Williams

Tyrone’s Kyle Scott and Glendale’s Daniel Williams have come close to standing atop the District 6 Class 2A Tournament medals stand at the Altoona Fieldhouse.

Both have finished second, losing in the championship finals to some tough opponents.

Scott, who finished third as a freshman, lost to Bishop McCort’s Owen McMullen, 3-1, in the overtime in the 172-pound finals as a sophomore and to Bald Eagle Area’s Caleb Close, 9-1, at 189 as a junior.

Williams dropped a 2-0 decision to Huntingdon’s Gunner Singleton in the 285-pound finals as a freshman and a 3-2 tiebreaker decision to Tyrone’s Braden Ewing as a sophomore. He missed last year’s postseason because of his knee injuries.

They get another shot this weekend at the top of the stand. The 35-0 Scott, ranked second by PA Power Wrestling, is the top seed at 189. The 38-1 and fourth-ranked Williams is seeded second at 285 behind Bishop McCort’s returning district runner-up and second-ranked Caleb Rodriguez.

“110 percent yes,” Scott said when he was asked about the two second-place finishes being an incentive. “I feel like I might be cursed. I’m going to try to break the curse just being smart and wrestle the way I want to wrestle. I want to score points.”

“Yeah, I’m hoping to finally break that curse,” Williams said, “but I’ve got to get there first. It’s in the back of my mind for sure, but hopefully I can break (the curse) this year.”

Scott is feeling better after battling the flu recently. Should the seeds hold up, he could be wrestling Bishop McCort’s second-seeded C.J. Pensiero in the finals. Scott beat Pensiero, 4-2, in the semifinals of last year’s district tournament. Pensiero is only 6-2 this season.

“He’s interesting,” Scott said. “That kid likes to let it fly. There might be fireworks. You might want to circle that match. I’m excited for that. We’re really good buddies outside of competition. It should be fun.”

Williams, who has 17 pins, suffered his only loss to Selinsgrove’s Jack Peters, 1-0, in the semifinals of the Panther Holiday Classic. His knees have been fine this season.

“They’re holding up pretty good,” he said, “better than I expected honestly.”

What would it feel like to win a district title?

“I think it would be pretty cool,” Williams said, “but it isn’t the end goal. It’s right back to work if I win or lose.”

“It would be cool,” Scott said. “It’s something to check off. Other than that, it’s a stepping stone. I’m feeling really determined and motivated.”

The tournament begins at 11 a.m. on Friday, which will be the first of two sessions the first day. The quarterfinals are set for 5 p.m.

Saturday’s wrestling is set to begin at 9 a.m. with consolation bouts. The semifinals are slated for 10:30 a.m. The championship finals, as well as the third, fifth and seventh-place bouts, are to follow after the 4:30 p.m. District 6 Hall of Fame ceremony and parade of champions.

The top six wrestlers at every weight in Class 2A advance to the Southwest Regional, set for Feb. 27-28 at the Fieldhouse.

Scott is one of three No. 1 seeds from the Mirror coverage area. Central sophomore Ty Matthews is the top seed at 107 pounds, while Central Cambria junior Burke Niebauer is the No. 1 seed at 139.

Matthews, who placed fifth at 107 in last year’s tournament, enters this postseason with a 34-6 record. With Bellwood-Antis’ Nolan Hewitt (23-7) as the second seed, there could be an all-area matchup if the seeds hold true.

“Ty has had a very successful year,” Central coach Dave Marko said. “I think he’s wrestled pretty much all of those guys that are seeded and has had some success. Success early in the season doesn’t dictate what’s going to happen in the postseason.

“We preach everybody is a little bit bigger, a little faster, a little stronger at the end of the year, so you need to make sure you’re prepared to keep with that and surpass it as well.”

Niebauer (30-8), who placed seventh two years ago and fifth last season, could have to tangle with Bishop McCort’s Owen McMullen (29-8) in the finals if he makes it there. McMullen won a district title as a sophomore, but sat out last season with an injury.

Central’s Joel Morris (127) and Blair Miller (285) and Tyrone’s Mason VanAllman (160) are seeded third. Central’s Carsen Mowery (121) and Penn Cambria’s Nate Mack (160) are seeded fourth

Tyrone’s Tanner Walk (107), Glendale’s Ethan Gilbey (145) and Central Cambria’s Jeremy Hajzus (189) are No. 5 seeds.

Central’s Nathan Morris (114) and Kaden Horn (145), Claysburg-Kimmel Rylan Quarello (127) and Central Cambria’s Hadyn Strittmatter (133) are No. 6 seeds.

There are always those wrestlers who exceed their seeds in the tournament, which is part of what makes the postseason so interesting.

“I’m always looking forward to this,” Marko said. “Everything builds up to this. We do the dual meet staff. That’s fun and that’s important for the team. We embrace that team and family atmosphere.

“But there’s a reason why they call the end of the season the reason for the season. Everything leading up until this point has just been a stepping stone and a learning experience. This is where you get your payoff.”