The 2023 PIAA Team Dual State Championships kick off Thursday in Hershey. Here are my dual-by-dual predictions for the AAA tournament.

I reviewed every matchup and jotted down projected lineups for each team. Then I scored each matchup that I came up with. I want everyone to understand that I did not account for forfeits or possible injuries. If I knew that a wrestler would not be in the lineup, I took them out, but scores reflect every match being wrestled without forfeits. I will end these predictions with an explanation of each matchup, but first, let me run through my initial thoughts.

Well, District 11 will run this bracket. It still amazes me that the district only gets two qualifiers, but regardless, Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic seem to be on another collision course to the finals. Bethlehem Catholic has the easiest road to the finals of the two teams, with only Waynesburg being the only real threat. If Bethlehem Catholic can get past Waynesburg, they should make it to the finals. Nazareth has a more challenging path, with Central Dauphin and Canon-McMillan potential Quarterfinal and Semi-Final matchups. They should be able to get past both teams to square off against Bethlehem Catholic in the finals. Since we just saw that dual last week, I do not see any real change in results, so Bethlehem Catholic should take home the title.

Central Dauphin and Waynesburg have similar paths to the 3rd Place match. Both will lose to the District 11 teams and drop to the consolations. Central Dauphin will have an easier way than Waynesburg will in the consolations. I do not see Central Dauphin stumbling much in the consolations, so that is why I have them wrestling for third. Waynesburg will have two “easy” duals before they get another re-match with Canon-McMillan. Both duals were close this year, with Canon-McMillan able to flip results from the first dual to win the District 7 title last Saturday. This time around, I have Waynesburg winning a razor-sharp dual to advance to the consolation finals. There will be another tight dual, but Waynesburg is just put together better at the heavier weights, pushing them to a victory.

Round of 16

Hempfield Area defeats Pennridge 32-23

Hempfield Area wins 8/13 matches with 4 wins including bonus points. Pennridge wins 5 matches with 3 wins by bonus points.

Cumberland Valley defeats Central Mountain 27-22

Cumberland Valley wins 7/13 matches with 3 wins collecting bonus points. Central Mountain wins 6 matches with and 2 win including bonus points.

Waynesburg defeats Shikellamy 30-22

Waynesburg wins 7/13 matches with 3 wins including bonus points. Shikellamy wins 6 matches with and 2 win including bonus points.

Bethlehem Catholic defeats Council Rock South 38-6

Bethlehem Catholic wins 11/13 matches with 3 wins including bonus points. Council Rock South wins 2 matches all by regular decision.

Central Dauphin defeats LaSalle 36-12

Central Dauphin wins 10/13 matches with 4 wins with bonus points. LaSalle wins 3 matches with 1 match ending with bonus points.

Nazareth defeats Delaware Valley 39-12

Nazareth wins 10/13 matches with 5 wins including bonus points. Delaware Valley wins 3 matches with 1 match ending with bonus points.

Cathedral Prep defeats Spring-Ford 25-19

Cathedral Prep wins 8/13 matches with only 1 win including bonus points. Spring-Ford wins 5 matches with 3 wins including bonus points.

Canon-McMillan defeats Chambersburg 28-19

Canon-McMillan wins 8/13 matches with 2 wins being bonus points. Chambersburg wins 5 matches with 2 bonus point wins.

Consolation Round 1

Pennridge defeats Central Mountain 31-27

Pennridge wins 7/13 matches with 5 wins including bonus points. Central Mountain wins 6 matches with 5 bonus point wins.

Council Rock South defeats Shikellamy 29-24

Council Rock South wins 8/13 matches with 3 bonus point wins. Shikellamy wins 5 matches with 3 wins including bonus points.

Delaware Valley defeats LaSalle 32-28

Delaware Valley wins 7/13 matches with 5 wins including bonus points. LaSalle wins 6 matches with5 bonus point wins.

Spring-Ford defeats Chambersburg 30-22

Spring-Ford wins 8/13 matches with 2 bonus point wins. Chambersburg wins 5 matches with 3 wins including bonus points.

