Unbeaten Harbor Creek Wrestler Connor Pierce Among 14 Erie County Qualifiers For PIAA Meet

Harbor Creek’s Connor Pierce is one of 14 Erie County wrestlers who qualified for next weekend’s PIAA tournament.

The senior’s record is why he further stands out on that brief list.

Pierce, who bids to become the Huskies’ first PIAA gold medalist since Jeff Catrabone in 1993, is the only one who will arrive at Hershey’s Giant Center without a loss this season.

The senior upped his perfect record to 34-0 as the 138-pound champion for Saturday’s Northwest Region Class 2A tournament.

PIAA Class 2A pairings: Here are the Class 2A wrestling pairings for the PIAA tournament

Northwest Regionals, Day 1 recap: Fort LeBoeuf, Cathedral Prep lead Erie County

PIAA tourney schedule: 2022 PIAA Class 2A, 3A wrestling championship schedule in Hershey

That competition was held at Sharon, where the top four wrestlers in each weight class qualified for states.

The top three per division in the region’s Class 3A tournament did the same. Former PIAA champ Jake Van Dee, who suffered his first loss, was one of four Cathedral Prep Ramblers who extended their seasons when the competition ended at the Altoona Fieldhouse.

The state tournament starts Thursday in each class. The top eight wrestlers in every weight class will receive medals.

Class 2A

Pierce pinned each of his three opponents at regions. The last was Hickory’s Connor Saylor, whom Pierce flattened 3 minutes, 24 seconds into their 138 final.

Pierce was the first of the county’s three champions at Sharon. The other two were Corry upperweights Hayden Linkerhof and Xavier Reyda, who were coming off District 10 titles.

Linkerhof (33-6) finished first in the 215 field. The senior, a Bucknell University recruit, clinched that result with an 11-3 major decision over Brookville’s Bryce Rafferty.

Reyda, also a senior, concluded action at Sharon in the heavyweight final. The last of his three tournament pins occurred with seven seconds left in the first period against Saegertown’s Josh Perrine.

Reyda takes a 30-4 record to Hershey.

Fort LeBoeuf and Girard each qualified two wrestlers for states.

The Bison will send sophomores JoJo Przybycien at 126 and Conner McChesney at 152.

Brockway’s Mark Palmer shut out Przybycien 8-0 in their championship match. McChesney, the son of LeBoeuf coach Shane McChesney, won his third-place match with a 3-1 decision over Eisenhower’s Gannon Jaquay.

Class 3A

No county qualifier moved on as a region champ, with Van Dee most notable who didn’t. The 2021 state champ lost to Central Mountain phenom Dalton Perry in their 126 final.

The touted freshman upped his record to 37-2 when he pinned Van Dee, a University of Nebraska, recruit during their one-minute, sudden-victory period.

The loss left Van Dee 17-1.

Prep’s Kaemen Smith was the 152 silver medalist. Luke Sipes of host Altoona edged him 3-2 in their final.

PIAA Class 3A pairings: Here are the Class 3A wrestling pairings for the PIAA tournament

PIAA wrestling championships: Things to know going into tournament week in Hershey

While Smith had the luxury of knowing he’d advance to states regardless of how he fared vs. Sipes, Keagan Oler and Kelyn Blossey enjoyed no such perk.

Oler had to win the 106 third-place match to extend his freshman season. He accomplished that with Saturday’s 6-4 victory vs. Landyn Lukens of Selinsgrove.

Blossey, a senior, claimed the region’s last state berth at 172. He ended the varsity wrestling career of State College’s Braden Newby with a 9-5 decision.

Juniors Caleb Butterfield and Troy Peterson will wear McDowell singlets at states. Each finished third, Butterfield at 160 and Peterson at 215.

General McLane’s Wilson Spires rounds out the county wrestlers bound for the Giant Center.

Spires was the heavyweight bronze medalist at Altoona. He received with a victory vs. a very familiar opponent.

Spires, for the fifth and final time in 2021-22, pinned McDowell’s Jack Sroka. The Lancers’ 285-pounder recorded the last of those falls in 4:39.

