Bracketology: District Three wrestling

Here's a quick glimpse at what the nine E-town wrestlers are facing at the District Three wrestling tournament later today.


103: Matt Hoover (28-11)
Hoover, one of five E-town wrestlers with four seeds, gets a tough match-up in the first round, where he runs into Cameron Throckmorton, who is 32-1 and the top seed out of Section Five. Should he pull the upset there, he'll get the winner of Jacob Smith (16-6) out of Waynesboro and Eddie Lockowitz (28-10) from Daniel Boone. But to beat Throckmorton would be a huge upset.


112: Calvin Anderton (32-10)
Anderton, another fourth seed, gets Chambersburg's Jimmy Hughes in the first round. Hughes in the top seed out of Section 1, and is sporting a 32-1 record. Tough go for Calvin, but he does have 32 wins and is certainly capable of winning. If he does win, he'll get the winner between Dover's Abe Evans (28-5) and Wilson's Zach Terfenko (22-18).


130: Justin Lewis (21-17)
Lewis is another four seed for the Bears. He draws the top seed from Section 5 (and second seed in the bracket), Spring Grove's Nathan Warner, who is 31-7. It certainly won't an easy matchup for Lewis, but if he wins, he'll get the winner between CV's Justin Lapp (21-13) and Shippensburg's Russell Davidson (33-3).


135: Oliver Thayer (30-10)
I think that of all the four seeds the Bears have, Thayer has the best shot of making some noise. Problem is, he got another tough draw (like he did in sectionals). He do battle in the first round with the top seed in the bracket, and No. 1 seed from Section Five, Central York's Zach Grove, who is a perfect 31-0 this season. That's a tough break for O, but if he can squeak though, he'll have a good shot in the second round, where he'll get the winner or Ephrata's Jared Becker (29-7) and Cumberland Valley's Tom Wiechelt (33-3).


140: Blake Rosenberger (37-3)
I think Rosenberger, represents E-town's best chance at a state berth. He shouldn't have much trouble in the first round, where he'll meet the third seed from Section One, Mecanicsburg's Evan Baer, who is 26-11. In the second round, Rosenberger will get the winner between Muhlenberg's Bo Cadelario (30-1) and Central York's Corey Green (27-11), which will probably be Cadelario. Rosenberger will have his hands full there, but if he gets through that, he could very well make it to the finals ... where Marshall Peppelman will be waiting.


160: Adam Zellman (29-10)
Zellman is one of E-town's three No. 2 seeds from Section Two and he'll match up with Dallastown's Clay Gable (33-6) in the first round. Gable is another two seed from Section Five. That'll be a tough one for Zellman, but he's proven time and time again this season that he is a very good tournament wrestler. If he win's he'll likely get top seed Mike Evans (19-1) of Cumberland Valley, who should cruise through his first round match. Tough draw for Zellman, but he's a very strong wrestler who has a nice shot of getting through to states.


171: Travis Leber (37-5)
Leber, E-town's leader in wins, is a three seed out of Section Two and will face off with Gettysburg's Bryce Shaffer (27-10), a No. 1 seed from Section One. I like Leber's chances there, and he'll likely draw Hempfield's Jarvis Cummings (27-9) in the quarterfinals. Don't be surprised to see Leber in the semifinals with a good chance of advancing to the Giant Center.


189: Shane Rosenberry (36-4)
I think there are two wrestlers in this bracket that will give Rosenberry trouble – Warwick's Antonio Giorgio and Cedar Cliff's Keith Dickey, both of whom have beaten Rosie this year. But I think that, along with Rosenberger, Shane will be at the Giant Center for states. In the first round, he gets Manheim Central's Josh Pavlik (11-9) and then the winner between Gettysburg's DJ Cool (awesome name by the way) (24-6) and Ephrata's Jordan Becker (31-10). I expect Rosenberry to match up with Giorgio (who is 39-0) in the semifinals and to grab that third spot in the bracket and advance to states.


285: Alex Kirchner (27-16)
Kirchner is the last of E-town's four seeds, and draws the top seed from Section 1, Mechanicsburg's Danny Estricher (28-3) in the first round. That will be a tough bout for Kirchner, but he's quick and is able to grind out those 3-2 types of matches. If he can get it to OT, he's got an edge. If he wins, he'll face the winner of Hempfield's Sean Sheehe (36-10) and Dallastown's Clifton Ward (29-11).

There you have it. Also, here's a tentative schedule for the tournament. It could change with the weather, but here is what is slated for now:
Friday:
1st round: 4 p.m.
Consolation 1st round: 6:30 p.m.
Championship Quarterfinals: 6:30 p.m.
Consolation 2nd round: 9:15 p.m.

Saturday:
Championship semifinals: 1 p.m.
Consolation third round: 1 p.m.
Consolation fourth round: 3 p.m.
Third and Fourth place matches: 5 p.m.
Parade of Champions: 6:15 p.m.
Finals: 6:30 p.m.