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Irwin: Glorioso, Easter ranked second by Off The Mat

The first Off The Mat statewide rankings were released last week, and the Class AA wrestlers in the Mirror coverage area are well-represented.

The rankings, compiled by editor Mark Dugan, a two-time Moshannon Valley state champion, are usually a good indication of who the state’s best wrestlers are and how they’ll do in the postseason.

Huntingdon’s Collin Glorioso and Bedford’s Ryan Easter are ranked second at 113 and 132 pounds, respectively.

Glorioso (20-0), who finished third at 106 last season, is ranked behind Bethlehem Catholic’s Luke Karam, who beat Glorioso, 11-0, in the state semifinals last year before getting pinned in overtime in the finals against Saegertown’s Devin Brown.

Easter (12-2), a returning state runner-up at 120, is ranked behind Boiling Springs’ Kyle Shoop, who took third at 126 last season. Easter and Shoop have seen each other this year at the King of the Mountain, and Shoop handed Easter a 4-2 loss. Both of Easter’s losses came at KOM, with the other loss coming to a Class AAA wrestler, Cameron Coy, 2-0.

The deepest weight class for area wrestlers, according to KOM, is at 285, where there are four guys in the top 11. Ridge’s No. 4 Austin Buttry leads the area contingent, and Cambria Heights’ Aaron Gill, Everett’s Devin Reed and Moshannon Valley’s Jack Bunnell are ranked ninth through 11th.

The area is deep at 106, and there are three area guys ranked in the top 12 by OTM in Central Cambria’s No. 4 Max Murin, Chestnut Ridge’s No. 8 Aaron Burkett and Penn Cambria’s No. 12 Nolan Link.

The area also has three guys ranked at 138, but Central’s Nick Hoenstine, Ridge’s Derrick Claar and Bedford’s Garrett Thomas are 14th, 15th and 16th, respectively.

Other ranked wrestlers include Cambria Heights’ Joe Davis (fifth, 126), who just returned from an injury, and Levi Niebauer (10th, 160), Tyrone’s Jared Beckwith (sixth, 195), Bedford’s Jonathan Gabriel (sixth, 113), Huntingdon’s Jacob Oliver (10th, 145).

Seth McLendon, a former Penn Cambria wrestler who transferred to United, is ranked 14th at 220.

There are two area teams ranked in No. 13 Chestnut Ridge and No. 17 Huntingdon. Bethlehem Catholic is the top-ranked team, and Reynolds is second.

Making his name known

You might have noticed the strange name that popped up in the Hollidaysburg lineup this year: Oeyvind Singstad.

Singstad is a foreign exchange student from Norway who is starting for the Golden Tigers at 195 pounds, and he’s doing a fine job in the process. He has a 5-6 record as a senior, despite not having wrestled before. In fact, he was leading Tyrone’s Ricky Reader late in Saturday’s match before he was headlocked to his back and lost, 6-3.

“He’s great. He’s very in control of himself,” Hollidaysburg coach Mike Moore said with a smile. “He doesn’t put himself in bad positions. Being a kid who has only wrestled for a month, month-and-a-half, he’s competing well. He’s fun to coach. He certainly doesn’t wrestle like he’s only wrestled for a month-and-a-half.”

Todd Irwin can be reached at 946-7464 or at tirwin@altoonamirror.com. He can be followed on Twitter at ToddIrwin1.

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