Saturday’s Northwest Regional results

Northwest Region Class 2A tournament at Sharon:

Brockway (Brock), Brookville (Brook), Clarion (Clar), Cochranton (Coch), Commodore Perry (Com), Conneaut (CASH), Corry (Cor), Coudersport (Coudy), Cranberry (Cran), Curwensville (Cur), Eisenhower (Eis), Fort LeBoeuf (FLB), Franklin (Frank), Girard (Gir), Greenville (Green), Grove City (GC), Harbor Creek (HC), Hickory (Hick), Kane (Kane), Maplewood (Maple), Mercer (Mer), North East (NE), Northwestern (NW), Oswayo Valley (Osw), Port Allegany (PA), Redbank Valley (RV), Reynolds (Rey), Ridgway (Ridg), Saegertown (Sae), Seneca (Sen), Sharon (Sharon), Sharpsville (Sharp), Sheffield (Sheff), Slippery Rock (SR), Titusville (Titus), Union City (UC), Youngsville (Y)

Semifinals

106: Carter Beck (Sae) d Elijah Brosius (Cran) 7-0; Louie Gill (Hick) p Cael Dailey (Frank) 3:04

113: Hunter Robison (Sae) p Jacob Carfley (Cur) 7-2; Weston Pisarchick (Brock) d Jared Popson (Brook) 6-3

120: Cole Householder (Brook) d Chase Bell (Rey) 5-0; Hunter Gould (CASH) p Owen Hershelman (Sae) 5:32

126: JoJo Przybycien (FLB) d Chase Weimer (PA) 5-3; Mark Palmer (Brock) p Gunnar Gage (CS) 1:59

132: Owen Reinsel (Brook) tf Wyatt Lazzar (Com); Jack Martinec (Coch) md Parker Pisarchick (Brock) 18-4

138: Connor Pierce (HC) p Riley Kneeland (Green) 2:54; Connor Saylor (Hick) md Cody Hamilton (GC) 13-5

145: Story Buchanan (Gir) p Reece Bechakas (Kane) 4:18; Carter Gill (Hick) p Camren Klenke (Rey) 1:11

152: Hunter Hohman (GC) d Conner McChesney (FLB) 5-2; Kane Kettering (Rey) d Logan Augenbaugh (Cur) 6-4

160: Aiden Zimmerman (John) d Ryan Welka (FLB) 7-2; Collin Hearn (CASH) d Luke Ely (Kane) 2-1

172: Brock Covell (Titus) d Easton Belfiore (Brook) 7-3; Kaden Dennis (John) d Jalen Wagner (Rey) 5-3

189: Seth Stewart (Brock) d Landon Caldwell (Sae) 2-1; Cole Karpinski (Green) p Jackson Zimmerman (Brook) 2:54

215: Hayden Linkerhof (Cor) md Cael Black (Eis) 13-1; Bryce Rafferty (Brook) p Abraham Keep (Gir) 3:26

285: Joshua Perrine (Sae) d Mike Mazurek (Sharon) 3-0; Xavier Reyda (Cor) p Lodge Nosko (Titus) 5:42

—

Finals

106: Louie Gill (Hick) tf Carter Beck (Sae) 15-0

113: Hunter Robison (Sae) d Weston Pisarchick (Brock) 4-3

120: Cole Householder (Brook) d Hunter Gould (CASH) 3-1

126: Mark Palmer (Brock) md JoJo Przybycien (FLB) 8-0

132: Owen Reinsel (Brook) tf Jack Martinec (Coch) 15-0

138: Connor Pierce (HC) p Connor Saylor (Hick) 3:24

145: Carter Gill (Hick) md Story Buchanan (Gir) 17-7

152: Kane Kettering (Rey) d Hunter Hohman (GC) 6-4

160: Aiden Zimmerman (John) d Collin Hearn (CASH) 2-1

172: Brock Covell (Titus) d Kaden Dennis (John) 1-0

189: Cole Karpinski (Green) p Seth Stewart (Brock) 3:21

215: Hayden Linkerhof (Cor) md Bryce Rafferty (Brook) 11-3

285: Xavier Reyda (Cor) p Joshua Perrine (Sae) 1:53

—

Third-place matches

106: Elijah Brosius (Cran) d Cael Dailey (Frank) 4-2

113: Jacob Carfley (Cur) d Hunter Geibel (Com) 3-1

120: Chase Bell (Rey) p Owen Hershelman (Sae) 1:28

126: Gunnar Gage (CS) d Chase Weimer (PA) 11-5

132: Wyatt Lazzar (Com) md Parker Pisarchick (Brock) 9-0

138: Cody Hamilton (GC) d Brayden Kunselman (Brook) 6-3

145: Reece Bechakas (Kane) md Camren Klenke (Rey) 10-1

152: Conner McChesney (FLB) d Gannon Jaquay (Eis) 3-1

160: Vito Gentile (Rey) p Stetson Boozer (Coch) 3:35

172: Jalen Wagner (Rey) d Easton Belfiore (Brook) 1-0

189: Jackson Zimmerman (Brook) d Landon Caldwell (Sae) 4-0

215: Abraham Keep (Gir) via forfeit over Cael Black (Eis)

285: Lodge Nosko (Titus) d Mike Mazurek (Sharon) 3-1

—

Northwest Region Class 3A tournament at Altoona:

