AAA Rankings Review for 2010-2011 Season by our friends at pennsylvaniawrestlingrankings.com

There will be four returning State Champions (Conner Schram 10th Canon McMillan 103, 2 x Nico Megaludis 12th Franklin Regional 119 , Steve Spearman 11th Erie McDowell 130, and Kenny Courts 12th Central Dauphin 171) in class AAA this upcoming season as well as ten state runner-ups (Austin Miller 12th Hempfield 103, Corey Keener 11th Blue Mountain 112, Paul Bewak Hempfield Area 103 2009, 3 x Zachary Horan 12th Nazareth 125, Lorenzo Thomas 12th Pittsburgh Central Catholic 140, Aaron McKinney 12th West Allegheny 145, Shane Springer 11th LaSalle College 152, Mark Havers 12th Bradford 152 2009, Zachary Nye 12th East Pennsboro 215, and Zach Corl 12th Central Mountain 285) .

There would have been five returning State Champions but Jimmy Gulibon will have to finish his quest for four titles in class AA since Derry Area was reclassified down a level. While AAA is losing a quality program with two multiple time State Placers (Jimmy Gulibon 2 x State Champion, and Travis Shaffer 3 x State place winner) added to the mix will be Jason Luster 11th Pittsburgh Central Catholic 152 who transferred from The Kiski School, Luster was a Prep School National Champion and one of the Top Ranked wrestlers in the Country at his weight class.

There are six total State qualifiers, who will be moving up to Class AAA (Josh Polacek 12th Westmont Hilltop 112, Tanner Hough 12th Westmont Hilltop 119, Brandon Arnsberger 11th Octorara 119, Jackson Stabile 12th Hamburg 145, Ryan Burnheimer 171 Westmont Hilltop 171, and Josh Duplin 11th Westmont Hilltop 285).

There are ten seniors in Class AAA who are looking for their 4th trip to Hershey, and four of them are looking for their fourth medal (3 x medalist Nico Megaludis Franklin Regional 119, Tanner Hough Westmont Hilltop 119, 3 x medalist Zachary Horan Nazareth 125, 3 x medalist Cameron Throckmorton South Western 125, Nick Catalano Canon McMillan 135, Ryan Krecker Nazareth 145, 3 x medalist Jayshon Wilson Carlisle 152, Nick Bonaccorsi Bethel Park 160, Mark Havers Bradford 160, and Scott Syrek Owen J. Roberts 215).

Every year there are freshman who enter the PIAA with a lot of buzz surrounding them and this year is no different. This season the freshman who enters with the most hype is without a doubt Chance Marstellar of Kennard Dale in District 3. Marstellar has been competing and defeating State Champions and PIAA medalists for the last couple years in off season tournaments and now the time is coming to prove it at the High School level. Marstellar should wrestle this season at 145 or 152. Solomon Chisko of Canon McMillan is another very skilled incoming freshman who should contend for a spot on the podium, possibly high right out of the gates at around 125 or 130.

HERSHEY, Pa. | If Liberty High School senior Anthony Marino
had one wish for his final day at the PIAA Class AAA
Wrestling Championships, it was to let it fly.
Marino did that in Saturdays night 119-pound
championship bout, matching Franklin Regional junior Nico
Megaludis point-for-point through the first two periods. It
was almost enough.
Anthony held nothing back, Liberty coach Jody
Karam said. I think he maybe got a little bit tired in
the third period because he went so hard in the first two
periods.
Megaludis took control with five points in the third and
went on to win his second consecutive state championship
with an 8-4 decision.
Marino joined Nazareth junior Zach Horan as the top two
finishers from The Express-Times region. Horan, who fell to
undefeated Bellefonte senior Mitchell Port in the 125 final,
won a state silver medal for the third consecutive year.
Blue Mountain senior Josh Kindig, who earned the 140-pound
title with an 8-3 decision over Pittsburgh Central
Catholics Lorenzo Thomas, was the only District 11
wrestler to win a PIAA Class AAA title for the second year
in a row.
Megaludis scored the first takedown against Marino but the
Hurricane reversed him in the second period and the two went
into the third tied at 3. Then Megaludis, who finished the
season at 36-0, seemed to find another gear.
We let it fly, Marino said. He was the
better wrestler tonight. I knew what he was coming in to
this. Im not going to run from anybody.
Marino ended his career at 128-22 overall a record that
includes a 2009 fifth-place medal at states. A District 11
and Northeast Regional champ this year, hes headed to
Bloomsburg.
I would say he progressed as the years and weeks went
by, Karam said. Thats all you can ask.
Hes a better wrestler than when he came in and
thats a credit to Libertys assistant coaches and
his partners in the room.
Coincidentally, Megaludis was the same wrestler who beat
Horan in overtime in last years 112 state final.
Horan has faced extremely tough competitors in the finals
ever since his freshman year when he ran into a senior
103-pounder, Council Rock Souths Mark Rappo. This
time, Horan took on Bellefonte senior Mitchell Port.
Horan took down Port 42 seconds into the first period but
Port escaped and added a takedown of his own with 10 seconds
left in the period. Port, who improved to 45-0 for the
season, added one last takedown at the edge of the mat with
four seconds remaining for a 6-3 decision.
Its just heartbreaking, Nazareth coach
Dave Crowell said. I just feel so bad for him. He puts
his life into it. But, like I told him, you are not defined
by the score of one wrestling match. Hes defined by
the person hes become.
Hes become a great team man. While we would
like to win every wrestling match, if its me, those
kinds of other things matter more.
In other Class AAA finals action, the Central Mountain
brother duo of Andrew Alton and Dylan Alton finished their
careers with a combined five state titles. Andrew, a
145-pounder, took his second title with a technical fall
over West Alleghenys Aaron McKinney. Dylan won his
third consecutive state gold medal with an 11-4 decision
over La Salles Shane Springer at 152.
Eleven other wrestlers from the Express-Times region earned
medals in Class AAA.
In the consolation rounds, Eastons Mark Hartenstine
and Northamptons Austin Sommer both closed their
careers with their best state finishes. Hartenstine, who
placed eighth last year, defeated Garnet Valleys
Joseph Marino 5-0 for the bronze medal at 140. Sommer, a
seventh-place finisher in 2009, beat Kiski Areas Zack
Shannon 5-2 for third at 152.
Nazareth 145-pounder Ryan Krecker won a fourth-place medal
for the second year in a row. Northampton senior Jordan
Glykas won his first state medal, a fourth at 125.
Easton sophomore Mitch Minotti, who decisioned Pleasant
Valleys Jordan Toledo in both the District 11 and
Northeast Regional finals, earned a 4-0 win over Toledo for
fifth at 130. Liberty junior Anthony Cabera beat
Eastons Evan DiSora 3-0 in the fifth-place match at
103; Cabrera defeated DiSora by that same score in both the
district and regional finals.
Libertys Devon Lotito (seventh at 112),
Parklands Tarik Haddad (eighth at 189) and Wade Rivera
(fifth at 160) and Whitehalls Taray Carey (sixth at
215) also claimed medals in Class AAA.
Beth Hudson can be reached at sports@express-times.com.

