Three Bobcats Advance To Regional Wrestling Tournament (02/27/17)

Three Clarion Area grapplers will continue their wrestling season, thanks to their strong performances at this past weekend’s (Friday and Saturday, February 24th and 25th) District Nine Class-AA Championships at Clearfield.

The trio of Tom Wurster, Mike LeFay and Ben Smith will now move on to the Northwest Regional Tournament, this coming Friday and Saturday (March 3rd and 4th) at Sharon High School.

Wurster, a junior, finished second at 220. He started the competition with  fall over Kane’s Dakota Menteer, in the First Round. Wurster followed that by pinning Dean Manros of Cranberry, in the Quarterfinals. The Semifinals saw Wurster defeat Coudersport’s Corey Thompson 10-3. He fell to Brookville’s Tyler Cook 8-1, in the Championship match.

Senior 152 pounder, LeFay finished third. He had a First Round and won his Quarterfinal match by pinning Bradford’s Jason Ambrose. LeFay dropped a 6-2 decision to Alden Hulings from Kane, in the Semifinals. LeFay came back with two straight wins, pinning Johnsonburg’s Jake Zimmerman in the Consolation Semifinals and following that win with a 4-3 win over Justin Smith from Coudersport, in the Consolation Finals.

Smith, just a sophomore, took fourth at 195. He fell to Kane’s Ty Stahli 7-2 in the Quarterfinals. He pinned Redbank Valley’s Gavin Schilling in the Consolation Quarterfinals and won a 3-0 decision over St. Marys’ Matt Stratton, in the Consolation Semifinals. Smith fell in a rematch with Stahli 2-0 in the Consolation Finals.

(Congratulations to Tom, Mike and Ben. Keep up the good work at Regionals!!!!)