THE MORNING CALL WRESTLING RANKINGS

FROM THE MORNING CALL

103 POUNDS

1. Soph. Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) 41-3

2. Fr. Ethan Lizak (Parkland) 33-10

3. Sr. Brett Marino (Liberty) 37-6

4. Soph. Matt Williams (Pen Argyl) 36-10

5. Soph. Bryan Israel (Saucon Valley) 35-7

Honorable mention: Fr. Kyle Baker (Easton) 30-15; Fr. Colby Ems (East Stroudsburg South) 26-10; Soph. Jaryd Flank (Wilson) 25-13; Fr. Bobby Jenne (Souderton) 30-14; Fr. Colin Mashack (Tamaqua) 28-10; Sr. Nick O'Donnell (Panther Valley) 34-7; 5. Fr. Scott Parker (Pennridge) 36-4; Jr. Guesseppe Rea (Stroudsburg) 27-12; Jr. Brandon Sommer (Northampton) 22-17; Soph. Dante Steffenino (Upper Perk) 32-7; Fr. Kenny Yanovich (Pleasant Valley) 36-11.

Noteworthy: The hairsplitting between Cruz and Lizak is the Beast of the East title Cruz won in December. Lizak is a great talent who nearly won 3A title; he was tantalizingly close to the winning takedown in OT of final against Council Rock South's Billy Rappo. Cruz placed 3rd in 2A after losing in UTB to eventual champ Jason Nolf of Kittanning. Marino was 7th in 3A, and Israel rallied from first-round loss to Nolf to take 5th in 2A.

112 POUNDS

1. Fr. Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic) 42-7

2. Sr. Anthony Cabrera (Liberty) 37-5

3. Jr. DeMarquis Holley (Dieruff) 34-7

4. Sr. Jamie Welsh (Pen Argyl) 34-11

5. Soph. Dylan Steffenino (Upper Perk) 33-13

Honorable mention: Fr. Patrick Antonacci (Central Catholic) 27-4; Soph. Sean Bianco (Pleasant Valley) 26-12; Soph. Anthony Dee (Salisbury) 23-12; Soph. Ian Evans (Parkland) 26-18; Fr. Josh Evans (Palmerton) 29-7; Jr. Jeff Hernandez (Stroudsburg) 19-13; Soph. Brian Ohl (Jim Thorpe) 24-14; Fr. Ben Ross (Pennridge) 31-8; Jr. Peter Stanley (Easton) 27-17; Fr. Kolton Veit (Souderton) 33-6; Fr. Chase Zemenak (Nazareth) 29-16.

Noteworthy: Moisey placed 5th in 2A, rallying from 3-2 loss to eventual state champ Nick Roberts of North Star. Cabrera took 4th in 3A, falling in a tight semifinal bout to eventual champ Jordan Conaway of New Oxford. Holley and Welsh both won bouts at states.

119 POUNDS

1. Jr. Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) 42-6

2. Soph. Evan DiSora (Easton) 30-11

3. Sr. Michael Fleck (Wilson) 14-4

4. Sr. Lucas Dise (Northern Lehigh) 27-9

5. Soph. Grimaldi Gonzalez (Liberty) 28-10

Honorable mention: Jr. Joe Dalessandro (Pius X) 29-14; Sr. Adam Delgado (Nazareth) 22-20; Jr. James Elphick (Pen Argyl) 14-11; Soph. Kyle Fellman (Upper Perk) 24-16; Soph. Paul Hetrick (Northampton) 16-18; Fr. James Palys (Pocono Mt. East) 26-8; Soph. Michael Rodgers (Central Catholic) 28-10.

Noteworthy: For the second straight year, Cruz lost a third-period lead in a state final. This time it came against Derry's Jimmy Gulibon, who won his third state gold 6-5. Fleck won four consolation bouts to place 3rd in 2A. DiSora, Fleck's former teammate, went 1-2 in 3A.

