The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s dive into some of my predictions for each weight. The structure of these predictions will be my top 8 placers and then my full bracket predictions.

107 LBS

1. Keanu Dillard (Bethlehem Catholic)
2. Thunder Beard (Central Dauphin)
3. Santino Sloboda (Butler)
4. Luke Sirianni (Abington Heights)
5. Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan)
6. Braiden Weaver (Altoona)
7. Colby Martinelli (Pennridge)
8. Ejiro Montoya (Mt Lebanon)

114 LBS

1. Nathan Desmond (Bethlehem Catholic)
2. Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe)
3. Kaedyn Williams (Manheim Twp)
4. Carson Wagner (Northampton)
5. Tyler Kapusta (Franklin Regional)
6. Logan Sallot (Erie McDowell)
7. Alex Reed (Shikellamy)
8. Chris Dennis (Central Bucks West)

121 LBS

1. Cael Nasdeo (Williamsport)
2. Brady Joling (Chartiers Valley)
3. Christian Horvath (Bethlehem Freedom)
4. Mason Ziegler (Quakertown)
5. Ryan Klingensmith (Kiski Area)
6. Marco Tocci (Warwick)
7. Hunter Johnson (Mifflin County)
8. Jacob Layton (Connellsville)

127 LBS

1. Vincent Kilkeary (Greater Latrobe)
2. Tahir Parkins (Nazareth)
3. Hayden Cunningham (State College)
4. Eren Sement (Council Rock North)
5. Tyler Adams (York Suburban)
6. Hayden Coy (Penn Trafford)
7. Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan)
8. Benjamin Fanelli (Easton)

133 LBS

1. Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson)
2. Charlie Bunting (Nazareth)
3. Luke Simcox (Central Mountain)
4. Ethan Lebin (Hempfield Area)
5. Cael McIntyre (Bethlehem Catholic)
6. Eli Bounds (Boiling Springs)
7. Rocco Fratelli (Northern York)
8. Gavin Sheridan (Boyertown)

139 LBS

1. Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic)
2. Pierson Manville (State College)
3. Dalton Perry (Central Mountain)
4. Sam Kuhns (Pennridge)
5. Jack Campbell (Nazareth)
6. Gabriel Pecaitis (Gettysburg)
7. Connor Saylor (Hickory)
8. Lonzy Vielma (Connellsville)

145 LBS

1. Mac Church (Waynesburg)
2. Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)
3. Collin Gaj (Quakertown)
4. Nico Taddy (West Allegheny)
5. Asher Cunningham (State College)
6. Brandon Carr (Sun Valley)
7. Griffin Walizer (Central Mountain)
8. Chris Cibrone (Peters Twp)

152 LBS

1. Ty Watters (West Allegheny)
2. Ryan Garvick (Central Dauphin)
3. Dagen Condomitti (Northampton)
4. Lucas Kapusta (Hempfield Area)
5. Jake Dailey (Bethlehem Catholic)
6. Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson)
7. Nate Jones (Wayensburg)
8. Michael Duggan (Boiling Springs)

160 LBS

1. Shawn Taylor (West Allegheny)
2. Dylan Evans (Charties Valley)
3. Andrew Harmon (Bethlehem Catholic)
4. Domenic Frontino (Shippensburg)
5. Bekhruz Sadriddinov (Council Rock South)
6. Gavyn Beck (Franklin Regional)
7. Brett Barbush (Manheim Central)
8. Gino Serafini (Central Mountain)

172 LBS

1. Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg)
2. Kevin Olavarria (JP McCaskey)
3. Matt Furman (Canon-McMillan)
4. Dominic Wheatley (Nazareth)
5. Hayden McLellan (Conestoga)
6. Terrell McFarland (Pottsville)
7. Mark Grey (Kiski Area)
8. Talan Hogan (Pennridge)

189 LBS

1. Hadyn Packer (Jersey Shore)
2. Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone)
3. Vaughn Spencer (Pine-Richland)
4. Brody Evans (Waynesburg)
5. Dean Bechtold (Owen J Roberts)
6. Caleb Marzolino (Abington Heights)
7. Adrian Gacek (Parkland)
8. Tucker Teats (Selinsgrove)

215 LBS

1. Sonny Sasso (Nazareth)
2. Dillon Bechtold (Owen J Roberts)
3. Eli Makel (Waynesburg)
4. Mason Rebuck (Shikellamy)
5. Connor Jacobs (Armstrong)
6. Magnus Bibla (Crestwood)
7. Zach Evans (Chambersburg)
8. Jose Garcia (JP McCaskey)

285 LBS

1. Sean Kinney (Nazareth)
2. Nick Pavlechko (State College)
3. Joe Enick (Penn Trafford)
4. Peyton Kearns (Mifflin County)
5. Ty Banco (Trinity)
6. Layton Schmick (Carlisle)
7. Andrew Brennan (LaSalle)
8. Avery Kuhns (Chambersburg)

The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s look at the lower weights for AA and who we should look out for.

