HERSHEY — One of the most dominating performances of the 2016 PIAA Class AA Wrestling Tournament’s final session in the Giant Center Saturday afternoon resulted in Curwensville Area High school senior Shae Bloom being draped with a fifth-place medal for the second year in a row.
The Golden Tide 152-pounder punctuated his outstanding career for DuBois and Curwensville by outclassing Chestnut Ridge senior Morgan Deremer 17-1 in 4:53.
Five sets of back points in addition to a second-period reversal and third-period takedown gave Bloom one of only two technical falls in the 64 placement matches.
Using tilts and his bar-arm series for the turnovers, Bloom packed all of his scoring into less than four minutes after he and the District 5 champ and Southwest Region fifth-placer finished the first period on their feet.
“He wrestled that match better than any other here,” Curwensville coach Dean Swatsworth said. “He was very aggressive.
“I’m just happy for him. I’m very proud of him and for him.
“I told him fifth place is very respectable in the state of Pennsylvania.”
The Northwest Region champ’s second 4-2 showing at states pushed his record to 36-3 and made him only the sixth Golden Tide wrestler to earn multiple PIAA medals.
Bloom was 70-8 with two District 9 Class AA gold medals for Curwensville after posting a 70-13 record with two Class AAA titles for DuBois and was a state qualifier all four years.
At 140-21, Bloom is tied for 11th on District 9’s all-time win list.
“That’s pretty impressive,” Swatsworth said. “Overall, he had a great varsity career.”
So did Brookville 132-pounder Taylor Ortz, who finally ascended to the top of the winner’s stand after finishing third the last two years.
District 9’s lone champion was one of five Class AA gold medalists with a perfect record, and his 44 wins elevated him into a tie for second place on the all-time list at 156-16 with Nikko Leitzell (156-13). Nick Nichols (168-25) of Port Allegany owns the record.
In all, District 9 had 13 placewinners with James Duffy (145) of Smethport the only silver medalist and BryLee Shumaker (285) of Redbank Valley the only bronze medalist.
Cole Aaron (138) of Brookville and Ethan Budd (220) of Port Allegany were fourth, Keelan Kunselman (106) of Brookville, Mason Lindenmuth (126) of Brockway and Zach Sintobin (195) of Clarion finished fifth, Tanner Altobelli (126) of Redbank Valley was sixth, Gavin Park (113) of Brookville took seventh, and Ryan Carlson (120) of Brockway and Caleb Hetrick (152) of Brookville were eighth.
Brookville need all five placewinners to edge District 6 champion Huntingdon by two points, 72.5-70.5, for the team title.
That capped a great season by the Raiders, who also won the PIAA Class AA Team Championships and were undefeated in 29 dual meets.
Dave Klepfer was rewarded for those previous achievements with the PIAA Class AA Coach of the Year trophy prior to the finals.
District 10 wrestlers boosted the Northwest Region’s medal count to 30 but also had only one champion in 120-pounder Charlie Lenox of Fort LeBoeuf.
He defeated Farai Messai of Jamestown in an all D-10 title match.
Louie Head (120) of Eisenhower and Zach Stafford (285) of Cambridge Springs also lost in the finals.
Cole Matthews of Reynolds was one of D-10’s five bronze medalists, besting Jonathan Gabriel of Bedford 3-1 at 126 in a consolation final between returning state champions.
That was the tourney’s toughest weight class with Max Murin of Central Cambria a third returning gold medalist in the bracket, and he also failed to add a second title to his resume, as Brian Courtney of Athens beat him 3-2 in the championship bout to complete the trifecta of wins over all three returning champs.
Like the NW Region, the Southeast Region and Northeast Region could boast of just two champions apiece as the Southwest Region dominated with eight gold medalists.
Gavin Teasdale of Jefferson Morgan lived up to his No. 1 national ranking at 113 by piling up 96 points in four technical falls to trigger the SW Region run. He reigned at 106 last year and now sports a career record of 82-0.
George “Micky” Phillippi (138) of Derry joined an exclusive list with his third gold medal, while Mike Carr (145) of South Fayette and Jake Wentzel (160) and Greg Bulsak (182) of South Park won their second titles.
The SW Region’s other champs were Burrell 152-pounder Damon Greenwald, who had beaten Bloom 4-2 in the quarterfinals, Huntingdon 170-pounder Jacob Oliver and Southmoreland 285-pounder Jake Beistel.