Central Dauphin's Marshall Peppelman won his third straight PIAA title with a pin against West Allegheny's Troy Reaghard.

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(JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News)

Results and quick recaps from each match of the PIAA Class AAA championship finals.

103 POUNDS
In an ultimate tie breaker fourth overtime, Canon McMillan's Conner Schram burst out of the grasp of Hempfield's Austin Miller to win a, let's say, 'tentative' 103-pound final. The wrestlers exchanged escapes in the first and second periods and did little from their feet on their way to a four-overtime marathon.

112 POUNDS
Derry Area's Jimmy Gulibon won his second PIAA title in as many years, putting on a clinic from his feet in a 12-5 decision over Blue Mountain's Corey Keener. Gulibon struck twice in the first period and never trailed to finish his season with a 36-1 record and state gold.

119 POUNDS
Franklin Regional's Nico Megaludis out-lasted Liberty's Anthony Marino, using constant pressure in the final period to win an 8-4 decision. Megaludis, the state champ at 112 pounds last season, scored a late takedown to put the finishing touches on the victory.

125 POUNDS
Bellefonte's Mitchell Port and Nazareth's Zachary Horan went back and forth in a match jam-packed with action. Port got the better end of some wild flurries and came away with a 6-3 win.

130 POUNDS
A wild ride from start to finish, McDowell's Steve Spearman scored an emphatic late takedown to topple Central Dauphin's Tyler Buckman 7-6 in rideout time. Buckman escaped to take a 6-5 lead, but surrendered the winning takedown and just missed turning Spearman for back points in the final seconds.

135 POUNDS
Council Rock South's Josh Dziewa finished his dominant run through the 135 bracket, making short work of Cumberland Valley's Shawn Greevy with a first-period pin. Dziewa won two matches by fall and out-scored his other two opponents 7-0 in capturing the gold.

140 POUNDS
Blue Mountain's Josh Kindig led from start to finish, disposing of Pittsburgh Central Catholic's Lorenzo Thomas in an 8-3 victory in the finals. Kindig was the gold medal winner at 135 last season and repeated at 140 with two pins and two decisions.

145 POUNDS
Central Mountain's Andrew Alton won his second straight PIAA title with a 23-8 technicall fall over West Allegheny's Aaron McKinney. Alton tore through the 145 bracket with two pins and two technicall falls, in which he totaled 50 combined points.

152 POUNDS
Dylan Alton used a quick flurry to grab an early lead and cruise to an 11-4 victory over Lasalle's Shane Springer. Dylan Alton one-upped twin brother Andrew with his third straight PIAA gold medal.

160 POUNDS
Central Dauphin's Marshall Peppelman used his signature tilt to put West Allegheny's Troy Reaghard on his back, then sunk in a deep half nelson to flatten him out in a second-period pin. The win sent Peppelman to his third straight state title.

171 POUNDS
Familiar rivals squared off in the state finals as Central Dauphin's Kenny Courts won a third straight matchup against Cumberland Valley's Tristan Warner, this time for state gold. Courts took an early 4-0 lead when he dumped Warner to his back and held on for a 6-4 win.

189 POUNDS
A second caution stall against Council Rock North's Jamie Callender gave Springfield's Andre Petroski the tying point, and after taking a 5-4 lead on an escape, Petroski re-paid the favor with a couple of stalling calls in the final minute. Callender cashed in 33 seconds into overtime, wrapping up a clean double leg and securing a 7-5 win.

215 POUNDS
Selinsgrove's Spencer Myers controlled East Pennsboro's Zach Nye from the neutral position and handed Nye his first loss of the season, 5-3. Nye was aiming to become East Penn's first gold medalist since 1978.

285 POUNDS
Abington Heights' Evan Craig battered and bruised Central Mountain's Zack Corl on his way to defending his state title with a second-period pin. Craig led 4-0 when he cranked Corl to his back with an arm bar and finished the pin at the 2:45 mark.

Marshal Peppelman of Central Dauphin

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(JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News )

CLASS AA PREDICTIONS FOR PIAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS