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9 area wrestlers win gold, Montgomery takes second at District 4 AA Central Sectional

By Evan Wheaton 11 min read

MONTGOMERY -- The mats were rolled out early in the morning at the Montgomery Athletic Complex. They were rolled up for the last time this season late at night.

"I was just talking to one of our coaches about how this will be our seniors' last time in this gymnasium to compete," Devon Deem said.

Deem is one such senior. The all-time leader in wins for the Red Raiders earned gold at 152 during the District 4 AA Central Sectional in his own gym Saturday.

Montgomery took second place as a team with 129.5 points behind Benton, which finished with 161 points.

"This entire week has probably been our best week of practices," Deem said. "Mindset was a big thing coming into this one because we knew we'd have guys in these consolation brackets."

Deem pinned Loyalsock's Kaden Rodarmel in one minute, 41 seconds. Conner Harer -- the top-ranked 145-pounder in the state -- won his final via medical forfeit.

Montgomery picked up six wins in the opening round of consolations to close the gap with Benton. Brennan Emery (113), Hunter Leet (126), Tanner Springman (160) and Braiden Beachel (172) all made pins. Logan Sauers (106) posted a 13-1 major on Ryan Aguire and Gaven Strouse (285) came out with a 4-3 decision over Austin Gray.

Emery, Finck and Springman each qualified for districts after taking fourth overall in their weight classes. Bradley Leon (215) took silver after a medical forfeit.

"What it came down to was our attitude," Deem said. "Some of our attitudes weren't the same in the winners' bracket before we lost versus the consolation, and that's a great thing to see from a coach's perspective, seeing other wrestlers talk to other wrestlers and get their mindsets right to go win those consolations and make it out of sectionals and go to districts."

The Red Raiders are coming off their first team state duals appearance in program history and have a loaded roster with six wrestlers advancing to districts.

"We're very hungry. This is honestly the best time of year, my favorite time of year," Deem said. "We go from this weekend and don't compete until next Friday, and throughout the week we can make gains and strides that we don't normally make during the regular season."

Branden Wentzel was Montoursville's lone gold-winner at 113. With some Powerade medals, individual tournament titles, over 100 career wins and multiple placements, Wentzel didn't overlook sectional gold.

"I took fourth my freshman year, so sectionals and I have a love-hate situation going on," Wentzel said. "It feels good to just knock off another one of those titles to put on your resume. Wrestling is all about who shows up on what day. Lately I've been showing up."

Wentzel, who's made a plethora of first-period pins all season, matched up against South Williamsport's Kayvan Shams in the final.

Shams took Wentzel to the second period, but was pinned at 3:33 and took silver. Ryan Casella was the lone wrestler to win gold for the Mounties via medical forfeit.

"In tournaments like this, I just have to open it up and have fun. When people get to the postseason, it either makes you or breaks you," Wentzel said on breaking open the second period. "The pressure is there. It's a lot, but when you get confident in yourself, or you can push the pace and make that match your match, it makes it easier for opportunities to open up."

The Warriors took third place in team score with 123 points. David Kennedy, who's ranked No. 12 in the state at 120, put together a statement freshman campaign. In the 120-pound final, Kennedy lost to Benton's Chase Burke via a 6-3 decision.

Since the top four finishers still move on to districts in Williamsport next weekend, Burke and Kennedy will continue to compete for a bid to Hershey.

"Heart, that's what it's about. David took it a little rough at the beginning of the year because I was at 120. He had to wrestle up at 126," Wentzel said. "Kennedy is going to come a long way. He's still young, he's gonna get smarter, he's gonna get tougher. But he's a fighter, he's a getter."

Isaac Cory almost took first for the Warriors at 189. Jersey Shore’s Hadyn Packer fended off a late comeback from Cory and took a 10-7 decision.

Muncy had three first-place finishers in Scott Johnson (126), Ty Nixon (160) and Austin Johnson (285). Warrior Run's Cameron Milheimtook placed first with a 3-1 decision over Cade Wirnsberger.

DISTRICT 4 AA CENTRAL SECTIONAL

TEAM SCORES: 1, Benton 161. 2, Montgomery, 129.5, 3, Montoursville, 123. 4, South Williamsport, 93. 5, Jersey Shore, 92.5. 6, Muncy, 87. 7, Hughesville, 73. 8, Warrior Run, 71.5. 9, Loyalsock, 46.5. 10, Central Columbia, 38. 11, Meadowbrook Christian, 37. 12, Bloomsburg, 16.