107 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge)

(NW-1) Dalton Wenner (Cranberry)

(NE-1) Gage Swank (Muncy)

“Land Mines”

(SW-2) Cameron Baker (Burrell)

(NE-3) Aristotel Bobotas (Montoursville)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Cameron Baker (Burrell) vs Gage Swank (Muncy)

Quarterfinals – Aristotel Bobotas (Montoursville) vs Dalton Wenner (Cranberry)

Quarterfinals – Kole Davidheiser (Faith Christian) vs Dominic Deputy (Chesnut Ridge)

Finals – Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon) vs Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge)

Aaron Seidel

The clear favorite in this weight is returning state champion, Aaron Seidel. Seidel has had an impressive season going 44-0 winning tournaments like King of the Mountain, Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic, and district/regional championships. He also holds a win this year over his primary contender Dominic Deputy at King of the Mountain in the finals; 6-2.

The Field

Deputy is 37-3 on the year and is one of the many impressive freshmen in this field. His three losses were to top-level guys like Seidel, Davis Motyka (Wyoming Seminary), and Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP), with whom he split overtime wins. Wenner and Swank are great challengers if they make it to the Semi-Finals. However, Cameron Baker and Aristotel Bobotas could derail their Semi-Final bids. Baker had a great run to the finals at the Southwest AA Regional with wins over Jacob Sombronski (United) and Mason Beatty (Mount Union) before losing to Deputy in the finals. Bobotas will make the bottom half of that bracket even more interesting with his great talent.

114 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Landon Bainey (West Branch)

(SW-2) Nico Fanella (Indiana)

“Land Mines”

(SW-5) Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown)

(SE-2) Mason McLendon (Susquenita)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP) vs Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown)

Quarterfinals – Nico Fanella (Indiana) vs Weston Pisarchick (Brockway)

Quarterfinals – Colton Wade (Sullivan County) vs Mason McLendon (Susquenita)

Finals – Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP  vs Landon Bainey (West Branch)

Ayden Smith

Ayden Smith is the favorite in this weight, coming into the state tournament with a 43-3 record. Smith has placed twice at the state tournament with a 4th and 3rd in the last two seasons. Smith has been to three major national tournaments this year and placed 3rd in the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Powerade to go along with an Escape the Rock Championship win. Smith, however, is on the tough side of the bracket with a possibility of last year’s state 5th place finisher Parker Sentipal in the Round of 16 and a very good Nico Fanella in the Semi-Finals.

The Field

Landon Bainey has a more favorable path to the finals, but that does not mean he will get there. Bainey might face Mason McLendon who has made three trips to Hershey. McLendon has some quality wins along with Bainey, so that possible Semi-Final could be a good one. Parker Sentipal could make some noise in the consolation rounds despite the possibility of being knocked out early on. He might be one of those guys that navigates through the consolations to place at the state tournament.

121 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Brandt Harer (Montgomery)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Gauge Botero (Faith Christian)

(NE-2) Branden Wentzel (Montoursville)

(SW-1) Lucas Fye (Bald Eagle Area)

“Land Mines”

(NE-3) Max Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)

(SE-2) Jackson Rush (West Perry)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Gauge Botero (Faith Christian) vs Branden Wentzel (Montoursville)

Quarterfinals – Brandt Harer (Montgomery) vs Jackson Rush (West Perry)

Finals – Branden Wentzel (Montoursville) vs Brandt Harer (Montgomery)

Brandt Harer

Let me introduce you to him if you have not heard of Brandt Harer. Coming in as one of the top freshmen in the state, Harer has defeated last year’s state runner-up Branden Wentzel four times this season, yeah, four. Harer is 42-1 on the season, with his lone loss coming to Tahir Parkins in the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic finals; 4-3. Harer has a total of 37 bonus point wins this year with only one regular decision in an 8-1 District 4 Championship win over Wentzel.

