16-3), D11’s champ, is a two-time PIAA medalist chasing his first regional crown.
• Other contenders to watch: Zamudio defeated D2’s top three seeds to win last week’s title and can’t be overlooked. … Bethlehem Catholic’s Matt Mayer, D11’s runner-up, took fourth at states the last two years. … Archbishop Ryan’s Nicholas Marchesano (30-6) won D12’s title. … St. Joseph’s Prep’s Sean Guinan (32-9) is in his fourth regional; Kucek is in his third.

 

126 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Valley West’s J.J. White (33-3), West Scranton’s Anthony Caramanno (34-9), Hazleton Area’s Jorven Rodriguez (28-14), Delaware Valley’s C.J. Ross (21-18).
• 2019 champion: Patrick Noonan, Stroudsburg (now at 132)
• This weekend’s top seed: Father Judge’s Eamonn Logue (28-4) is a 2019 state qualifier.
• Other contenders to watch: White became the WVC’s latest four-time D2 champion last weekend and was named the tourney’s Outstanding Wrestler. … Caramanno is a three-time regional qualifier. … Pottsville’s Wiley Kahler (30-7) is here for the first time and is D11’s champion.

 

132 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Delaware Valley’s Preston Machado (33-7), Wilkes-Barre Area’s Nino Cinti (26-12), Crestwood’s Jordan Miale (7-3), Abington Heights’ Ty Wilmot (26-16).
• 2019 champion: Julian Chlebove, Northampton (graduated)
• This weekend’s top seed: Bethlehem Catholic’s Kenny Herrmann (37-3), a Harvard commit ranked fifth nationally by InterMat, is a three-time PIAA medalist who reached last year’s state finals.
• Other contenders to watch: Machado won his first D2 title and is here for the third time. … Stroudsburg’s Patrick Noonan (27-5), who’s ranked 14th nationally and is a future Virginia Cavalier, is a defending regional champion. The two-time PIAA qualifier took second in D11 to Herrmann. … Northampton’s Ethan Szerencsits (32-8) is a returning regional medalist.

 

138 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Berwick’s Nick Yule (30-6), Crestwood’s Trey Zabroski (25-11), Delaware Valley’s Joe Casella (26-13), Abington Heights’ Hutch Lynott (29-15)
• 2019 champion: Dashawn Farber, Nazareth (returns)
• This weekend’s top seed: Bethlehem Catholic’s Evan Gleason (32-10), D11’s winner, is a returning state qualifier.
• Other contenders to watch: Yule is now a three-time D2 champ after winning his first 3A crown last week. … Farber (29-8), this weight class’ defending champion, is a 2019 PIAA runner-up ranked 20th nationally. He plans to wrestle in college at Lock Haven. … Mariana Bracetti Academy’s Reynaldo Garcia (18-8), D12’s champ, is in his third regional. … Pocono Mountain East’s Steven Storm (32-3) made it to states last year.

 

145 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Crestwood’s Garrett Swank (28-8), Wilkes-Barre Area’s Jamie Pahler (32-7), Pittston Area’s Jimmy Spindler (33-11), Delaware Valley’s Jay Shauger (23-18).
• 2019 champion: Ryan Anderson, Bethlehem Catholic (graduated).
• This weekend’s top seed: Northampton’s Jagger Condomitti (34-2), a future Nebraska Cornhusker ranked 11th in the country, took fourth in the state last season.
• Other contenders to watch: Swank, in his third regional, won his 100th career match and first D2 title last weekend. … Bethlehem Catholic’s Cole Handlovic (36-5) is a two-time PIAA medalist ranked 12th in the nation. Committed to Cornell, he fell in D11’s final to Condomitti in overtime. … Nazareth’s Jake Dressler (30-10) is another returning state qualifier.

 

152 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Hazleton Area’s Charles Everdale (40-4), West Scranton’s Garrett Walsh (31-9), Dallas’ Thad Mead (28-7), Delaware Valley’s Cooper Kidd (28-13).
• 2019 champion: Cole Handlovic, Bethlehem Catholic (now at 145)
• This weekend’s top seed: Nazareth’s Nate Stefanik (32-4) hasn’t won a regional title yet, but he has placed at the past two PIAA tournaments.
• Other contenders to watch: Everdale, who defended his D2 title last week, is now a four-time regional qualifier looking for his first trip to states. … Don’t doubt Walsh, the D2 runner-up who made it to states despite settling for district bronze in 2019. … Archbishop Ryan’s Liam O’Toole (32-2), D12’s champion, and Bethlehem Catholic’s Matt Lackman (21-5), D11’s runner-up, both made the regional medal stand last year.

 

160 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Hazleton Area’s Bryce Molinaro (40-6), Delaware Valley’s Machias Magill (38-7), Wallenpaupack’s Dylan Hartman (25-12), Nanticoke Area’s Adam Eckhart (18-5).
• 2019 champion: Connor Herceg, Nazareth (returns)
• This weekend’s top seed: Herceg (37-4), the defending champion and D11’s winner, took eighth in the state last season.
• Other contenders to watch: Molinaro’s sophomore season has included his first D2 title and Outstanding Wrestler honors at the WVC tournament. … Magill, a three-time D2 finalist, is back at regionals for the fourth straight year. … Father Judge’s Matthew Kidwell (40-5), D12’s champ, is also in his fourth regional. Though he placed last year, he’s still wrestling for his first states berth, just like Magill.

