RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Central Mountain’s Aiden Kunes wrestles Connellsville’s Kal Vieima in the 145-pound finals at the Top Hat Tournament earlier this year. Kunes is the top seed at 145 in this year’s District 6 Class AAA tournament.

After earning titles in their District 6 debuts in 2024, Central Mountain juniors Aiden Kunes and Gavin Heverly each endured heartbreak in their quests to repeat. Both fell short of their second straight championships by a takedown, with Kunes falling to Altoona’s Deklan Barr and Heverly to State College’s Kael Davis.

Now, one year later, the pair will look to put the woes of last year’s tournament past them. Kunes – the top seed at 145 – gets a relatively clear bracket to run through, with no other state-ranked wrestlers in the field. Heverly, on the other hand, gets a shot at revenge for the both of them, with Barr and Davis each residing in his bracket.

Seeded No. 3 at 127, Heverly – ranked No. 18 in the state – has one of the more grueling potential paths in the overall tournament. Barr ranks No. 5 in the state, and Davis has served as his kryptonite in recent years, with four straight wins in the matchup.

However, with added motivation, perhaps Heverly peaks at the right time and kicks off his junior postseason on a high note.

TITLE CHASING

Following disappointing conclusions to their respective dual seasons, Central Mountain and Bellefonte each expressed intent to bounce back at individual districts with a team title. With three straight weeks without competition, both teams have had plenty of time to focus on improving and working out any kinks in pursuit of that goal.

“Got to get better. A team title’s certainly at stake there, something we haven’t done in a while,” said Bellefonte head coach Mike Maney following the team’s district semifinal loss to Altoona. “We’ve got to understand that and compete to advance. It’s not going to be easy to do and if the guys aren’t ready, then it’s easy to be done.”

“Last year, we won here, and then we went and took second at individual districts, so they have a chance to flip that script from last year,” said Central Mountain head coach Biff Walizer following the team’s district semifinal loss to State College. “We didn’t win here, but we’ve got time now. We can practice, work hard and hopefully, grab an individual district title.”

The question is, will the hard work be enough? The prospect of claiming team gold at districts on Saturday is obviously easier said than done, but each team possesses the depth to at least be competitive at the event.

Their biggest obstacles – alongside themselves – are the teams that took them down in district duals.

Seeding wise, Altoona possesses the most top seeds (four) while the Wildcats tie it in top two seeds (five) and top four seeds (ten). Bellefonte and State College have three top seeds and nine top four seeds each. And in terms of average seeding, Central Mountain (3.15) leads the way, with Altoona (3.23), Bellefonte (3.30) and State College (3.46) falling right behind.

It’s a field that presents an overall sense of mystery heading into the event, with all four possessing the means to get the job done. Not knowing what to expect adds to what should be an exciting district tournament, as it possesses the potential to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.