BROCKWAY – Once-beaten Curwensville 130-pounder Jake Keller, one of seven returning champions, was accorded a top seed by the 16 head coaches at the District 9 Class AA Wrestling Tournament seedings meeting in the Brockway Area High School Tuesday night.
The Golden Tide junior walked off with the 119 gold medal last year after missing most of the regular season because of a broken leg.
Keller (28-1) is paired against Sheffield sophomore Collin Maines (2-7) for Friday’s 3 p.m. first round in Clarion University’s Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium.
That marathon session will be highlighted by two championship rounds and include two consolation rounds, cutting the hopefuls to eight in each weight class who will return Saturday to battle for the four berths in the Northwest Region Tournament.
Starting times for the second day of the double-elimination tourney are 10 a.m. for the championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals and semifinals, 5:30 p.m. for the consolation finals and approximately 7 o’clock for the Parade of Champions.
District 9 receives one additional qualifier this year because the PIAA expanded the Northwest Region to 12 wrestlers by moving District 8’s champs and runners-up from the Southwest Region and also awarding District 10 a sixth qualifier.
Three Curwensville wrestlers will have to rise above their seeds to advance.
Senior Kyle Kyler (13-10) is fifth at 189, soph Trey McKenzie (11-11) is seventh at 125 and freshman Tyler Mays (12-11) is eighth at 112.
Kyler is pitted against Cameron County soph Josh Reynolds (7-18) and Mays draws Brockway freshman Justin Prave (6-13) in the first round.
McKenzie byes into the quarterfinals, where he will get either second seed Coudersport freshman Kyle Bova (27-2) or Oswayo Valley junior Travis Haupt (11-18).
Curwensville’s other first-round pairings show freshman Aaron Kline (7-9) against Brockway freshman fifth seed Devon Park (14-14) at 103, junior Alex Holt (12-11) against Smethport soph seventh seed Jacob Abrams (19-10) at 135, soph Nathan Wriglesworth (8-14) against Smethport senior sixth seed Damen Kreckel (13-13) at 140, soph Hunter McCracken (10-15) against Kane freshman eighth seed Nate Moore (17-12) at 145, soph Austin Pollick (5-18) against Brockway senior second seed Nathan Hartless (20-7) at 152 and junior Chad Desmett (5-14) against Redbank Valley senior seventh seed Corey Cyphert (16-17).
Two returning champs are in the same weight class, but neither is seeded No. 1.
At 119, Ridgway junior Corey Bush (28-2), up from 103, and Smethport soph Karl Lightner (22-3), up from 112, are second and third behind Brookville freshman standout Brock Zacherl (26-1).
And Keystone junior Tanner Hannold (11-4), up from 140, is seeded third at 145 after being sidelined until midseason by a broken arm.
In addition to Keller, the 2010 gold medalists seeded No. 1 are Port Allegany soph Alex Gular (27-8) at 152, Brookville senior Jacob Shields (31-2) at 189 and Brockway senior Joel Yahner (26-0) at 285. Gular and Yahner, the lone undefeated wrestler in the tourney, are up one weight.
Brookville has the most top seeds with Zacherl, Shields and junior Dylan Zimmerman (28-3) at 145.
Four teams each have two No. 1 seeds, Brockway with Yahner and Zachery Brinkley (23-4) at 215, Smethport with soph Trent Neely (21-3) at 103 and junior Nate Schwab (23-1) at 112, Johnsonburg with seniors Jesse Wolfe (24-2) at 125 and Max Zimmerman (20-3) at 135 and Kane with freshman Evan Delong (29-2) at 140 and senior Sean Welch (26-6) at 171.
Clarion senior Danny Walters (27-2) is the top seed at 160.
Surprisingly, perennial power and District 9 dual meet champion Ridgway does not have a No. 1 seed for the first time in years.
The defending champion Elkers do have 13 seeds, second only to Brookville’s 14.
Trailing are Port Allegany with 11, Kane with 10, Redbank Valley with nine, Clarion and Cranberry with eight, Smethport with seven, Coudersport with six, Brockway with five, Curwensville, Keystone and Sheffield with four, Cameron County and Johnsonburg with three and Oswayo Valley with two.
There is no bracket with all 16 teams represented.
A pair of 2009 champions will have to overcome higher seeds to climb to the top of the winner’s podium for a second time.
Clarion senior Mike Bauer is seeded third at 125 and Brookville junior Brett Smith fourth at 135. They reigned at 103 and 112, respectively, two years ago.
Thirteen hopefuls have reached the finals and had to settle for the silver medal over the last three tourneys.
It’s happened twice for two of them.
Wolfe was runner-up at 103 in 2008 and 119 in 2010, losing 3-0 to Keller.
Brockway senior Nathan Hartless, seeded second at 152, lost title bouts at 145 and 152 the last two years. He was the No. 1 seed in 2009 when second-seeded Jeff Thomas of Curwensville beat him 6-1.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for students for each session.
The full brackets can be seen courtesy Bob Imhof and www.crossfacewrestling.net: