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BALD EAGLE AREA’S Coen Bainey reacts to securing a spot in the finals of the Class 2A Super Regional on March 6 at IUP’s Kovalchick Complex. The sophomore went on to win the 113-pound weight class with a 12-2 victory over Mount Union’s Bryce Beatty in the championship finals.
Bald Eagle Area’s Coen Bainey and Bellefonte’s Ethan Rossman head to the PIAA Wrestling Championships in Hershey this weekend on respective rolls after winning their weight classes at the Western Super Regionals. Bainey captured the 113-pound title at the Class 2A Super Regional Saturday at IUP’s Kovalchick Complex. Rossman won the 189-pound title at the Class 3A Super Regional on Saturday at the Altoona Fieldhouse. Nine Centre County wrestlers qualified for the state tournament in Hershey’s Giant Center by placing in the top four at their weight classes. With eight-man weight classes at Hershey, they have all secured a state medal. The Class 2A Super Regional was a mix of Southwest and Northwest Regional wrestlers. The Class 3A tournament combined the Northwest, Southwest and Southcentral regionals. The Class 2A state tournament is set for Friday, and the Class 3A tournament follows on Saturday. The qualifiers from the West tournaments will be joined by the Eastern Super Regional qualifiers in Hershey. Here’s a closer look at the Super Regional tournaments:
CLASS 2A SUPER REGIONAL
Bainey, a sophomore, won his weight class by going 3-0, including a 12-2 throttling of Mount Union’s Bryce Beatty in the championship finals. Bainey (22-1) earned a 2-0 win in the quarterfinals before knocking off Bentworth’s unbeaten Southwest Regional champ Chris Vargo, 5-1. In the finals, Bainey notched two takedowns of Beatty in the first period and had a 7-2 lead after two periods. He headlocked Beatty (14-3) to his back in the third period for a five-point move. When he won, Bainey pumped both fists in celebration. “It feels amazing to get another number one since I didn’t get another one since districts,” Bainey said. “I really focused on my diet this week, what I ate the day before and two days before. It made a huge difference in how I felt out on the mat.” “Coen had an awesome tournament,” BEA coach Ron Guenot said. “He reversed a loss to Vargo. He put it all together this weekend. I just think he wrestled how he’s capable of wrestling and stuck to the stuff that works.” Penns Valley senior Malachi DuVall (172) and Philipsburg-Osceola senior Parker Moore (215) had to settle for second place with losses in the finals. DuVall dropped a 9-4 overtime decision to Frazier freshman star Rune Lawrence in a rematch of the Southwest Regional finals after leading in the third period. “I got a little frustrated, but both matches, he just wrestled well,” DuVall said. “He stayed in good position and I just kind of beat myself up. Wrestling is a game. It’s a high school sport. I’ve got so much more ahead of me.” Moore, a surprise finalist, was pinned by Mount Pleasant’s 2019 state champion Dayton Pitzer in 33 seconds in the finals. “It feels good to get another state medal,” said Moore, who place sixth in Hershey last season. “I didn’t have very good tournaments earlier in the postseason, so I’m glad I turned it on at the right time.” St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy seniors Zack Witmer
(132) and Amonn Ohl (138) finished in third place at their weights to advance to Hershey. P-O senior Hunter Weitoish (160) placed fifth, coming up one place short of qualifying for his third trip to the Giant Center. BEA senior Cooper Gilham (126) finished in sixth place. P-O freshman Marcus Gable and junior Austin Foster (138) and BEA freshman Lucas Fye (106) went 0-2. DuVall (14-2) was in a tight match in the regional finals when Lawrence put him on his back and got the pin.
On Saturday, he held a 4-2 lead in the third period, but Lawrence took him down with 46 seconds left to tie the score.
In overtime, Lawrence (27-1) defended DuVall’s shot and put him on his back. DuVall, a Navy commit, avoided the pin, but it was another tough loss.
“I needed to slow down in the moment and get to the fundamentals,” DuVall said. “I just kind of got ahead of myself in that match. He was a heck of a wrestler on top. He kind of tired out my right arm with that arm bar. He wrestled a good match on the edge. That trip stunk because I was coming up with that single leg (shot). He’s a great wrestler, so I’m not too angry with the loss.”
“I think he’s in a good spot,” Penns Valley coach Joel Brinker said. “Obviously you want to win, but I think he knows he can win that match. I think he can open up more. Hopefully we get another crack at him.”
Moore, who finished third at the District 6 Tournament and fourth at the Southwest Regional, found himself in the finals after a couple one-point wins over Corry’s Hayden Linkerhof, 4-3, and Carlynton’s Collin Milko, 3-2.
“Parker has had to overcome several adversities this year with losses and getting a little momentum going,” P-O coach Brad Pataky said. “I’m very happy for him as a senior, making it on the podium.”
Moore (12-7), who weighs about 205 pounds, ran into a beast in Pitzer (39-2) in the finals.
“Pitzer is in a league of his own,” Moore said. “He’s something else. I tried to shoot, and then he just kind of ran me over and put me on my back. I’m just excited to be going. I’ll worry about states next week.”
CLASS 3A SUPER REGIONAL
Rossman (22-2) went 3-0 with three decisions. He opened with an 8-1 win over Penn Manor’s Colt Barley and followed that with a 4-3 win over Hampton’s Justin Hart.
In the finals, he defeated Dallastown’s Brooks Gable, 1-0, making a third-period escape stand up in the victory.
“I was really proud of him,” Bellefonte coach Mike Maney said. “He’s been a guy who’s been so close for so long. This year, he just seemed to put it together at the right time. Hopefully we keep it going another week. It was just a real gutsy effort all weekend, and he wrestled really well.”
Bellefonte had two other placewinners in runner-up Ethan Richner (160) and third-placer Jude Swisher (132). State College’s Lance Urbas (172) qualified with a fourth-place finish.
State College’s Owen Woolcott (126) and Carson Manville (189) finished sixth. Bellefonte’s Lane Aikey (120) and State’s Ty Price (215) went 0-2.
A Rossman matchup against Manville didn’t materialize as the Little Lion unbeaten senior was disqualified for flagrant misconduct at the 4:44 mark in his semifinal against Gable in the semifinals. Manville, a Minnesota state champion last year, had to forfeit out of the tournament and finished sixth.
The referee whistled Manville (10-3) three times for penalty violations. A Flo Wrestling video showed Manville was penalized a point the first time for grabbing Gable’s headgear.
He was called for headbutting the second time. The deciding third one was for throwing an elbow. Gable was ahead 6-4 when the bout ended.
State College coach Ryan Cummins couldn’t be reached for comment.
Richner (21-1) earned a 3-1 decision in his quarterfinal before beating Norwin’s Chase Kranitz, 9-4, in the semifinals. Pine Richland’s returning state fourth-placer Cole Spencer (23-1) handed Richner his first loss, 10-3, in the finals.
“Overall, he did pretty well,” Maney said. “The finals match was definitely a winnable match. At the end of the second period, he lost a little focus and he gave up a reversal and two back points. There are little things we need to tweak. The nice thing is we get to go at it again this week. There’s no reason why he can’t be in the mix for gold.”
