ALTOONA —
Westmont Hilltop crowned four District 6 champions and eight local wrestlers kept their hopes alive for a PIAA championships with top-four finishes at the District 6 AAA wrestling tournament on Saturday in Altoona.
Josh Polacek (119), Tanner Hough (130), Ryan Burnheimer (189) and Josh Duplin (285) became Westmont Hilltop’s first District 6 AAA champions, as this is Westmont’s first time wrestling at the Triple-A level.
It was a good weekend overall for Westmont Hilltop, as coach Matt Beaujon’s squad finished fourth in the team standings (146.5 points) while sending four wrestlers to the finals and advancing six to the Northwest Regional tournament.
Westmont’s Tanner Patton finished fourth at 145, and Don Shovestull placed third at 215 to join their teammates at regionals.
Greater Johnstown advanced two wrestlers, as junior Malcolm Harris (125) and Gervon Simon (189) each finished second at their respective weights.
While pleased with his champions, Beaujon stressed the importance of keeping his wrestlers focused on earning a trip to Hershey.
“A district title doesn’t define you,” Beaujon said. “It is a nice credential to have and I’m proud of the way our guys wrestled this tournament, but we’ve had plenty of wrestlers not win at districts and go on to be state placewinners. We want to keep our guys focused on the match in front of them and working towards a place on the stand in Hershey.”
In the 119 final, Polacek dominated Bellefonte’s Thomas Traxler, combining an opening takedown and nearfall with a third-period reversal for a 6-4 decision. The win over a two-time state medalist gave Polacek, a senior, his first District 6 title and earned also earned him the outstanding wrestler award.
At 130, Tanner Hough earned his third District 6 title and added to his reputation as one of the most punishing wrestlers in the area, as the top-seeded senior combined two escapes, two takedowns, and a three-point nearfall cradle for a 9-2 decision over Bellefonte’s Leo Wortman.
The feature match of the night for local fans came at 189, as Westmont’s Burnheimer sought to defeat Simon for the third time this season.
After a scoreless opening period, Burnheimer scored an escape to start the second and take a 1-0 lead.
In the final stanza, Simon opted to start in the down position, which proved to be his downfall, as Burnheimer was able to turn the junior for a three-point nearfall before surrendering an escape for a 4-1 final.
While disappointed in not claiming a district title, Johnstown assistant coach Quenteen Robinson remained upbeat.
“The bottom line is getting to the dance,” Robinson said. “Stay alive and move on. Once you get to the state tournament, it is anyone’s game and everyone knows that.”
In the 285 final, top-seeded Duplin squared off against second-seed Zach Corl of Central Mountain.
Each wrestler managed only an escape for a 1-1 tie through regulation time, but Duplin combined an escape and rideout in double-overtime for a 2-1 win and his second district title.
Beaujon was elated after Duplin defeated a two-time state place winner in Corl and gave his team a perfect 4-0 record in the finals.
“Duplin is just wrestling hard,” Beaujon said. “There is only one speed on Duplin and you see it every time he hits the mat. If he can’t get it done in six minutes, he puts in whatever effort is needed to bring home the win.”
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Related Photos
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Westmont Hilltop’s Ryan Burnheimer looks to turn Greater Johnstown’s Gervon Simon during the 189-pound championship match on Saturday in Altoona. Colleen Goerlich/For The Tribune-Democrat
Discussion
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