Kevin Gentile (106) of Jim Thorpe and Harrison Cole Nye (220) of Bishop McDevitt were the SE Region’s champions, while Courtney and Gavin Hoffman (195) of Montoursville were the NE Region gold medalists.
Two-time Maryland state runner-up Cole Wetzel of Boiling Springs wound up with a silver medal again, losing 6-2 to Phillippi at 138.
The District 3 and SE Region champion’s father, Bryan, was a two-time District 9 champ for Curwensville in the late 1980s, and his grandfather, Bill, was both a District 9 champ (1964) and head coach (1981-82) for the Golden Tide.
Bill and his wife, Connie, still reside in Curwensville.
TEAM SCORING (Top 50 of 128)
1. Brookville, 72.5 points; 2. Huntingdon, 70.5; 3. Boiling Springs, 63.5; 4. Reynolds, 62.5; 5. (tie) Bishop McDevitt and Chestnut Ridge, 61; 7. (tie) Montoursville and South Park, 60; 9. (tie) Jefferson Morgan and Southern Columbia, 54; 11. Westmont Hilltop, 46; 12. Benton, 45.5; 13. Fort LeBoeuf, 44; 14. South Fayette, 38; 15. Greenville, 31; 16. (tie) Burrell and Redbank Valley, 31; 18. (tie) Cambridge Springs, Saegertown and Southmoreland, 29; 21. (tie) Athens, Penn Cambria and Wyalusing, 28; 24. (tie) Jamestown and Jim Thorpe, 24; 26. Derry, 26.5; 27. Brockway, 26; 28. Freedom Area, 23.5; 29. Beth-Center, Central Cambria, Lewisburg, Milton and Williams Valley, 23; 34. Berlin Brothers Valley, Franklin and Lehighton, 22; 37. (tie) Eisenhower and North Lebanon, 21; 39. (tie) Jeannette, Lancaster Catholic and Smethport, 20; 42. (tie) Allentown Central Catholic and Port Allegany, 19; 44. Palisades, 18; 45. Curwensville, 17.5; 46. (tie) Northern Lehigh and Towanda, 17; 48. (tie) Northwestern Lehigh and Salisbury Township, 16; 50. (tie) Harbor Creek and Meyersdale, 50.
CHAMPIONSHIPS
(District-Place, Region-Place, Grade, Record in Parenthesis)
106 – Kevin Gentile (11-1, SE-1, 12, 40-1), Jim Thorpe, dec. Jared Lane (4-1, NE-1, 10, 46-2), Southern Columbia, 7-1.
113 – Gavin Teasdale (7-1, SW-1, 10, 36-0), Jefferson Morgan, tech. fall Kolin Myers (3-1, SE-2, 9, 45-7), Boiling Springs, 23-8 (3:30).
120 – Charlie Lenox (10-1, NW-1, 12, 48-1), Fort LeBoeuf, dec. Faris Messai (10-2, NW-2, 12, 29-5), Jamestown, 6-3.
126 – Brian Courtney (4-1, NE-1, 11, 41-2), Athens, dec. Max Murin (6-1, SW-1, 11, 40-2), Central Cambria, 3-2.
132 – Taylor Ortz (9-1, NW-1, 12, 44-0), Brookville, dec. John Pipa (3-1, SE-2, 11, 38-8), Bishop McDevitt, 7-2.
138 – George “Micky” Phillippi (7-1, SW-1, 12, 43-2), Derry, dec. Cole Wetzel (3-1, SE-1, 12, 34-8), Boiling Springs, 6-2.
145 – Mike Carr (7-1, SW-1, 12, 43-0), South Fayette, dec. James Duffy (9-1, NW-1, 12, 36-1), Smethport, 3-1.
152 – Damon Greenwald (7-1, SW-2, 12, 43-8), Burrell, dec. Gio Vonne Sanders (7-2, SW-4, 11, 30-7), Jeannette, 3-1 (SV).
160 – Jake Wentzel (7-1, SW-1, 12, 42-0), South Park, dec. Louie Head (10-1, NW-1, 11, 37-2), Eisenhower, 3-0.
170 – Jacob Oliver (6-2, SW-3, 11, 33-4), Huntingdon dec. Anthony Walters (6-1, SW-1, 10, 33-3), Westmont Hilltop, 6-4 (SV).
182 – Greg Bulsak (7-1, SW-1, 12, 44-1), South Park, pinned Garrett Hoffman (4-1, NE-1, 12, 49-3), Montoursville, 1:43.