Altoona (Alt), Bellefonte (Belle), Bradford (Brad), Brashear (Brash), Carrick (Car), Cathedral Prep (CP), Central Mountain (CM), Clearfield (Clear), DuBois (DuB), General McLane (GM), Hollidaysburg (Holl), Juniata (Jun), McDowell (McD), Meadville (Mead), Mifflin County (MC), Obama Academy (Obama), Punxsutawney (Punxsy), Selinsgrove (Selins), Shikellamy (Shik), State College (SC), St. Mary’s (StM), Taylor Allderdice (TA), Warren (War), Williamsport (Will)

Semifinals

106: Luke Hileman (Alt) p Landyn Lukens (Selins) 2:33; Aidan Beimel (StM) md Keagan Oler (CP) 9-0

113: Cael Nasdeo (Will) tf Garrett Choates (Belle) 15-0; Nic Allison (MC) p Evan Davis (Clear) 3:46

120: Asher Cunningham (SC) tf Luke Ananea (CM) 17-0; Casey Smith (Jun) d Hunter Johnson (MC) 3-2

126: Jacob Van Dee (CP) p Taylor Smith (Jun) 5:37; Dalton Perry (CM) md Brady Collins (Clear) 9-0

132: Braden Bower (Will) md Aidan O’Shea (Belle) 12-1; Luke Simcox (CM) md Isaac McGregor (Shik) 17-4

138: Pierson Manville (SC) tf Jacob Cunningham (MC) 18-3; Taylor Weaver (CM) p Gage Long (Belle) 2:12

145: Jude Swisher (Belle) tf Will Young (Alt) 18-1; Riley Bower (Will) d Griffin Walizer (CM) 2-0

152: Luke Sipes (Alt) d Aiden Gaugler (Selins) 6-5; Kaemen Smith (CP) p Carter Weaver (Will) 5:55

160: Roman Morrone (Will) d Rocco Serafini (CM) 4-1; Kyler Everly (MC) d Caleb Butterfield (McD) 5-2

172: Waylon Wehler (StM) d Kelyn Blossey (CP) 5-0; Mark McGonigal (Clear) d Gage Wolfe (Shik) 9-5

189: Carter Chamberlain (Clear) d Damien Galentine (CM) 5-0; Trey Shoemaker (MC) p Tucker Teats (Selins) :36

215: Nick Pavlechko (SC) p Steven Miller (Selins) 2:26; Anson Wagner (MC) d Hayden Kovalick (Clear) 5-3

285: Charles Crews (Will) md Shane Focht (SC) 12-3; Oliver Billotte (Clear) d Wilson Spires (GM) 6-0

—

Finals

106: Anthony Beimel (StM) d Luke Hileman (Alt) 8-5, SV

113: Carl Nasdeo (Will) d Nic Allison (MC) 6-4

120: Asher Cunningham (SC) md Casey Smith 16-3

126: Dalton Perry (CM) p Jacob Van Dee (CP) 6:24

132: Luke Simcox (CM) d Braden Bower (Will) 5-1

138: Pierson Manville (SC) md Taylor Weaver 12-2

145: Jude Swisher (Belle) d Riley Bower (Will) 7-0

152: Luke Sipes (Alt) d Kaemen Smith (CP) 3-2

160: Kyler Everly (MC) d Roman Morrone (Will) 2-1

172: Waylon Wehler (StM) d Mark McGonigal (Clear) 3-2

189: Trey Shoemaker (MC) md Carter Chamberlain (Clear) 11-2

215: Nick Pavlechko (SC) d Anson Wagner (MC) 4-3

285: Charles Crews (Will) d Oliver Billotte (Clear) 6-0

—

Third-place match

106: Keagan Oler (CP) d Landyn Lukens (Selins) 6-4

113: Evan Davis (Clear) d Dysen Gould (Punxsy) 6-2

120: Hunter Johnson (MC) d Cyrus Hurd (CP) 6-2

126: Taylor Smith (Jun) d Brady Collins (Clear) 10-6

132: Aidan O’Shea (Belle) d Isaac McGregor 1-0

138: Brett Thompson (Brad) d Jacob Cunningham (MC) 4-3

145: Griffin Walizer (CM) d Steffan Lynch (CP) 6-4

152: Aiden Gaugler (Selins) d Carter Weaver (Will) 8-7

160: Caleb Butterfield (McD) d Rocco Serafini (CM) 3-2

172: Kelyn Blossey (CP) d Braden Newby (SC) 9-5

189: Griffin Buzzell (Mead) p Tucker Teats (Selins) 1:49

215: Troy Peterson (McD) d Hayden Kovalick (Clear) 8-5

285: Wilson Spires (GM) p Jack Sroka (McD) 4:39