EXPRESS TIMES WRESTLING TIMES

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Individual wrestling rankings
Brian IsraelBryan Israel
103 Name Record School Class
1 Darian Cruz 37-2 Beth. Catholic So.
2 Ethan Lizak 30-9 Parkland Fr.
3 Cody Barbiche 39-2 Delaware Valley Sr.
4 Brett Marino 34-4 Liberty Sr.
5 Bryan Israel 34-7 Saucon Valley So.

Honorable mention: Fr. Dante Albanese (27-12) Pius X, Fr. Kyle Baker (30-15) Easton, So. Jaryd Flank (24-13) Wilson, So. Matt Moncourtois (28-10) North Hunterdon, Fr. Dylan Nace (30-7) Hunterdon Central, Fr. Matt Ritchie (23-9) North Warren, Jr. Brandon Sommer (22-17) Northampton, So. Matt Williams (37-10) Pen Argyl.

Notes: Lizak, one of several Parkland wrestlers to have outstanding Class AAA Northeast Regional tournaments, rejoins the top 5 with an eye-catching 9-5 win over Marino in the regional final. Williams' regional was less than outstanding as he was disqualified for choking and will miss states and thus falls from the top 5. Barbiche took fourth at New Jersey states and holds on at No. 3 for now. Cruz rolls along.

Anthony CabreraAnthony Cabrera
112 Name Record School Class
1 Zeke Moisey 38-5 Beth. Catholic Fr.
2 Anthony Cabrera 34-3 Liberty Sr.
3 DeMarquis Holley 32-5 Dieruff Jr.
4 Gary Dinmore 31-3 Hunterdon Central Fr.
5 Ryan Nicotra 33-5 Hackettstown Sr.

Honorable mention: Fr. Pat Antonacci (27-5) Central Catholic, So. Anthony Dee (23-13) Salisbury, So. Ian Evans (26-18) Parkland, Fr. Josh Evans (29-7) Palmerton, Fr. Justin Pidoto (25-13) Warren Hills, Jr. Peter Stanley (28-17) Easton, Fr. Vinnie Vonelli (26-10) Pius X, Sr. Jamie Welsh (33-9) Pen Argyl, Fr. Chase Zemenak (30-16) Nazareth.

Notes: Cabrera beat Holley in the regional final and moves up over the New Jersey contingent, which did not have a good state tournament though at least Dinmore won a match. Stanley fell agonizingly short of making states, losing 2-1 in the regional third-place bout. Welsh could crack Top 5 with strong showing at AA states. Moisey's 8-4 win over 36-1 Brad Farley of Bermudian Springs in the Southeast Regional final impressed.

Mike PongraczMike Pongracz
119 Name Record School Class
1 Randy Cruz 40-5 Beth. Catholic Jr.
2 Mike Pongracz 38-4 Delaware Valley So.
3 Evan Disora 29-9 Easton So.
4 Grimaldi Gonzales 28-10 Liberty So.
5 Mike Fleck 9-3 Wilson Sr.

Honorable mention: Jr. Joseph Dalessandro (23-13) Pius X, Sr. Lucas Dise (28-7) Northern Lehigh, Jr. James Elphick (14-11) Pen Argyl, So. Andrew Kaluzny (22-17) Phillipsburg, So. Tyler Kozimor (21-7) Hackettstown, So. Mike Rodgers (28-10) Central Catholic, So. Jesse Thorsen (25-11) Belvidere.

Notes: Pongracz finished eighth in New Jersey after making the quarterfinals. DiSora took third place at regions while Gonzales did not advance. Cruz won a 2-1 nail-biter over the formidable Nate Giorgio of Schuylkill Valley in Southeast Regional final; for comparison Giorgio defeated Fleck 8-0. Some movement possible here from Pennsylvania states.

Robbie Rizzolino headshotRobbie Rizzolino
125 Name Record School Class
1 Devon Lotito 35-5 Liberty Jr.
2 Zane Heller 28-5 No. Lehigh Jr.
3 Robbie Rizzolino 35-11 Easton
So.
4 Mike Fake 22-7 Parkland Sr.
5 Franco Ferraina 31-5 Nazareth Sr.

