PIAA Extra: Day 1
News outside the area at the PIAA Wrestling Championships in Hershey.
Here is how much things have changed in wrestling. Two defending state champions were defeated in the first round and there was hardly a ripple of noise from the crowd. Frank Martellotti of Shady Side Academy and Nate Eachus of Hazelton were unceremoniously dumped in the first round, Martellotti in Class AA and Eachus in Class AAA.
Why the blase attitude? Maybe it was because of this: 14 weight classes are too many, even for a state tournament. There are some weights that are incredibly difficult and some that are, well, for lack of a better term, easier. Martellotti's plight seemed to be set from the Powerade tournament, where he lost twice and the whispers began that he might not repeat. The interestintg part is that Shady Side needs him to do well in the wrestlebacks in order to make a run at the team title.
Eachus was shut out – SHUT OUT – in a first-round loss to Chartiers Valley's Matt Wilps, 7-0. And it wasn't that close. Eachus nearly gave up backpoints twice more in the bout. I don't recall that ever happening in the 28 years of covering this event for the Observer-Reporter.
Tony Dallago of Central Dauphin, a PIAA runner-up last season, needed an escape at the buzzer to tie send his bout against Northampton's James Sheptock into overtime. Dallago came away with a 5-2 overtime decision and it won't get any easier for him in the quarterfinals, where Quakertown's Jonathan Weibel waits.
The upper bracket of 103 pounds in Class AAA is unbelievably strong. Cameron Throckmorton (37-1) meets freshman sensation Nico Megaludis (34-0) of Franklin Regional; and Mark Rappo (47-0) of Council Rock South battles Greg Rinker (30-12) of Northampton. Throckmorton, Megaludis and Rappo are each regional champions.
Defending state champion Jordan Shields of Burrell appears headed for anotherr showdown with Dominick Demor of South Side Beaver in the 140-pound finals in Class AA. Both looked strong in first-round victories.
Attendance for the first day was a combined 13,609.
Here is how much things have changed in wrestling. Two defending state champions were defeated in the first round and there was hardly a ripple of noise from the crowd. Frank Martellotti of Shady Side Academy and Nate Eachus of Hazelton were unceremoniously dumped in the first round, Martellotti in Class AA and Eachus in Class AAA.
Why the blase attitude? Maybe it was because of this: 14 weight classes are too many, even for a state tournament. There are some weights that are incredibly difficult and some that are, well, for lack of a better term, easier. Martellotti's plight seemed to be set from the Powerade tournament, where he lost twice and the whispers began that he might not repeat. The interestintg part is that Shady Side needs him to do well in the wrestlebacks in order to make a run at the team title.
Eachus was shut out – SHUT OUT – in a first-round loss to Chartiers Valley's Matt Wilps, 7-0. And it wasn't that close. Eachus nearly gave up backpoints twice more in the bout. I don't recall that ever happening in the 28 years of covering this event for the Observer-Reporter.
Tony Dallago of Central Dauphin, a PIAA runner-up last season, needed an escape at the buzzer to tie send his bout against Northampton's James Sheptock into overtime. Dallago came away with a 5-2 overtime decision and it won't get any easier for him in the quarterfinals, where Quakertown's Jonathan Weibel waits.
The upper bracket of 103 pounds in Class AAA is unbelievably strong. Cameron Throckmorton (37-1) meets freshman sensation Nico Megaludis (34-0) of Franklin Regional; and Mark Rappo (47-0) of Council Rock South battles Greg Rinker (30-12) of Northampton. Throckmorton, Megaludis and Rappo are each regional champions.
Defending state champion Jordan Shields of Burrell appears headed for anotherr showdown with Dominick Demor of South Side Beaver in the 140-pound finals in Class AA. Both looked strong in first-round victories.
Attendance for the first day was a combined 13,609.
posted by Joe Tuscano at
9:07 PM
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