Sipes will navigate tough road to finals
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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
Altoona sophomore Luke Sipes has been saying since early in his freshman season last year that he wants to be a state champion.
Sipes got within sniffing distance of the finals last year, reaching the PIAA Class 3A Tournament semifinals before his run was stopped by Chartiers Valley's Dylan Evans, 8-1.
To take that journey again this year, or go beyond, Sipes will have to battle through a very deep 152-pound weight class of the PIAA Championships, which begin at 4 p.m. today at Hershey's Giant Center.
Of the 20 wrestlers at the weight, eight are returning placewinners at four different weights. Those returning placers include West Allegheny's 145-pound state champion Ty Watters and Central Dauphin's 160-pound runner-up Ryan Garvick.
Sipes (38-3) will likely open with Lebanon's returning 152-pound seventh-placer Griffin Gonzalez (39-4), who has a preliminary bout. Garvick (46-3) could be a semifinal opponent for Sipes.
"If Luke were to win, he's going to get a state medalist every round," Altoona coach Joel Gilbert said. "He's got a tough road to hoe, but he should be okay. He's one of the best in the state, if not one of the best in the country. He'll do well down there. I think he's just looking forward to competing against some of the best competition out there."
The next win by Sipes will break the season wins record of 38 he shares with D.J. Hollingshead, who set the mark in 2014-15.
Teammates Braiden Weaver (107) and Caleb Fasick (127) are making their first appearances in the state tournament. All three have high hopes for this week.
"I think I've been in the mindset since districts started," Sipes said. "I've been zoned in all year. Honestly, since my shoulder surgery my nutrition has been spot on. I've been running, lifting, going to double practices. I'm prepared. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"Business isn't over yet," Weaver said. "I still want that state title. I'm not stopping here. I'm going for it."
"I want that state medal," Fasick said, "so I'm going to give my best shot at it."
The Class 3A action begins with a short preliminary round, followed by the first round. First-round winners are off until Friday. If they lose, the first round of consolations will follow at 8:15.
The quarterfinals and second round of consolations are set for 2:15 p.m. Friday. The third round of consolations follows at 5 p.m. Class 3A semifinals and consolation quarterfinals are at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The consolation semifinals follow at 11:30 a.m. The finals, as well as third, fifth and seventh place bouts, are set for 7 p.m.
Like Sipes, the freshman Weaver (35-4) enters the tournament as a District 6 and Northwest Regional champion. There aren't as many returning placers, but many of the wrestlers at the weight made their marks in junior high.
Weaver opens with the preliminary winner of Gettysburg's William Yordy (39-11) and Wyoming Valley West senior Dorian Hoffman (43-5). His next opponent could be Butler's 37-1 Santino Sloboda. Central Dauphin's Thunder Beard (43-8) awaits in the other bracket.
"He definitely has a tough road to hoe too," Gilbert said, "but I think he's one of the best wrestlers in the state at that weight class. I think he's looking forward to competing."
Fasick (30-8), who battled back from a stunning pin in the Northwest Regional quarterfinals to finish third, has a preliminary bout against Sun Valley's Southeast Regional fourth-placer Hunter Delaney (32-8). Delaney, a sophomore, is wrestling in his first state tournament.
If he wins, Fasick will wrestle Nazareth's Northeast Regional champ Tahir Parkins (24-2).
"Fasick is going down there looking for a medal," Gilbert said. "He's focused in this week. He's had a really good week of practice, and I think he's excited to get out there on the mat to compete in the state tournament."
The Mountain Lions will join many other wrestlers from Class 3A and 2A in working out on the six mats on the floor of the Giant Center on Wednesday night. It's a chance for wrestlers to keep their weight down, size up the competition, get scouting reports and get used to the arena.
"We just want to make sure our guys get acclimated to the surroundings," Gilbert said, "and there are no questions about where they're going to be at. We get a good dinner in us and get ready for the following day."
With so much anticipation for what many high school wrestlers can only dream of, there probably won't be much sleep involved.
"All of our guys are looking forward to it," Gilbert said. "I think they're excited to get on the mat down there in Hershey and show what they have. This year, there seems to be some really tough kids at every weight class, at least the ones we're at, for sure.
"We're just going to go out there and compete and do the best we possibly can. Hopefully we come out with a few medals."