 

170 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Delaware Valley’s Gavin Brazanskas (24-9), Wallenpaupack’s Sam Kier (24-7), Dallas’ Lenny Kelley (23-6), Wilkes-Barre Area’s Carl Johnson (20-15).
• 2019 champion: Lenny Pinto, Stroudsburg (returns)
• This weekend’s top seed: Pinto (37-3), D11’s champion, is ranked eighth in the country. Committed to Nebraska, he took home PIAA bronze last season.
• Other contenders to watch: Brazanskas (24-9) repeated as D2 champion to return to regionals. … Kelley has two regionals already under his belt. … Mariana Bracetti Academy’s Angel Garcia (27-3), D12’s champion, is ranked 18th in the country. The returning PIAA medalist is looking to reach his first regional final. … Easton’s Dominic Falcone (23-5), who edged Dallas graduate Steven Newell by two points for regional gold last year, finished 2019 eighth in the state.

 

182 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Hazleton Area’s Jake Marnell (39-3), Honesdale’s Tim Dailey (24-5), Scranton’s Sean Cordaro (18-16), Crestwood’s Alex Romanoski (10-18).
• 2019 champion: Dominic Falcone, Easton (now at 170)
• This weekend’s top seed: Nazareth’s Drew Clearie (34-7), sixth in the state last season, is on the inside track to reach his first regional final.
• Other contenders to watch: Marnell defended his D2 title with four straight pins; now, he’s getting a third and final shot at state qualification. … Emmaus’ Caden Wright (29-5) has made the regional finals two years in a row but has yet to win. Last year’s title bout was an 8-4 loss to 170’s top seed Pinto. … Easton’s Isaiah Reinert (25-8) is another returning state qualifier. … St. Joseph’s Prep’s Ethan Kuzy (23-8) won D12’s title.

 

195 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Delaware Valley’s Jason Henderson (36-6), Hazleton Area’s Seth Hunsinger (34-6), West Scranton’s Cameron Butka (40-1), Nanticoke Area’s Isaiah Johnson (22-3).
• 2019 champion: Damen Moyer, Bethlehem Liberty (graduated)
• This weekend’s top seed: Henderson, who qualified for states by taking fourth here last season, needs only one victory to wrestle in his first regional semifinal.
• Other contenders to watch: Hunsinger medaled here a year ago, and his strong D2 tourney included dealing the first loss of the season to Butka, a fellow 2019 regional qualifier. … Martin Luther King’s John Colbourne (33-3) won D12’s title and is seeded second in his return to regionals. … Pottsville’s Shane Quick (37-7) is wrestling in his only career regional, but he does so as D11’s champ. … Roman Catholic’s Shaun Buffert (22-6), D12’s runner-up, is in his third regional.

 

220 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Wilkes-Barre Area’s Connor Lee (30-10), Abington Heights’ Gavin Drake (24-13), Hazleton Area’s Dante Matarella (27-13), Wallenpaupack’s Nicholas Parrella (22-12).
• 2019 champion: Shane Noonan, Hazleton Area (graduated)
• This weekend’s top seed: Nazareth’s Stephen Schott (37-6) moved on to states with a fourth-place medal last year, and he’s now a D11 champion.
• Other contenders to watch: Seeded second with a bye, Lee won the Wolfpack’s first D2 title and is two wins from becoming their first PIAA qualifier. … Northampton’s Blake Lambert (29-7) was one place shy of making it to states last season. … Archbishop Ryan’s Junior Orantes (26-11) won D12 gold.

 

285 pounds

• District 2’s wrestlers (seeds 1-4): Dallas’ Taylor Bolesta (21-1), Valley View’s John Shnipes (27-9), West Scranton’s Shannon Core (28-14), Wilkes-Barre Area’s Noah Taylor (13-9).
• 2019 champion: Sammi Khamis, Stroudsburg (graduated)
• This weekend’s top seed: Bolesta, whose standout senior season has now included his first D2 championship last weekend. His career will end at states with two more wins.
• Other contenders to watch: Shnipes has gotten to regionals in all four years of his Cougars career; he’ll try to end it with his first trip to Hershey. … Overbrook’s Daishawn Tilghman (30-2) has won D12 for the third straight season and is another four-time regional qualifier. … Allentown Dieruff’s Karam Chakif (28-2) is D11’s champion.

 

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If you go

• What: Northeast Regional Class 3A tournament
• When: Friday and Saturday
• Where: Bethlehem Liberty High School
• Moving on: The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for the PIAA Championships.

 

Tentative schedule

Friday

• 4:30 p.m.: Preliminaries
• 6:30 p.m.: Quarterfinals
• 8:30 p.m.: Consolation first round

Saturday

• 9:30 a.m.: Consolation second round
• 11 a.m.: Semifinals, consolation third round
• 1:30 p.m.: Consolation fourth round
• 4:50 p.m.: Parade of champions
• 5 p.m.: First-, third-, fifth-place matches

 

Admission

Session 1 or 2, $6 for adults and $3 for students; Session 3 (finals), $8 for adults and $4 for students; Series (all three sessions), $20 for adults and $10 for students.

 

Online

Follow staff writer Eric Shultz on Twitter at @CVEricShultz for live updates on District 2’s wrestlers throughout the weekend.