Look for an upset for D-4 Duals title

Although all of our area teams were eliminated from today's District Four AA team duals tournament, which is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. at Milton (four hours later than originally scheduled to allow for expected snow conditions), there is obviously sufficient interest in the tournament to allow us to do some forecasting.

Here's how I see the final three rounds going:

Quarterfinals - No. 1 seed Muncy (23-0) over No. 8 Athens (12-4); No. 4 Warrior Run (17-4) over No. 5 Mifflinburg (13-3); No. 14 Benton (9-5)

over No. 6 Towanda (19-6); and No. 2 Wyalusing (18-2) over No. 7. Danville (19-6).

Muncy has run roughshod over most of its opposition this season but the suspicion here is that the combination of percentages and having to wrestle multiple times in one day will do the Indians in. It won't happen in this round, but Athens will give Muncy all it can handle. Warrior Run has too much firepower for Mifflinburg, and Benton should use bonus points to get past Towanda. Wyalusing should have little trouble with Danville.

Semifinals - Warrior Run over Muncy, Wyalusing over Benton. Muncy beat Warrior Run by 10 points early in the season, but the Defenders have wrestled a tougher schedule since. You don't always get the best head-to-head bouts in the dual meet tournament because coaches juggle their lineups to the team's advantage, but this one has the potential for some beauties, with the possibility of wrestlers ranked in the district top 10 meeting at 103, 119, 125, 130, 135 and 215.

Wyalusing should have just enough balance throughout the lineup to offset Benton's lineup with a half dozen or so state ranked wrestlers.

Final - Warrior Run over Wyalusing. The Defenders have a great mix of solid and outstanding (Chris Pfirman, Elias Biddle, Tyler Hain) wrestlers and should get just enough bonus points for a close win.

In the Class AAA final, Shikellamy should beat Jersey Shore.

Staterankings

Here are the latest state AA rankings by Pennsylvania Wrestling Rankings, with the top three in each weight plus wrestlers of area concern (records my not be up to date):

103: 1. Nick Roberts, North Star, 19-0; 2. Corey Bush, Ridgway, 19-2; 3. Zain Retherford, Line Mountain, 27-1; 9. David Sheesley, Mifflinburg, 19-4.

112: 1. Evan Link, Penn Cambria, 22-3; 2. Josh Polacek, Westmont-Hilltop, 21-5; 3. David White, Athens, 26-2; 8. Cody Wheeler, Towanda, 26-0; 9. Cody Kievman, Tri-Valley, 26-1; 16. Colt Cotten, Benton, 17-3.

119; 1. Artie Walsh, Juniata, 29-0; 2. M. Beckman, Reynolds, 30-0; 3. Mike Rhone, Benton, 20-3; 14. Tyler Watts, South Williamsport, 23-1; 15. Ben Carey, Montoursville, 25-2; 16. Heath Strickland, Muncy, 26-1; 17. Jared Watson, Warrior Run, 16-1; 18. Kody Rittenbaugh, Pine Grove, 19-2.

125: 1. Zach Beitz, Juniata, 33-0; 2. David Makara, Burrell, 25-4; 3. Colton Fought, Benton, 20-6; 7. Ben Knecht, Athens, 23-6; 11. Ethan Midkiff, Mifflinburg, 17-1; 14. Ty Schoffstall, Tri-Valley, 21-4; 15. David Batkowski, Montoursville, 6-0; 20. Caleb Willey, Towanda, 25-1.

130: 1. Frank Martellotti, Shady Side Academy, 31-1; 2. R. Garbinsky, Tyrone, 23-0; 3. Tyler Small, Delone, 24-4; 6. Kolby Mashack, Tamaqua, 22-2; 16. Seth Bartlett, Montgomery, 16-1; (Injured, Josh Lahr, Shamokin, 9-4).

135: 1. Nick Hodgkins, Wyomissing, 17-1; 2. A.J. Schopp, Tyrone, 23-0; 3. Luke Frey, Montoursville, 18-0; 5. Brandon Pesarchick, Shamokin, 24-5; 12. Dylan Hornberger, Mount Carmel, 24-3; 13. Ben Emmett, Central Columbia, 18-1.

140: 1. Colin Shober, Schuylkill Valley, 27-0; 2. Phil Steinberg, Central Cambria, 23-1; 3. Travis Erdman, Line Mountain, 26-5; 5. Derek Shingara, Shamokin, 20-6; 12. Allen Daubert, Pine Grove, 21-3.

145: 1. Jordan Moss, Sharon, 24-0; 2. Nick Carr, South Fayette, 17-1; 3. Aaron Fry, Muncy, 23-0; 7. Elias Biddle, Warrior Run, 15-1; 8. Garrett Russell, Athens, 24-3; 10. Dillon Smith, Jim Thorpe, 17-5.

152: 1. Tyler Hain, Warrior Run, 12-1; 2. Cody Wiercioch, Charleroi, 20-0; 3. Travis McKillop, Burrell, 25-4; 13. Zach Strickland, Muncy, 11-0; 14. Ty Walter, Mifflinburg, 23-3.

160: 1. Eric Hess, Benton, 20-2; 2. Dirk Cowburn, Coudersport, 26-1; 3. Wesley Phipps, Grove City, 17-0; 4. Mike Cobb, Wyalusing, 26-0; 8. Caleb Lomax, Montoursville, 23-1; 11. Mike Testen, Athens, 22-4; 12. Bryn Bowman, Tri-Valley, 18-2; 16. Garrett Shnyder, Montgomery. 21-4; 17. Brian VanSickle, Lewisburg, 19-4.

171: 1. Nathaniel Brown, Lewisburg, 23-0; 2. M. Cunningham, Shady Side Academy, 29-4; 3. Lewendo Teague, Sharon, 23-1; 14. Jeff Mankey, Benton, 17-6; 21. Remington Weigle, Bloomsburg, 14-3; 23. Kegan Polastre, Shamokin, 15-8; 24. Garrett VanDeMark, North Schuylkill, 22-3.

189: 1. Travis Chesla, Towanda, 26-0; 2. Kyle Dudley, Valley, 12-1; 3. Garth Lakitsky, Tamaqua, 14-8; 10. Ryan Hembury, Muncy, 22-1; 13, Ryan Solomon, Milton, 13-4; 17. Josh Albert, Montoursville, 10-3; 18. Chris Baker, Midd-West, 22-3.

215: 1. Brian Beattie, Burrell, 26-4; 2. Nick Dawson, Montoursville, 21-2; 3. Jared Burger, Union City, 30-0; 4. Todd Hall, Athens, 24-5; 17. Nick Forte, Mahanoy Area, 16-8.

285: 1. Tyler DeMott, Benton, 18-1; 2. Joe Chittester, Ridgway, 21-0; 3. John Rizzo, Richland, 26-0; 9. Wes Tillett, Shamokin, 22-3; 10. Ben Ancheff, Williams Valley, 11-1; 23. Andy Engler, Loyalsock, 10-1.

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