The 2025-26 Altoona Mirror wrestling first-team all-stars include (from left): First row—Altoona’s Dominic Picciotti, Braiden Weaver, Gavin Ciampoli, co-wrestler of the year; and Deklan Barr, Tyrone’s Mason VanAllman and Kyle Scott, co-wrestler of the year; Bellwood-Antis’s Juliette Cuevas. Second row — Altoona’s Joel Gilbert, coach of the year; Mike Colyer and Phillip Sarbo, Hollidaysburg’s Landon Krupka and Brayden Sidney, Glendale’s Ethan Gilbey and Daniel Williams. Third row — Central’s Ty Matthews, Blair Miller, Carsen Mowery and Kaden Horn, Central Cambria’s Burke Niebauer, Northern Bedford’s Rachel Clouse, Emily Dennis and Nolin Snyder.

While the 2025-26 wrestling season was a record-breaking one for Altoona junior Gavin Ciampoli and Tyrone senior Kyle Scott, it was another season of great success for Altoona coach Joel Gilbert.

Ciampoli broke through decades of the Altoona wrestling program’s near-misses and frustration at the PIAA Championships by capturing the Mountain Lions’ first state title since Steve Maurey in 1974.

Ciampoli beat West Scranton’s Tommy Schecterly, 9-3, in the 160-pound finals of the PIAA Class 3A Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey to claim the school’s third state title.

Scott kept checking off boxes on his to-do list this year, winning his first District 6 and Southwest Regional title at 189, breaking A.J. Schopp’s school career win record and taking a 46-0 record into the Class 2A state finals against Faith Christian Academy’s three-time state champion Adam Waters.

The Pitt commit took Waters into deep waters, tying the Ohio State commit, 1-1, in the third period before Waters got a takedown and won, 4-1.

Gilbert guided the Mountain Lions to a 15-3 record, tying the program’s season wins record they set last year. The Mountain Lions were the District 6 Duals runner-up for the second straight year. Despite injuries, Altoona made another run at a District 6 Class 3A Tournament title before finishing second.

Altoona had four District 6 champions, including four-time champ Braiden Weaver, who was voted the Outstanding Wrestler, making it three years in a row an Altoona wrestler has garnered the award.

Gilbert was named the District 6 Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and Man of the Year. The Altoona coaching staff was voted the Class 3A Staff of the Year.

Because of their success Ciampoli, Scott and Gilbert achieved this past season, they are the headliners of the 43rd annual Mirror All-Star Team.

Scott, a four-time first-team all-star, shares the Mirror Wrestler of the Year with his friend Ciampoli, a three-time Mirror All-Star, while Gilbert is Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season.

Altoona has an area-high six wrestlers on the first team, while Central has four on the team. Hollidaysburg, Tyrone and Glendale have two wrestlers each recognized. Central Cambria and Northern Bedford have one boy apiece on the team.

As usual, there is a first, second and honorable mention team. At some weights there are multiple wrestlers because of the depth of the weight. In fact, there are two wrestlers at 107, 121, 145, 215 and 285 on the first team.

The factors for compiling the teams were postseason success, head-to-head competition, records and personal observations.

We’re also recognizing the two girls who qualified for the third girls state tournament in Bellwood-Antis’ Juliette Cuevas (100) and Northern Bedford’s Rachel Clouse (106), as well as Northern Bedford’s two-time District 5-6-9 champion Emily Dennis (130).

107 pounds: Ty Matthews, Central: A Mirror second-team selection last year, Matthews broke through as a sophomore by going 43-10 with 18 pins. Matthews cruised to Central’s first District title since Doug Ritchey in 2004 by pinning all four of his opponents and outscoring them, 22-0.

Matthews finished fourth at the Southwest Regional after making the semifinals and finished 2-2 at the state tournament, falling in the blood round. Matthews is 68-25 in his first two years.

107 pounds: Dominic Picciotti, Altoona: Picciotti burst upon the high school scene as a freshman by going 35-13, winning a District 6 title with a 3-0 decision over Hollidaysburg’s Connor Sidney and placing fourth at the West Regional to qualify for Hershey.

Picciotti, the only freshman on the first team, went 2-2 at the state tournament and was eliminated in the blood round.

114 pounds: Landon Krupka, Hollidaysburg: Krupka (82-43 in his career) is on the Mirror’s First Team for the first time after going 33-11 with 18 falls as a junior. He was a District 6 runner-up for the second straight year and made the blood round at the West Regional before dropping a 4-3 decision to State College’s Noah Young.

