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Mustangs send three to regionals after gritty District 4 showing

WILLIAMSPORT — Amid all the star power at the District 4 Championships in Williamsport, Midd-West brought its own brand of horsepower. The Mustangs didn't just show up -- they battled, they clawed and they earned their way into the next round.

By the end of the weekend, three Mustang wrestlers had punched their tickets to the North East Class 2A Regionals, returning to Williamsport with momentum and a clear view of what lies ahead.

Regionals begin Friday at 5 p.m. and continue Saturday at 9 a.m., with one goal looming over every match: secure a berth to Hershey.

For Midd-West's trio of qualifiers -- Charley Paige, Evan Maneval and Mason Kerstetter -- the path is demanding but the opportunity is unmistakably within reach. All three wrestlers left districts with performances that showed grit, growth and a refusal to back down when the pressure tightened.

Paige leads the charge

Senior Charley Paige has been here before and he's hungry to get back to the PIAA Championship stage after placing fifth last season at 139 pounds. His district tournament didn't end the way he wanted but the body of work speaks for itself. Paige finished last season 42-11 with 16 falls, placing fifth at regionals and second at districts on his way to Hershey.

This year, he moved up to 145 and hasn't missed a beat. Paige enters regionals at 34-9 with 10 falls after a strong district run that showed both dominance and resilience. He opened the tournament with a commanding 20-4 technical fall over Northeast Bradford's Alex Gomez in just 3:07, setting the tone for his weekend. On Saturday, he followed with a hard-earned 4-2 decision over Towanda's Gage Evans, a match that demanded patience and poise.

In the final, Paige ran into Montgomery's Brandt Harer, who secured a 21-4 tech fall in 2:32. Harer has been nearly untouchable, becoming the all-time winningest wrestler in Pennsylvania history during the tournament and pushing his career record to 208-2. Paige also faced him last season, and few in the state have fared better against the Rutgers recruit.

Despite the loss, Paige's consistency, toughness and postseason experience make him a legitimate threat as the brackets tighten and the stakes rise. He has navigated this road before and knows exactly what it takes to survive a regional gauntlet.

Maneval breaks through

Junior Evan Maneval saw his season end one spot short of regionals last year, finishing eighth at 152 pounds in a district where only the top seven advanced. That disappointment stayed with him and the difference in his wrestling this season has been clear. He has been sharper, more confident and more willing to push matches into deep water.

Maneval stormed through Friday's action with two wins -- a pin over Sullivan County's Tucker Evans in 2:49 and a dramatic 10-7 sudden-victory win over Hughesville's Kile Hartman. The sudden-victory bout showed how far he has come in match management and mental toughness. Instead of fading late, he surged.

On Saturday, he kept rolling with an 8-5 decision over Canton's Carson Rockwell to reach the 160-pound final. There, he ran into Warrior Run's Reagan Milheim, who captured his fourth district title and improved to 46-0 after pinning all three of his opponents in the first period. Maneval was caught in 19 seconds but the loss didn't overshadow his breakthrough weekend.

Now 34-12 with 17 falls, Maneval heads into regionals with confidence and a postseason résumé that shows he can win tight matches, finish strong and respond when the pressure spikes. His growth from last season to this one has been one of the Mustangs' most encouraging storylines.

Kerstetter fights his way back

Junior Mason Kerstetter has been steadily climbing and his performance at 114 pounds showed just how far he has come. Last year, he placed sixth at districts at 107 during a 37-13 season but regionals proved unforgiving as he dropped both bouts. That experience didn't discourage him -- it sharpened him.

This season, Kerstetter returned with more experience, more composure and a bigger motor. He opened districts with a 17-0 technical fall over Sugar Valley Rural Charter's Taylor Cantolina in 4:13 before falling to Williamson's Zander Wilson in a 17-2 tech fall. Saturday became his proving ground and he embraced it.

