Valley Sports ReportWILLIAMSPORT - It was a rough night for Athens, with just one Wildcat wrestler getting his arm raised here Friday night at Day 1 of the District 4, Class AA Championships, while Sayre’s only competitor lost his first bout.
Freshman Lucas Persun won his opening-round bout, but was knocked into the consolation bracket with a loss in the quarterfinals. Six of his teammates lost opening-round bouts, and two — North Section champs, senior Josh Nittinger, and junior Caleb Nason — lost in the quarterfinals.
At 127 pounds, Persun scored five takedowns, including two in the first period, and two more in the third period, in a 10-4 win over Mount Carmel’s Lukas Carpenter in the opening round.
In the quarterfinals, Persun was pinned by top-seeded David Kennedy of Montoursville in 1:21.
Persun will face NEB’s Hunter Comstock in the first round of wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
At 114 pounds, Athens senior Mason Vanderpool led 5-0 late in the second period, but ended up dropping an 8-6 decision in sudden-victory to Montgomery’s Porter Hall in the opening round.
Vanderpool will face Southern Columbia’s Kaden Bachman in the first round of wrestlebacks.
At 121 pounds, Athens freshman Zaine Campbell lost via technical fall, 17-2, in 4:00 to Muncy’s Josh Hill.
Campbell will face NP-L’s Brayden Pequingot in the first round of wrestlebacks.
At 133 pounds, Athens sophomore Karson Sipley dropped an 11-0 major decision to Mifflinburg’s Lane Kenamond in the opening round.
Sipley will face Sullivan County’s Keenan Bagley in the first round of wrestlebacks.
At 139 pounds, Athens freshman Brendan Cooke lost via technical fall, 18-3, in 5:58 to Midd-West’s Matthew Smith.
Cooke will face Montgomery’s A.J. Croft in the first round of wrestlebacks.
At 145 pounds, Athens sophomore Cooper Robinson lost via first-period fall to Southern Columbia’s Mason Barvitskie.
Robinson will face Sugar Valley Charter’s Cameron Quick in the first round of wrestlebacks.
At 160 pounds, Athens freshman Connor Davidson dropped a 7-2 decision to Hughesville’s Conor Knight in the opening round.
Davidson scored a takedown 37 seconds into the second period to tie the bout at 2-2, but Knight registered a reversal early in the third period, and added three near-fall points later in the stanza to sew up the win.
Davidson will fave Line Mountain’s Kohen Shingara in the first round of wrestlebacks.
Also at 160 pounds, Sayre freshman Jordan Brown lost via second-period fall to South Williamsport’s Sam Persun in the opening round.
Brown will face Knight in the first round of wrestlebacks.
At 215 pounds, Nason dropped a 5-0 decision to Montoursville’s Cole Yonkin in the quarterfinals.
Nason will face South Williamsport’s Owen Bird in the first round of wrestlebacks.
At 285 pounds, Nittinger had Montoursville’s Landon Morehart on his back midway through the second period, and led 4-2, but Morehart took Nittinger to his back for a fall 33 seconds into the third period.
Nittinger will face Line Mountain’s Jackson Kauwell in the first round of wrestlebacks,
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PHOTOS BY LANCE LARCOM.