121 pounds: Brayden Sidney, Hollidaysburg: Sidney returns to the first team for a third time going 22-11, placing second at the District 6 3A Tournament and going 1-2 at a very tough West Regional. The senior finished his career with a 73-37 record.

121 pounds: Carsen Mowery, Central: The junior made the Mirror’s first team for the first time by going 35-12 with 26 falls and placing fourth at the District 6 Class 2A Tournament. Mowery, who went 1-2 at the Southwest Regional, is 91-37 in his career.

127 pounds: Deklan Barr, Altoona: Barr returns to the first team as a sophomore by going 30-9 record, capturing his second District 6 Class 3A title and placing fourth at the West Regional for the second time. Barr went 2-2 in his second state tournament, suffering a loss in the blood round.

Barr, who won a title at King of the Mountain, is 70-22 in his first two years.

133 pounds: Braiden Weaver, Altoona: Four-time Mirror First Team All-Star Weaver had a remarkable career at Altoona, posting an 8-0 record with seven pins and a technical fall in winning four District 6 titles and being named the OW this year. A two-time regional champ, he finished second at the West Regional while battling an illness.

Weaver made the state semifinals before getting pinned by returning Whitehall state champ Willmont Kai with an odd tilt. Weaver finished fifth for his third state medal (fifth as a freshman, third as a junior).

The Penn State commit went 38-8 this season and finished with a 153-28 record, trailing only friend and neighbor Luke Sipes’ 155 wins on the school’s win list.

139 pounds: Burke Niebauer, Central Cambria: Niebauer returns to the first team as a junior after going 33-11 and finishing second at the District 6 Class 2A Tournament for his third medal. Niebauer, who has a 102-38 career record, sustained two close losses at the Southwest Regional.

145 pounds: Ethan Gilbey, Glendale: Gilbey is on the first team as a senior after going a career-best 40-10 with 23 falls. He finished fifth at the District 6 Tournament for the second straight year and went 1-2 at the Southwest Regional. Committed to wrestle for Penn State Altoona, Gilbey just missed the 100-win plateau, finishing 99-48.

145 pounds: Kaden Horn, Central: Horn was named to his Mirror First Team after going 32-14 and posting 20 falls. The senior placed sixth at the District 6 Tournament for his third medal to qualify for his second regional. Horn finished with a 102-58 career record.

152 pounds: Phillip Sarbo, Altoona: Sarbo, a second team selection last season, had the best year of his career as a senior, going 28-14 with 12 falls. He finished third at the District 6 Class 3A Tournament for his third medal and went 1-2 at the West Regional.

160 pounds: Mason VanAllman, Tyrone: An honorable mention pick last season, VanAllman is on the first team as a sophomore after going 35-14 with 20 falls. He dropped from 172 to 160 for the postseason. The result was placing fifth at the district tournament and seventh at the Southwest Regional to qualify for his first state tournament.

215 pounds: Mike Colyer, Altoona: A knee injury knocked Colyer out of the lineup for more than a month, but Altoona’s 2025 district tournament hero was able to finish third at the 2026 tournament and sixth at the West Regional. A two-time first-team selection, Colyer went 22-14 with 11 pins as a junior.

215 pounds: Nolin Snider, Northern Bedford: Snider returns to the first team as a senior after going 22-8 with 13 falls, placing third at the District 5 Tournament and eighth at the Southwest Regional — one place shy of qualifying for Hershey.

285 pounds: Daniel Williams, Glendale: After sitting out the wrestling season as a junior with injuries to both knees, Williams didn’t look rusty at all as a senior. He set the program’s single season record for wins with a 48-7 mark to go with 24 falls.

He finished second for the third time at the District 6 Tournament, placed fourth at the Southwest Regional for his third regional medal and earned his first state medal with a sixth-place finish. Committed to Division II Frostburg State in Maryland, Williams went 125-24 with 65 falls in his career.

285 pounds: Blair Miller, Central: It was a breakout year for the junior, going 36-13 with 25 falls, reaching the District 6 semifinals before placing third. Miller placed sixth at the Southwest Regional to qualify for his first state tournament.

After the season, Miller captured a state title at 250 pounds in the Keystone State Championships at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center.

Girls All-Stars

100 pounds: Juliette Cuevas, Bellwood-Antis: After missing last season, the entertaining Cuevas returned to make the Mirror’s All-Star team. She went 26-7 with 15 falls, was a runner-up at the District 5-6-9 Tournament and placed fourth at the Central Regional. Cuevas made the blood round and went 1-2 at the state tournament.

106 pounds: Rachel Clouse, Northern Bedford: Clouse had a heck of a freshman season. She went 30-7 with 21 falls, finished second at the District 5-6-9 Tournament and third at the Central Regional to qualify for Hershey, where she went 1-2 and lost in the blood round.

