WINDBER - Had Northern Bedford coach Jan Clark been asked to compose his own script for the District 5 Wrestling Tournament, it is doubtful that it could have turned out any more favorable for the Black Panthers than what transpired Saturday night at the Windber Area High School gymnasium.
Northern Bedford snapped Bedford's three-year run as District 5 team champion, pushed nine wrestlers through to next weekend's Southwest AA Regional Tournament at Johnstown, and crowned five individual district champs.
And, just for good measure, Clark earned the District 5 Coach of the Year award.
"It was a great tournament for us,'' Clark said. "We got nine wrestlers to the regional, which is what we really wanted here. What a team effort - everybody did well for us. Our group of seniors has worked real hard, and we put it all together today. It's really nice.''
Northern won the team title with 194 points, while Bedford was second with 170 and Somerset was third with 151.
Black Panthers' individual champions included Matt Sollenberger (140 pounds), his older brother, Dan (189), and their cousin, Willie Sollenberger (152), as well as Joel Suter (215) and Quinton Hixson (285).
Four other Black Panthers - Mason Replogle (second place, 103), Drew Gartland (second, 130), Damian Corle (third, 125), and Preston Albright (third, 171) - advanced to next Friday and Saturday's regional at Johnstown's Cambria County War Memorial Arena by finishing third or better at the district tournament.
Northern's contingent will be among a group of 19 area regional qualifiers out of the District 5 tournament. Bedford moved on six to the regional, including three-time district champion Brian Gibbons (171), as well as 103-pound champ Ryan Easter, district runners-up Garrett Thomas (112), Caleb Grimes (119), and Jacob Krupa (215), and third-place finisher Mike Brett (189). Chestnut Ridge has four regional qualifiers - including two-time District 5 champion Tyler Dibert (160) and 125-pound titlist Shane Pfaunmiller, along with district third-placers Dillon Yothers (135) and Bradie Bollman (152).
Willie Sollenberger, Suter, and Hixson each posted falls in the championship round. Willie Sollenberger pinned Somerset's Michael Sutton in 2:50 at 152, Suter clamped Bedford's Krupa in 3:22 at 215, and Hixson pinned top-seeded Eli Kerr of Meyersdale in 2:22 at 285. Suter, who got a clean bill of health earlier this week after battling mononeucleosis, logged three straight falls in the district tournament to improve his season record to 22-0.
Matt Sollenberger shaded Hyndman's Barry Strohl, 3-0 in the 140-pound title match, and two-time district champ Dan Sollenberger outlasted Somerset's Nick Baer, 10-5 in the 189-pound title match by hitting a five-point move - reversal and three back points - with 15 seconds left.
"I believe we got rolling as a team in the finals, and we fed off each other's successes in the matches,'' said Dan Sollenberger. "It certainly feels good to win the team title my senior year.''
Bedford's Gibbons, who now has 124 career wins, made it three district championships in a row by pinning Somerset's Jon Baer in 75 seconds in the 175-pound title match.
"It's obviously something that I'm proud of,'' Gibbons said of his three district championships. "But moving on from here to the regional is the main thing - whether you finish first, second or third here.''
Bedford's Easter, a freshman, won at 103 by shading Northern's Replogle, 3-2, while Ridge's Dibert made it two district titles in a row by pinning Somerset's Jacob Nickelson in 3:43 at 160.
"Last year, I was more nervous, but the pressure was off this year because I won last year,'' said Dibert, a sophomore. "One of my goals is to win four district titles, and you can't win four without winning the first two.''
Ridge's Pfaunmiller was the area's other District 5 champion at 125, edging Somerset freshman Mike Laue, 4-3 in the title match on an escape in the final seconds.
Neither Everett or Tussey Mountain advanced a wrestler to the regional. Everett's Johnnie Matney (285) and Tussey's Jason Stover (140) both made it to the third-place consolation final round, but both lost their matches there.
KEY, TEAM SCORING: 1, NB-Northern Bedford, 194.5; 2, BED-Bedford, 170.5; 3, SOM-Somerset, 151; 4, CR-Chestnut Ridge, 112.5; 5, NS-North Star, 106.5; 6, MEY-Meyersdale, 95; 7, CT-Conemaugh Township, 84; 8, BB-Berlin Brothersvalley, 73.5; 9, HY-Hyndman, 70; 10, SH-Shade, 44; 11, E-Everett, 36; 12, TM-Tussey Mountain, 23.5.
SEMIFINALS
103-Easter, BED, pinned Sanders, CT, 1:06; Replogle, NB, won by forfeit. 112-Roberts, NS, pinned Charlton, MEY, 1:19; Thomas, BED, pinned Logsdon, HY, 5:49. 119-McKenzie, MEY, maj. dec. Custer, BB, 17-8; Grimes, BED, dec. Mostoller, NS, 4-3. 125-Laue, SOM, dec. Horner, NS, 9-2; Pfaunmiller, CR, maj. dec. Corle, NB, 10-0. 130-Cahill, CT, tech. fall Co. Gibbner, HY, 17-2, 3:08; Gartland, NB, pinned Deist, MEY, 1:47. 135-Darr, SOM, dec. Yothers, CR, 5-4; Crites, BB, dec. Moskey, HY, 9-2. 140-M. Sollenberger, NB, dec. Lohr, SOM, 8-4; B. Strohl, HY, dec. Connor, NS, 5-2.