125 POUNDS

1. Jr. Devon Lotito (Liberty) 39-6

2. Jr. Zane Heller (Northern Lehigh) 30-8

3. Sr. Mike Fake (Parkland) 25-9

4. Soph. Robbie Rizzolino (Easton) 36-13

5. Sr. Jaydon Rice (Bethlehem Catholic) 37-13

Honorable mention: Sr. Franco Ferraina (Nazareth) 29-6; Sr. Josh Fritz (Emmaus) 23-10; Jr. Greg Kabakjian (Souderton) 30-11; Jr. Ernest Klingel (Pleasant Valley) 32-7; Soph. Wolfgang McStravick (Upper Perkiomen) 38-10; Jr. Sam Oberlander (Palmerton) 26-7; Jr. Paul Sloand (Saucon Valley) 27-16.

Noteworthy: Seven area wrestlers qualified for states at 125, with Lotito topping the list. He tested three-time state champ Nico Megaludis in the semis and placed 3rd with a pin, technical fall and major. Heller was 8th in 2A, the energetic Fake was 7th in 3A and Rice was 6th in 2A. Rizzolino, McStravick and Sloand also qualified.

130 POUNDS

1. Sr. Zach Horan (Nazareth) 49-0

2. Sr. Scott Wolfinger (Quakertown) 31-8

3. Jr. Mike Dahlstrom (Pleasant Valley) 42-7

4. Sr. Calvin Daly (Easton) 31-14

5. Jr. Richie Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) 26-16

Honorable mention: Sr. Chris Gannon (East Stroudsburg South) 15-13; Soph. Michael Ortiz (Northwestern) 25-9; Jr. Vinny Pellechia (Catasauqua) 33-4; Jr. Jarret Stoelzl (Pen Argyl) 17-15; Jr. Forest Touchberry (Parkland) 22-14.

Noteworthy: Horan finished his career with a 169-12 record, tying Tim Darling for the Nazareth wins record. Horan also won the 18th state title in school history. Wolfinger, Dahlstrom and Cruz qualified for states.

135 POUNDS

1. Soph. Mike Racciato (Pen Argyl) 48-2

2. Sr. Joey Rizzolino (Easton) 43-7

3. Sr. Eric Howey (Stroudsburg) 35-15

4. Jr. Jason Stephen (Northampton) 35-12

5. Sr. Damien Hopper (Central Catholic) 34-5

Honorable mention: Sr. George Bastian (East Stroudsburg South) 20-8; Soph. Mike Marano (Parkland) 24-19; Soph. Eric Matz (Catasauqua) 24-9; Sr. Greg Noll (Nazareth) 38-10; Soph. Peter Renda (Brandywine) 32-10; Sr. Nikko Stevens (Northern Lehigh) 25-10; Sr. Tye Vallone (Southern Lehigh) 17-13.

Noteworthy: Racciato won the fourth state title in Pen Argyl history, scoring two pins and a major in the final. He was unbeaten after a 9-4 loss to Erie McDowell's Steve Spearman in December. Rizzolino placed fifth in 3A, and Howey was 8th. Hopper was 4th in 2A, edging Brandywine's Peter Renda (5th) in the consolation round.

140 POUNDS

1. Jr. Mitch Minotti (Easton) 44-2

2. Soph. Ryan Todora (Bethlehem Catholic) 40-10

3. Sr. Luciano Burriesci (Pen Argyl) 37-14

4. Jr. Anthony Farole (Lehighton) 35-9

5. Sr. D.P. Miller (E.S. South) 24-9

Honorable mention: Sr. Elijah Angradi (Stroudsburg) 21-15; Sr. Nathan Fegley (Mahanoy Area) 37-9; Jr. Dylan Hofmann (Northern Lehigh) 16-11; Sr. Briar Malischewski (Quakertown) 33-11; Sr. Kolby Mashack (Tamaqua) 34-3; Sr. Zach Wilson (Northampton) 25-13; Jr. Alex Yanovich (Pleasant Valley) 33-10.

