Pittston Area senior 215-pounder Brody Spindler reached the championship round of the Class 3A Northeast Regional at Bethlehem Liberty High School Feb. 28 before losing a decision and settling for second place.
Spindler had won his quarterfinal bout the night before. When he battled past Pleasant Valley’s Evan Gillespie 7-5 in the semifinal round, the victory secured his second trip to the state championships in three years.
Connor Smalley from team champion Notre Dame Green Pond defeated Spindler 4-0 in the final.
Ethan Aftewicz finished 2-2 in the tournament by splitting his consolation bracket bouts on the second day of the two-day event.
Aftewicz won by technical all 15-0 over Rocco Lukash of St. Joseph’s Prep in 1:45 in the second round at 152 pounds. In the third consolation round, he was eliminated with a 2-1 loss to Louden Spotts from Jersey Shore.
David Krantz and Noah Gruber, who each won one of their two bouts on the first day, were eliminated in close matches.
Chace VanDyke from Athens defeated Krantz 7-5 at 107.
Gruber was losing 10-9 to Colton Anderson from St. Joseph’s Prep nearly midway through when he had to default his 285-pound bout because of an injury.
Smalley’s win helped Notre Dame Green Pond edge Northampton 139½-139 for the team title.
Abington Heights was the top District 2 finisher in seventh with 67½ points. Hazleton Area led Wyoming Valley Conference teams, taking eighth with 60 points.
Pittston Area was 19th out of 47 teams with 28½ points.
Girls
Wyoming Area’s Martyna Bonning finished fourth in the Central Girls Regional Feb. 28 at Milton, earning a spot in Hershey.
Bonning, wrestling at 142 pounds, won four of her first five bouts to reach the consolation final and clinch her chance to wrestle at the state championships.
As the first period of the opener expired, Bonning finished off a 15-0 technical fall of Bellefonte’s Ella Johnsonbaugh.
Milton’s Shu Hyra Ali defeated Bonning by an 18-1 technical fall in 3:30 in the quarterfinals.
Bonning bounced back to pin Benton’s Alyssa Posey in 4:33, post a 10-2 major decision over Selinsgrove’s Elizabeth Varner, and defeat Central Mountain’s Austynn Falls, 10-5, in overtime.
Curwensville’s Brylee London pinned Bonning in 2:56 with third place on the line.
Wyoming Area’s Giovanna Chapman won twice at 170 pounds before being eliminated.
Chapman sandwiched pins in 42 seconds and 1:24 around a loss by pin to Shikellamy’s Finley Boetsch.
Nanticoke’s Sierra Ripka pinned Chapman in 2:32 to knock her out of the tournament.
Athens defeated Montgomery 100½-100 at the top of the team standings.
Wyoming Area was 30th out of 66 teams with 23½ points.
