FRIDAY NOTEBOOK

By David Ackley

HATS OFF – After the quarterfinals, there were 18 wrestlers still alive for gold medal contention who had wrestled in this season’s Top Hat Invitational at Williamsport on the opening weekend. Four from Class AA and 14 from AAA make up the contingent. From AA, the semifinalists are Schuylkill Valley’s Colin Shober, Canton senior Brock Parker, plus Line Mountain’s pair of Tyler Erdman and Jon Fausey.  Central Mountain has three in the AAA semis – Jonathan Quiggle and twins Dylan and Andrew Alton. Nick Milano will represent Erie Cathedral Prep. Franklin Regional freshman standout Nico Megadulis looks to keep his record unblemished at 103. Red Lion’s Chris Albright is one of the last four 125 pounders. In addition to Dylan Alton at 135 is Indian Valley’s Adam Will. Cumberland Valley, which has won five of the last-seven Top Hat team titles, has Bryce Busler and Joey Napoli. Simon Rice, Marshall Peppelman, defending state champion Walter Peppelman and Tony Dallago, will represent Top Hat team champion Central Dauphin. CD East’s Dan Nickoli is in the opposite 285-pound bracket from his Top Hat finals’ opponent Sean Owens of Clearfield. Nickoli has a perfect 37-0 mark and handed Owens his only loss in the tournament final, 3-2.  

MEDAL COUNT – After the second consolation round, the medal count is set. Leading the way in Class AA is District 4 with 24, next is District 7 with 19. District 10 will bring home 16 and District 3 has earned 15. Twelve medals will go around the necks of wrestlers from D6 with six medals going to D9. Districts 5 and 2 each earned three medals and District 1 rounds out the count with two. … The AAA leader is District 3 with 28 medals; District 7 is just three behind. Districts 1 and 11 each will bring home 15 medals and District 6 garners 11. District 2 comes in with eight, District10 has five, District 4 two and District 9 rounds out the count with one. 

HEADING HOME – Spring-Ford’s Ryan Kemmerer was the highest-profile wrestler to be eliminated in the Class AAA second-round consolations when he dropped a 6-4 verdict to Conneaut Lake’s Matt Laird at 135 pounds. Kemmerer, who transferred from Upper Perkiomen, was fourth in the state at 125 pounds as a freshman before finishing fifth last year at 135 pounds. Kemmerer, who won the Southeast Region, entered the tournament with a 36-1 record and won his opening bout before losing a 5-3 decision to Central Mountain’s Dylan Alton in the quarterfinals. He then lost to Laird, a junior who was the Northwest Region third-place finisher and is 37-4. Laird lost to two-time medalist Colin Johnston of Canon McMillan, 4-3 in the preliminaries.