TEAM KEY: Montgomery (MG), Bloomsburg (BL), Warrior Run (WR), Montoursville (MO), Muncy (MU), Central Columbia (CC), Benton (B), Hughesville (HU), South Williamsport (SW), Jersey Shore (JS), Meadowbrook Christian (MC), Loyalsock (L).

FINALS

(All advance to District 4 AA tournament)

106: Seth Kolb (B) Dec. Josh Hill, 5-4. 113: Branden Wentzel (MO) pinned Kayvan Shams, 3:33. 120: Chase Burke (B) Dec. David Kennedy, 6-3. 126: Scott Johnson (MU) Dec. Robert Gardner, 3-0. 132: Ethan Kolb (B) Dec. Caiden Puderbach, 3-1. 138: Cameron Milheim (WR) Dec. Cade Wirnsberger, 3-1. 145: Conner Harer (MG) medical forfeit Liam Goodrich. 152: Devon Deem (MG) pinned Kaden Rodarmel, 1:41. 160: Ty Nixon (MU) pinned Tyler Bauder, 6:49 SV. 172: Nolan Lear (B) pinned Ethan French, 0:12. 189: Haydn Packer (JS) Dec. Isaac Cory, 10-7. 215: Ryan Casella (SW) medical forfeit Bradley Lee. 285: Austin Johnson (MU) pinned Gunner Treibley, 3:05.

THIRD-PLACE MATCHES

(All advance to District 4 AA tournament)

106: Chase Shaner (HU) pinned Kaden Shay, 1:48. 113: Grayson Bullock (HU) MD Brennan Emery, 10-1. 120: Brock Weiss (JS) pinned Conor Knight, 2:33. 126: Kaden Milheim (WR) Dec. Dylan Granahan, 3-0. 132: Blaize Vogel (MO) Dec. Sam Persun, 6-2. 138: Caden Temple (B) Dec. Caden Finck, 3-2. 145: Braden Vincenzes (L) Dec. Colby Lebarron, 6-0. 152: Evan Brokenshire (B) Dec. Isaiah Betz, 64, SV. 160: Greyson Shaud (CC) Dec. Tanner Springman, 8-3. 172: Josiah Schans (MO) Dec. Stone Allison, 10-3. 189: Nick Wharton (BL) medical forfeit Landon Lorson. 215: Cole Yonkin (MO) Dec. Dyllian Ross, 8-6. 285: Andrew Wolfe (B) Dec. Gaven Farquharson, 10-4.

SEMIFINALS

106: Josh Hill (MU) Dec. Chase Shaner, 5-3. 106: Seth Kolb (B) pinned Kaden Shay, 4:57. 113: Branden Wentzel (MO) pinned Cole Rooker, 0:19. 113: Kayvan Shams (SW) pinned Trey Nicholas, 0:49. 120: Chase Burke (B) pinned Blake Snyder, 2:32. 120: David Kennedy (MO) pinned Brock Weiss, 0:58. 126: Scott Johnson (MU) tech fall Dylan Granahan, 22-7. 126: Bobby Gardner (SW) Dec. Kaden Milheim, 3-2. 132: Caiden Puderbach (HU) Dec. Sam Persun, 5-4. 132: Ethan Kolb (B) MD Blaize Vogel, 11-1. 138: Cameron Milheim (WR) Dec. Caden Temple (Benton), 1-0. 138: Cade Wirnsberger (MC) MD Caden Finck, 13-3. 145: Liam Goodrich (JS) tech fall Morgan Gavitt, 15-0. 145: Conner Harer (MG) tech fall Colton Chipeleski, 21-6. 152: Devon Deem (MG) pinned Alex Roberts, 1:32. 152: Kaden Rodarmel (L) Dec. Evan Brokenshire (B), 6-5. 160: Tyler Bauder (JS) Dec. Cole Shupp, 5-3. 160: Ty Nixon (MU) Dec. Greyson Shaud, 7-3. 172: Ethan French (L) Dec. Stone Allison, 9-6. 172: Nolan Lear (B) pinned Josiah Schans, 1:19. 189: Haydn Packer (JS) MD Landon Lorson, 13-0. 189: Isaac Cory (MO) pinned Colby Springman, 1:08. 215: Bradley Leon (Montgomery) F Carter Secora (Loyalsock), 0:45. 215: Ryan Casella (SW) Dec. Cole Yonkin, 3-2. 285: Austin Johnson (MU) pinned Andrew Wolfe, 1:12. 285: Gunner Treibley (MC) Dec. Gaven Farquharson, 4-1.