Quarterfinals

Cumberland Valley defeats Hempfield Area 32-27

Cumberland Valley wins 7/13 matches including 5 bonus point wins. Hempfield Area wins 6 matches also with 5 bonus point wins. This will be one of the tighter Quarterfinal matches with both teams matching up very well. Although I believe that they will have equal bonus point wins, Cumberland Valley will have 3 pins to Hempfield Area’s 2. The extra match win will help push Cumberland Valley to a win.

Bethlehem Catholic defeats Waynesburg 36-24

Bethlehem Catholic wins 8/13 matches with 7 bonus point wins. Waynesburg wins 5 matches with 4 bonus point wins. Bethlehem Catholic can pull away with key wins in the lightweights before they get to the heavier weights where Waynesburg is much better.

Nazareth defeats Central Dauphin 34-22

Nazareth wins 8/13 matches with 4 wins including bonus points. Central Dauphin wins 5 matches with 3 bonus point wins. Nazareth will pick up wins in bunches with a solid middle-weight and upper-weight combo. Central Dauphin will need to win some key matches early on to keep up with Nazareth.

Canon-McMillan defeats Cathedral Prep 40-21

Canon-McMillan wins 9/13 matches with 5 bonus point wins. Cathedral Prep wins 4 matches with 3 bonus point wins. Canon-McMillan will take advantage of a weaker lineup in Cathedral Prep to get a big win. Canon-McMillan has great lower-weight and upper-weight wrestlers that they should get some big wins from. That will help them push past Cathedral Prep.

Consolation Round 2

Pennridge defeats Cathedral Prep 33-29

Pennridge wins 7/13 matches and wins 6 matches including bonus points. Cathedral Prep wins 6 matches with 4 bonus point wins.

Central Dauphin defeats Council Rock South 37-19

Central Dauphin wins 8/13 matches with 5 bonus point wins. Council Rock South wins 5 matches with only 2 bonus point wins.

Waynesburg defeats Delaware Valley 40-23

Waynesburg wins 8/13 matches with 6 bonus point wins. Delaware Valley wins 5 matches with 2 bonus point wins.

Spring-Ford defeats Hempfield Area 31-29

Spring-Ford wins 7/13 matches with 4 bonus point wins. Hempfield Area wins 6 matches with 5 bonus point wins.

Semi-Finals

Bethlehem Catholic defeats Cumberland Valley 39-15

Bethlehem Catholic wins 9/13 matches with 6 bonus point wins. Cumberland Valley wins 4 matches with only 1 win including bonus points. Bethlehem Catholic has a deeper lineup than Cumberland Valley does and it will show here. Cumberland Valley might have the opportunity to win a weight or two more but it will not change the final result.

Nazareth defeats Canon-McMillan 35-16

Nazareth wins 8/13 matches with 5 wins including bonus points. Canon-McMillan wins 5 matches with only 1 bonus point win. Canon-McMillan will make it interesting early with the lighter-weights winning 3 out of 4 matches. Nazareth will take over winning 7 of the next 9 matchups to pull away from Canon-McMillan.

Consolation Round 3

Central Dauphin defeats Pennridge 38-21

Central Dauphin wins 8/13 matches with 6 bonus point wins. Pennridge wins 5 matches with only 2 bonus point wins.

Waynesburg defeats Spring-Ford 34-25

Waynesburg wins 7/13 matches with 5 bonus point wins. Spring-Ford wins 6 matches and wins 4 matches by bonus points.

Consolation Semi-Finals

Central Dauphin defeats Cumberland Valley 40-18

Central Dauphin wins 9/13 matches with 6 wins by bonus points. Cumberland Valley wins 4 matches with 2 bonus point wins. Central Dauphin has a way better lineup and it will show in this match.

Waynesburg defeats Canon-McMillan 28-27

Waynesburg wins 6/13 matches with 4 bonus point wins. Canon-McMillan wins 7 matches with 3 bonus point wins. The key victories will come with pins at 145, 160, and 285 that will ultimately determine this dual. We have seen this dual play out twice this year with a combined point differential of 4 points. This dual will be just as close as the previous matchups.

Third Place

Waynesburg defeats Central Dauphin 29-28

Waynesburg wins 6/13 matches with 5 bonus point wins. Canon-McMillan wins 7 matches with 4 bonus point wins. Waynesburg will need bonus point wins to take this dual because Central Dauphin’s lineup is pretty deep. 172-285 will be important weights for Waynesburg where I see them winning all those matchups with 3 pins and 1 major decision. Any fluctuation in those results can change the outcome.