145-Revak, NS, dec. Williams, BED, 5-4 OT; Otten, SH, maj. dec. Eichelberger, E, 12-4. 152-W. Sollenberger, NB, tech. fall Aikey, SH, 16-0, 4:37; Sutton, SOM, dec. Shawley, NS, 6-2. 160-Dibert, CR, dec. Koontz, BED, 6-4; Nickelson, SOM, dec. Yoder, NS, 11-10. 171-Gibbons, BED, pinned Albright, 2:19; J. Baer, SOM, tech. fall Frampton, NS, 15-0, 5:39. 189-D. Sollenberger, NB, dec. M. Brett, BED, 11-7; N. Baer, SOM, dec. Deffibaugh, CR, 3-0. 215-Suter, NB, pinned Blough, SOM, 1:20; Krupa, BED, dec. Craig, BB, 5-3. 285-Kerr, MEY, maj. dec. Matney, E, 10-1; Hixson, NB, pinned Hayman, SOM, 3:18.
CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS
103-Ch. Gibbner, HY, bye; Hartman, BB, maj. dec. Shank, CR, 8-0. 112-Ofsanko, CT, dec. Reynolds, SH, 3-1; Jano, SOM, pinned Simms, CR, :23. 119-Claycomb, E, pinned Guyer, NB, :29; Zimmerman, CR, dec. Bridge, CT, 11-5. 125-Day, MEY, dec. Darr, BB, 2-1; D. Strohl, HY, dec. Grosik, CT, 8-4. 130-Hutzell, SH, dec. Thompson, BB, 3-1; T. Brett, BED, pinned Lepley, NS, 2:49. 135-Mihelic, SH, dec. Yoder, MEY, 8-2; Dudek, BED, dec. Smeak, NS, 4-3. 140-Stover, TM, dec. Berkley, MEY, 5-3; Weyandt, BED, dec. Speicher, CR, 8-2.
145-Berchick, CT, pinned Corle, CR, 4:17; Ickes, SOM, dec. Brallier, NB, 7-6. 152-Dunbar, BB, pinned Hoffman, E, :53; Bollman, CR, dec. Yingling, BED, 10-5. 160-I. Gibbons, E, dec. Orner, SH, 6-2; N. Sollenberger, NB, pinned Peifer, CT, 2:16. 171-No match; Martin, CR, pinned Wilson, BB, 2:20. 189-Trulick, BB, won by forfeit over Lenhart, MEY; Stahl, NS, pinned Drenner, CT, 3:24. 215-Bennett, HY, dec. Albright, CR, 4-2; Claycomb, E, pinned Gindlesperger, CT 1:55. 285-Holsopple, CT, pinned Emerick, HY, 2:30; Hall, TM, pinned Fochtman, CR, 1:37.
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS
103-Ch. Gibbner won by forfeit over Weimert, TM; Sanders dec. Hartman, 6-0. 112-Lorson pinned Ofsanko, 1:11; Charlton maj. dec. Jano, 9-0. 119-Mostoller dec. Claycomb, 7-0; Custer pinned Zimmerman, 0:39. 125-Corle dec. Day, 5-2; D. Strohl dec. Horner, 5-0. 130-Deist pinned Hutzell, 2:25; T. Brett dec. Co. Gibbner, 9-4. 135-Moskey pinned Mihelic, 4:39; Yothers pinned Dudek, 1:31. 140-Stover dec. Connor, 9-6; Lohr dec. Weyandt, 3-2.
145-Berchick dec. Eichelberger, 2-1; Williams dec. Ickes, 3-2. 152-Shawley dec. Dunbar, 11-6; Bollman maj. dec. Aikey, 15-6. 160-Yoder maj. dec. I. Gibbons, 11-3; Koontz dec. N. Sollenberger, 4-2. 171-Frampton won by forfeit; Albright dec. Martin, 3-1. 189-Deffibaugh pinned Trulick, 2:44; M. Brett pinned Stahl, 1:19. 215-Craig dec. Bennett, 7-2; Blough dec. Claycomb, 4-2. 285-Hayman pinned Holsopple, 3:59; Matney dec. Hall, 10-4.
CONSOLATION FINALS
(Winners advance to regional)
103-Sanders dec. Ch. Gibbner, 6-3. 112-Charlton maj. dec. Logdson, 10-1. 119-Mostoller dec. Custer, 7-3. 125-Corle dec. D. Strohl, 6-0. 130-Deist pinned T. Brett, 3:25. 135-Yothers pinned Moskey, 3:30. 140-Lohr maj. dec. Stover, 11-3. 145-Berchick dec. Williams, 3-0. 152-Bollman dec. Shawley, 4-3. 160-Yoder dec. Koontz, 4-3. 171-Albright dec. Frampton, 3-1. 189-M. Brett dec. Deffibaugh, 3-1. 215-Craig dec. Blough, 7-0. 285-Hayman dec. Matney, 3-2 OT.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
(Winners and losers both advance to regional)
103-Easter dec. Replogle, 3-2. 112-Roberts pinned Thomas, 5:14. 119-McKenzie maj. dec. Grimes, 12-1. 125-Pfaunmiller dec. Laue, 4-3. 130-Cahill dec. Gartland, 5-2. 135-Darr dec. Crites, 6-4. 140-M. Sollenberger dec. Strohl, 3-0.
145-Otten pinned Revak, 1:48. 152-W. Sollenberger pinned Sutton, 2:50. 160-Dibert pinned Nickelson, 3:43. 171-Gibbons pinned J. Baer, 1:15. 189-D. Sollenberger dec. N. Baer, 10-5. 215-Suter pinned Krupa, 3:22. 285-Hixson pinned Kerr, 2:22.