The Field

Despite Harer, this field is loaded, especially on the top side of the bracket. Former state champion and last year’s runner-up Branden Wentzel has an arduous task to make it back to the finals. Returning state 3rd, Gauge Botero most likely awaits Wentzel in the Quarterfinals. Botero only has two losses coming to Anthony Knox, a New Jersey standout. That will be one of the best Friday morning matchups.

127 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Chris Vargo (Bentworth)

Top Contenders

(NW-1) Cyrus Hurd (North East)

(SW-2) Cooper Hornack (Burrell)

“Land Mines”

(NE-2) David Kennedy (Montoursville)

(NE-3) Tyler Ulrich (Warrior Run)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Chris Vargo (Bentworth) vs David Kennedy (Montoursville)

Quarterfinals – Tyler Ulrich (Warrior Run) vs Arment Waltenbaugh (Faith Christian)

Quarterfinals – Cooper Hornack (Burrell) vs Matthew Smith (Midd-West)

Semi-Finals – Cooper Hornack (Burrell) vs Cyrus Hurd (North East)

Chris Vargo

Two-time state placer Chris Vargo is the favorite in this weight with a 39-2 record on the year and a 5th and 3rd place finish at previous year’s tournaments. His season is highlighted by an Ultimate Warrior Tournament Championship win over Coen Bainey and a win last weekend over top contender Cooper Hornack in the Southwest Regional finals.

The Field

Hornack and Vargo have split matches this year with Hornack winning at WPIALs and Vargo winning at Regionals. Hornack has placed twice at the state tournament with a 2nd and 4th place finish in previous years. Hornack and Vargo are on a possible collision course to the finals, with Hornack having a tougher path with Matthew Smith and Cyrus Hurd in the way. David Kennedy and Tyler Ulrich could bust the top half of the bracket wide-open, winning matches they would not be predicted to win.

133 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area)

Top Contenders

(NE-2) Scott Johnson (Muncy)

(NW-1) JoJo Przybycien (Ft LeBoeuf)

“Land Mines”

(NE-3) Conner Heckman (Midd-West)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Conner Heckman (Midd-West) vs JoJo Przybycien (Ft LeBoeuf)

Semi-Finals – Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area) vs Peter Chacon (Montour)

Semi-Finals – Scott Johnson (Muncy) vs JoJo Przybycien (Ft LeBoeuf)

Finals – Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area) vs Scott Johnson (Muncy)

Jaden Pepe

Two-time state champion Jaden Pepe is the favorite to three-peat this year. Pepe is 39-1 on the year, with his lone loss coming to Florida prep standout Elijah Rivera. Despite the loss, Pepe has one of the best wins in this field, with an 8-4 win over returning state champion Scott Johnson in the Northeast Regional final. There is a high likelihood that we will see Pepe and Johnson in the finals Saturday afternoon.

The Field

Do not let Johnson’s 32-6 record fool you. He has been to the most demanding tournaments like Top Hat, Powerade, and Mid-Winter Mayhem. He has faced and lost twice to Dalton Perry (Central Mountain) and his teammate Luke Simcox, AAA state contenders. The guy who stands in the way of a Pepe vs Johnson final is JoJo Przybycien. Johnson has a win over Przybycien this year in the Mid-Winter Mayhem finals, 11-1. Despite that, Przybycien is a two-time state placer with a 6th and 4th. That possible Johnson vs Przybycien Semi-Final could be one of the better Friday night matches.

139 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Anthony Evanitsky (Wyoming Area)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Chase Hontz (Faith Christian)

(SW-1) Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown)

“Land Mines”

(SE-2) Bryson Vaughn (Notre Dame-GP)

(NE-2) Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Bryson Vaughn (Notre Dame-GP) vs Brady Collins (Clearfield)

Quarterfinals – Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown) vs Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run)

Semi-Finals – Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown) vs Chase Hontz (Faith Christian)

Anthony Evanitsky

Anthony Evanitsky comes in as the favorite at this weight. He is 37-4 on the year and is a returning state placer taking 3rd place in his freshman year. Evanitsky has had one of the better years in this field. His four losses are coming to state championship-caliber opponents in Conner Harer (Montgomery) and Matt Repos (Central Dauphin)—two losses to top prep-level guys.