QUARTERFINALS

106: Josh Hill (MU) MD Gavin Hunter, 8-0. 106: Kaden Shay (SW) MD Ryan Aguirre, 13-1. 106: Seth Kolb (B) pinned Logan Sauers, 2:47. 113: Trey Nicholas (WR) pinned Brennan Emery, 1:19. 113: Cole Rooker (B) pinned Grayson Bullock, 3:00. 113: Kayvan Shams (SW) pinned Liam Adams, 1:12. 120: David Kennedy (MO) pinned Conor Knight, 5:03. 120: Brock Weiss (JS) pinned Jackson Swinehart, 0:40. 120: Blake Snyder (MG) MD Phil Mccormick, 11-0. 120: Chase Burke (B) pinned Hank Nuss, 0:49. 126: Scott Johnson (MU) pinned Michael Eager, 0:31. 126: Kaden Milheim (WR) pinned Kadin Fetterman, 1:16. 126: Dylan Granahan (B) Dec. Hunter Leet, 10-4. 126: Bobby Gardner (SW) pinned Brayden Gifford, 1:31. 132: Ethan Kolb (B) pinned Nevin Beachel (MG), 0:54. 132: Blaize Vogel (MO) MD Samuel Hall, 13-5. 132: Sam Persun (SW) tech fall Paxton Derr, 16-1. 132: Caiden Puderbach (HU) tech fall Alex Hosler, 17-2. 138: Cade Wirnsberger (MC) pinned Noah Baker, 1:59. 138: Caden Finck (MG) MD Keagan Smith, 13-5. 138: Cameron Milheim (WR) pinned Owen Kleinman, 0:57. 138: Caden Temple (B) pinned Gabe Harvey, 3:01. 145: Conner Harer (MG) pinned Dominick Granahan, 0:16. 145: Colton Chipeleski (CC) Dec. Colby Lebarron, 12-6. 145: Morgan Gavitt (HU) Dec. Braden Vincenzes, 2-1. 145: Liam Goodrich (JS) pinned Hunter Miller, 2:47. 152: Devon Deem (MG) pinned Kale Ross, 1:09. 152: Alex Roberts (CC) Dec. Jonah White, 8-6. 152: Evan Brokenshire (B) Dec. Isaiah Betz, 7-4. 152: Kaden Rodarmel (L) tech fall Wyatt Gavitt, 19-4. 160: Ty Nixon (MU) tech fall Luke Stutzman, 16-1. 160: Greyson Shaud (CC) Dec. Tanner Springman, 6-4. 160: Cole Shupp (WR) Dec. Kayden Frame, 7-6. 160: Tyler Bauder (JS) pinned Trent Morrison, 4:22. 172: Ethan French (L) Dec. Owen Bird, 3-2. 172: Josiah Schans (MO) Dec. Reese Moon, 7-1. 172: Nolan Lear (B) pinned Braiden Beachel, 1:05. 172: Stone Allison (WR) MD Josh Worthington, 10-1.

189: Isaac Cory (MO) pinned Aiden Hidlay, 1:06. 189: Colby Springman (MG) Dec. Jake Bobersky, 5-1. 189: Landon Lorson (SW) Dec. Nick Wharton, 10-2. 189: Haydn Packer (JS) pinned Chase Snyder, 3:42.215: Ryan Casella (SW) pinned Blake Zeisloft, 4:57. 215: Cole Yonkin (MO) medical forfeit Dyllian Ross. 215: Carter Secora (L) Dec. Nathan Crispell, 3-2. 215: Bradley Leon (MG) Dec. Hunter Hauck, 7-3. 285: Austin Johnson (MU) pinned Luke Parkes, 0:17. 285: Gaven Farquharson (MO) pinned Austin Gray, 0:30. 285: Andrew Wolfe (B) pinned Graden Thomas, 1:40. 285: Gunner Treibley (MC) pinned Gaven Strouse, 1:04.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS

