CM’s Brungard adjusts to lineup change, secures two crucial wins in team title run
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard takes to the center of the mat after defeating Altoona’s Michael Coyler by 10-5 decision during the team’s 39-28 win in the District 6 Class AAA Duals title over the Mountain Lions, Saturday at Central Mountain.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard wrestles against Altoona’s Michael Coyler during the team’s 39-28 win in the District 6 Class AAA Duals title over the Mountain Lions, Saturday at Central Mountain.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard gets his hand raised after defeating State College’s Michael Troupe by 4-1 decision during the team’s 44-18 win over the Little Lions in the District 6 Class AAA Dual semifinals, Saturday at Central Mountain.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard gets his hand raised after defeating Altoona’s Michael Coyler by 10-5 decision during the team’s 39-28 win in the District 6 Class AAA Duals title over the Mountain Lions, Saturday at Central Mountain.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard takes to the center of the mat after defeating Altoona's Michael Coyler by 10-5 decision during the team's 39-28 win in the District 6 Class AAA Duals title over the Mountain Lions, Saturday at Central Mountain.
Prior to Saturday, Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard had spent all but one match as a starter wrestling in the 189-weight class. That had been the norm since he started generating consistent wins as a junior and up until recently, there wasn’t much that hinted at an abrupt change.
But with his coaching staff going through potential strategies at the beginning of last week ahead of the District 6 Class AAA Duals tournament, they’d provide him with the first hint at the prospect of him moving up to heavyweight. Then, on Friday – one day before the tournament, that prospect was made official.
There was just one problem. At that point, Brungard didn’t meet the weight requirement to move up, standing at around 186 pounds following Friday’s practice and needing to get above 191.
“I had to gain about five pounds, so I was eating a good breakfast this morning, a good dinner (last night),” said Brungard on Saturday. “It was pretty rough.”
Come Saturday morning, and the Wildcats would clear the weight requirement, providing the team with the flexibility to place him at either 215 or 285.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard wrestles against Altoona's Michael Coyler during the team's 39-28 win in the District 6 Class AAA Duals title over the Mountain Lions, Saturday at Central Mountain.
With that out of the way, the next step was adjusting to the change on the fly where it mattered, in a pressurized postseason scenario no less. Knowing he’d be at a disadvantage in some spots and an advantage in others, his mindset was to focus on where he could find an edge.
“I was just trying to use my agility, my speed because I knew I was going to last longer than him stamina wise,” said Brungard. “Just kind of wear them out early and attack later.”
In Central Mountain’s opening match of the day, a semifinal against No. 19 State College, he’d face his biggest adjustment, wrestling at 285 against a wrestler that had competed in 18 matches within the class in Michael Troupe. On top of that, the team trailed 9-0 after a rough start.
Despite the deficit, Brungard would stick to his game plan, not wrestling urgently at the beginning and working to tire Troupe out. He’d attribute an escape at the start of the second and surrender one at the start of the third, with the score knotted at 1-1 when the third-period whistle was blown.
In sudden victory, his strategy would pay off. Tired and beginning to reach, Groupe attempted to trip Brungard up amidst a standing hand fight, a move that was rendered ineffective and caused Groupe to briefly stagger backward. Brungard would use that opportunity to strike, landing a double-legged shot, driving Groupe to the mat for the match-sealing takedown and almost converting it into a pin.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard gets his hand raised after defeating State College's Michael Troupe by 4-1 decision during the team's 44-18 win over the Little Lions in the District 6 Class AAA Dual semifinals, Saturday at Central Mountain.
“It was definitely different. I’ve never felt something like that before,” laughed Brungard when discussing the match at heavyweight. “It was just hard on the head and my neck’s a little sore from all the pulling and pushing on my neck and all that from a bigger guy.”
That decision would kick off an eight-match span that saw the Wildcats outscore the Little Lion 32-3, as they went on to advance to the final with a 44-18 victory. But the adjustments weren’t finished for Brungard just yet.
Against No. 16 Altoona, Brungard would open the match for the Wildcats, wrestling just his second career match at 215. This time, his bout would come against a better opponent in sophomore Michael Colyer, who was fresh off his 20th win of the season, a first-period pin against Mifflin County’s Jace Bender.
Tasked with setting the tone for Central Mountain, Brungard would surrender an early takedown before working his way back on top with two escapes and a second-period takedown. Then, with the match deadlocked at 5-5 in the third, he’d once again shake off the pressure of the big moment, landing a late shot and converting it into a five-point move to seal the 10-5 decision.
In both scenarios, Brungard was forced to not only adjust on the fly but also endure the added challenge of not making a mistake with the match tied late. Both cases saw the senior prevail on a day where every win mattered, particularly in the final where Central Mountain scraped by, 39-28. Following the title win, head coach Biff Walizer gave Brungard props for picking up two crucial wins for the team through a tough day of adjustments.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain senior Bryce Brungard gets his hand raised after defeating Altoona's Michael Coyler by 10-5 decision during the team's 39-28 win in the District 6 Class AAA Duals title over the Mountain Lions, Saturday at Central Mountain.
“To spend a lot of time trying to figure out the best lineup that we can put together for the team’s advantage, it’s good when it works out,” laughed Walizer when discussing the changes. “In that situation, it paid off today. Bryce had to dig deep for those two wins.”
Overall, Central Mountain’s adjustments heading into Saturday paid off in a big way, with freshman Todd Caris moving into Brungard’s 189 slot and ultimately, securing the team’s title-sealing pin to advance the squad to states. For Brungard, the hope is to get as strong as he can at those upper weight as fast as he can, as the team looks to keep its dual season alive through states this week.
“I felt pretty good. I think I could probably work on my offense a little bit more, score a little bit more and try to get bonus for the team,” said Brungard. “I’m proud of everybody and excited for Tuesday.”
On Tuesday, Central Mountain (13-0) opens its third straight run at PIAA Duals with a bout against a familiar foe in District 4 champion Shikellamy. As it stands, the Braves (15-5) were closest to altering the Wildcats’ undefeated regular season, with Central Mountain edging them out, 35-30 in December.
“It’s gonna be a tough match,” said Brungard on the rematch.