Kerstetter ripped through the consolation bracket with a 15-0 tech fall over Mifflinburg's Landon Shemory in 2:46 and a 7-1 decision over Shamokin's Xavier Carr. After a setback against Northeast Bradford's Mason Alexander -- a 43-second fall -- Kerstetter responded with one of his best matches of the season, securing fifth place with a 15-0 tech fall over Benton's Kaleb Collae in 3:25.

Now 22-9 with nine falls, Kerstetter enters regionals with momentum and a clear sense of how to navigate high-pressure matches. His ability to rebound after losses and dominate in the consolations speaks to a wrestler who is maturing at exactly the right time.

A team that battled

In the team standings, Montgomery edged Mifflinburg by the slimmest of margins 136.5-136, with Montoursville, Southern Columbia and Line Mountain rounding out the top five. Midd-West finished 11th but the individual performances told the story of a team that refused to back down.

Paige, Maneval and Kerstetter now carry the Mustang banner into one of the toughest regional tournaments in the state. The road to Hershey is narrow but each of them has shown the grit, resilience and postseason fire needed to make the trip. They have wrestled through adversity, responded to setbacks and proven they belong on the regional stage.

For Midd-West, the mission is simple: survive, advance and seize the moment.

District 4 Class 2A Championships

At Williamsport H.S.

Teams and key: Benton, Ben; Bloomsburg, Bl; Canton, Can; Central Columbia, CC; Hughesville, H; Line Mountain, LM; Lewisburg, Lew; Loyalsock, Loy; Midd-West, MW; Mifflinburg, Mif; Milton, Mil; Montgomery; Mtg; Montoursville, Mtv; Mount Carmel, MC; Muncy, Mun; Northeast Bradford, NEB; North Penn-Liberty; NPL; Sayre, Say; Shamokin, Sham; Southern Columbia, SC; South Williamsport, SW; Sugar Valley Rural Charter, SVC; Sullivan County, Sul; Towanda, Tow; Troy, T; Warrior Run, WR; Wellsboro, Wel; Williamson, Wil; Wyalusing, Wy.

Team standings

1. Montgomery, 136.5; 2. Mifflinburg, 136; 3. Montoursville, 119; 4. Southern Columbia, 105.5; 5. Line Mountain, 103; 6. Muncy, 84.5; 7. Warrior Run, 83.5; 8. Canton, 63; 9. Wyalusing, 62; 10. Williamson, 60.5; 11. Midd-West, 53; 12. Northeast Bradford, 47.5; 13. Lewisburg, 42.5; 14. Hughesville, 40; 15. North Penn-Liberty, 39.5; 16. Milton, 38; 17. Towanda, 34.5; 18. Sullivan County, 33; t-19. Benton, 30.5; t-19. South Williamsport, 30. 5; 21. Central Columbia, 27; 22. Troy, 26; 23. Loyalsock, 23.5; 24. Bloomsburg, 19; 25. Mount Carmel, 14; 26. Sugar Valley Rural Charter, 11; t-27. Sayre, 8; t-27. Shamokin, 8; 29. Wellsboro, 6.5.

Consolation first round

107: Gannon Swank, Mun, tech. fall Colton Lyons, Lew, 16-0 (1:15); Kael Majcher, WR, pinned Collin Roman, Mif, 0:56; Garrett Bacorn, SW, tech. fall Ashton Hughes, Sham, 16-0 (2:58); Garret Parks, Tr, pinned Logan Wood, Wy, 2:32.

114: Xavier Carr, Sham, pinned Luca Zelewicz, Sul, 2:52; Mason Kerstetter, MW, tech. fall Landen Shemory, Mif, 15-0 (2:46); Kaleb Collae, Ben, maj. dec. Taylor Cantolina, 18-7; Colt Carmean, CC, pinned Miles Ransom-Rennicks, Loy, 4:31.

121: Bryson Walter, Mil, pinned Sam Cumberland, Ben, 2:03; Griffin Walls, Mif, pinned Braydon Fessenden, Tow, 1:22; Brayden Mirarck, MC, pinned Carson Castle, Can, 2:17; Tobias Conoway, SVC, pinned Walker Hyde, Wil, 3:00.