The Field

The more challenging side of this bracket is the bottom half with Joey Sentipal and Chase Hontz. Sentipal has made the trip to Hershey all four years but has failed to place up to this point. Chase Hontz is among some of those talented young guys at Faith Christian. He comes in with some wins and losses against state-level guys this season, including splitting matches with Bryson Vaughn. Vaughn and Milheim have the ability to shake things up in this bracket and derail someone’s state title run. Milheim dropped a tiebreakers match to Evanitsky in the Northeast AA Semi-Finals and could shake things up as a freshman trying to prove himself.

145 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Vince Bouzakis (Notre Dame-GP)

Top Contenders

(NE-1) Kaden Milheim (Warrior Run)

(NE-3) Cade Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)

(SW-1) Trent Hoover (Penn Cambria)

“Land Mines”

(SW-2) Calan Bollman (Chestnut Ridge)

(NE-3) Cade Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Gage Wentzel (Montoursville) vs Vince Bouzakis (Notre Dame-GP)

Quarterfinals – Cade Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian) vs Trent Hoover (Penn Cambria)

Semi-Finals – Kaden Milheim (Warrior Run) vs Vince Bouzakis (Notre Dame-GP)

Vince Bouzakis

Vince Bouzakis is the favorite to win it at 145 LBS. This is the first year for Bouzakis at Notre Dame-GP despite being a Junior as he spent the last two years at Wyoming Seminary. His transition to Notre Dame-GP has been very smooth where he has gone 42-7 on the year. Six of his Seven losses on the year came to out-of-state/prep wrestlers at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Escape the Rock tournaments. His only loss to a PIAA opponent was to Mac Church (Waynesburg), 5-1. However, Bouzakis has shown dominance in his run through District 11 and the Southeast AA Regional.

The Field

One of the biggest challengers to Bouzakis is returning state placer Kaden Milheim who placed 3rd last year. Those two might hit in the Semi-Finals to create a marquee match on Friday night. The bottom half of this bracket can implode. The Max Stein vs Cade Wirnsberger, opening round match can be significant. Wirnsberger is one of the leading contenders out of the bottom half of the bracket. Wirnsberger is a two-time state placer placing 6th and 4th in previous years. He has a tricky path because he faces talented Sophomore and returning state placer Max Stein first off and then Trent Hoover in the next round.

Records and stats were collected at pa-wrestling.com

The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s dive into some of my predictions for each weight. The structure of these predictions will be my top 8 placers and then my full bracket predictions.

107 LBS

1. Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon)
2. Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge)
3. Dalton Wenner (Cranberry)
4. Gage Swank (Muncy)
5. Cameron Baker (Burrell)
6. Aristotel Bobotas (Montoursville)
7. Kole Davidheiser (Faith Christian)
8. Jacob Sombronski (United)

114 LBS

1. Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP)
2. Mason McLendon (Susquenita)
3. Landon Bainey (West Branch)
4. Nico Fanella (Indiana)
5. Weston Pisarchick (Brockway)
6. Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown)
7. Jorden Williams (Chartiers-Houston)
8. Easton Mull (Chestnut Ridge)

121 LBS

1. Brandt Harer (Montgomery)
2. Branden Wentzel (Montoursville)
3. Gauge Botero (Faith Christian)
4. Jackson Rush (West Perry)
5. Lucas Fye (Bald Eagle Area)
6. Max Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)
7. Aiden Grogg (Saucon Valley)
8. Cooper Feltman (Notre Dame-GP)

127 LBS

1. Cooper Hornack (Burrell)
2. Chris Vargo (Bentworth)
3. Arment Waltenbaugh (Faith Christian)
4. Cyrus Hurd (North East)
5. Coen Bainey (Bald Eagle Area)
6. Tyler Ulrich (Warrior Run)
7. Matthew Smith (Midd-West)
8. David Kennedy (Montoursville)

133 LBS

1. Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area)
2. Scott Johnson (Muncy)
3. JoJo Przybycien (Ft LeBoeuf)
4. Conner Heckman (Midd-West)
5. Mason Wagner (Faith Christian)
6. Peter Chacon (Montour)
7. Blain Puchalsky (West Perry)
8. Charlie Robson (Conwell-Egan)

