By GUY CIPRIANO
ALTOONA — Greater Johnstown sophomore 119-pounder Malcolm Harris jumped around the center of the circle after his final bout Saturday night.
Harris wasn’t the only Johnstown wrestler to leave the Altoona Fieldhouse bouncing.
Harris and fellow sophomore Gervon Simon qualified for next week’s Northwest Regional by finishing third at their weight classes during Saturday’s District 6 Class AAA Championships.
The duo are the Trojans’ first regional qualifiers since Will Harris reached the postseason’s second stage in 2008.
“That’s our Dynamic Duo,” Johnstown coach Gary Radnoti said. “They wrestled well. It‘s going to be a good experience going to the regional because they are young kids.”
Harris provided the Trojans with a jolt during the consolation finals by defeating Bald Eagle Area’s Matt Dillon 9-4. Harris found himself in a spladle during the second period, but he muscled out of the rare move to reverse Dillon to his back. The roll earned Harris five points – two for a reversal and three nearfall points – and gave him a 7-3 lead entering the third.
“A lot of guys give up a move like that spladle and they are tapping out,” Radnoti said. “I’m happy with the way Malcolm wrestled.
Simon’s victory 4-1 victory over State College’s Joe Kelly at 171 included a more controlled pace. Simon took a 1-0 lead with a second-period escape and added three points by locking up a third-period cradle.
“He’s just a smart wrestler out there,” Radnoti said. “His weight class is a real tough one. He’s wrestled a lot of good 171-pounders.”
Harris and Simon recovered from semifinal losses to qualify for the regional tournament. Altoona’s Jacob Hines majored Harris 12-4 while Bald Eagle Area’s Brandon Coakley edged Simon 3-2.
Four of the six Trojans who entered the tournament placed in the top five. Junior heavyweight Dejour Morris, a former basketball player, lost to Altoona’s Braeden Luciano 2-0 in the consolation finals. Morris defeated Luciano 3-1 in the quarterfinals before being pinned by Central Mountain’s Zach Corl in the semifinals. Morris reached the consolation finals by pinning Bellefonte’s Garrett Poorman.
Senior Vincent Beppler finished fifth at 160. He ended the tournament by pinning Indian Valley’s Brandon Michael.
William Leeth went 0-2 at 125 while Jimmy Cinko went 0-2 at 135. The Trojans finished ninth in the team standings with 49 points.