127: Brody Bower, Mtv, dec. Hunter Baney, SVC, 7-2; Hunter Simonds, Wil won by forfeit over Keagan Kerr, Tr; Thomas Berezovske, MC, dec. Jayden Stranger, 11-9; Hunter Comstock, NEB, maj. dec. Ace Shipe, LM, 19-5.

133: Bryghton Yale, Tow, dec. Cody Mirarchi, LM, 13-8; Kase Snyder, Mun, pinned Jonah Caputo, SW, 2:07; Aiden Twigg, Mil, pinned Gavin Sharp, Can, 3:30; Ethan Wodrig, H, maj. dec. Carter Brown, Loy, 11-0.

139: AJ Kroft, Mtg, pinned Kohen VanDelinder, Wil, 3:49; Nolan Altoft, Lew, dec. Gavin Trometter, SC, 8-2; Griffin Sheldon, Wy, maj. dec. Wyatt Bagley, Sul, 17-3; Ben Straub, Mif, pinned Ty Locke, Mil, 2:55.

145: Alex Gomez, NEB, dec. Reuben Kinney, Wy, 9-3; Ivan Baker, Loy, dec. Garrett Lorson, SW, 4-2; Tommy Preston, Can, tech. fall Brody Locke, Mil, 17-1 (3:53); Gavin Richard, SC, won by forfeit over Alex Billmeyer, Bl.

152: Trace Furman, Mtg, pinned Joey Montonya, Tow, 2:29; Jonathan Earle, Wy, pinned Gradyn Shuck, Mif, 4:03; Hunter Watson, Tr, pinned Josiah Hosler, CC, 2:30; Landen Puderbach, H, pinned Connor Eastabrook, NEB, 3:14.

160: Chase Lytle, Mil, dec. Kale Howland, NEB, 10-6; Kile Hartman, H, maj. dec. Wesley Smith, 16-2; Reese Sluyter, Tow, dec. Tucker Evans, Sul, 5-4; Blake Fry, Mtv, dec. Cade Lusk, SW, 8-3.

172: Jackson Wertz, Mil, pinned Conner Earle, Wy, 1:34; Jordan Brown, Say, tech. fall Caius Morrow, SC, 15-0 (3:35); Blane Wesneski, Can, pinned Logan Miller, CC, 3:14; Raiden Felix, Mtg, maj. dec. Kolton McPeak, Tow, 12-1.

189: Cole Gerber, SW, won by forfeit over Chance Swatski, MC; Ethan Vanderpool, Wy, pinned Gage Furman, Mtg; Michael Runkle, Mil, maj. dec. Hunter Collett, Bl, 14-1; Leland Pepper, Can, pinned Steven Olson, Wil, 4:31.

215: Colton Woolever, H, dec. Finn Brennan, Tow, 6-3 SV; Hayden Stevens, Wel, pinned Keegan McCaffery, Mil, 1:53; Zane Butler, Mtv, pinned Noah Musselman, 3:13; Evan Hugar, Mtg, pinned Riley Rall, Wil, 2:12.

285: Reed Palmer, Tr, pinned Keigan Clark, Mtg, 1:45; Carter Reis, Sul, pinned Dom Miller, Tow, 2:59; Gabriel Vanderwall, Mtv, pinned Oz Bird, 3:22; Noah Johnson, WR, dec. Dominick Lentini, MC, 4-1.

Consolation quarterfinals

107: Gannon Swank pinned Majcher, 0:45; Parks dec. Bacorn, 8-2.

114: Kerstetter dec. Carr, 7-1; Ka. Collae dec. Carmean, 7-1.

121: Walls tech. fall Walter, 15-0 (3:19); Conoway maj. dec. Mirarck, 12-0.

127: Simonds maj. dec. Bower, 10-0; Comstock pinned Berezovske, 4:31.