139 LBS

1. Anthony Evanitsky (Wyoming Area)
2. Chase Hontz (Faith Christian)
3. Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown)
4. Bryson Vaughn (Notre Dame-GP)
5. Brady Collins (Clearfield)
6. Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run)
7. Mason Barvitskie (Southern Columbia)
8. Jackson Albert (Saucon Valley)

145 LBS

1. Vince Bouzakis (Notre Dame-GP)
2. Cade Wirnsberger (Meadowbrook Christian)
3. Kaden Milheim (Warrior Run)
4. Ryan Lawler (Bishop McDevitt)
5. Cody Hamilton (Grove City)
6. Calan Bollman (Chestnut Ridge)
7. Gunnar Gage (Cambridge Springs)
8. Gage Wentzel (Montoursville)

152 LBS

1. Conner Harer (Montgomery)
2. Cameron Milheim (Warrior Run)
3. Cael Wiedemoyer (Faith Christian)
4. Liam Scrivanich (Saucon Valley)
5. Ryan Celashi (Frazier)
6. Ty Watson (Penns Valley)
7. Isaiah Pisano (Hopewell)
8. Caullin Summers (Sharpsville)

160 LBS

1. Grant MacKay (Laurel)
2. Hunter Hohman (Grove City)
3. Zeke Dubler (Glendale)
4. Jagger Gray (Trinity)
5. Andrew McMonagle (Huntingdon)
6. Luke Sugalski (Faith Christian)
7. Justice Hockenberry-Folk (West Perry)
8. Vito Gentile (Reynolds)

172 LBS

1. Adam Waters (Faith Christian)
2. Holden Garcia (Notre Dame-GP)
3. Connor McChesney (Ft LeBoeuf)
4. Waylon Welsh (St Mary’s)
5. Gabe Davis (Berks Catholic)
6. Caden Finck (Montgomery)
7. Robbie Schneider (Lackawanna Trail)
8. Caleb Close (Bald Eagle Area)

189 LBS

1. Rune Lawrence (Frazier)
2. Jake Gilfoil (Bishop McDevitt)
3. Jacob Jones (Saucon Valley)
4. Magnus Lloyd (General McLane)
5. Jackson Zimmerman (Brookville)
6. Jacob Scheib (Tri Valley)
7. Kaden Rodarmel (Loyalsock)
8. Jacob Bobersky (Benton)

215 LBS

1. Austin Johnson (Muncy)
2. Brody Kline (Berks Catholic)
3. Danny Church (Ft LeBoeuf)
4. Brenan Morgan (Central Valley)
5. Mark Effendian (Faith Christian)
6. Brayden McFetridge (Cranberry)
7. Cole Yonkin (Montoursville)
8. Jared Blobe (Notre Dame-GP)

285 LBS

1. Riley Robell (Bishop McDevitt)
2. Emmanuel Ulrich (Mifflinburg)
3. Aiden Compton (Notre Dame-GP)
4. Gunner Singleton (Huntingdon)
5. Mason Nelson (Canton)
6. Carson Neely (Port Allegany)
7. Mike Mazurek (Sharon)
8. Andrew Wolfe (Benton)

The 2023 PIAA State Championships kick off on Thursday in the Giant Center. First off, for brackets, visit my bracket hub. Now, let’s look at the upper weights for AA and who we should look out for.

152 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Conner Harer (Montgomery)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Cael Weidemoyer (Faith Christian)

(NE-2) Cameron Milheim (Warrior Run)

(SE-2) Liam Scrivanich (Saucon Valley)

“Land Mines”

(SW-2) Ryan Celaschi (Frazier)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Ryan Celaschi (Frazier) vs Cael Weidemoyer (Faith Christian)

Quarterfinals – Steffan Lynch (North East) vs Cameron Milheim (Warrior Run)

Quarterfinals – Liam Scrivanich (Saucon Valley) vs Ty Watson (Penns Valley)

Coner Harer

Two-time state placer and returning state champion Coner Harer is the favorite at 152 LBS. Harer is an impressive 45-1 on the year. His lone loss is coming to fellow AAA state champ at 152 LBS Ty Watters (West Allegheny) at the Mid-Winter Mayhem. Despite that loss, Harer has won over guys like Cael Weidemoyer, Anthony Evanitsky, and Cameron Milheim five times.