Honorable mention: Sr. Chris Davis (30-8) Voorhees, Sr. Josh Fritz (25-12) Emmaus, Jr. Sam Oberlander (26-7) Palmerton, Sr. Jaydon Rice (32-11) Bethlehem Catholic, So. Brandon Rothman (19-14) Hackettstown, Jr. Paul Sloand (27-14) Saucon Valley, Jr. Dylan Thorsen (36-3) Belvidere.

Notes: Utter chaos. Lotito, No. 3 last week, pinned his way through regionals en route to title and takes top spot here with authority. Ferraina, No. 1 last week, was dogged by illness and lost to Fake and Rizzolino to miss states. Thorsen, No. 2 last week, went one-and-done in New Jersey by giving up a four-point move at the buzzer, which really shouldn't happen. Rizzolino recovered from a first-round regional loss to Fritz to beat him in consolations and then upset Ferraina in third-place bout to make states. Fake thumped Ferraina before losing regional final. Heller, peaking at the right time, dominated Rice in the AA regional final. Sloand making AA states is a superb story of improvement as the season went on. So all that works out to what you see above and that could well change before next week's final rankings.
Matt LaneMatt Lane
130 Name Record School Class
1 Zach Horan 45-0 Nazareth Sr.
2 Matt Lane 33-8 Phillipsburg Sr.
3 Rich Cruz 27-13 Bethlehem Catholic Jr.
4 Calvin Daly 31-14 Easton Sr.
5 Vince Pellechia 33-4 Catasauqua Jr.

Honorable mention: Sr. Matt Boylan (21-14) Hunterdon Central, Sr. George Dalessandro (24-13) Pius X, So. Matt Ortiz (25-11) Northwestern, Jr. Javier Rivas (24-8) Dieruff, So. Mason Ryzoff (18-10) North Warren, Sr. Forest Touchberry (22-14) Parkland.

Notes: Only shifts here involve Pellechia dropping spots after going 0-2 at AA regions while Cruz took fifth at same tourney and made states. Horan beat Brandon Choate of Blue Mountain 3-1 in regional final; Choate had taken down Horan in district final but that was not repeated. Lane went 1-2 at New Jersey states but is very definitely still No. 2 here.

Jason StephenJason Stephen
135 Name Record School Class
1 Mike Racciato 44-2 Pen Argyl So.
2 Joey Rizzolino 40-5 Easton Sr.
3 Jason Stephen 33-11 Northampton Jr.
4 Derek Zehnbauer 32-7 Delaware Valley Jr.
5 Damien Hopper 30-3 Central Catholic Sr.

Honorable mention: Sr. Colby Barrett (19-9) Pius X, So. Mike Marano (24-19) Parkland, So. Eric Matz (24-9) Catasauqua, Jr. Aaron Morekin (26-8) Whitehall, 3. Sr. Greg Noll (37-10) Nazareth, Sr. Nikko Stevens (24-10) Northern Lehigh, Sr. Tye Vallone (17-13) Southern Lehigh.

Notes: Stephen knocked off Noll in regional semis and dropped a close 5-3 decision to Rizzolino in final. Noll, stunningly, did not make states after finishing fourth. Zehnbauer's loss In states was to eventual runner-up Tyler Scotton of Willingboro. Racciato dominated AA regions while Hopper took third; Stevens was sixth and missed states.

Luciano BurriesciLuciano Burriesci
140 Name Record School Class
1 Mitch Minotti 40-2 Easton Jr.
2 Ryan Todora 35-8 Beth. Catholic So.
3 Luciano Burriesci 37-11 Pen Argyl Sr.
4 Zack Wilson 26-13 Northampton Sr.
5 Ronnie Honickel 35-3 Voorhees Sr.

Honorable mention: Jr. Bryson Berard (17-16) Parkland, Sr. Billy Butka (24-13) Warren Hills, Sr. Paul Schwartz (17-12) Freedom, Sr. Eric Seals (20-12) Allen, Sr. Rylan Watson (28-12) Phillipsburg.

Notes: District 11 showed off its power at AA regions by putting all four of its representatives in the semifinals. Todora beat Burriesci for the third time this season, this time by a bare 1-0, and both move up a spot as Wilson went 2-2 at AAA regionals and missed states. Too bad Honickel was slowed by bronchitis at New Jersey states. Minotti outscored three foes 42-11 at AAA regions.