133: Yale dec. Snyder, 4-3; Wodrig won by forfeit over Twigg.

139: Kroft dec. Altoft, 7-2; Straub tech. fall Sheldon, 15-0 (0:59).

145: Baker maj. dec. Gomez, 10-0; Preston dec. Richard, 7-3.

152: T. Furman dec. J. Earle, 6-2; Puderbach pinned Watson, 4:56.

160: Hartman tech. fall Lytle, 19-3 (4:27); Fry maj. dec. Sluyter, 15-1.

172: J. Brown tech. fall Wertz, 17-2 (3:45); Wesneski dec. Felix, 7-3.

189: Vanderpool pinned Gerber, 3:22; Pepper dec. Runkle, 5-0.

215: Woolever, H, dec. Stevens, 6-5; Hugar dec. Butler, 7-3.

285: Palmer dec. Reis, 2-0; Johnson maj. dec. Vanderwall, 16-5.

Semifinals

107: Branden Eisenhour, Mtv, tech. fall Levi Vermilya, Can, 17-0 (3:51); Bodhi Nickerson, NPL, dec. Korben Collae, Ben, 8-3.

114: Rowen Humphrey, SC, maj. dec. Mason Alexander, NEB, 13-4; Zander Wilson, Wil dec. Gabe Oberheim, 9-6.

121: Brock Rothermel, LM, tech. fall Roman Maiorana, Mun, 17-2 (1:05); Bryce Pequignot, NPL, dec. Liam Seeley, Mtg, 4-1.

127: Gage Swank, Mun, dec. Chase Wirnsberger, WR, 6-4; Carden Wagner, Mtg, maj. dec. Jack Gramly, Mif, 14-3.

133: Bradley Wagner, Mif, tech. fall Cole Patrick, Wy, 21-5 (3:42); Andrew Kapec, Sul, pinned Landon Michaels, 1:51.

139: Anthony Barra, Bl, won by DQ over Kaden Kleinman, Mtv; Chase Boozer, Mun, pinned Hagen Jones, Tow, 3:54.

145: Brandt Harer, Mtg, tech. fall Lane Kenamond, Mif, 19-4 (1:01); Charley Paige, MW, dec. Gage Evans, Tow, 4-2.

152: Dalton Schadel, LM, tech. fall Kayden Keefer, Loy, 16-0 (1:33); Brayden Andrews, SC, dec. Landen Wagner, Lew, 7-3.

160: Reagan Milheim, WR, pinned Josh Knoebel, Mtg, 1:04; Evan Maneval, MW, dec. Carson Rockwell, Can, 8-5.

172: Max Wirnsberger, WR, tech. fall Jayden Hamm, SW, 17-2 (3:21); Gage Wentzel, Mtv, maj. dec. Nolan Savage, LM, 11-0.

189: Hayden Harvey, Mtv, pinned Asher Kolesar, NEB, 1:06; Cade Feger, LM, dec. Greg Fulmer, LM, 1:06.

215: Daniel Fox, Wy, dec. Jacob Schwalm, LM, 12-9; Landon Tucker, Mif, pinned John Quinton, SC, 1:55.

285: Luke Sottolano, Wil, dec. Braylin Smith, SC, 8-2; Clayton Whitenight, CC, pinned Landon Moser, 5:51.

Consolation semifinals

107: Gannon Swank pinned Vermilya, 1:38; Ko. Collae tech. fall Parks, 17-0 (3:27).

114: Alexander pinned Kerstetter, 0:43; Oberheim pinned Ka. Collae, 0:59.

121: Walls pinned Maiorana, 2:21; Seeley tech. fall Conoway, 20-4 (2:58).

127: C. Wirnsberger dec. Simonds, 6-0; Gramly tech. fall Comstock, 21-3 (4:33).

133: Patrick maj. dec. Yale, 9-0; Michaels dec. Wodrig, 8-3.

139: Kleinman dec. Korft, 7-6; Straub tech. fall Jones, 17-0 (4:04).