106: Kaden Shay (SW) Dec. Gavin Hunter, 5-3. 106: Chase Shaner (HU) pinned Logan Sauers, 0:33. 113: Grayson Bullock (HU) pinned Trey Nicholas, 1:17. 113: Brennan Emery (MG) pinned Cole Rooker, 2:35. 120: Brock Weiss (JS) pinned Phil Mccormick, 1:40. 120: Conor Knight (Hughesville) DEC Blake Snyder (Montgomery), 9-4. 126: Kaden Milheim (WR) MD Hunter Leet, 9-0. 126: Dylan Granahan (B) pinned Kadin Fetterman, 4:49. 132: Blaize Vogel (MO) Dec. Alex Hosler, 6-0. 132: Sam Persun (SW) Dec. Samuel Hall, 4-2. 138: Caden Temple (B) pinned Keagan Smith, 1:16. 138: Caden Finck (M) pinned Gabe Harvey, 0:42. 145: Colby Lebarron (WR) Dec. Morgan Gavitt, 4-1. 145: Braden Vincenzes (L) Dec. Colton Chipeleski, 6-0. 152: Evan Brokenshire (B) pinned Jonah White, 4:55. 152: Isaiah Betz (WR) MD Alex Roberts, 9-0. 160: Tanner Springman (MG) pinned Cole Shupp (WR), 1:36. 160: Greyson Shaud (CC) pinned Kayden Frame, 2:18. 172: Josiah Schans (MO) pinned Josh Worthington, 3:41. 172: Stone Allison (Warrior Run) DEC Braiden Beachel (Montgomery), 10-6. 189: Landon Lorson (SW) Dec. Jake Bobersky (B), 10-2. 189: Nick Wharton (BL) Colby Springman, 4-0. 215: Cole Yonkin (MO) Dec. Hunter Hauck, 5-0. 215: Dyllian Ross (JS) pinned Carter Secora (L), 0:54. 285: Gaven Farquharson (MO) Graden Thomas, 1:24. 285: Andrew Wolfe (B) pinned Gaven Strouse, 1:56.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS

106: Logan Sauers (MG) MD Ryan Aguirre, 13-1. 113: Brennan Emery (MG) pinned Liam Adams, 2:32. 120: Phil Mccormick (MU) Dec. Hank Nuss, 5-0. 120: Conor Knight (HU) pinned Jackson Swinehart, 2:00. 126: Hunter Leet (MG) pinned Michael Eager, 1:25. 126: Kadin Fetterman (HU) pinned Brayden Gifford, 2:19. 132: Samuel Hall (WR) pinned Nevin Beachel, 4:04. 132: Alex Hosler (CC) pinned Paxton Derr, 4:43. 138: Keagan Smith (HU) pinned Noah Baker, 0:59. 138: Gabe Harvey (SW) Dec. Owen Kleinman, 8-4. 145: Colby Lebarron (WR) Dec. Dominick Granahan, 6-4. 145: Braden Vincenzes (L) Dec. Hunter Miller, 3-1. 152: Isaiah Betz (WR) tech fall Wyatt Gavitt, 17-0. 152: Jonah White (SW) pinned Kale Ross, 2:30. 160: Tanner Springman (MG) pinned Luke Stutzman, 2:05. 160: Kayden Frame (MO) pinned Trent Morrison, 3:30. 172: Braiden Beachel (MO) pinned Reese Moon, 0:43. 172: Josh Worthington (CC) pinned Owen Bird, 2:09. 189: Jake Bobersky (B) pinned Aiden Hidley, 3:55. 189: Nick Wharton (BL) Dec. Chase Snyder, 6-2. 215: Dyllian Ross (JS) pinned Blake Zeisloft, 2:16. 215: Hunter Hauck (WR) Dec. Nathan Crispell, 3-2. 285: Graden Thomas (BL) Dec. Luke Parkes (CC), 1-0. 285: Gaven Strouse (MG) Dec. Austin Gray, 4-3.

PIGTAILS

120: Hank Nuss (BL) Dec. Anson Rouch, 12-10. 132: Nevin Beachel (MG) pinned Ashton Horan, 2:45. 138: Owen Kleinman (MO) Dec. Alex Maiorana, 9-7. 138: Noah Baker (CC) DQ Nasir Kelly, 2:28. 145: Dominick Granahan (B) pinned Robert Halye, 1:05. 145: Morgan Gavitt (HU) tech fall Garrett Cooley, 15-0. 145: Hunter Miller (MO) pinned Landyn Wommer, 1:18. 152: Kale Ross (JS) pinned Kayden James, 5:06. 152: Wyatt Gavitt (HU) pinned Luke Steinbacher (MO), 4:52. 160: Luke Stutzman (HU) pinned Jesse James, 1:12. 160: Trent Morrison (SW) tech fall Nick Stevens, 19-0. 172: Braiden Beachel (MO) pinned Philip Kanski, 1:41. 215: Blake Zeisloft (BL) pinned Bryce Burkhart, 1:22. 285: Gaven Strouse (MO) pinned Travis Rockwell, 1:04. 285: Luke Parkes (CC) pinned Ethan Carper, 1:55.

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