Bracketology, State Team Rankings, and Predictions
Below you will find updated State Dual Team Rankings, PIAA State Tournament Brackets, Predictions, and an overview.
State Dual Team Rankings
| Class AA Rankings | |||||||||||
| School | 2014-15 | 2013 – | – 2014 | 2012 – | – 2013 | 2011 – | – 2012 | Head Coach | District | State Ranked Wrestlers | |
| 1 | Brookville Area | 17-1 | D1 | 23-4 | D2 | 21-5 | S4 | 20-6 | Dave Klepfer | 9 | 106, 126, 132, 138, 160, 220 |
| 2 | Reynolds | 19-3 | S2 | 24-3 | S2 | 21-3 | D2 | 19-3 | Casey Taylor | 10 | 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 160, 220, 285 |
| 3 | Boiling Springs | 14-3 | S4 | 15-3 | D1 | 19-3 | S2 | 24-1 | Rodney Wright | 3 | 106, 126. 132. 138, 152, 160, 170, 195 |
| 4 | Wyalusing Valley Area | 24-0 | D3 | 19-6 | – | 15-5 | D1 | 23-3 | Gary Haley | 4 | 113, 120, 138, 145, 160, 220, 285 |
| 5 | Chestnut Ridge | 13-2 | D1 | 20-5 | S4 | 25-3 | – | 26-6 | Greg Lazor | 5 | 106, 120, 138, 152, 170, 195 |
| 6 | Saegertown | 14-3 | – | 11-7 | D3 | 14-7 | – | 11-2 | Jim Mulligan | 10 | 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 195 |
| 7 | West Branch | 23-1 | D2 | 22-2 | D1 | 25-4 | D2 | 26-6 | Jason Bainey | 6 | 113, 170, 220 |
| 8 | Huntingdon Area | 19-3 | D1 | 21-3 | – | 14-4 | – | 15-5 | Jon Mykut | 6 | 126, 132, 145, 152, 170, 182, 195 |
| 9 | Montoursville Area | 21-2 | D2 | 17-9 | – | 14-8 | – | 8-12 | Jamie Yonkin | 4 | 106, 138, 145, 170, 182, 220 |
| 10 | Burrell | 11-5 | S3 | 16-4 | D1 | 16-7 | D1 | 16-10 | Josh Shields | 7 | 152, 160, 195, 285 |
| 11 | Central | 18-2 | – | 5-9 | – | 8-11 | – | 8-13 | Dave Marko | 6 | 126, 138, 160 |
| 12 | Northern Lebanon | 12-2 | – | 12-1 | – | 16-5 | – | 2-9 | Rusty Wallace Jr. | 3 | 120, 132, 138, 160, 170, 220 |
| 13 | Bermudian Springs | 21-2 | – | 20-6 | D2 | 20-3 | D2 | 28-4 | David McCollum | 3 | 106, 120, 170, 182, 220, 285 |
| 14 | Benton Area | 14-3 | – | D2 | – | Russ Hughes | 4 | 106, 126, 132, 152, 195 | |||
| 15 | Northern Lehigh | 13-2 | – | – | – | Steve Hluschak Jr. | 11 | 132, 145, 160 | |||
| 16 | Saucon Valley | 20-2 | D2 | 25-4 | D2 | 18-4 | – | 19-3 | Chad Shirk | 11 | 113, 132, 145, 160, 170 |
| 17 | Line Mountain | 19-2 | – | 12-8 | – | 9-9 | – | 9-4 | Mike Martz | 4 | 113, 120, 126, 138, 182, 285 |
| 18 | Mount Union Area | 18-4 | – | 21-5 | D2 | 22-5 | D1 | 27-2 | Corey Wertz | 6 | 132 |
| 19 | McGuffy | 22-4 | – | 13-5 | – | 9-5 | – | 3-7 | Mark Caffrey | 7 | 113, 120, 132 |
| 20 | South Fayette | 20-2 | D2 | 20-3 | D2 | 9-3 | – | 13-8 | Rick Chaussard | 7 | 113, 132, 138, 160, 170 |
| 21 | Fort LeBoeuf | 9-6 | D2 | 13-6 | S3 | 17-5 | S3 | 19-3 | Tim Simon | 10 | 106, 132, 182 |
| 22 | Greenville | 13-3 | D3 | 21-5 | – | 19-6 | – | 21-3 | John Reynolds | 10 | 106, 120, 132, 152, 160, 182, 195 |
| 23 | Tri-Valley | 11-3 | – | 4-10 | – | 10-3 | – | 13-4 | David Boltz | 11 | 120, 132, 145, 152, 160, 220 |
| 24 | North Schuylkill | 15-2 | – | 21-3 | – | 12-5 | – | 4-10 | Chris Edwards | 11 | 120, 195, 285 |
| 23 | Southern Columbia Area | 11-2 | – | 14-4 | – | 16-13 | – | 7-17 | Jerry Marks | 4 | 106, 113, 145, 152 |
| 24 | Harbor Creek | 14-3 | – | 8-6 | – | 2-13 | – | 10-5 | Derek Chew | 10 | 106 |
| 25– | Troy Area | 10-3 | – | – | – | Curtis Route | 4 | 126, 170, 285 | |||
| – | |||||||||||
| – | |||||||||||
| – | |||||||||||
| – | |||||||||||
| Class AAA Rankings | |||||||||||