145: Kenamond pinned Baker, 2:31; Evans pinned Preston, 4:04.

152: T. Furman tech. fall Keefer, 20-2 (3:56); Wagner tech. fall Puderbach, 17-1 (2:30).

160: Hartman dec. Knoebel, 3-1; Rockwell maj. dec. Fry.

172: Hamm dec. Brown, 3-1; Savage tech. fall Wesneski, 18-3 (2:28).

189: Kolesar dec. Vanderpool, 14-7; Fulmer pinned Pepper, 1:00.

215: Schwalm dec. Woolever, 4-1; Quinton tech. fall Hugar, 17-0 (3:00).

285: B. Smith pinned Palmer, 2:05; Johnson dec. Moser, 8-4.

Seventh-place matches (winner advances to regionals)

107: Bacorn pinned Majcher, 2:54; 114: Carr dec. Carmean, 7-4; 121: Walter dec. Mirarck, 4-0; 127: Bower tech. fall Berezovske, 20-4 (4:53); 133: Snyder won by forfeit over Twigg; 139: Altoft pinned Sheldon, 1:39; 145: Richard pinned Gomez, 4:35; 152: J. Earle pinned Watson, 0:43; 160: Lytle won by forfeit over Sluyter; 172: Felix dec. Wertz, 6-3; 189: Runkle maj. dec. Gerber, 10-0; 215: Stevens tech. fall Butler, 16-1 (2:43); 285: Reis dec. Vanderwall, 5-1.

Fifth-place matches (both advance to regionals)

107: Vermilya tech. fall Parks, 21-3 (3:26); 114: Kerstetter tech. fall Ka. Collae, 15-0 (3:25); 121: Maiorana pinned Conoway, 1:17; 127: Simonds tech. fall Comstock, 19-4 (4:41); 133: Yale tech. fall Wodrig, 17-1 (2:12); 139: Jones dec. Kroft, 7-4; 145: Preston dec. Baker, 5-4; 152: Keefer tech. fall Puderbach, 15-0 (2:52); 160: Fry dec. Knoebel, 1-0; 172: Wesneski dec. Brown, 7-3; 189: Vanderpool dec. Pepper, 9-8; 215: Hugar dec. Woolever, 5-2; 285: Palmer pinned Moser, 0:18.

Third-place matches (both advance to regionals)

107: Ko. Collae tech. fall Gannon Swank, 17-1 (5:00); 114: Oberheim tech. fall Alexander, 18-2 (2:09); 121: Seeley won by DQ over Walls; 127: C. Wirnsberger dec. Gramly, 3-2 TB2; 133: Patrick dec. Michaels, 9-4; 139: Straub pinned Kleinman, 3:47; 145: Kenamond maj. dec. Evans, 12-2; 152: L. Wagner dec. T. Furman, 4-1; 160: Rockwell maj. dec. Hartman, 9-0; 172: Savage maj. dec. Hamm, 14-2; 189: Kolesar dec. Fulmer, 7-5; 215: Quinton dec. Schwalm, 5-2; 285: B. Smith dec. Johnson, 2-1 TB2.

First-place matches (both advance to regionals)

107: Eisenhour maj. dec. Nickerson, 16-3; 114: Wilson tech. fall Humphrey, 18-3 (4:48); 121: Rothermel tech. fall Pequignot, 19-4 (3:02); 127: C. Wagner dec. Gage Swank, 6-2; 133: B. Wagner tech. fall Kapec, 20-4 (3:16); 139: Boozer tech. fall Barra, 22-4 (2:37); 145: Harer tech. fall Paige, 21-4 (2:32); 152: Andrews dec. Schadel, 4-2; 160: Milheim pinned Maneval, 0:19; 172: Wentzel dec. M. Wirnsberger, 5-1; 189: Harvey tech. fall Feger, 17-2 (3:47); 215: Tucker tech. fall Fox, 17-2 (1:58); 285: Sottolano dec. Whitenight, 8-2.