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Nine from area advance to LHAC semifinals

EBENSBURG — Nine wrestlers from the Mirror coverage area advanced to the semifinals of the second Laurel Highlands Championships on Friday at Central Cambria High School.

Central Cambria had a good first day at home, advancing three to the semifinals in Burke Niebauer (127), Jake Wilson (152) and Jeremy Hajzus (189).

Hollidaysburg also advanced three wrestlers in Connor Sidney (107), Brayden Sidney (114) and Mitchell Baronner (172). Tyrone’s returning tournament runner-up Kyle Scott (189), Central’s Kaden Horn (139) and Penn Cambria’s Layton Munyon (121) moved on to the semifinals.

The tournament resumes at 9 a.m. today with a consolation round. Weights 107 to 139 are in the auxiliary gym, while 145 to 285 are in the main gym. The semifinals will start at approximately 10:30 a.m. in the main gym, along with the consolation quarterfinals in the auxiliary gym.

The seventh-place bouts are in the main gym at 12:30 p.m., while the consolation semifinals are in the auxiliary gym at the same time. Fifth place bouts follow in the main gym at 1:30. The championship finals and third-place bout will follow the 2:30 p.m. parade of champions.

Scott, who is seeded second behind Bald Eagle Area’s returning runner-up Caleb Close, rolled to two technical falls to reach the semifinals, where he’ll get Richland’s third-seeded Grayson Mahla.

On the other side of 189, the fourth-seeded Hajzus will face Close. Hajzus opened with an 18-2 technical fall. He followed that with a 9-6 win over Huntingdon’s Dom Peruso in the quarterfinals.

Connor Sidney, seeded third, recorded pins in 41 seconds and in 3:33 to advance to the semifinals, where he’ll get Bishop McCort’s freshman star Keegan Bassett.

Fourth-seeded Brayden Sidney recorded a pin in 1:00 and a 7-0 win over Clearfield’s Bo Aveni. Sidney wrestles Chestnut Ridge’s top-seeded and returning champion Easton Mull in the semifinals.

The fourth-seeded Baronner followed a pin in 1:16 with a 4-1 win over Bellefonte’s Jackson Long.

The fourth-seeded Niebauer, who will face Ridge’s returning champ Dominic Deputy in the semis, had a technical fall and a pin in his first two bouts. Wilson, seeded fifth, recorded a technical fall and an 8-5 win over Penn Cambria’s Andrew Mardula.

The seventh-seeded Munyon reached the semifinals for the second straight year with a major decision and a pin. The fourth-seeded Horn reeled off two pins, including Somerset’s Deshonn Valentine in 3:08 in the quarterfinals.

State powerhouse and returning team champ Bishop McCort leads the team race by 33 points, 124-91, over Clearfield. Hollidaysburg is in fourth with 71 points, 1.5 points behind Chestnut Ridge (72.5).

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