Finals

Bethlehem Catholic defeats Nazareth 30-26

Bethlehem Catholic wins 7/13 matches with 5 bonus point wins. Nazareth wins 6 matches with 4 bonus point wins. This will be a closer dual than we saw last week but I do not see the winner changing hands. Bethlehem Catholic will ride key wins in their middle-weights to take the dual and the state title over Nazareth.

The 2023 PIAA Team Dual State Championships kick off tomorrow in Hershey. But first, let’s introduce you to the teams that will be gunning for a state title this weekend. To find the brackets for this years state tournament visit my bracket hub.

(1-1) Pennridge

Pennridge is the District 1 Champion after defeating Spring-Ford 36-22 in the finals. Pennridge is coming off one of the most successful seasons in school history, winning their first district title. In addition, Pennridge looked very impressive this year, with only 3 losses to high-quality opponents but wins over 3 teams in the AAA tournament.

Key Wrestlers

107/114 – Colby Martinelli, SO

114/121 – Cole Coffin, JR (2022 state qualifier)

139/145 – Sam Kuhns, JR (2021 state qualifier)

172/189 – Talan Hogan, SO

189 – Ryan Rowe, FR

215/285 – Riley Cullen, JR

Key Results

Council Rock South (L 33-27)

Wilson (W 33-30)

Easton (L 40-19)

Quakertown (W 37-32 and W 38-22)

Malvern Prep (L 62-6)

Spring-Ford (W 36-22)

(7-3) Hempfield Area

Hempfield Area is the District 7 3rd place finisher after defeating Connellsville 32-31 in the 3rd place match. Hempfield Area had an awe-inspiring season in a challenging WPIAL schedule where they found themselves facing Canon-McMillan, Butler, and Connellsville multiple times throughout the season. Still, this team had one of the more impressive runs in the district tournaments, with 4 duals being decided by 1 point and going 3-1 in the District 7 tournament.

Key Wrestlers

107 – Nico Kapusta, FR

121/127 – Owen Caracciolo, JR

133/139 – Ethan Lebin, SR (2022 state qualifier, 2022 2nd Place, and Bucknell Commit)

139/145 – Eli Carr, JR

145/152/160 – Lucas Kapusta, SR (2022 state qualifier and 2022 5th Place)

152/160 – Charlie Mesich, SR

215/285 – Elijah Binakonsky, SR

Key Results

Butler (L 42-30 and W 32-31)

Ft LeBouef (W 43-29)

Canon-McMillan (L 40-24 and L 37-36)

Greater Latrobe (L 45-28)

Connellsville (L 34-27 and W 32-31)

(6-1) Central Mountain

Central Mountain is the District 6 Champion after defeating State College 36-34 in the finals. Central Mountain did not have the most extensive dual schedule. They competed more at big tournaments like Powerade, Escape the Rock, and Ultimate Warrior. Despite that, they went undefeated in duals with a most notable win over Shikellamy 34-27.

Key Wrestlers

133/139 – Luke Simcox, JR (2x state qualifier, 2021 5th Place, 2022 5th Place, Penn Commit)

133/139 – Dalton Perry, SO (2022 state qualifier, 2022 State Champ, Penn State Commit)

145/152 – Griffin Walizer, JR (2022 state qualifier, 2022 8th Place, Lock Haven Commit)

152/160 – Braylen Corter, SR

189/215 – Rocco Serafini, JR

215/285 – Brayden Blackwell, SR

Key Results

Selinsgrove (W 45-18)

Shikellamy (W 34-27)

Bald Eagle Area (W 37-31)

State College (W 36-34)

(3-2) Cumberland Valley

Cumberland Valley is the District 3 runner-up after losing to Central Dauphin in the finals 41-14. This year was a very impressive year for this Cumberland Valley team as they have over 20 dual wins, with 2 wins coming from AA and AAA state qualifiers. They faced, in total 4 teams that qualified for either the AA or AAA state tournament and went 2-3.

