Breaking News

High School Wrestling

Ridge comes from behind to defeat Mountain Lions

By Todd Irwin sports@altoonamirror.com It was a heck of a season opener on Friday night with a large crowd watching at the Altoona Fieldhouse — traditional Class 2A state power Chestnut Ridge tangling with Class 3A rising power Altoona. In the end, Chestnut Ridge rallied to win, 39-24, with five straight victories to close the dual meet, including the last two bouts involving state-ranked wrestlers. Ridge’s Easton Mull, ranked fifth in Class 2A by PA Power Wrestling, pulled off a sudden second-period pin of freshman star Deklan Barr, ranked ninth in Class 3A, in a scoreless ...

Tigers, Eagles both getting used to new system

By Todd Irwin sports@altoonamirror.com TYRONE — Hollidaysburg and Tyrone opened the 2024-25 wrestling season with a flurry of points under the PIAA’s new scoring system and falls on Thursday night at Tyrone’s home gym. The experienced Golden Tigers asserted their ability to score points and falls as they racked up seven pins, including five in the first period, to beat the young Golden Eagles, 51-20. “Awesome,” Hollidaysburg coach Christian Harr said of his team’s performance. “It was the first night out, and it’s about the same lineup as last year. We expected ...

CC, Tigers split meet

EBENSBURG — Central Cambria and Hollidaysburg split its high school swimming meet on Wednesday as the CC boys won 105-65, while the Hollidaysburg girls came out on top, 98-72. In boys action, the Golden Tigers’ Kaden Henderson (200-yard individual medley and 100 freestyle) and Andrew Shanafelt (100 butterfly and 500 freestyle) were the only double winners. Addison Smith (200 freestyle and 500 freestyle) won twice for the Lady Tigers, while Kathleen Hodge (200 IM and 100 butterfly) was a double winner for the Lady Red Devils. BOYS CENTRAL CAMBRIA 105, HOLLIDAYSBURG 65 200 ...

Altoona’s Weaver commits to Bulls

By Todd Irwin sports@altoonamirror.com Soon Altoona’s Braiden Weaver will begin his quest for his second PIAA medal, but the Mountain Lion junior already has achieved one of his goals before the wrestling season has started. Weaver verbally committed to wrestle on full scholarship for the University at Buffalo, a Division I program that competes in the MAC. Weaver visited Buffalo over the weekend, including going to the Buffalo Bills game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and was so impressed that he decided to commit. “The coaches really stood out to me,” Weaver said. ...

Regional wrestling tournament gets reimagined

By John Hartsock jhartsock@altoonamirror.com The Altoona Area High School Fieldhouse had been the host site for the Northwest Class 3A Regional boys wrestling tournament for the past several decades. Now, that regional tournament has become a thing of the past. The PIAA Board of Control recently approved the wrestling steering committee’s proposal to make a change and eliminate the Northwest AAA Regional, moving wrestling schools from Districts 6-8-9 and 10 which had long participated in the tournament to an expanded West Regional Tournament with WPIAL schools that will be held ...

Pecora was more than just a coach

By Todd Irwin sports@altoonamirror.com Pat Pecora was a legend in college wrestling, especially in Division II, where he led the University of Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team to unmatched heights over his 48 years at the helm. Pecora, who passed away at 11:58 this past Sunday morning from ...