Tyrone super freshman A. J. Schopp was the only local wrestler to earn a top seed in this weekend’s District 6-AA Wrestling Tournament to be held at the Altoona Fieldhouse Friday and Saturday.
Schopp (29-2) will draw a bye through the opening round, at 103, and then face the winner of a first round match between freshman Mike McCreary (5-14) of Claysburg-Kimmel and Forest Hills sophomore Shane Gallaher (3-6).
Schopp will have lots of company at the district tournament from his Golden Eagle teammates. In all, a total of seven Tyrone wrestlers drew top-10 seeds, and three more Eagles were in the top 14, among the 25-team field.
Two returning district champs are among the 2007 field, including Tyrone senior T. J. Albright and Huntingdon senior Jason Kylor. Neither is the top seed this year at his respective weight class.
Albright, who was voted the Outstanding Wrestler by the media after last year’s tournament, is the third seed at 125. Albright (23-7) will bye through the opening round and then wrestle the winner of the first round match between United junior Dave Rasporski (6-14) and Forest Hills sophomore Robert Bopp (13-16).
Seniors Jacob Smerekar (152) and Donnie Conrad (189) both earned the sixth seed at their weight classes. Smerekar (19-9) will draw the winner of the first round matchup between Penn Cambria sophomore John Julian (16-21) and Penns Valley freshman Cody Bjalme (6-20). Smerekar pinned Bjalme in the recent dual meet in 5:19. Conrad (19-10) faces the winner of the first round match between Glendale senior Delwyn Fry (8-7) and Penn Cambria junior Devon Wood (2-25).
Junior Shayne Tate is the seventh seed at 160. Tate (17-12) will bye through the opening round and then meet the winner of the first round match between Claysburg-Kimmel junior Hassan Farag (5-16) and Penn Cambria freshman Zakery Newton (20-18).
At 171, senior Justin Schopp is the number 10 seed. Schopp (17-12) will wrestle a first round match against Penns Valley junior Doug Mansell (3-17). In the recent dual, Schopp took just 0:49 to deck Mansell. Senior Brady Williams (9-9) is also a number 10 seed at 215. Williams will wrestle a first round match against Southern Huntingdon senior Ryan Robinson (0-20).
Eagle sophomore Cody Weaver (9-10), the number 11 seed at 135, will wrestle Claysburg-Kimmel junior Abdou Farag (2-15) in the opening round. Junior Anthony Romano (13-11), with a number 14 seed, will face United junior Blake Hood (3-8) in the first round. Senior John Markel (2-2) also a number 14 seed, meets Southern Huntingdon junior Allen Seibert (10-22) in the opening round.
Junior Donnie Hunter (5-16) the number 19 seed at 112, will wrestle Blairsville freshman Ben Clawson (9-6), Senior heavyweight Brandon Oswalt (2-9), also a number 19 seed, will wrestle Bellwood-Antis sophomore Cody Smith (4-7), Tyler Poorman (5-19) the number 20 seed at 119, will face Juniata Valley sophomore Brandon Wiser (7-1), and sophomore Jeremy Barlett (4-19), the number 22 seed, will wrestle Glendale senior Kelsey Tarr (16-12) in the opening round.
Senior Ricky Shawley drew the highest seed for the Bellwood-Antis squad, with a number two seed at 145. Shawley (26-1) will draw a bye through the first round and then meet the winner of the match between Ligonier Valley sophomore Mitch Stillwell (7-9) and Blairsville sophomore Dylan Carr (4-6).
B-A freshman Troy Weyant (18-9), the seven seed, will open with a bye at 103, and then face Moshannon Valley freshman Nathan Jacoby (9-5), who also had a first round bye, in the second round. In the dual meet, Weyant pinned Jacoby in 2:55.
Blue Devil senior Ronnie Wilson (15-8) is the eighth seed at 152, where he will open with a bye and then wrestle the winner of the match between United sophomore Tyler Capitosti (17-9) and Central freshman Kody Miller (1-17). In the final dual of the season, Wilson took just 0:49 to pin Miller.
Jimmy Watters, the number 10 seed at 189, will open with a bye and then wrestle Mount Union sophomore Zach Hicks (21-11). Watters, a sophomore was pinned twice by Hicks, first in the Zeigler Tournament in 3:10, then later in the dual meet, in 0:31.
Smith, the 14th seed, will face Tyrone’s Oswalt at 285, and B-A sophomore Caleb Stevens (7-13), also a number 14 seed at 215, will wrestle Blairsville junior Paul Chakot (5-15).
B-A junior Shane Noye is the 17th seed at 125, sophomore Timmy Collier (130) is the 18th seed and senior Garett Wyland (160) is the 19th seed. Noye (7-16) will meet Moshannon Valley junior Marc Godin (6-13) in the opening round, with the winner facing Cambria Heights junior top seed Glenn Winslow (25-1). Collier (8-14) will wrestle a first round match against Central senior Ben Little (13-12). In the dual meet, Collier outlasted Little 10-7. Wyland (7-15) will wrestle Cambria Heights junior Lee Quist (12-13).
Junior Donnie Partner (4-18), the number 20 seed at 119, will wrestle Central junior Ben Ritchey (3-1), Cody Fink, a number 20 seed at 135, faces Glendale sophomore Steven Rusnak (10-12), who pinned Fink in the dual in 5:27, junior Dustin Pruznak (4-13), a number 21 seed, will wrestle Penn Cambria sophomore Corey Rickens (11-19), and junior Troy Byers (5-19) will open with Claysburg-Kimmel senior Mike Snyder (14-11), who pinned Byers in both the Zeigler Tournament and the dual meet.
The District 6-AA Tournament will begin with the first round kicking off at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday mornings. On Friday, the second champiinship round and first consolation round will begin at 12 Noon. Second round consolations will go at 2 p.m., Quarterfinals will be wrestled at 6:30 p.m. followed by the last round of the evening, the third round consolations at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday’s fourth round consolations will start at 10 a.m., championship semifinals will begin at 12:30 p.m., along with fifth round consolations. Consolation semis will be wrestled at 3 p.m. At 6 p.m. the consolation finals will be wrestled, followed by championship finals at 7:15.
