HERSHEY – Curwensville Area High School junior Derek Brothers will climb the winner\’s stand at the 2009 PIAA State Class AA Wrestling Championships in the Giant Center Saturday night.
How high will depend on how the District 9 champ and Northwest Region runner-up fares Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Tide 119-pounder, who placed eighth at 103 as a freshman, recorded his second consecutive solid victory Friday morning, decisioning Cory Thomas (35-8) of Bedford 7-2. He had pinned Adam Phillippi of Saucon Valley at 5:01 Thursday morning.
Thomas, the District 5 champ and Southwest Region fourth-placer, had upended Northeast Region champ and two-time state qualifier Mike Rhone of Benton 6-4 in overtime in the first round.
Brothers (34-3) goes into Friday night\’s semifinals assured of at least sixth place in what is acknowledged as one of the tourney\’s toughest weight classes.
His opponent will be two-time PIAA placewinner A.J. Schopp (38-0) of Tyrone.
The District 6 and Southwest Region champ, who finished third at 103 in 2007 and fourth at 112 last year, handled Zane Yocco (33-5) of Brandywine Heights 4-0 in the semis.
Yocco, third in District 3 and second in the Southeast Region, defeated Brothers 1-0 in the 103 seventh-place bout two years ago.
In the other 119 semi, District 10 and NW Region champ Adam Matthews (38-5) of Reynolds will take on returning state champion Anthony Zanetta (43-1) of Keystone Oaks.
Matthews, who beat Brothers 6-5 in the region finals last week, got the takedown in the first overtime period for a big 4-2 win over three-time PIAA placewinner David Fogle (32-7) of Forest Hills. Fogle lost to Schopp in the District 6 finals and placed third in the SW Region.
Zanetta, the District 7 (WPIAL) and SW Region champ, repeated his 2008 state title bout win over Joe Spisak (37-3) of Boiling Springs in the semis, a 5-2 decision.
In the Clearfield Duals on Jan. 24, Zanetta posted a 20-5 technical fall over Brothers, whose other loss was 3-2 to Montoursville Luke Frey in the Penn Manor Tournament in December.
Frey, state champ at 103 last year, is in the semis at 112 with a 40-0 record.
Brothers is one of four District 9 wrestlers still in the gold medal hunt.
The others are defending state champ Dirk Cowburn of Coudersport at 152, Logan Shirey of Redbank Valley at 171 and Joe Chittester of Ridgway at heavyweight.
Nine NW Region representatives from District 10 also won quarterfinal matches.
The Friday night session features the semis at 6:30 as well as the consolation quarterfinals and semis.
On Saturday, the consolation finals will start at 12:30 p.m. and championships at 2:30.
A link to all the results courtesy Escape Sports: http://escapesports.com/2009-PIAA/