Chris CancelliereChris Cancelliere
145 Name Record School Class
1 Justin Heller 27-8 Parkland Sr.
2 John Lynch 31-6 Saucon Valley Sr.
3 Chris Cancelliere 34-6 North Hunterdon Sr.
4 Cole Sheptock 29-7 Northampton Jr.
5 Matt Gotzon 23-9 So. Lehigh Sr.

Honorable mention: So. Tyler Cote (19-8) Hunterdon Central, Jr. Steven Baker (23-10) Voorhees, Jr. Victor Embardino (22-9) Notre Dame, So. Ty Herzog (29-7) Northern Lehigh, Sr. John Kelly (16-11) Bangor, Sr. Kyle Kilpatrick (19-11) Wilson, Sr. Josh LaBar (34-9) Pius X, Sr. Rex Lutz (28-10) Pen Argyl, Jr. Joe Meyer (18-18) Phillipsburg, Sr. Anthony Minotti (25-11) Easton, So. Josh Young (19-8) Freedom.

Notes: Heller's AAA regional championship shakes things up here and gives him top spot after Lynch was fourth at AA and Cancelliere 1-2 at New Jersey states. Gotzon lost to Sheptock in AAA region quarters and then won four straight bouts to take third and make states, an impressive comeback. Herzog surprisingly missed out on states. Still a very fluid situation here heading into last week.

John LambertJohn Lambert
152 Name Record School Class
1 Mason McIntyre 22-1 Easton Sr.
2 John Lambert 31-5 Northampton Sr.
3 Bobby Clymer 31-5 Northwestern Sr.
4 Dan Brockerhoff 28-11 Phillipsburg Sr.
5 Beau Vrancken 33-6 North Hunterdon Jr.

Honorable mention: Sr. Matt Bonshak (23-7) Whitehall, Sr. Chris Carey (30-7) Hunterdon Central, Sr. Kyle Dehaut (28-11) Bethlehem Catholic, So. Travis Buddock (19-10) Saucon Valley, Sr. Luke Gotzon (25-7) Southern Lehigh, So. Connor Hedash (18-10) Northern Lehigh, Jr. Mike Staufenberger (20-10) North Warren, Sr. Mike Rogers (22-15) Delaware Valley, Sr. Jason Rothman (22-6) Hackettstown, Sr. Solomon Sohn (13-9) Easton.

Notes: Lambert's regional crown in a not-too-strong weight class moves him up two spots past Clymer, who was third at AA regions; Lambert edged Hazleton's Tim Samec in the final, and Samec owns a win over Clymer. Lambert could take No. 1 with a very good state tournament. All three New Jersey qualifers (Brockerhoff, Carey and Vrancken) went winless at states.

Elliot RiddickElliot Riddick
160 Name Record School Class
1 Jadaen Bernstein 39-1 Voorhees So.
2 Elliot Riddick 37-6 Bethlehem Catholic Jr.
3 Ryan Krecker 31-2 Nazareth Sr.
4 Mike Ottinger 28-3 Parkland Sr.
5 Jon Blank 31-4 Notre Dame Jr.

Honorable mention: Jr. Billy Christensen (22-5) Wilson, Jr. Anthony Clifford (22-12) Central Catholic, Jr. Nathan Dow (33-7) Belvidere, Jr. V.J. Delmonico (25-15) Phillipsburg, So. Dave Fenton (19-15) Hunterdon Central, Sr. Tim Kunkel (24-14) Northampton, Jr. Justin Marsh (26-7) Palisades, Jr. JD Rabenold (21-16) Pen Argyl, Sr. Kyle Sorensen (26-9) Northwestern.

Notes: We should have listened to that nagging voice we heard last week about Bernstein, who looked simply sensational in coming in second at New Jersey states and takes over No. 1 here until, or if, such achievement is equaled in Pennsylvania and then we'll look again. Riddick crushed foes at AA regions while Krecker-Ottinger Part IV went to the Blue Eagle 3-2 in the regional final; Krecker leads the season series 3-1. Blank took third at AA regionals for his second state berth, beating Marsh, who was sixth.