Noteworthy: Minotti cruised through the bracket to win Easton's 35th overall title. His closest bout was a 5-3 decision over La Salle's Matt Cimato in the semis. In 2A, Todora placed 6th and Burriesci was 8th. Farole and Fegley qualified as well.

145 POUNDS

1. Sr. Justin Heller (Parkland) 29-11

2. Jr. Cole Sheptock (Northampton) 30-9

3. Sr. John Lynch (Saucon Valley) 31-8

4. Sr. Matt Gotzon (Southern Lehigh) 23-11

5. Soph. Ty Herzog (Northern Lehigh) 30-9

Honorable mention: Jr. Victor Embardino (Notre Dame-Green Pond) 22-9; Jr. Kevin Finn (East Stroudsburg South) 27-13; Sr. Josh LaBar (Pius X) 34-14; Sr. Rex Lutz (Pen Argyl) 28-10; Sr. Anthony Minotti (Easton) 25-9; Sr. Matt Murphy (Pocono Mt. East) 22-11.

Noteworthy: Heller was one of Parkland's school-record five medalists, placing 8th in 3A. Sheptock and Gotzon qualified in 3A, with Gotzon falling in a tough tiebreaker Thursday. Lynch and Herzog were 2A qualifiers.

152 POUNDS

1. Sr. John Lambert (Northampton) 31-8

2. Sr. Bobby Clymer (Northwestern) 32-7

3. Sr. Kyle Dehaut (Bethlehem Catholic) 29-13

4. Sr. Luke Gotzon (Southern Lehigh) 25-7

5. Sr. Solomon Sohn (Easton) 13-9

Honorable mention: Soph. Travis Buddock (Saucon Valley) 19-10; Jr. Connor Hedash (Northern Lehigh) 18-10; Sr. Peter Jenne (Souderton) 30-14; Sr. Mason McIntyre (Easton) 22-1; Sr. Dylan Moore (Pennridge) 31-11; Jr. Mitchell Moyer (Lehighton) 26-13; Sr. Ryan Price (Pocono Mt. East) 24-10; Jr. Aaron Transue (Stroudsburg) 27-15.

Noteworthy: Lambert won Northampton's only medal, placing 8th in 3A. Clymer and Dehaut each won a bout in 2A. Special mention goes to McIntyre, whose postseason ended because of an injury prior to districts. McIntyre was a likely state qualifier.

160 POUNDS

1. Sr. Mike Ottinger (Parkland) 32-3

2. Sr. Ryan Krecker (Nazareth) 34-5

3. Jr. Elliot Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic) 41-8

4. Sr. Rich Jasinski (Pennridge) 23-3

5. Jr. Jonathan Blank (Notre Dame-Green Pond) 32-6

Honorable mention: Jr. Michael Balliet (Lehighton) 27-9; Soph. Dyvon Gibson (Easton) 6-9; Jr. Justin Marsh (Palisades) 26-7; Jr. JD Rabenold (Saucon Valley) 21-16; Sr. Kyle Sorensen (Northwestern) 26-9; Sr. Ed Helm V (Pocono Mt. East) 24-9; Sr. Tim Kunkel (Northampton) 24-13; Sr. Jacobi Nordmark (Stroudsburg) 24-16.

Noteworthy: Ottinger lost to just one wrestler this season: Krecker, who beat him three times. But Ottinger claimed a state title, Parkland's seventh overall, with a 2-1 UTB win over Jason Luster of Pittsburgh Central Catholic. Luster edged Krecker in a semifinal bout in which Krecker sustained a hamstring injury that essentially ended his tournament. He could not wrestle the fifth-place bout and ultimately took 6th. Riddick was 4th in 2A, and Blank won a bout in 2A.

