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Muncy’s Blair emerges for his first District 4 AA wrestling

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Muncy,s Jacob Blair and Wrestles Line Mountain's Matty Coller in the 106 pound championship bout.

It took one move and about 15 seconds for Jacob Blair to know he was going to be just fine Saturday night. That’s all it took for him to score the first takedown of the 106-pound final against Line Moun­tain’s Matty Coller. And that’s all it took for the Muncy freshman to take control of the bout.

Blair scored three takedowns and added a reversal in a match where he needed to prove himself. It added up to a 10-8 win over Coller in the finals of the District 4 Class AA tournament at Williamsport High School last night, and his first district title.

Rising to the occasion against a wrestler who has been ranked ahead of him in both regional and state rankings all season, Blair wanted to prove he was the better wrestler last night. He did just that, controlling the bout on his feet and surviving a late charge from Coller to win the 106 title.

“I really wanted this,” Blair said. “I wanted it just to feel good and have a good seed for next week and hopefully make it to states.”

Blair was one of five local wrestlers to capture a District 4 championship last night. Milton’s Noah Stamm (138 pounds), Lew­is­burg’s Andrew Shedleski (182), Montoursville’s Gav­in Hoffman (195) and Jersey Shore’s Max Mason (220) also won.

Montoursville’s Wyatt Lutz (113) and Kyle Bennett (160), Milton’s Logan Bennett (145) and Muncy’s Hunter Poust (220) all finished as district runners-up. In all, 25 local wrestlers finished in the Top 5 to qualify for next weekend’s Northeast Regional tournament.

Hughesville’s Luke Gorg (106) and Josh Dauberman (285), Warrior Run’s Jeremy Hanford (126) and Lewisburg’s Trey Delbaugh (170) all finished third. Montgomery’s Lucas Drick (120), Hughesville’s Braden Stahlnecker (138), Muncy’s Coleman Good (145) and Noah Gush (160), Jersey Shore’s Hunter O’Connor (170) and North Penn-Liberty’s Justin Kriner (285) all took fourth.

Warrior Run’s Noah Hunt (106) and Christian Wachter (182), Muncy’s Mario Barberio (113) and Mike Kustanbauter (170), Montoursville’s Morgan Comini (120) and Lewisburg’s Dakotah Snyder (195) all finished fifth and qualified for regionals.

Athens won the team title with 133 points, besting second-place Southern Columbia (127), third-place Line Mountain (119.5), fourth-place Wyalusing (110) and fifth-place Muncy (101).

A week ago after winning his first sectional title, Blair was already looking ahead to the opportunity to wrestle Coller, who is 35-9 during his freshman season for Line Mountain. It was the last hurdle Blair had yet to clear in the district. He already had multiple wins against Hughesville’s state-ranked Luke Gorg, as well as a win against Troy’s state-ranked Sheldon Seymour.

But Coller? That was a matchup he hadn’t yet seen and knew he needed to conquer. And all it took for the confidence inside Blair to flourish was that one takedown.

He got to his dump quickly off the start and scored the first takedown in just 15 seconds. And it was because of that takedown that twice in the third period Blair felt comfortable releasing Coller to his feet and giving up a point.

“It was pretty big to hit that,” Blair said. “When I hit my dump it really boosted my confidence because I knew my shot was there.”

Blair didn’t want to spend too much time rolling around on the mat with Coller. He got reversed after that initial takedown in the first period to tie the score. And in the second period as he tried to turn Coller over with a cradle, Coller rolled through and scored another reversal.

But on his feet he knew he would be just fine. On his feet is where he hit a sweet ankle pick at the end of the second period to take a 7-4 lead into the final two minutes.

“Matty has really funky hips,” Blair said. “So being longer like he is and having funky hips, it was hard to ride on top and I was afraid he’d roll me.”

Blair made the statement he had been hoping to make for the week leading into the district tournament. He’ll likely be the top seed at 106 pounds for next week’s Northeast Regional tournament, and he’s starting to think about his season beyond just next week.

“This really boosts my confidence and helps me to strive for more things,” Blair said.

Mason’s statement was made last week when he avenged an earlier loss this season to Poust in the final of the Central Sectional. He didn’t want that statement to go to waste, so last night he did it again.

The Jersey Shore senior scored a pair of takedowns and controlled the match on his feet to post a 4-1 win over the Muncy junior. Mason is still dealing with a bundle of nerves which he says wreaks havoc on his conditioning.

He was in much better control of those nerves last night than he was a week ago. But he couldn’t deny their presence in the finals.

“I think it’s there because I put so much time into this and I know what’s on the line and it really gets to me,” Mason said. “I can’t help it. But it helped calm me last week winning a sectional title. I can’t imagine what winning a district title will do for me.”

Mason tried to approach the match like it was a practice session with Poust. The nerves are never present when Mason is practicing. So he was able to control his emotions better and it allowed him to stay calm throughout the match.

Mason stayed calm enough to scramble out of a couple good, tough shots from Poust and turn them into takedowns of his own. Mason took a 4-1 lead into the third period when he chose neutral. From there he fought off a charging Poust to win his first district championship.

Mason was a runner-up last year at 220 pounds in the Class AAA District 4/9 tournament, and he was a runner-up in the 2015 District 4 AAA tournament.

“It’s my senior year. I know I’m one of the top guys and it makes me really nervous,” Mason said. “But then I beat some of these really good kids and I realize I don’t have anything to be nervous about. I’m actually getting really excited for the next couple weeks. I cannot wait.”

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