Will Van DorenWill Van Doren
171 Name Record School Class
1 Colin Hedash 30-2 Northern Lehigh Sr.
2 Ray O'Donnell 36-6 Saucon Valley So.
3 Will Van Doren 31-8 Delaware Valley Jr.
4 Zack Bambary 18-14 Easton Sr.
5 Jake Maffucci 27-4 Hunterdon Central Sr.

Honorable mention:So. Evan Bray (19-12) Belvidere, Sr. Tyler Horn (38-11) Pen Argyl, So. Liam Korbul (20-16) North Hunterdon, Jr. Levi Veppert (27-7) Northwestern, Fr. Jose Ortiz (16-7) Bethlehem Catholic, Fr. Jovon Reyes (20-7) Dieruff, Jr. Eric Wolak (23-11) Nazareth.

Notes: Bambary's second spot at AAA regionals gets him a Top 5 spot while Horn falls out after sixth place at AA regions. O'Donnell's impressive third place at AA regions earns him the No. 2 spot here as Van Doren lost 13-3 at New Jersey states. The difference between No. 1 and everybody else here is enormous.

Dylan EvansDylan Evans
189 Name Record School Class
1 Ian Gimbar 37-2 Saucon Valley Sr.
2 Dylan Evans 29-11 Pen Argyl Jr.
3 Troy Newhard/td> 26-8 Emmaus Sr.
4
Evan Kauffman 16-6 Freedom So.
5 Marcus Newsom 26-11 Northampton Jr.

Honorable mention: Sr. Zach Bohn (31-7) Voorhees, Sr. Ben Bradley (21-13) Nazareth, Sr. Cory Bruder (22-9) Parkland, Jr. Luke Garner (28-3) Catasauqua, Fr. Fuad Haddad (18-10) Whitehall, Sr. Kyle Kathenes (25-9) Hackettstown, Jr. Anthony Pare (17-11) Phillipsburg.

Notes: Gimbar defeated Evans in the AA regional final to reinforce the order here. Newsom beat Bradley and Bruder at AAA regions to stake a claim to the fifth spot just ahead of Bohn. None of the AAA contingent is going to states so little change likely.

Kyle NergerKyle Nerger
215 Name Record School Class
1 Tarik Haddad 24-3 Parkland Sr.
2 Brandon Hull 34-9 Phillipsburg Jr.
3 Tyler Greene 35-10 Easton So.
4 Kyle Nerger 30-9 North Hunterdon Sr.
5 David Wilke 29-14 Nazareth Jr.

Honorable mention: So. Josh Alpha (27-12) Bethlehem Catholic, So. Dennis Atiyeh (15-9) Notre Dame, Jr. Ryan Barry (28-13) Pen Argyl, Sr. Brian Guevara (27-7) Voorhees, Jr. Kane Kralik (24-9) Palmerton, Jr. Dan Smith (30-9) Warren Hills.

Notes: Hull's eighth place in New Jersey represents a good finish, but Haddad's sweep through the regionals gives the nod to the Trojan. Greene beat Wilke at regionals. Alpha qualified for states from AA regions and a strong state performance could make us forget about his 1-0 January loss to Wilke. Nerger was one-and-done at states.

Kirby MuttonKirby Mutton
285 Name Record School Class
1 Jack Delia 38-1 North Hunterdon Sr.
2 Jalal Paige 41-7 Easton Sr.
3 Nick Sharga 34-6 Northampton Jr.
4 Aaron Bradley 24-6 Nazareth So.
5 Kirby Mutton 33-9 Pen Argyl Jr.

Honorable mention: Sr. Steven Farr (26-8) Dieruff, Sr. Sean Fortes (17-12) Freedom, Sr. Steve Giraldo (29-8) Hackettstown, Sr. Shaun Heist (24-13) Parkland, So. Chris Longyhore (16-13) North Warren, So. Daulton Romano (14-11) Southern Lehigh, Jr. Andrew Romeo (18-8) Bangor, So. Michael Williams (19-13) Notre Dame, Jr. Shaquone Williams (31-10) Pius X.

Notes: Delia finished second in New Jersey for the second straight year and has a secure grip on No. 1. Mutton, third in AA regions, is only Pennsylvania athlete still wrestling as Paige defeated Romano, Bradley and Sharga at AAA regionals en route to finishing fourth and missing a state berth.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/today/index.ssf/2011/03/individual_wrestling_rankings_14.html