Bald Eagle Area senior Coen Bainey has had a distinguished four-year wrestling career. This weekend, Bainey will be looking to reach another milestone and be part of program history.
Bainey (28-5) will be wrestling to win his fourth District 6 title at the District 6 Class 2A Tournament, which begins Feb. 17 at the Altoona Fieldhouse. If he wins the 127-pound title, he’ll be joining 2003 graduate Brandon Guenot and 2008 grad Quentin Wright as the only four-time District 6 champions in BEA history.
“I’m excited that hopefully he’ll make some Bald Eagle history,” BEA coach Ron Guenot said. “He just needs to do what Coen does and take it one match at a time. Hopefully, everything will then take care of itself.
“When you’re putting your name in the mix with those two in Bald Eagle history, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
Another bit of history will be made this weekend as both Class 2A and Class 3A wrestlers will be wrestling at the same time on the four mats. The result will be parking will be very limited, and the Fieldhouse will likely be packed.
The Class 2A tournament begins at 10 a.m. Feb. 17, and Feb. 18’s wrestling begins at 8:30 a.m. The Class 2A fourth consolation round will take place on three mats, while the Class 3A quarterfinals will be on one mat.
They’ll wrestle alongside each other throughout the day — even in the final round at 7 p.m., when there will be the championship finals and third-place bouts for both classes.
“Hopefully it’s a change for the better,” Guenot said. “I think it’s going to be fun to be able to watch the triple A matches along with the double A at the same time, which is going to be a neat twist.”
“It’s going to be interesting,” P-O coach Justin Fye said. “Anybody who’s been to double A districts the past 10 or 12 years knows there are always a lot of people there. I’m hoping it works out for the best to allow everybody to see a good show there.”
The top six at every weight in Class 2A qualify for the Southwest Regional, which will be held in two weeks at the Fieldhouse. The top three in Class 3A qualify for next weekend’s Northwest Regional at the Fieldhouse.
Another bit of history is that Bellefonte will be wrestling in Class 2A instead of 3A. The Red Raiders’ departure means there are only six teams in Class 3A — State College, Central Mountain, Mifflin County, Altoona, Hollidaysburg and Johnstown.
“It definitely adds to the depth of the tournament,” Guenot said, “which is a really tough tournament anyhow. It just got better with adding Bellefonte into the mix.”
While Bainey will be going for his fourth title, State College returning state champion Pierson Manville (24-2) is vying for his third District 6 Class 3A title. The Little Lion junior will be a heavy favorite to win the 139-pound title.
Manville’s teammates Asher Cunningham (20-5 at 145) and Aaron Pavlechko (24-3 at 285) are looking to repeat as champs. Bellefonte sophomore Cameron Garcia and State College senior Carter Weaverling are returning runners-up.
Philipsburg-Osceola junior Marcus Gable (28-8) and Penns Valley junior Ty Watson (32-4) are returning Class 2A champs, but they’re both at 152. So, they could meet in the finals. Watson has beaten Gable twice by the same 7-4 score. BEA junior Lucas Fye (22-1 at 121) is a two-time runner-up.
State College and District 6 duals champ Central Mountain will battle for the team title in Class 3A. BEA, Penns Valley, District 6 duals champ United and duals runner-up Huntingdon will be the favorites to win the Class 2A team title.
“Hopefully, we’re right there in the mix,” Guenot said. “That’s the goal. The kids have to take care of that. It’s one match at a time. It’s an individual tournament, but if they take care of their things on the individual side, it will benefit the team. We kind of set the goal that we want everybody to at least win a match or so. That’s how you win team titles.”
“I think we can be in the hunt,” Penns Valley coach Joel Brinker said. “I think the teams that made the semifinals and finals can be battling it out. Whoever is hot, picks up big wins and can get many people to regionals will stand the best chance.”
No matter what team wins, the coaches and wrestlers are looking forward to beginning the road to Hershey.
“I’m always excited for the postseason,” Brinker said. “It’s an exciting time of the year. A lot of kids work for this time. It’s cool to be on the ride with them.”
“It’s really exciting as a coach,” Fye said. “We just spoke as a coaching staff the other day that our guys have put in all of this work to get better throughout the year. The postseason is where it becomes an individual sport, and it’s all about the work the kids have put in.”