The Field

Weidemoyer is a very talented freshman who has been dominant despite a 10-5 loss to Harer at the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic. Milheim and Scrivanich are obstacles for opponents in the bottom half of the bracket and look to be top contenders to come out and challenge Harer. Milheim is a returning state placer as he finished 7th place last year as a freshman. Scrivanich is a three-time state qualifier but has yet to place on previous trips. However, he has looked outstanding this year and challenged Weidemoyer in the Southeast AA finals last weekend.

160 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Grant MacKay (Laurel)

Top Contenders

(SW-2) Zeke Dubler (Glendale)

(NW-1) Hunter Hohman (Grove City)

“Land Mines”

(SE-3) Justice Hockenberry-Folk (West Perry)

(SW-3) Andrew McMonagle (Huntingdon)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Collin Hearn (Conneaut Area) vs Jaggar Gray (Trinity)

Semi-Finals – Zeke Dubler (Glendale) vs Hunter Hohman (Grove City)

Grant MacKay

Returning state runner-up and former state champion Grant MacKay is the favorite at 160 LBS. MacKay is 43-1 on the year with some wins over guys in this field like Collin Hearn, Chance Kimmy, Hunter Hohman, and Zeke Dubler to name a few. His loan loss came, just like Conner Harer’s did, to a talented West Allegheny wrestler at the Mid-Winter Mayhem finals in a tight 2-1 loss to Shawn Taylor.

The Field

Dubler and Hohman are the best contenders at this weight since MacKay should have little to no issues in his side of the bracket. Dubler is a returning state placer, finishing 4th place last year but does hold a loss to the other contender Hunter Hohman in an 8-4 bout. Hohman was also a returning state placer with a 7th-place finish last year. He only has one loss on the year, which was to MacKay at the Fred Bell Tournament in a 5-1 bout. The Semi-Final between Dubler and Hohman could be the best match in the weight.

172 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Adam Waters (Faith Christian)

Top Contenders

(SE-2) Holden Garcia (Notre Dame-GP)

(NE-1) Caden Finck (Montgomery)

(NW-1) Conner McChesney (Ft LeBoeuf)

“Land Mines”

(SE-4) Gabe Davis (Berks Catholic)

Top Potential Matchups

Round of 16 – Gabe Davis (Berks Catholic) vs Conner McChesney (Ft LeBoeuf)

Quarterfinals – Jalen Wagner (Reynolds) vs Caden Finck (Montgomery)

Semi-Finals – Holden Garcia (Notre Dame-GP) vs Caden Finck (Montgomery)

Semi-Finals – Adam Waters (Faith Christian) vs Conner McChesney (Ft LeBoeuf)

Finals – Holden Garcia (Notre Dame-GP) vs Adam Waters (Faith Christian)

Adam Waters

Freshman standout Adam Waters is the favorite at 172 LBS. Waters is 40-1 on the year, with multiple wins over Holden Garcia this year. Waters also has wins over Gabe Davis, Conner McChesney, and a very talented Bekhruz Sadriddinov (Council Rock South). His main contender will be returning state champion and two-time state placer, Holden Garcia.

The Field

It is funny to say that Garcia is a contender for a freshman, but with Waters beating him twice this season, it fits. Caden Finck has had a standout year and emerges as another contender in this weight. He will have to run through Garcia to make it to the Semi-Finals, which could prove difficult. McChesney is a returning state qualifier but is paired with Adam Waters in the Semi-Finals, where he suffered a loss to Waters by fall at team states. Watch out for Jalen Wagner, as he has split matches with McChesney and could give Finck some trouble in a potential Quarterfinal matchup.

189 LBS

Favorite

(SW-1) Rune Lawrence (Frazier)

Top Contenders

(SE-1) Jake Gilfoil (Bishop McDevitt)

(NW-1) Jackson Zimmerman (Brookville)

“Land Mines”

(SE-2) Jacob Jones (Saucon Valley)

(NW-2) Magnus Lloyd (General McLane)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Magnus Lloyd (General McLane) vs Paul Renner (Honesdale)

Semi-Finals – Jake Gilfoil (Bishop McDevitt) vs Jackson Zimmerman (Brookville)

Rune Lawrence

Two-time state champion Rune Lawrence is the favorite to three-peat as champion at 189 LBS. The Junior has had another great season going 41-3 on the year. He only has one loss in a match that he wrestled, which came to last year’s Ohio state runner-up Camden McDanel at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman. His other two “losses” came by forfeit. Lawrence has recorded 23 straight pins in the last 23 contested bouts.

