ALTOONA — After a solid first day at the AAA Northwest Region Wrestling Championship, the Clearfield Bisons found the sledding a bit tougher on day two.
The 8-man contingent that had survived the long opening night was slowly wittled away to the last man standing in the form of freshman 145-pounder Luke McGonigal. McGonigal (26-11) bounced back from his Friday quarterfinal loss to 2-time region champ Hayden Hidlay with four consecutive wins to earn his bronze medal and a trip to the PIAA State Wrestling Championships in Hershey, which begin on Thursday.
McGonigal started his run through the wrestlebacks with a second period fall over Shikellamy’s Jordan Hepler (19-17). In the second round, McGonigal upended the District 4 champ, Seth Young (20-7) out of Jersey Shore, by a 13-7 score. In the consolation semis McGonigal would run in to the District 10 champion, Owen Watkins (35-6) from General McLane. Watkins had beaten McGonigal in the Tool City Tournament finals back in January by a 9-2 score. McGonigal turned the tide on Watkins by eking out a 2-1 decision. And in the consolation finals, with a trip to Hershey on the line, McGonigal faced off with St. Marys’ Kyle Pecht (28-11) for the fifth time this season. Pecht won the first two outings, but McGonigal had won the last two, including a fall in the third period of the District 9 finals just last week. Up 2-0 after a first period takedown, McGonigal reversed and pinned Pecht for the second week in a row, this time just 36 seconds in to the second period.
Coming up one win short in his bid for a state championship bid was junior Travis Ogden at 195. Ogden ended up on the short end of the stick in a topsy-turvy semifinal against State College’s Cory Dreibelbis (22-14). Drebelbis was up 6-2 after the first period after picking up two takedowns and a 2-point nearfall, while Ogden could only muster two escapes. Odgen closed the gap in the second period with two reversals to Dreibelbis’ one, making it 8-6 heading to the final period. Coming off the bottom with a reversal and another 2-point nearfall, Dreibelbis built up a 12-6 lead, only to see Ogden flip him to his back for a 5-point move to finish the match on his back in a 12-11 win.
Ogden then had no problem in the consolation semifinals, posting a 10-0 win over Dan Stearns (21-10) of Titusville. In the consolation finals Ogden (30-5) faced Central Mountain’s Loc Long (27-10), who Ogden had defeated 5-0 in Friday’s quarterfinal. Long got the opening takedown, but Ogden reversed to send the match in to the second period tied at two. Long escaped to take the lead, but Ogden took him down for a 4-3 lead. Long reversed for a 1-point edge at the end of two. Ogden started the final period on bottom, and after a scramble found himself on his back where Long received a quick slap of the mat to pick up the fall at the 4:28 mark. Ogden will take a 59-18 mark in to his senior year.
Looking to reach the PIAA tournament for the second time was Bison senior Noah Cline. Unfortunately, it was not to be as Cline lost two close matches on Saturday to close out his Clearfield career as a 4-year letterwinner with a 94-47 record. Cline gave up a reversal in the second period of his semifinal against Bellefonte’s Brock Port (30-2) and was beaten 2-0. In the consolation finals, Cline wrestled Hollidaysburg’s Dalton Long (24-14). Cline had defeated Long in a close match 5-3 in Friday night’s opening round. This time around, Long only allowed Cline two escapes during regulation time and made his first period takedown and sudden victory takedown stand up in a 4-2 overtime win.
Bowing out in the consolation semifinals was 126 pound junior Logan Gilbert. Gilbert’s two losses in the tourney were to eventual champ Seth Koleno (30-4) from BEA and eventual third place finisher Hunter Hendricks (29-8) from General McLane. Gilbert will take a 65-43 record in to his senior year.
Junior 120-pounder Josiah McClarren (23-13) won two consolation bouts, but was eliminated in the third round of wrestlebacks by third place finisher Mifflin County’s Noah Myers (27-12). McClarren will take a record of 57-47 in to his final season.
Junior heavyweight Nate Lash (19-14) also won two consolation bouts, after a heartbreaking overtime loss in the first round on Friday, but was beaten by fourth place finisher Hunter Gill (27-12) by a 3-0 count in the third round of consolations.
Making to the second day, but being eliminated in the second round of consolations were sophomore Zane Morgan (2-3) at 138 and junior Tallin Norris (18-17) at 152.
Clearfield finished a respectable 11th place with 51 team points to place highest among the five District 9 entries. Mifflin County narrowly edged General McLane for the team title by a score of 140.5 to 136.5.
District 9 only managed one region champ – Kaleb Young of Punxsuatwney at 152. Three of the five returning champs managed to add a second title – Hayden Hidlay of Mifflin County at 145, DJ Holligshead of Altoona at 170, and Trey Hartsock also of Mofflin County at 195.
Complete results, courtesy Escape Sports, can be found here.