Pennsylvania Wrestlers Have Tall Task in NCAA Quarterfinals on Friday

At 125 pounds defending National Champion Darian Cruz (Lehigh/Bethlehem Catholic) will take on a similar wrestler in the quarterfinals – Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State who, like Cruz, has a unique style of wrestling. Spencer Lee (Iowa/Franklin Regional) gets a re-match with Oklahoma State All-American Nick Piccininni who he defeated earlier this season 10-5.

Two Pennsylvania wrestlers will clash in the 133 pound quarterfinals with Luke Pletcher (Ohio State/Greater Latrobe) meets Scotty Parker (Lehigh/Pennridge) on Friday morning. This will be a re-match of the 2014 PIAA State Finals at 120 pounds which Pletcher won 3-1 in sudden victory. Parker was an All-American last season while Pletcher was at 141 pounds and a NCAA Qualifier.

On the bottom half of 133 pounds Drexel freshman Austin DeSanto (Exeter Township) will meet second seed Stevan Micic of Michigan. The high scoring DeSanto beat Micic at the Las Vegas Invitational (22-10) in a wild match at 133 pounds. It will be tough to replicate that feat on Friday morning.

At 141 pounds Bucknell senior Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional) had a big win in the Round of 16 topping All-American Kevin Jack (6-4) in sudden victory. He now gets a date with third seed Joey McKenna of Ohio State. Not to be outdone Lock Haven senior Ronnie Perry had arguably the biggest upset of the day when he took out second seed Brandon Sorensen of Iowa at 149 pounds in an epic (3-2) match. He will take on the tenth seed Jason Tsirtsis of Arizona State who was once a NCAA National Champion.

The best quarterfinal match of the day will, unfortunately, be two Pennsylvania wrestlers going head-to-head at 157 pounds. In a match many thought could, and should, be a finals match, returning National Champion Jason Nolf (Penn State/Kittanning) takes on fellow WPIAL wrestler Michael Kemerer (Iowa/Franklin Regional). These two are next level wrestlers. The top seed at 157 pounds Hayden Hidlay (N.C. State/Mifflin County) will meet Tyler Berger of Nebraska who he defeated earlier this season (6-3). 

At 184 pounds three Pennsylvania wrestlers are in the quarterfinals. Fourth seed Pete Renda (N.C. State/Brandywine Heights) will meet the fifth seed Domenic Abounader (Michigan) in the quarterfinals. Two Keystone State grapplers collide as third seed Ryan Preisch (Lehigh/Milton Area) faces Zachary Zavatsky (Virginia Tech/Greater Latrobe). The two faced off in November at the Journeymen Classic with Preisch winning 6-4 in sudden victory. Unseeded wrestler Chris Weiler (Lehigh/Wyoming Seminary), a Pennsylvania native, took at the tenth and seventh seeds en route to the quarterfinals at 197 pounds. He will meet second seed Ben Darmstadt of Cornell. Weiler dropped a (10-6) match to Darmstadt in the EIWA Championships.

 

125 lbs.

#1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) vs. #9 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) 

#3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. #6 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State)

 

133 lbs.

#3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. #6 Scott Parker (Lehigh)

#7 Austin DeSanto (Drexel) vs. #2 Stevan Micic (Michigan)

 

141 lbs.

#12 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) vs. #3 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) 

#7 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) vs. #2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri)

 

149 lbs.

#1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. #8 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State)

#15 Ronald Perry (Lock Haven) vs. #10 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State)

 

157 lbs.

#1 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) vs. #8 Tyler Berger (Nebraska)

#3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. #6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)

 

165 lbs.

#9 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) vs. #1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois)

#3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. #11 Isaiah White (Nebraska)

 

184 lbs.

#4 Pete Renda (NC State) vs. #5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan)

#3 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) vs. #6 Zachary Zavatsky (Virginia Tech)

 

197 lbs.

Chris Weiler (Lehigh) vs. #2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)

 

 

Consolation Round Results

 

125 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) won by major decision over Gage Curry (American) (MD 9-1)

 

133 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Corey Keener (Penn State) won by decision over Cam Sykora (North Dakota State) (Dec 9-7)

 

141 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Nick Zanetta (Pittsburgh) won by major decision over Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) (MD 10-1)

Cons. Round 1 – Nate Limmex (Purdue) won by major decision over Austin Headlee (North Carolina) (MD 14-2)

 

149 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Sam Krivus (Virginia) won by decision over Taylor Ortz (Clarion) (Dec 3-2)

Cons. Round 1 – Cortlandt Schuyler (Lehigh) won by decision over Jared Prince (Navy) (Dec 4-3)

 

157 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Garett Hammond (Drexel) won by fall over Mike D`Angelo (Princeton) (Fall 1:38)

Cons. Round 1 – Ian Brown (Lehigh) won in sudden victory – 1 over Casey Sparkman (Kent State) (SV-1 3-1)

Cons. Round 1 – Jake Short (Minnesota) won by decision over Justin Staudenmayer (Brown) (Dec 5-2)

Cons. Round 1 – Joey Lavallee (Missouri) won by fall over Alex Klucker (Lock Haven) (Fall 1:14)

 

174 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro) won by major decision over Devin Skatzka (Indiana) (MD 13-5)

Cons. Round 1 – Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern) won by decision over Austin Rose (Drexel) (Dec 6-1)

 

184 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Christian LaFragola (Brown) won by decision over Greg Bulsak (Clarion) (Dec 7-6)

Cons. Round 1 – Michael Coleman (Navy) won by decision over Alexander DeCiantis (Drexel) (Dec 7-2)

 

197 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Stephen Loiseau (Drexel) won by decision over Sawyer Root (The Citadel) (Dec 17-14)

Cons. Round 1 – Thomas Lane (Cal Poly) won in sudden victory – 1 over Dustin Conti (Clarion) (SV-1 3-1)

 

285 lbs.

Cons. Round 1 – Ryan Solomon (Pittsburgh) won by fall over Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) (Fall 3:51)

Cons. Round 1 – Antonio Pelusi (Franklin & Marshall) won in sudden victory – 1 over Tyler Love (Virginia) (SV-1 3-1)

Cons. Round 1 – Andrew Dunn (Virginia Tech) won by medical forfeit over Jake Gunning (Buffalo) (M. For.)

 

Brackets

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