Six Tyrone wrestlers will continue on their quest for PIAA gold this weekend at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown. The Southwest Regional includes Districts V, VI and VII. District VII, composed of WPIAL schools (located outside of the city of Pittsburgh) sends its top six placers from the district tournament, while District VI will have five representatives at each weight class and District V sends their top three. The top five placewinners at the Southwest Regional will then advance to the Hershey Giant Center March 10-12 for the PIAA state championships.
Tyrone seniors Brice Mertiff (160) and Terry Tate (275) both will get a bye through the opening round because of their first place finishes in last weekend’s District VI Tournament. Two of the three district champs, on a rotating basis, receive byes at each weight class. The other champion must wrestle a first round match. All District VI champs except 215-pound champion Andy Turner of Northern Cambria, drew preliminary round byes. District V gets byes for their district champion only at 130, 135 and 215. District VII receives byes for their champs at all weight classes except 130 and 135.
Mertiff (33-5 with 29 pins) will meet the winner of the prelim pitting Havelko (34-4), a senior District VII third place winner from Burgettstown against senior Dan Svonavec (17-7), the fifth place winner from District VI.
Tate (40-0 with 31 pins) wrestles the winner of the prelim between District VI fifth place finisher senior Brad Harrington (23-11) of Penn Cambria and Hartung (35-4), a senior District VII third place winner from South Side Beaver.
Freshman Anthony Romano (17-11) will wrestle Gouin (35-6), a freshman third place finisher from District VII Washington in the opening round. The winner will face District VI first place ninth grader Tom McVicker (3307) of Forest Hills. McVicker pinned Romano in the Team Dual Tournament in 1:15. Robert Waite (26-8 with 16 pins) will wrestle Welsh (38-9), of Burrell, a freshman fourth seed from District VII. The winner will battle the winner of a preliminary match featuring North Star senior Boyer (27-7), the District V champ and District VII sixth placer Vanilla (12-20), a freshman from Mount Pleasant.
David Miller (38-6 with 21 pins) will face Schepis (28-6), a District VII fifth place winner from Carlynton. The winner of that matchup will then wrestle the winner of a match between District VII top seed Pleskovich (32-4), a senior from Fort Cherry and Tussey Mountain junior Waylon Corbin (14-11), the District V third seed. Heath Walk (27-8) will get District VII fifth seed senior Patterson (26-8) of South Side Beaver as a preliminary round opponent. The winner will face the winner of a prelim between sophomore Miller (32-9), the District VII fifth place finisher from Chartiers-Houston, and Conemaugh Township junior Horner (29-4), the District V runnerup.
The preliminary round will began at the War Memorial at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon with quarterfinal action set for 5:30 p.m. and first round consolations at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, the semifinals and Consolation quarters will start at 12 noon, consolation semifinals at 2:30 p.m. consolation finals at 5:30 and Championship finals at 7 p.m.