Key Wrestlers

107/114 – Phil Montes, SO

127/133 – Alexander Tennis, SR

133/139 – Jake Mithell, SO

152/160 – Gabriel Belga, SR (2021 state qualifier)

160/172/189 – Dayne Miller, JR

189/215 – Anthony Bruscino, JR

Key Results

Huntingdon (W 42-25)

State College (W 40-29)

Chambersburg (L 28-27)

Wilson (W 39-28)

Central Dauphin (L 43-16 and L 41-14)

(4-1) Shikellamy

Shikellamy is the District 4/9 Champions after defeating Williamsport 44-23 in the finals. One of the surprising teams to come out of District 4/9 this year is Shikellamy. A historically great program is now back in the conversation after years of not performing up to standards. Shikellamy beat up on local programs this year and competed very well with quality opponents.

Key Wrestlers

114/121 – Alex Reed, JR

121/127 – Eben Kisner, SO

133/139 – Isaac McGregor, JR

139/145 – Charles Keener, JR

152/160 – Cole Wetzel, SO

160/172 – Connor Wetzel, SO

189 – Brody Rebuck, FR

215/285 – Mason Rebuck, SR

Key Results

State College (W 36-35)

Montgomery (W 39-30)

Central Mountain (L 34-27)

Boiling Springs (L 46-18)

Williamsport (W 51-24 and W 44-23)

(7-2) Waynesburg

Waynesburg is the District 7 runner-up after losing to Canon-McMillan 29-28 in a criteria dual in the finals. Waynesburg was last year’s 3rd Place finisher in the state, taking out Williamsport. This team had another great year and has been consistently great throughout the years. They did have a demanding schedule, as every team in the WPIAL does. They faced Connellsville and Canon-McMillan multiple times this year and impressed on the national stage in tournaments like the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and Powerade.

Key Wrestlers

114 – Ky Szewczyk, JR

145 – Mac Church, SR (3x state qualifier, 2020 3rd Place, 2021 State Champ, 2022 State Champ, and Virginia Tech Commit)

152/160 – Nate Jones, SR

172/189 – Rocco Welsh, SR (3x state qualifier, 2020 2nd Place, 2021 2nd Place, 2022 State Champ, and Ohio State Commit)

172/189 – Roan Tustin, FR

189/215 – Brody Evans, SR (2022 state qualifier and Edinboro Commit)

215/285 – Eli Makel, SR (Edinboro Commit)

Key Results

Quaker Valley (W 45-25)

Ft LeBouef (W 44-24)

Butler (L 40-32)

Connellsville (L 36-33 and W 45-25)

Canon-McMillan (W 30-27 and L 29-28)

(11-1) Bethlehem Catholic

Bethlehem Catholic is the District 11 Champion after defeating Nazareth 33-25 in the finals. Not only was this team the state champion last year, but still the best team in the state this year. Bethlehem Catholic has had a challenging schedule with some of the top programs in AA and AAA, but they took on private school Malvern Prep and won that dual. They are looking to repeat as team state champions again this season.

Key Wrestlers

107 – Keanu Dillard, FR

114 – Nathan Desmond, SO (2022 state qualifier and 2022 State Champ)

133/139 – Cael McIntyre, SR (2x state qualifier, 2021 6th Place, American Commit)

133/139 – Marco Frinzi, SO

139 – Kollin Rath, SO (2022 state qualifier and 2022 3rd Place)

145 – Charlie Scanlan, SO

152/160 – Jake Dailey, JR (2022 state qualifier and Army Commit)

160 – Andrew Harman, SR (3x state qualifier, 2021 7th Place, and Air Force Commit)

172 – Luke Thomas, SR (2022 state qualifier)

Key Results

Northampton (W 49-15)

Easton (W 40-8 and W 41-6)

Notre Dame-GP (W 29-23)

Malvern Prep (W 21-18)

Nazareth (W 33-25)

(1-3) Council Rock South

Council Rock South is the District 1 3rd Place finisher after defeating Quakertown 40-21 in the 3rd Place match. Council Rock South has had an excellent season facing some tough competition throughout the year. They lost in the Quarterfinals of the District 1 tournament in upset fashion to Owen J Roberts but rattled off 3 straight wins to earn a spot in the state tournament.

