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Five CM, Bellefonte storylines to watch out for

On Saturday morning, postseason wrestling action resumes, this time up a class at Class AAA. The District 6 Class AAA wrestling championships are set to begin at 10 a.m. at Altoona High School, as Central Mountain and Bellefonte officially kick off their individual postseasons.

Here are five storylines to keep an eye on for both squads:

QUEST TO AVENGE

After earning titles in their District 6 debuts in 2024, Central Mountain juniors Aiden Kunes and Gavin Heverly each endured heartbreak in their quests to repeat. Both fell short of their second straight championships by a takedown, with Kunes falling to Altoona's Deklan Barr and Heverly to State College's Kael Davis.

Now, one year later, the pair will look to put the woes of last year's tournament past them. Kunes - the top seed at 145 - gets a relatively clear bracket to run through, with no other state-ranked wrestlers in the field. Heverly, on the other hand, gets a shot at revenge for the both of them, with Barr and Davis each residing in his bracket.

Seeded No. 3 at 127, Heverly - ranked No. 18 in the state - has one of the more grueling potential paths in the overall tournament. Barr ranks No. 5 in the state, and Davis has served as his kryptonite in recent years, with four straight wins in the matchup.

However, with added motivation, perhaps Heverly peaks at the right time and kicks off his junior postseason on a high note.

ANOTHER OBSTACLE

Speaking of quests to avenge.

Despite his historic career up to this point, featuring just under 150 career wins and a state medal, one accolade Bellefonte senior Ezra Swisher has yet to take home is a District 6 title. Bishop McCort phenom Bo Bassett stood in his way as a sophomore, and State College's James Whitbred put his best chance to bed in 2025.

Now a senior, Swisher gets one last shot at standing at the top of the podium at Altoona. In this case, his biggest obstacle is a potential rematch against top seed James Whitbred, who enters the tournament state-ranked one slot ahead of Swisher at No. 4.

It's been a difficult rematch for the Red Raider in recent years, with Whitbred defeating Swisher handedly on two separate occasions in December, and Swisher's last competitive win in the matchup coming in 2023. However, if Swisher can pull it off, it'd be a huge weight off his shoulders heading into deeper rounds of postseason.

TOP-SEEDED BROTHERS

In pursuit of their first District 6 golds, it's been a tough ride for Bellefonte brothers Wyatt and Jackson Long.

On back-to-back occasions, semifinal losses have thwarted Wyatt's chances at a championship appearance. And in last year's tournament, Jackson met eventual two-time PIAA champ Asher Cunningham (State College) in the 172 final, falling by second-period tech fall.

However, in both brothers' last crack, they get their best chance at finding paydirt. Each occupies the top seed in their respective brackets - 139 and 189 - and can be expected to have a good shot at making it happen.

Seeding by no means guarantees anything, as both will see challenges in their path.

State-ranked No. 12 at 139, Wyatt Long has two state-ranked wrestlers - including Central Mountain sophomore Hayes Donley - in his way. And based on rankings, Jackson Long - ranked No. 16 at 189 - may have an even matchup awaiting him in the final, with No. 18 Noah Williams (State College) on the other side of his bracket.

What's presented brings the possibility for a momentous outcome - two brothers earning district titles in their final seasons. With both harboring quarterfinal byes, that outcome stands just four combined wins away.

POTENTIAL FOR

AREA FINAL

From 133 to 285, every District 6 Class AAA bracket features at least one Central Mountain or Bellefonte wrestler in a top two slot. That includes Kunes, Swisher, both Long brothers, No. 2 seed Patrick Tarantella (133), No. 2 seed Dalton McDermott (160), No. 2 seed Jack McHail (172) and No. 1 seed Hayes Henry (285).

However, in terms of projections, no bracket holds more potential for area success than 215. With two area wrestlers - Bellefonte's Luke Hockenberry and Central Mountain's Todd Caris - occupying the bracket's top two seeds, there's a chance an area district title is guaranteed after semifinals.

With that comes one of the more intriguing potential matchups of the entire tournament. It isn't quite at the level of Swisher vs. Whitbred, but both wrestlers are state-ranked with 30 or more wins on the season.

Hockenberry carries the slight advantage heading into the tournament, having beaten Caris by pin at King of the Mountain earlier this season and ranking No. 9 in the state to Caris's No. 26. Hockenberry also has the experience advantage as a junior, but Caris's improvements as a sophomore shouldn't be overlooked.

Barring future weight changes, it could also serve as the Round Two of a potential multi-year rivalry. They still have to get through their respective sides of the bracket, but the prospect of the matchup is worth getting excited about heading into Saturday.

TITLE CHASING

Following disappointing conclusions to their respective dual seasons, Central Mountain and Bellefonte each expressed intent to bounce back at individual districts with a team title. With three straight weeks without competition, both teams have had plenty of time to focus on improving and working out any kinks in pursuit of that goal.

"Got to get better. A team title's certainly at stake there, something we haven't done in a while," said Bellefonte head coach Mike Maney following the team's district semifinal loss to Altoona. "We've got to understand that and compete to advance. It's not going to be easy to do and if the guys aren't ready, then it's easy to be done."

"Last year, we won here, and then we went and took second at individual districts, so they have a chance to flip that script from last year," said Central Mountain head coach Biff Walizer following the team's district semifinal loss to State College. "We didn't win here, but we've got time now. We can practice, work hard and hopefully, grab an individual district title."

The question is, will the hard work be enough? The prospect of claiming team gold at districts on Saturday is obviously easier said than done, but each team possesses the depth to at least be competitive at the event.

Their biggest obstacles - alongside themselves - are the teams that took them down in district duals.

Seeding wise, Altoona possesses the most top seeds (four) while the Wildcats tie it in top two seeds (five) and top four seeds (ten). Bellefonte and State College have three top seeds and nine top four seeds each. And in terms of average seeding, Central Mountain (3.15) leads the way, with Altoona (3.23), Bellefonte (3.30) and State College (3.46) falling right behind.

It's a field that presents an overall sense of mystery heading into the event, with all four possessing the means to get the job done. Not knowing what to expect adds to what should be an exciting district tournament, as it possesses the potential to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.