HS Wrestling: Teams gather for Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships
Blue Mountain's Bryce Bodenberg, left, works a front headlock against Pine Grove's Aaron Osatchuck in the 139-pound final at the Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships on Jan. 18, 2025, at Blue Mountain High School. (Photo by Eli Doyle)
POTTSVILLE — News, notes and observations as we await the first whistle at the Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships.
The schedule
Action will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Pottsville’s Martz Hall with the preliminaries, followed by the championship quarterfinals at 9:45 a.m. The second-round consolations and championship semifinals will start at 11 a.m., with the third round of consolations at noon and the fourth round of consolations at 12:30 p.m. The championship finals and bouts for third and fifth places will be contested on three mats starting at 2:30 p.m.
The Schuylkill League Junior Varsity Wrestling Tournament will be held concurrently starting at 9 a.m. and continuing until completion.
Returning champs
Seven former champions are back in the field looking to add another gold medal to their respective collections.
Tri-Valley’s Owen Wolfgang (107 last season); North Schuylkill’s Alex Deritis (114) and Cadyn McGraw (215); Blue Mountain’s Brian Brobst (133), Bryce Bodenberg (145) and Owen Woll (152); and Pottsville’s Terrell McFarland (172) captured gold a year ago.
McFarland collected his third league title and will look to join the exclusive four-timers club this weekend.
According to available records, just 16 wrestlers since 1985 have achieved the feat. That last was Upper Dauphin’s Bronson Garber in 2017-19. Brian Burns (1998-2001) was Pottsville’s only four-time champion. The others: North Schuylkill’s Steve Cesari (1982-85), Pine Grove’s J.J. Fasnacht (1998-91), Shamokin’s Kirk Stehman (1989-92), Mount Carmel’s Mike Garcia (1991-94), North Schuylkill’s Matt Edwards (1999-2002), Blue Mountain’s Chris Renninger (2000-03), Blue Mountain’s Jeremy Cresswell (2002-05), Mount Carmel’s Josh Malick (2005-08), Blue Mountain’s Cort Choate (2006-09), Blue Mountain’s Josh Kindig (2007-10), Blue Mountain’s Brandon Choate (2008-11), Blue Mountain’s Corey Keener (2009-12), Tri-Valley’s Sammy Hepler (2014-17) and Blue Mountain’s Josh Mason (2015-18).
Wolfgang and Woll have won two Schuylkill League titles apiece as the seniors compete for No. 3. The others will look to go back-to-back.
In addition, nine runners-up are in the field. They are Williams Valley’s Magnus Monger (107 last season), Xzavion Tennis (133), Colin Crisswell (160) and Camron Green (285); Blue Mountain’s Cooper Leibold (121); North Schuylkill’s Stanley Padakowski (127); Pine Grove’s Aaron Osatchuck (139); and Mahanoy Area’s Jah Bushati (152) and Kyler Quick (189).
North Schuylkill’s Easton Edwards, last season’s champ at 121, and Tri-Valley’s Noah Hanlon, the runner-up at 145, are among those out with injury.
Team race
North Schuylkill and Blue Mountain duked it out throughout last season’s tournament. The Eagles led by one point heading into the finals, but the Spartans crowned five champions and had four thirds to overtake Blue Mountain 212-198. The Eagles finished with four champs. Pine Grove placed third, and Tri-Valley took fourth.
There appears to be a lot more balance across the board this season as North Schuylkill, Blue Mountain, Pine Grove and Tri-Valley could contend for team honors. Mahanoy Area and Williams Valley have some excellent individuals — expect the Bears and Vikings to push several into the finals — but they probably don’t have the depth to come out on top.
North Schuylkill was the only team to enter a wrestler in all 13 weight classes last season. This time around, Blue Mountain, Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove, Tri-Valley and the Spartans all have a full complement of 13 wrestlers entered into the draw.
North Schuylkill has won 14 Schuylkill League Tournament team titles and last season ended a drought that extended to 2005. Blue Mountain hasn’t won the league team title since 2016. It’s been a long time for Tri-Valley (2012) and Pine Grove (2001), too.
There’s not a dominant team in the league, so getting contributions from everybody and battling back through the consolations will be keys to victory.
Weighty issues
Let’s take a closer look at each weight class (records through Wednesday’s action):
107 — Tri-Valley senior and two-time defending champ Owen Wolfgang (20-5) leads a top-heavy field as the No. 1 seed. He enters the tournament with 99 career victories. North Schuylkill senior Gaige Mentusky (22-4) comes in at No. 2. They are strong favorites to meet in the final. It will be interesting to see which young wrestler emerges as the bronze medalist.
114 — Wide-open weight will have a new champion this season. Tamaqua freshman Rylan Reitz (23-4) has been steadily rising and was a Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament champion. He’s seeded first ahead of Blue Mountain freshman Caden Fenstermacher (17-5) at No. 2 and Pottsville sophomore Cole Cook (22-6) at No. 3. Reitz posted an 11-3 major decision over Fenstermacher in Wednesday’s dual meet.