| School | 2014-15 | 2013 – | – 2014 | 2012 – | – 2013 | 2011 – | – 2012 | Head Coach | District | State Ranked Wrestlers | |
| 1 | Bethlehem Catholic | 10-0 | S1 | 18-0 | S1 | 17-0 | S1 | 15-0 | Jeff Karam | 11 | 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 220 |
| 2 | Franklin Regional | 18-1 | S1 | 23-1 | S3 | 23-4 | – | 14-4 | Eric Mausser | 7 | 113, 120, 126, 138, 145, 152, 160 |
| 3 | Belle Vernon Area | 20-1 | – | 17-3 | – | 16-4 | – | 12-8 | Mike Doppelheuer | 7 | 106, 120, 138, 145, 152, 170, 182 |
| 4 | Boyertown Area | 18-0 | D1 | 25-2 | D3 | 18-8 | – | 11-9 | Pete Ventresca | 1 | 106, 113, 120, 126, 182, 285 |
| 5 | North Allegheny | 14-3 | D3 | 16-3 | D3 | 18-5 | – | 20-6 | Jamie Kyriazis | 7 | 132, 138, 160, 182, 195, 220 |
| 6 | Cumberland Valley | 17-1 | S4 | 20-3 | – | 10-5 | – | 10-6 | Dave Heckard | 3 | 106, 120, 138, 160, 170, 195, 285 |
| 7 | Greater Latrobe | 8-3 | S2 | 16-3 | – | 11-6 | – | 9-9 | Tad Harbert | 7 | 126, 132, 145, 152, 170, 195, 285 |
| 8 | Kiski Area | 13-4 | – | 16-3 | D4 | 16-3 | – | 20-1 | Chuck Tursky | 7 | 113, 126, 170, 195, 220, 285 |
| 9 | Canon-McMillan | 11-4 | D4 | 16-2 | S1 | 19-0 | S1 | 26-0 | Jason Cardillo | 7 | 106, 132, 145, 182, 285 |
| 10 | General McLane | 13-1 | D2 | 13-5 | – | 16-1 | – | 15-3 | Ryan Cook | 10 | 113, 120, 126, 138, 145, 152, 170, 220 |
| 11 | Council Rock South | 12-2 | D3 | 15-2 | – | 12-4 | – | 8-8 | Brad Silimperi | 1 | 106, 126, 145, 152, 195 |
| 12 | Spring-Ford | 21-2 | D2 | 25-4 | – | 20-4 | D3 | 22-4 | Tim Seislove | 1 | 120, 138, 160, 170, 195, 285 |
| 13 | Central Dauphin | 19-2 | D2 | 18-5 | S2 | 24-1 | S3 | 25-1 | Jeff Sweigard | 3 | 106, 113, 120, 138, 152, 182 |
| 14 | Pennridge | 11-3 | – | 14-6 | – | 20-7 | – | 5-14 | R.P. Norley | 1 | 106, 113, 170, 220, 285 |
| 15 | Waynesburg Central | 16-5 | – | 7-10 | – | 8-8 | – | 10-12 | Ron Throckmorton | 7 | 106, 132, 138, 152, 160, 182 |
| 16 | Parkland | 19-5 | D2 | 21-4 | D2 | 19-5 | D2 | 20-5 | Ryan Nunamaker | 11 | 106, 126, 170, 220 |
| 17 | Exeter Township | 19-5 | D4 | 22-7 | – | 13-10 | – | 16-8 | Jonathan Rugg | 3 | 113, 120, 152 |
| 18 | Mifflin County | 17-3 | – | 17-5 | D1 | 16-7 | – | 18-5 | Kirby Martin | 6 | 138, 145, 152, 160, 195 |
| 19 | Central Mountain | 11-1 | D1 | 15-3 | – | 14-2 | D1 | 17-2 | Doug Buckwalter | 6 | 106, 120, 160, 285 |
| 20 | Owen J. Roberts | 9-5 | – | 9-7 | D1 | 20-2 | D1 | 20-2 | Steve DeRafelo | 1 | 113, 120, 138, 152, 195 |
| 21 | Connellsville Area | 17-8 | – | 7-2 | – | 19-3 | D4 | 16-5 | Tom Dolde Jr. | 7 | 126, 152, 182 |
| 22 | Governor Mifflin | 21-4 | – | 18-6 | – | 16-5 | – | 17-7 | Ralph Voit | 3 | 138, 195, 285 |
| 23 | South Western | 17-6 | – | 14-8 | – | 10-3 | – | 12-5 | Nate Murren | 3 | 126, 132, 220 |
| 24 | Easton Area | 16-7 | – | 13-8 | S4 | 18-3 | D1 | 22-4 | Steve Powell | 11 | 106, 132, 138, 145 |
| 25 | Nazareth Area | 13-7 | S3 | 18-4 | – | 13-7 | – | 6-7 | Dave Crowell | 11 | 106, 126, 132, 138, 145 |
| – |
Class AA Overview
By all accounts the the top half of the bracket is loaded in comparison with the bottom half. The top three ranked teams are all on the top half with a likely quarterfinal match between #1 Brookville Area and #3 Boiling Springs. I think the Bubblers and Raiders will be a tight match and the winner could win the State Championship. Boiling Springs has been knocking hard at the door the last four years and I think they will find a way to win the dual.