Key Wrestlers

107 – Connor Lenahan, JR

114/121 – Luke Reitter, JR (2022 state qualifier and 2022 8th Place)

121/127 – Pat Woloshyn, FR

133/139 – Ben Brillhart, SO

152/160 – Gavin Cole, SO

160/172 – Bekhruz Sadriddinov, JR (2022 state qualifier and Lehigh Commit)

Key Results

Pennridge (W 33-27)

Spring-Ford (W 54-15)

Quakertown (W 32-26 and 40-21)

Faith Christian (L 57-0)

Easton (L 34-22)

(3-1) Central Dauphin

Central Dauphin is the District 3 Champion defeating Cumberland Valley 41-24 in the finals. Central Dauphin made a run in this tournament last year, making it to Saturday morning. They look like they are capable of doing that again. The only teams they have faced in the state tournament are Chambersburg and Cumberland Valley, with Central Dauphin being 4-0 in those matchups.

Key Wrestlers

107 – Thunder Beard, FR

114 – Luke Hitchcock, FR

121 – CJ Ferree, SO

127 – Liam Flanagan, JR (2022 state qualifier)

133 – Dallas Schorr, SR

139 – Gavin Reynolds, JR

145/152 – Matt Repos, SR (3x state qualifier, 2020 4th Place, 2021 7th Place, 2022 2nd Place’ and Lehigh Commit)

152/160 – Michael Beers, SR (Delaware Valley Commit)

160/172 – Ryan Garvick, SR (2x state qualifier and 2022 2nd Place)

215/285 – Luke Nye, SR

Key Results

State College (W 42-20)

Chambersburg (W 41-23 and W 38-19)

Cumberland Valley (W 43-16 and W 41-14)

(12-1) LaSalle

LaSalle is the District 12 Champion after defeating Northeast High 49-18 in the finals. LaSalle had a great season, including a runner-up finish in the Philadelphia Catholic League Duals.

Key Wrestlers

107/114 – Jackson Hersh, SO

114/121 – Dominic Parenti, SO

133/139 – Noah Ruibal, SO

145/152 – Luke Johnson, SO

145/152 – Matt Wiley, SR

152/160/172 – Cormac Morrissey, JR

285 – Andrew Brennan, JR

Key Results

Berks Catholic (L 58-10)

St Joseph’s Prep (W 45-18)

Conwell-Egan (L 41-30)

Northeast High (W 49-18)

(2-1) Delaware Valley

Delaware Valley is the District 2 Champion after defeating Abington Heights 37-25. Delaware Valley had a great season, with some quality wins sprinkled throughout the year. They avenged a loss to Abington Heights just a week prior. In addition, they get a rematch of an early season dual against Nazareth, where they lost 59-3.

Key Wrestlers

114/121 – Landon Machado, SR (2022 state qualifier)

121/127 – Zach Jacaruso, SR (2x state qualifier, 2021 2nd Place, 2022 State Champ, and George Mason Commit)

133/139 – Dom Moyer, JR

139/145 – Travis Walton, SO

145/152 – Luke Brazanskas, SO

160/172 – AJ Dierksen, SR

172/189 – CJ Walton, SR

285 – Aiden Black, JR (2022 state qualifier)

Key Results

Nazareth (L 59-3)

Wallenpaupack (W 48-21)

Parkland (W 33-30)

Abington Heights (L 32-26 and W 37-25)

(11-2) Nazareth

Nazareth is the District 11 runner-up after losing to Bethlehem Catholic 33-25 in the finals. Nazareth was last year’s state runner-up losing to Bethlehem Catholic in the state finals in a great dual. However, Nazareth is out to a great start this year with some quality wins.

Key Wrestlers

107/114 – Remy Trach, SO

114/121 – Dominic Rizzotto, JR

121/127 – Tahir Parkins, SO (2022 state qualifier)

127/133 – Charlie Bunting, SR (2x state qualifier, 2021 5th Place, 2022 3rd Place, and George Mason Commit)

133/139 – Jack Campbell, FR

139/145 – Jake Doone, SR (2022 state qualifier, 2022 7th Place, Air Force Commit)

145/152 – Cade Campbell, FR

160/172 – Brayden Zuercher, FR

172/189 – Dominic Wheatley, SR (2x state qualifier; 2021 7th Place, and Franklin & Marshall Commit)