195 – Gavin Hoffman (4-1, NE-1, 10, 48-2), Montoursville, dec. Bill Bowlen (7-1, SW-1, 12, 38-4), Jefferson Morgan, 6-3.
220 – Harrison Cole Nye (3-3, SE-1, 11, 42-5), Bishop McDevitt, dec. Josiah Jones (6-1, SW-1, 10, 34-6), Westmont Hilltop, 2-1 (TB).
285 – Jacob Beistel (7-1, SW-1, 12, 36-0), Southmoreland, dec. Zach Stafford (10-3, NW-3, 12, 32-7), Cambridge Springs, 3-2.
THIRD-PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 – Aaron Burkett (5-1, SW-1, 12, 41-4), Chestnut Ridge, dec. Beau Bayless (10-1, NW-1, 10, 38-9), Reynolds, 4-1.
113 – William Girard (11-1, SE-1, 12, 37-4), Williams Valley, dec. Alan Diltz (4-1, NE-1, 12, 36-4), Benton, 4-1.
120 – Joe Lobeck (3-1, SE-2, 12, 44-3), Lancaster Catholic, major dec. Jordan Gessner (4-1, NE-1, 12, 42-5), Lewisburg, 10-0.
126 – Cole Matthews (10-1, NW-1, 10, 44-5), Reynolds, dec. Jonathan Gabriel (5-1, SW-2, 12, 33-5), Bedford, 3-1.
132 – Todd Lane (4-1, SE-2, 11, 38-4), Southern Columbia, dec. Jacob Wasser (11-1, SE-1, 12, 42-2), Palisades, 5-0.
138 – Jarret Carter (10-1, NW-1, 12, 40-4), Fort LeBoeuf, dec. Cole Aaron (9-1, NW-2, 12, 40-10), Brookville, 3-1 (SV).
145 – Kody Komara (7-2, SW-2, 11, 41-6), Freedom Area, dec, Seth Baney (6-1, SW-3, 11, 44-10), Huntingdon, 5-0.
152 – Nick Monico (10-1,NW-3, 12, 41-5), Saegertown, pinned Nate Newberry (3-1, SE-1, 12, 39-4), Biglerville, 5:41 (SV).
160 – Blake Marks (4-1, NE-1, 12, 44-2), Southern Columbia, dec. Braden Fochtman (5-1, SW-3, 12, 31-8), Berlin Brothers Valley, 1-0.
170 – Anthony Welsh (7-1, SW-2, 12, 39-2), Beth-Center, dec. Dayton Wickmire (4-1, NE-1, 12, 45-5), Towanda, 4-1.
182 – Dakota Geer (10-1, NW-1, 12, 41-1), Franklin, dec. Luke Funck (3-1, SE-1, 11, 42-3), Northern Lebanon, 4-1.
195 – Connor Frey (11-1, SE-1, 12, 42-2), Lehighton, dec. Blake Reynolds (10-1, NW-1, 11, 46-2), Greenville, 1-0.
220 – Gage Gladysz (10-1, NW-1, 12, 48-1), Greenville, dec. Ethan Budd (9-1, NW-2, 12, 32-5), Port Allegany, 5-4 (SV).
285 – BryLee Shumaker (9-2, NW-1, 12, 39-3), Redbank Valley, dec. Alexander Nicholas (11-1, SE-1, 12, 33-3), Salisbury Township, 4-1 (TB).
FIFTH-PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 – Keelan Kunselman (9-1, NW-2, 11, 31-13), Brookville dec. Chase Shields (3-1, SE-3, 9, 36-10), Bishop McDevitt, 7-0.
113 – Bronson Garber (3-2, SE-1, 9, 38-6), Upper Dauphin, dec. Darren Yearick (6-1, SW-2, 11, 38-7), Penns Valley, 5-0.
120 – Jalin Hankerson (3-3, SE-3, 11, 26-9), Boiling Springs, dec. Angelo Barberio (4-2, NE-4, 12, 38-8), Muncy, 3-2.
126 – Mason Lindenmuth (9-2, NW-3, 12, 34-7), Brockway, dec. Tanner Altobelli (9-1, NW-2, 12, 34-5), Redbank Valley, 3-1 (SV).
132 – Collin Glorioso (6-1, SW-1, 12, 39-8), Huntingdon, dec. Jared McGill (5-1, SW-3, 9, 33-8), Chestnut Ridge, 1-0 (UTB).
