Five State Tournament Quarterfinals in Class 3A You Would Be Foolish To Miss
120 #1 Kurtis Phipps (Norwin) vs. #3 Cameron Enriquez (Stroudsburg)
A re-match of the 2018 POWERade finals at 120 pounds will take place in the Championship Quarterfinals between Phipps and Enriquez. It was a match that Phipps won 6-5 after Enriquez knocked off returning PIAA State Champion Ryan Sullivan (Shaler) in the semifinals. In the first round Enriquez smashed returning State Medalist Cole Wilson (Northeastern) by major decision 13-3. This is going to be a really fun match even if it is low scoring.
120 #9 Killian Delaney (WC Henderson) vs. #2 Sean Pierson (Nazareth)
This is a match between two wrestlers who finished second and third in the State last season. Delaney was second at 113 pounds while Pierson was third at 120 pounds. They haven’t faced each other in their careers. Pierson won a deep Northeast Regional while Delaney was second in the Southeast Regional. Pierson is favored but Delaney is capable.
152 #6 Tanner Updegraff (Hershey) vs. #4 Daniel Mancini (Owen J. Roberts)
Dan Mancini had been ranked #1 in the State all season up until last week when he fell to Dillon Sheehy in the Southeast Regional Semifinals. Now the Virginia Tech recruit will need to get past a very stout junior in Tanner Updegraff. They have never faced each other. This is the first year Updegraff is in Class 3A after he came from Bishop McDevitt to Hershey.
160 #5 Luca Frinzi (Becahi) vs. #3 Jack Blumer (Kiski Area)
The last time these two banged heads, literally, was in the PIAA State Team Tournament last season where Blumer won by fall. The two collided and knocked heads and Blumer gathered a takedown and later a fall for the win. Blumer won his second Southwest Regional title last weekend but still has yet to come home with a medal. Frinzi, on the other hand, was seventh in the State last year but fell the last two weekends to Nazareth junior Connor Herceg.
195 #6 Donovon Ball (Cedar Cliff) vs. #2 Max Shaw (Thomas Jefferson)
The second POWERade finals rematch in the PIAA Class 3A Quarterfinals takes place at 195 pounds where Max Shaw hopes to once again take down Donovon Ball. In the POWERade finals Shaw, a returning PIAA State third place medalist, was able to win 7-2. Ball, a returning State Medalist himself, is a Penn State recruit who on Friday night knocked the light out of #4 Ethan Seeley (Great Valley) by fall in the first period. Seeley entered with only one defeat on the season. Shaw had a tough match with #17 Kareem Carson (Cathedral Prep) winning 3-2 to advance into the quarters.