121 — Another weight that will crown a first-time champion. Williams Valley junior Magnus Monger (18-9) gained the top seed, followed by North Schuylkill senior Stanley Padakowski (14-6) and Pine Grove sophomore Chase Nagle (15-9). Monger placed second at 107, while Padakowski took silver at 127 last season.
127 — A very interesting weight class. North Schuylkill junior and defending 114-pound champion Alex Deritis (11-3) is the No. 2 seed, and last season’s runner-up at 121, Blue Mountain junior Cooper Leibold (15-9), comes in at No. 3. That’s because Mahanoy Area freshman Arturo Reyes (20-4) has burst onto the scene by placing or winning at some high-level tournaments. The No. 1 seed is a point-scoring machine with lightning quickness and a great motor.
133 — Defending champion Brian Brobst (12-12), a Blue Mountain sophomore, has had an up-and-down season so far. That’s why he’s the No. 4 seed, but he’s capable of making a run. Tri-Valley senior Jaxson Bruso (21-6) tops the bracket and has the experience edge on the rest of the field. North Schuylkill sophomore Noah Leib (18-8) is No. 2, and Pine Grove junior Drew Hikes (14-8) is No. 3. Hikes decisioned Leib 12-5 in the dual meet Dec. 22.
139 — One of the deeper fields, led by Williams Valley senior Xzavion Tennis (19-12), the runner-up at 133 last season. Tamaqua junior Brody Schlier (16-9), North Schuylkill freshman Brock Holmes (21-7) and Pine Grove junior James Hoy (19-8) are quality at Nos. 2-3-4. Tri-Valley freshman Landon Horoschak (14-8), Mahanoy Area senior Sonny Seritti (12-11) and Blue Mountain junior Troy Mady (10-12) should be in the mix for medals. Any of the top four could emerge as champion.
145 — One of the better weight classes, particularly at the top. Pine Grove junior Aaron Osatchuck (21-3) has taken his game to a higher level this season with runner-up finishes at the Darren Klingerman and Governor Mifflin tournaments. Blue Mountain senior Bryce Bodenberg (18-4) is No. 2. He’s physically powerful for this weight, really tough and a defending champion. North Schuylkill freshman Bode Gates (22-10), the No. 3 seed, has faced lots of strong competition. He and Schuylkill Haven sophomore Jack Krammes (10-3), the No. 4 seed, are quality up-and-coming wrestlers. Bodenberg beat Osatchuck 10-2 in last year’s 139-pound final.
152 — Mahanoy Area junior Rory Dixon (24-2) wasn’t able to compete in last year’s league tournament. The Marian football star has taken his dominance to the mats, racking up 13 technical falls and four pins so far this season. He’s a tough No. 1 and a strong favorite for the gold. North Schuylkill junior Kaden Tavares (18-8) and Blue Mountain senior Thomas Herring (8-5) are next at Nos. 2-3. Those three are clearly above the rest of the field.
160 — Another strong favorite here at No. 1: Blue Mountain senior Owen Woll (23-3). A two-time defending champion, Woll needs one more pin to reach 100 for his career. North Schuylkill sophomore Bryce Kile (18-8), Pine Grove senior Austin Frantz (14-10) and Mahanoy Area senior Jah Bushati (3-4) are Nos. 2-3-4. Bushati was the runner-up at 152 last season.
172 — Tri-Valley junior Hunter Updegrave (17-7) is the No. 1 seed, and Williams Valley junior Colin Crisswell (25-4) comes in at No. 2. The seeds, though, came out before Crisswell decisioned Updegrave 6-2 in Wednesday’s dual meet. Pine Grove junior Isaiah Miller (20-8) is quality, too, and should earn a spot high on the awards platform.
189 — Some odd seeding here. Tri-Valley senior Max Masser (20-3) is having an excellent season and is a worthy No. 1. However, Pottsville senior Terrell McFarland is also in this bracket. McFarland is a three-time league champion with a 27-0 record this season. He’s the favorite until somebody proves otherwise. Keep an eye on Mahanoy Area sophomore Stanley Boris (16-9), an up-and-coming powerhouse.
215 — Hands down, the premiere weight class of the 13. How about this for a top four: Mahanoy Area senior Kyler Quick (24-1) at No. 1, North Schuylkill senior Cadyn McGraw (23-5) at No. 2, Pine Grove junior Zach Kurtz (22-3) at No. 3 and Schuylkill Haven senior Niko Carestia (4-0) at No. 4. They’re also football players, and excellent ones, too. Just saying. Quick won titles at the Darren Klingerman and Jim Thorpe tournaments and took an impressive third at the Midwinter Mayhem event. McGraw and Kurtz tangled in the dual meet Dec. 22, with McGraw prevailing 5-4 in the ultimate tiebreaker. Last month, Kurtz added a Governor Mifflin tournament gold to his résumé. Carestia is just returning to form after a serious injury suffered during football season. But he’s a powerhouse and ultra-talented. Watching these guys go round and round in the semifinals and finals will be worth the price of admission.
