Pittston Area Wrestling Preview: Patriots first to get started Saturday

The Wyoming Valley Conference wrestling schedule will be the first to get underway in District 2 with the first league matches taking place Saturday.

Pittston Area will host Tunkhannock Saturday at 2 p.m. in a Division 2 match, which is also the only sporting event scheduled for either Greater Pittston school in the first weekend of the return to competition for Pennsylvania high schools.

Wyoming Area will wait until the next week to get its winter sports started.

Pittston Area will try to continue its steady improvement of recent seasons.

James Spindler is back following a standout freshman year in which he led the team in wins, finished tied for first in major decisions and was second in pins, along with putting together the best postseason finish.

Spindler was the only Patriot to reach the Class 3A Northeast Regional after he finished a team-best third in District 2 at 145 pounds. With two wins at regionals, Spindler finished 35-13 to lead a team that went 4-3 in Division 1 of the WVC and 9-12 overall.

Seniors C.J. DeMark and John Symons are the best of the other returnees.

DeMark has won at least 16 times in each of his first three high school seasons. He was 23-13 last season at 152 and 160.

Symons placed fifth in the district at 195 pounds to completed a 17-11 season. He returns for a third full season in the lineup.

Sophomore Keegan Bucci was 15-18 at 106 last season and finished third on the team with 11 pins.

Jacob Granahan and Jose Ortiz are two more sophomores who reached double figures in wins as freshmen wrestling in the lower weights.

Junior Nico Solano posted 12 wins, including nine by pin, while moving between 126 and 138 pounds.

Pittston Area returns a total of 10 wrestlers who won at least nine times, including senior Jaii Phillips and junior Kevin Robey in the lower weights and sophomore David Sudo in the upper weights.

Senior Felix Mendez and sophomore Kaitlin Avvisato also have some varsity experience.