189/215 – Sonny Sasso, SR (2x state qualifier, 2021 7th Place, 2022 State Champ, and Virginia Tech Commit)

285 – Sean Kinney, JR (2x state qualifier, 2021 2nd Place, and 2022 State Champ)

Key Results

Easton (W 45-12)

Delaware Valley (W 59-3)

Northampton (W 46-22 and W 57-13)

Wyoming Seminary (L 54-9)

Bethlehem Catholic (L 33-25)

St Joseph’s Prep (W 69-4)

(10-1) Cathedral Prep

Cathedral Prep is the District 10 Champion after defeating Erie McDowell 37-29 in the finals. We saw Cathedral Prep compete against a bunch of out-of-state teams, and they were able to compete very well, including a tight 34-33 loss to St Edwards (OH). Cathedral Prep faced 3 teams qualifying for the AA or AAA state tournament 1-2.

Key Wrestlers

114/121 – Amir Johnson, SO

121/127 – Keagan Oler, SO (2022 state qualifier)

133/139 – Sam Staab, SR

139/145 – Brandon Byrd, SO

152/160 – Bo Martucci, SO

160/172 – Jaden Crockett, SO

172/189 – Owen Shetler, SR

215/285 – Max Spaulding, FR

Key Results

Reynolds (L 41-24)

Connellsville (L 49-16)

Frazier (W 45-30)

Canon-McMillan (L 45-25)

Erie McDowell (W 43-24 and W 37-29)

(1-2) Spring-Ford

Spring-Ford is the District 1 runner-up after losing to Pennridge 36-22 in the finals. Spring-Ford qualified for the state tournament last year but lost before they could make it to Hershey in the pigtail round to Dallastown. However, they get to go to Hershey this year after having an outstanding season.

Key Wrestlers

107/114 – Gus Smith, SO (2022 state qualifier)

114/121 – Cole Smith, SR (2x state qualifier)

127/133 – Quinn Smith, SR (2022 state qualifier)

133/139 – Brennan McGrann, JR

145/152 – Matt Offner, SR

172/189 – Mason Richards, FR

285 – Connor Hudak, SO

Key Results

Council Rock South (L 54-15)

Northeast High (W 58-6)

Saucon Valley (L 48-27)

Pennridge (L 36-22)

(7-1) Canon-McMillan

Canon-McMillan is the District 7 Champion after defeating Waynesburg 29-28 in a criteria dual in the finals. Canon-McMillan has had a great year, especially with a demanding schedule. They faced 4 separate teams that qualified for the AA and AAA state tournament and tough WPIAL opponents along with that.

Key Wrestlers

107/114 – Tanner Mizenko, JR (2022 state qualifier)

107/114/121 – Collier Hartman, FR

114/121 – Brandon Dami, SR (2022 state qualifier)

127/133 – Andrew Binni, JR (2021 state qualifier)

133/139 – Luke Shaffer, SR

139/145 – Josiah Gardner, JR

172/189 – Matt Furman, SR (2022 state qualifier, 2022 4th Place, and Cornell Commit)

189/215 – Gabriel Stafford, SR (2022 state qualifier)

215/285 – Geno Calgaro, JR

Key Results

Hempfield Area (W 40-24 and W 37-36)

Frazier (W 52-24)

Connellsville (W 40-31)

Cathedral Prep (W 45-25)

Waynesburg (L 30-27 and W 29-28)

(3-3) Chambersburg

Chambersburg is the 3rd Place finisher in District 3 after defeating Wilson 33-25. Chambersburg had an outstanding season with nearly 20 dual wins and only 3 losses to 2 very tough teams. This is a team to watch because they can disrupt a bracket.

Key Wrestlers

107/114 – Ben Hoover, FR

114/121 – Zach Sherman, SO

121/127 – Rylan Carter, SR

127 – Luke Mentzer, SR

133 – Ashton Romberger, SO

189/215 – Aiden Hight, JR (2022 state qualifier)

215/285 – Zach Evans, SR (Buffalo Commit)

285 – Avery Kuhns, SR

Key Results

State College (W 37-34)

Saucon Valley (L 42-27)

Central Dauphin (L 41-23 and 38-19)

All results and wrestlers were found on pa-wrestling.com