130 pounds: Emily Dennis, Northern Bedford: Dennis went 23-11 with 17 falls as a junior. She pinned her way through the District 5-6-9 Tournament to capture her second title in three finals appearances. She went 1-2 at the Central Regional.

Mirror wrestling all-stars

BOYS FIRST TEAM

Wgt. Name School Yr Record

WOY #Gavin Ciampoli Altoona Jr 38-6

WOY @Kyle Scott Tyrone Sr 46-1

107 Ty Matthews Central So 43-10

107 Dominic Picciotti Altoona Fr 35-13

114 Landon Krupka Hollidaysburg Jr 33-11

121 #Brayden Sidney Hollidaysburg Sr 22-11

121 Carsen Mowery Central Jr 35-12

127 *Deklan Barr Altoona So 35-9

133 @Braiden Weaver Altoona Sr 38-8

139 *Burke Niebauer Central Cambria Jr 33-11

145 Ethan Gilbey Glendale Sr 40-10

145 Kaden Horn Central Sr 32-14

152 Phillip Sarbo Altoona Sr 28-14

160 Mason VanAllman Tyrone So 35-14

215 *Michael Colyer Altoona Jr 22-14

215 *Nolin Snider Northern Bedford Sr 22-8

285 #Daniel Williams Glendale Sr 48-7

285 Blair Miller Central Jr 36-13

Coach of the Year: Joel Gilbert, Altoona

*–Indicates second first-team selection; #–Indicates third first-team selection; @–Indicates fourth first-team selection

SECOND TEAM

Wgt. Name School Yr Record

107 Connor Sidney Hollidaysburg So 26-15

107 Nolan Hewitt Bellwood-Antis Fr 24-9

107 Tanner Walk Tyrone Fr 28-19

114 Dominic Nardozza Altoona Jr 17-17

121 Layton Munyon Penn Cambria Sr 22-11

127 Joel Morris Central Jr 33-13

133 Hadyn Strittmatter Central Cambria So 19-9

133 Jacob Evans Tyrone Christian Jr 14-13

133 Tanner Ammerman Glendale Jr 28-14

139 Ayden Soler Claysburg-Kimmel So 35-15

139 Brandt Hite Altoona Fr 14-10

145 Reese Hite Altoona Jr 19-12

152 Domanic Kaufman Glendale Jr 23-14

160 Nate Mack Penn Cambria So 24-12

160 Chase Focht Bellwood-Antis So 14-15

172 Ty’Kear Davis Altoona Sr 12-14

172 Blake Kennedy Hollidaysburg Jr 20-15

189 Jeremy Hajzus Central Cambria Sr 31-14

189 Keegan Hewitt Hollidaysburg Fr 25-13

215 Rocco Cacciotti Hollidaysburg Jr 9-12

285 Scott Payne Hollidaysburg So 23-15

285 Knox Dibert Northern Bedford Fr 28-17

HONORABLE MENTION

Wgt. Name School Yr Record

107 Weston Baker Northern Bedford Fr 22-13

107 Parker Anslinger Central Cambria So 15-15

114 Bryson Guyer Bellwood-Antis Fr 14-12

114 Nathan Morris Central So 26-13

114 Nathan Cox Claysburg-Kimmel So 21-14

114 Eli Dutchcot Northern Bedford Fr 21-15

121 Harrison Snyder Glendale So 24-14

127 Rylan Quarello Claysburg-Kimmel So 29-11

133 Bryer Mickel Central So 24-13

133 Levi Link Cambria Heights Jr 19-14

145 Harrison Snyder Cambria Heights So 16-15

152 Mason Nagle Bellwood-Antis Jr 13-15

160 Brett Cottle Northern Bedford So 22-14

172 Jordan Free Northern Bedford So 16-20

172 Daniel Seilhamer Glendale Jr 13-14

189 Lawson Richards Glendale Jr 19-16

215 Jesse Horning Penn Cambria Jr 24-15

215 Connor Oshall Glendale Sr 18-15

215 Justin Galinis Cambria Heights So 14-16

215 Logan Harpster Juniata Valley Sr 18-15

285 Matthew Dick Juniata Valley Jr 16-16

285 Daniel Schweitzer Central Cambria Sr 22-10

GIRLS TEAM

Wgt. Name School Yr Record

100 Juliette Cuevas Bellwood-Antis Sr 26-7

106 Rachel Clouse Northern Bedford Fr 30-7

130 Emily Dennis Northern Bedford Jr 23-11