Hazleton’s Gabe Benyo reverses Abington Height’s Dakota Sandy in last weekend’s District 2 Class 3A 114 pound championship bout.
Fred Adams | Times Leader file photo
Six Wyoming Valley Conference wrestlers are still in contention to win championships after the first day of the Class 2A and Class 3A Northeast Regional tournaments.
For several others, the pathway to a berth in the state wrestling tournament is still open through the consolation rounds, which is how both regional tournaments will open up action on Saturday morning.
In the Class 2A Northeast Regional tournament held in Williamsport, three WVC wrestlers have reached the semifinals, one win away from earning a spot at states and two wins away from winning a regional title.
Hanover Area’s Chase Smith and CJ Caines, along with Berwick’s Carmen Malt, are the three grapplers representing the WVC in the semifinal round.
Three more wrestlers have reached the semifinals at the Class 3A regional at Liberty High School in Bethlehem: Hazleton Area’s Gabe and Jake Benyo, along with Pittston Area’s Brody Spindler.
All six wrestlers were the District 2 champions in their respective weight classes and classifications.
Both tournaments will conclude on Saturday, and the Girls Central Regional at Milton High School will be held all day Saturday with 27 more WVC wrestlers trying to earn their way to states.
In the Class 2A regional, Hanover Area’s put together a strong start to the weekend with Smith (114 pounds) and Caines (127) reaching the semifinals.
Malt is the third and final WVC semifinalist in the tournament in the 121 division.
Smith received a bye to the quarterfinals and won his bout there with a second-period pinfall over Northeast Bradford’s Mason Alexander. He’ll next face Rowen Humphrey from Southern Columbia in Saturday’s semifinals.
Caines also got the prelim bye and scored a pinfall early in the second period to beat Williamson’s Hunter Simonds in the quarterfinals.
A returning runner-up at regionals albeit in the 114 weight class, Caines will take on Gage Swank from Muncy in the 127 semis.
Malt was working toward a tech fall in his quarterfinal bout but opted for a win by pin instead over Milton’s Bryson Walter. The Berwick senior, competing in his fourth Northeast Regional tournament, will face Bryce Pequinot from North Penn Liberty in the semis.
In Class 3A, Hazleton Area’s Benyo brothers both won their first two matches to reach the semis, and did so in strikingly similar fashion.
In the 114 pound division, Gabe Benyo won a tech fall in the Round of 16 and then scored a 4-0 decision win in the quarterfinals.
Jake Benyo followed suit at 121 pounds with a tech fall win in the Round of 16, then scoring a 4-1 decision to win his quarterfinal bout.
Spindler pinned his Round of 16 opponent, then outlasted Williamsport’s Jackson Raker 4-1 in extra time to advance to the semifinals.
The Lackawanna Conference fared a bit better in Class 2A with five wrestlers reaching the semis: Honesdale’s Nathan Schuman (107), Justin Scanlon (133) and Duke Martin (189); Mid Valley’s Matt Almedina (139) and Western Wayne’s Gavin Morcom.
In Class 3A, the LFC matched the WVC with three semifinalists: Abington Heights’ Lucas Drake (152), West Scranton’s Tommy Schechterly (160) and Wallenpaupack’s Gabriel Caufield (172).
The WVC still has plenty of wrestlers left fighting for state berths through the consolation rounds: 11 in Class 2A and 13 in Class 3A.
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