138 – Creighton Edsell (4-4, NE-2, 10, 41-9, Wyalusing, dec. Chase Anklam (11-1, SE-2, 10, 40-5), Pen Argyl, 5-4.
145 – Seth Hogue (10-1, NW-2, 12, 40-10, Reynolds, won by forfeit over Caleb Clymer (11-2, SE-6, 10, 18-7), Northwestern Lehigh.
152 – Shae Bloom (9-1, NW-1, 12, 35-3), Curwensville, Morgan Deremer (5-1, SW-5, 11, 40-8), Chestnut Ridge,
160 – Austin Firebaugh (6-2, SW-4, 12, 35-9), Penn Cambria, dec. Ryan Farber (11-1, SE-2, 11, 34-5), Northern Lehigh, 1-0.
170 – Brandon Stokes (4-2, NE-2, 12, 38-9), Milton won by forfeit over Cody Mulligan (10-1, NW-1, 10, 41-7), Saegertown.
182 – Zack Zimmerman (4-3, NE-4, 11, 37-6), Troy, dec. Christian Hutzell (5-2, SW-4, 11, 33-13), Meyersdale, 2-1.
195 – Zach Sintobin (9-1, NW-2, 12, 41-9), Clarion, dec. Conner Buttry (5-1, SW-3, 12, 40-8), Chestnut Ridge, 7-5 (SV).
220 – Joseph Gladish (11-2, SE-2, 12, 31-5), Allentown Central Catholic, major dec. Rausaun Culberson (7-2, SW-4, 12, 44-10), South Fayette, 13-5.
285 – Crae McCracken (4-5), NE-4, 11, 16-7), Loyalsock, dec. Dawson Otis (4-1, NE-3, 11, 45-6), Wyalusing, 4-0.
SEVENTH-PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 – Joe Klock (4-2, NE-2, 10, 29-9), Benton, dec. John Consorti (11-2, SE-2, 10, 28-10), Wilson, 7-2.
113 – Gavin Park (9-1, NW-1, 11, 23-4), Brookville, dec. Ritchie Markulis (11-3, SE-5, 9, 33-9), Notre Dame-Green Pond, 1-0.
120 – Sam Sallot (10-5, NW-4, 10, 42-10), Harbor Creek, dec. Ryan Carlson (9-1, NW-3, 12, 35-5), Brockway, 8-3.
126 – Brian Earlston (4-2, NE-2, 11, 37-11), Line Mountain, dec. Tanner McHugh (11-4, SE-6, 11, 39-13), Tamaqua, 1-0.
132 – Mike Stuart (4-3, NE-3, 11, 32-10), Benton, dec. Chaise Hauck (10-1, NW-2, 11, 37-10), Reynolds, 6-1.
138 – Justin McCoy (5-1, SW-2, 10, 41-5), Chestnut Ridge, pinned Dallas Bulsak (7-3, SW-4, 11, 36-13), South Park, 3:51.
145 – Keith Batkowski (4-2, NE-2, 12, 43-8), Montoursville, dec. Ashton West (3-4, SE-4, 11, 38-15), Bermudian Springs, 3-2.
152 – Jon Wagner (6-2, SW-3, 12, 44-8), Huntingdon, dec. Caleb Hetrick (9-2, NW-2, 10, 30-12), Brookville, 4-3.
160 – Dalton Group (3-1, SE-1, 10, 40-3), Susquenita, dec. Cody Jenkins (7-5, SW-6, 11, 43-11), South Allegheny, 5-0.
170 – Jeremy Walsh (4-4, NE-3, 12, 38-3), Benton, dec. Dakota Mackley (3-2, SE-1, 12, 30-6), Eastern York, 11-10.
182 – Jacob Driskel (6-1, SW-3, 12, 39-8), Penn Cambria, dec. Jared Mooney (11-1, SE-2, 11, 32-6), Palmerton, 6-0.
195 – Logan Fisher (6-2, SW-2, 12, 35-12), Huntingdon, dec. Deven Simpson (10-2, NW-3, 12, 41-9), Cambridge Springs, 7-0.
220 – Devin Fontanez (11-1, SE-3, 11, 44-9), Saucon Valley, dec. Cole Rickert (10-3, NW-3, 11, 30-18), Reynolds, 3-2 (TB).
285 – Josh Lind (7-2, SW-2, 12, 43-10), Mount Pleasant, dec. Evan Sweesey (7-5, SW-5, 11, 35-18) Freedom Area, 5-3.
Complete bracket results by Pa-wrestling.com:
