Wyoming Area’s Connor Novakowski came within one timely win of qualifying for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Individual Wrestling Championships before losing his final two bouts of the season and settling for sixth place at 127 pounds March 1 in the Class 2A Northeast Regional and Williamsport High School.
The Warriors finished 30th out of 37 teams in the two-day event with six points.
Montoursville won the team title 158-116½ over Warrior Run.
Novakowski went 1-3 in the tournament. He started the second day with a 9-0 major decision of Lewisburg’s Landon Michaels.
The top four in Class 2A advanced to the state tournament.
Novakowski lost 6-2 to North Penn-Liberty’s Brayden Pequignot in the consolation semifinals then lost to Montgomery’s Carden Wagner 19-12 in the fifth-place match.
Nate Obrzut, Wyoming Area’s 285-pounder, was eliminated in his second straight one-point loss, going out in the first round of consolations 3-2 in the second tie-breaker period against Noah Johnson of Warrior Run.
Class 3A
Noah Gruber was the only Pittston Area wrestler to win two matches in the Class 3A Northeast Regional at Bethlehem Liberty Feb. 28 and March 1 and was the only Patriot with a second-day victory.
Gruber went 2-2, including a 55-second pin in the second round of the consolation bracket. He was eliminated with a 10-3 loss to Delaware Valley’s Christopher Della Bella.
Brody Spindler won once in the tournament, but was eliminated the consolation second round when he was pinned by Wallenpaupack’s Xaiden Schock in 2:42.
Nazareth outscored Bethlehem Catholic 161-141 for the team title.
Pittston Area was 32nd out of 49 teams with 10 points.