Unfortunately #2 ranked Reynolds also occupies the top half of the bracket with Brookville Area and Boiling Springs. I think Reynolds and #7 West Branch meet in the quarterfinals with Reynolds coming out on top. Reynolds, like most years, is full of talent and very few holes. They don’t give up a ton of bonus points and they have plenty of experience in the GIANT Center. I think Reynolds matches up better against Boiling Springs than they do Brookville Area and I predict Reynolds to advance into their third PIAA State Dual Team Finals in three years.
The bottom half is much more open but nonetheless exciting. Anticipating a Saegertown victory in the preliminary round, fans will be in for a treat with a first round match between #6 Saegertown and #4 Wyalusing Valley Area. Saegertown lost a close match to Reynolds in the District 10 Finals but could prove troublesome to the undefeated Rams of Wyalusing Valley. The District 4 Champions are (24-0) this season claiming their second District 4 Championship in four years.
I think #5 Chestnut Ridge is sitting pretty on the bottom half of the bracket and would not be surprised to see the District 5 Champions advance into the State Finals. They will face the winner of a curious preliminary round dual between #8 Huntingndon Area and #12 Northern Lebanon in the quarterfinals.
Anything is possible in Hershey and fans should be reminded of last season when Hamburg Area stormed into the State Semifinals after many thought they should not have qualified over Bermudian Springs in District 3.
Class AAA Overview
The big story in Class AAA is the first time in likely meeting between a pair of 2014 PIAA State Champions in the semifinals. But there is much more to talk about.
The best match of the first round will be a rematch from a season ago between Cumberland Valley and North Allegheny. Both teams are in the exact same positions as they were in 2014 and last season North Allegheny won (29-28) in the Championship round. Then Cumberland Valley won three straight in the consolation round avenging the loss by defeating North Allegheny (31-28) in the consolation semifinals. I expect a similar match in 2015 and again fans could see these two teams meet twice. #5 North Allegheny showed a ton of guts in the WPIAL Semifinals against Franklin Regional but #6 Cumberland Valley has been firing on all cylinders since the first of the year.
Another first round match-up I am excited for is #18 Mifflin County vs. #16 Parkland. These two teams match up well and should come down to the wire. In the bottom half of the bracket I think #10 General McLane and #11 Council Rock South will be a fun match between two very talented teams. General McLane has dominated opponents this season and both competed in the King of the Mountain in December. Council Rock South finished in 8th while the Lancers placed #12 in the Team Standings.
While I don’t see an upset taking place I am excited to see #2 Franklin Regional take on #17 Exeter Township. I am hoping fans get to see a match-up at 113 lbs. between 2x PIAA State Champion Devin Brown (Franklin Regional) and Exeter Township sophomore Austin DeSanto. Brown is ranked #1 in the State but is coming off a tough defeat to freshman Mitch Hartman (Belle Vernon Area) when he bumped up to 120 lbs. DeSanto has been incredible this season racking up bonus points on some tough opponents and sits at #3 in the State Rankings. DeSanto won the Escape the Rock last month in arguably his best Tournament of his career. Expect fireworks in this match at 113 lbs.
It gets even better in the second round. Fans will likely see #3 Belle Vernon Area vs. #4 Boyertown Area on Friday and I predict the winner of this match advances into the State Finals. Boyertown Area is a solid team who now has 2x PIAA State Runner-up Jordan Wood back in the line-up. On paper these two teams match-up very well and it may come down to the coin flip.
On the bottom half #1 Bethlehem Catholic will likely take on #13 Central Dauphin in a pair of 4x State Champions. For Bethlehem Catholic however they will be in search of their fifth straight title looking to break the record held by both Central Dauphin and Easton Area. CD will first have to get through a scrappy Pennridge team with some serious studs
I predict both WPIAL teams #3 Belle Vernon Area and #2 Franklin Regional to make it into the semifinals. All eyes will be on the clash of the State Champions. I have done the match-ups about a half dozen times with various line-ups and it is going to be close. In short I think Bethlehem Catholic is to much for the Panthers but I will be providing an in-depth preview of the match later this week.