Brody Spindler won in a hurry, then advanced again in a lengthy bout.
By combining a first-period pin with an overtime decision Friday night at Bethlehem Liberty, the Pittston Area senior 215-pounder placed himself into the semifinal round of the Class 3A Northeast Regional Wrestling Tournament.
The tournament was scheduled to conclude Saturday, after presstime for this edition.
Spindler began the tournament by pinning East Stroudsburg South’s Jonathan Adjin-Tetty in 1:10. He then moved through the quarterfinal round with a 4-1, overtime victory over Williamsport’s Jackson Raker.
The three other Pittston Area wrestlers all won at least once, keeping them alive in the consolation brackets with a chance to finish as high as third when Saturday’s action began.
Ethan Aftewicz opened with a major decision, beating Whitehall’s Mason Hopkins 8-0. He was dropped into the consolation bracket with a 4-1 loss to Nazareth’s Cade Campbell.
David Krantz and Noah Gruber each recovered from opening losses by winning their first consolation bouts.
Krantz fell to Stroudsburg’s Jack Jasioniwicz 10-4. He defeated Father Judge’s Joey Devlin 6-1.
Gruber was pinned in 48 seconds by Josiah Rodriguez from East Stroudsburg South. He then won a 13-1, major decision over Kyree Mitchell from La Salle College High School.
Wrestlers who finish in the top five in their weight classes will earn spots in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships next week.
Girls
The girls Central Regional, which included Wyoming Area’s Martyna Bonning and Giavonna Chapman competing at 142 and 170 pounds, was scheduled to begin early Saturday morning in Milton.
The top four in each weight class make the state tournament.