The Field

We have to go to the bottom half of the bracket to find the contenders at this weight, and it starts with now three-time state qualifier Jake Gilfoil. Gilfoil has had an excellent season and capped off a great run in the Southeast AA Regional finals with a big 6-0 win over Jacob Jones. The other contender is Jackson Zimmerman, who has massively improved since last year when he failed to place at the state tournament. Zimmerman and Gilfoil look to be on a collision course for a Semi-Final matchup on Friday.

215 LBS

Favorite

(NE-1) Austin Johnson (Muncy)

Top Contenders

(SW-1) Brenan Morgan (Central Valley)

(SE-1) Brody Kline (Berks Catholic)

(NW-1) Danny Church (Ft LeBoeuf)

“Land Mines”

(SE-2) Mark Effendian (Faith Christian)

(NE-3) Cole Yonkin (Montoursville)

(SE-4) Jared Blobe (Notre Dame-GP)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Mark Effendian (Faith Christian) vs Danny Church (Ft LeBoeuf)

Quarterfinals – Cole Yonkin (Montoursville) vs Brody Kline (Berks Catholic)

Semi-Finals – Austin Johnson (Muncy) vs Danny Church (Ft LeBoeuf)

Semi-Finals – Brenan Morgan (Central Valley) vs Brody Kline (Berks Catholic)

Austin Johnson

Sophomore and returning state runner-up Austin Johnson is the favorite at 215 LBS. Johnson wrestled last year at 285 LBS, where he lost to one of the best-ranked heavyweights in the country, Riley Robell, 5-0. That was the last time he lost, and he is at an optimal weight of 215 LBS. Johnson is 35-0 on the year, including championship wins at the Top Hat Tournament, King of the Mountain, Powerade, and Mid-Winter Mayhem. Johnson has 29 bonus point wins on the season, with two wins by regular decision to Danny Church and AAA standout Eli Makel (Waynesburg).

The Field

We would likely have to look to the bottom half of the bracket for our contenders, and it seems to be between Brenan Morgan and Brody Kline. Morgan is a two-time state qualifier and has had a very impressive season. His last loss came at Powerade and had a high bonus rate. Brody Kline is another multiple-time state qualifier but has failed to place at the tournament. However, Kline has had a standout season with a ton of quality wins and a lot of overtime wins.

285 LBS

Favorite

(SE-1) Riley Robell (Bishop McDevitt)

Top Contenders

(NW-1) Carson Neely (Port Allegany)

(SW-1) Gunner Singleton (Huntingdon)

(SE-2) Aiden Compton (Notre Dame-GP)

(NE-1) Emmanuel Ulrich (Mifflinburg)

“Land Mines”

(NE-2) Mason Nelson (Canton)

(NE-3) Andrew Wolfe (Benton)

Top Potential Matchups

Quarterfinals – Mason Nelson (Canton) vs Carson Neely (Port Allegany)

Quarterfinals – Gunner Singleton (Huntingdon) vs Aiden Compton (Notre Dame-GP)

Semi-Finals – Aiden Compton (Notre Dame-GP) vs Emmanuel Ulrich (Mifflinburg)

Finals – Riley Robell (Bishop McDevitt) vs Emmanuel Ulrich (Mifflinburg)

Riley Robell

Two-time state placer and returning state champion Riley Robell is the clear favorite at 285 LBS. Robell is one of the country’s top-ranked heavyweights by many sources, and he showed it this season. Robell is 33-2 on the year, with his two losses coming to New Jersey studs Jimmy Mullen at Powerade and Carter Neves at Escape the Rock. Despite the losses, Robell has had a monster season, including two wins by major decision over Aiden Compton and a fall.

The Field

Aiden Compton has an extraordinarily high bonus percentage, including a whopping 25 pins on the year. Aiden Compton and Emmanuel Ulrich are the top contenders from the list above. Compton has had a terrific year despite losses at national tournaments and his stumbles with Robell. Compton holds a big win over another contender in Gunner Singleton. Ulrich, a two-time state placer, has had an incredible season. He is undefeated at 30-0 with 25 wins coming by fall. He also holds a win over Gunner Singleton when he defeated him by a 7-3 decision at the Panther Holiday Classic. Watch out for Mason Nelson and Andrew Wolfe because they can catch their opponent and put them on their back.

Records and stats were collected at pa-wrestling.com