ALTOONA — The Clearfield Bison wrestling team capped off a great performance at the Northwest Region AAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night at the Altoona Area High School Field House by crowning one champion and sending four Bisons in total to the PIAA State Championships in Hershey. The Bisons were also able to place third in the team race, only half a point out of second.
Earning his first region crown and first trip to the state tourney was senior Shane Peters (31-3) at 103 pounds. Receiving a silver medal was 130 pound sophomore Nolan Barger (29-8). Picking up bronze medals after consolation final wins were 112 pound sophomore Christian Stone (32-4) and senior Derek Danver (34-8) at 171. Falling one place short of qualifying for the state tourney was 215 pound senior Cliff Hill (26-6), who had to settle for fourth place.
The Bisons were able to accumulate 89 team points in the two day tourney, while Erie Cathedral Prep edged the Bisons out of second place with 89.5 points. Claiming the Northwest Region team crown was perennial District 6 kingpin Central Mountain with their 103.5 points.
In his finals match Peters found himself against a familiar foe. Cathedral Prep freshman Jake Gromacki (28-4) had beaten Peters 8-4 earlier this season at the Tool City tournament. The beginning of this match looked like the same result may occur. Gromacki led 3-0 after getting the opening takedown in the first period and escaping in the second. With both wrestlers looking to score from their knees Peters pancaked the district 10 champ and pinned him in 3:38 setting off a celebration in the Clearfield corner and in the stands. Peters ran his career record to 94-24 with his biggest win thus far.
Peters had reached the finals with a 52 second pin of State College’s Mike Kauffman in the semifinals. Peters will face the Southeast third placer, Jim Long (31-5) of W.C. Henderson, in the opening match when the state championships begin on Thursday.
Already securing his second trip to Hershey with his 1:52 pin of Indian Valley’s Mason Grove in the semifinals, sophomore Barger was looking to win his first region crown when he faced off with Westmont Hilltop senior district 6 champion Tanner Hough (36-2). Barger has been wrestling very well in the post season, and the final match was no different, as the score was 2-2 heading into the third period after the two wrestlers had each picked up a takedown. In the third period Hough managed to reverse Barger and pick up three near fall points before Barger escaped to set the final score at 7-3.
Barger will oppose Southeast runner-up Scott Wolfinger (30-6) of Quakertown in his first match in Hershey.
Returning region champion Christian Stone fell to district 8 champion Godwin Nyama (31-2) 12-3 in a rematch of last year’s semifinals. From there Stone disposed of district 9 rival Anthony Vizza (21-11) of DuBois 7-2 in the consolation semis and then shut out the district 10 champion Paul Dietz (24-11) from Erie McDowell 8-0. Scoreless headed into the third period of the consolation final, Stone reversed and then cradled Dietz for back points to earn his second trip to the big dance.
Stone draws the Southeast region champion Corey McQuiston (39-2) of W.C. Rustin in his opening round match on Thursday.
Senior Derek Danver was looking for his first trip to Hershey and had to go about it the hard way after losing to the eventual champion Jacob Taylor in the quarterfinals Friday night. Danver needed to run off three wins in the consolation bracket on Saturday after he bounced back with a win on Friday night in the opening round of the consies. Danver did just that! He first pinned Steven Granzeier (12-10) of Brashear in 2:43 to set up his fourth bout of the year with DuBois’ Joe Morrison (19-4). Danver had dealt Morrison his only two losses of the regular season, but Morrison turned the tables on Danver during the district 9 finals. This time Danver was not to be denied as he reversed Morrison in the third period to break a scoreless tie and provide the margin of victory in the 2-1 win. In the all-important third place match, Danver scored the opening takedown against Erie Prep’s Grant Chase (23-9) and held on for a 3-1 win and a trip to Chocolatetown.
There, Danver will take his 124 career wins to meet undefeated Southeast region champion JM Staudenmayer (38-0) of Plymouth-Whitemarsh.
Cliff Hill’s season and career ended one match short of a state championship appearance when he tasted defeat twice on Saturday. First he was beaten for the second time this year by Lewistown’s Tyson Searer (36-1) 6-2 in the semifinals. Once in the consolation bracket, Hill eliminated BEA’s Nathan Sharkey (27-10) 6-3 by scoring a takedown at the buzzer in the first period and hitting a standing cradle for two big points in the second. Hill would then have to go through General McLane’s Travis Bryant (33-9) in the consolation finals. Like Danver, Bryant lost to the eventual champ in the quarterfinals and had to run off four wins in the consy bracket to advance to Hershey. Bryant did just that by pinning three opponents and holding off Hill 6-5. Hill was leading when Bryant hit a questionable four-point move that sealed Hill’s fate. Hill finished his Bison career at 69-38 in three years of starting.
District 9 had three other region champs this year, their best showing in years. Punxsutawney had two champions in Kody Young at 125 and Seth Spack at 135. Mark Havers of Bradford was able to earn his fourth regional title with the win at 152. Punxsutawney placed sixth as a team, while DuBois placed tenth.
The full results courtesy www.crossfacewrestling.net:
http://gimp.escapesports.on-rev.com/LiveResults/PIAA/2011_NW_AAA.html