171 POUNDS

1. Sr. Colin Hedash (Northern Lehigh) 32-5

2. Soph. Ray O'Donnell (Saucon Valley) 40-8

3. Sr. Zack Bambary (Easton) 18-16

4. Sr. Cody Ambrose (Upper Perk) 34-6

5. Sr. Tyler Horn (Pen Argyl) 38-15

Honorable mention: Sr. Matt Edmonds (Tamaqua) 26-12; Soph. Joseph Fogle (Pocono Mt. East) 25-10; Sr. Willie O'Brien (East Stroudsburg South) 20-12; Fr. Jovon Reyes (Dieruff) 20-7; Jr. Levi Veppert (Northwestern) 27-7; Jr. Eric Wolak (Nazareth) 23-10.

Noteworthy: Most difficult No. 1 of all. Hedash and O'Donnell split their bouts, with O'Donnell winning in 2A consolation semis (7-6 tiebreaker) on his way to placing 4th. After the loss, Hedash could not wrestle fifth-place bout and took 6th. Hedash retained top spot by a hair, based on regular season and district and regional titles. Bambary (3A) and Horn (2A) also qualified for states.

189 POUNDS

1. Sr. Ian Gimbar (Saucon Valley) 41-3

2. Jr. Dylan Evans (Pen Argyl) 33-13

3. Sr. Troy Newhard (Emmaus) 26-8

4. Soph. Evan Kauffman (Freedom) 16-7

5. Jr. Marcus Newsom (Northampton) 26-11

Honorable mention: Sr. Ben Bradley (Nazareth) 21-13; Sr. Cory Bruder (Parkland) 22-9; Jr. Dalton Fleming (Upper Perk) 30-11; Jr. Luke Garner (Catasauqua) 28-3; Sr. Blake Smith (Pocono Mt. East) 24-10.

Noteworthy: Gimbar won his first state medal, bouncing back from semifinal loss to place third in 2A. Evans lost semifinal bout to eventual 2A state champ Ryan Hembury of Muncy and placed 5th. They were the only local state qualifiers at 189.

215 POUNDS

1. Sr. Garth Lakitsky (Tamaqua) 42-0

2. Sr. Joe Stolfi (Souderton) 45-3

3. Sr. Tarik Haddad (Parkland) 26-6

4. Soph. Tyler Greene (Easton) 35-11

5. Soph. Josh Alpha (Bethlehem Catholic) 28-15

Honorable mention: Jr. Ryan Barry (Pen Argyl) 28-13; Jr. Jacob Dolin (Whitehall) 18-18; Jr. Kane Kralik (Palmerton) 24-10; Jr. David Wilke (Nazareth) 29-15; Sr. Michael Wright (Northampton) 14-17.

Noteworthy: Lakitsky won Tamaqua's first state title, completing his perfect season with a 2-1 win in 2A final. He had two pins at states, giving him 35 for the season. Stolfi fell to East Pennsboro's Zach Nye in OT in quarters but rebounded to place 3rd, beating Nye in OT. Haddad was 8th in 3A. Alpha qualified in 2A.

285 POUNDS

1. Sr. Josh Gonzalez (Pocono Mt. West) 30-6

2. Sr. Jalal Paige (Easton) 42-7

3. Jr. Kirby Mutton (Pen Argyl) 33-11

4. Jr. Nick Sharga (Northampton) 34-7

5. Soph. Aaron Bradley (Nazareth) 24-6

Honorable mention: Sr. Sean Fortes (Freedom) 18-12; Soph. Shaun Heist (Parkland) 24-14; Jr. Brandon Loch (Northern Lehigh) 12-8; Jr. Joe McNamara (Souderton) 32-6; Soph. Daulton Romano (Southern Lehigh) 19-13; Soph. Michael Williams (Notre Dame-GP) 19-13.

Noteworthy: Gonzalez and Mutton were the area's only two state-qualifiers at heavyweight.

The Morning Call wrestling rankings are compiled by Mark Wogenrich. Honorable-mention wrestlers are listed in alphabetical order. Records are based on those reported by coaches and to the National Wrestling Coaches Association website. Please send comments, corrections and additions to mark.wogenrich@mcall.com.

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