MILL HALL - Three Bedford wrestlers reached today's quarterfinals in the prestigious King of the Mountain Wrestling Tournament by negotiating the preliminary and second rounds in the opening night of the tournament Friday.
Ryan Easter (113 pounds), Tanner Williams (152), and Jacob Krupa (220) are all in the quarters and remain in the running for tournament championships today.
The second-seeded Easter, a sophomore, opened the tournament with a 15-0 win by technical fall in 2:40 over Reynolds' Alex DiGregorio in the prelims, before pinning Cody Winslow of Penn Trafford in 45 seconds in the second round. Easter will meet seventh-seeded Guesseppe Rea of Stroudsburg in today's quarters.
Williams, a junior and eighth seed at 152, drew a first-round bye before major-decisioning Mifflin County's Darien Pierce, 19-6 in the second round. Williams meets top seed Zack Dailey of Perry, Ohio in the quarters.
At 220, the third-seeded senior Krupa logged a 12-4 opening-round major over Juniata's Patrick Fitzgerald before edging Greater Latrobe's Sam Palombo, 3-2 in the second round. Krupa draws Perry's Stefano Millin in the quarters.
Eleven Bedford wrestlers are still alive in today's wrestlebacks and could finish as high as third place in the tournament by winning out in all of their matches today.
Through one night of wrestling, Bedford is tied with Latrobe for seventh place with 60 points.
KEY, TEAM SCORING: 1, PRK-Parkland, 83; 2, PER-Perry, 77; 3, EM-Erie McDowell, 76; 4, ST-Stroudsburg, 76; 5, P-Philipsburg, N.J., 76; 6, REY-Reynolds, 63; 7, tie, BED-Bedford and GRL-Greater Latrobe, 60; 9, DUB-DuBois, 60; 10, tie, BIG-Biglerville and CM-Central Mountain, 56.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
(Listing results of area wrestlers only)
106-Torpey, High Point, N.J. dec. Warren, BED, 7-2. 113-R. Easter, BED, tech. fall DiGregorio, 15-0, 2:40. 120-Thomas, BED, pinned McKinney, BiG, 1:02. 126-T. Brett, BED, pinned Norris, PER, 4:11. 132-Grove, Mifflin County, pinned Grimes, BED, 1:29. 138-Stoelzi, Pen Argyl, pinned Dudek, BED, 1:24. 145-Martin, BED, bye. 152-Williams, BED, bye. 160-Transue, ST, dec. Koontz, BED, 5-3. 170-Slepsky, Penn Trafford, maj. dec. Evans, BED, 8-0. 182-Kinzey, GRL, dec. Yingling, BED, 11-8. 195-M. Brett, BED, pinned Winchester, Jersey Shore, 0:38. 220-Krupa, BED, maj dec. Fitzgerald, Juniata, 112-4. 285-J. Easter, BED, pinned Prater, Meadville, 1:07.
SECOND ROUND
(Listing results of Bedford wrestlers only)
113-R. Easter, BED, pinned Winslow, Penn Trafford, 0:45. 120-Hernandez, Stroudsburg, dec. Thomas, BED, 9-3. 126-Shoop, Boiling Springs, tech. fall T. Brett, 18-5, 5:59. 145-Racciato, Pen Argyl, pinned Martin, BED, 1:15. 152-Williams, BED, maj. dec. Pierce, Mifflin County, 19-6. 195-Hanna, DUB, pinned M. Brett, BED, 3:26. 220-Krupa, BED dec. Palombo, GRL, 3-2. 285-Wentzel, Boiling Springs, pinned J. Easter, 2:55.
