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From chopsticks to Fuller brushes, Meyers students get dose of diversity

Luzerne County has received six applications for manager job to date

Here&#8217;s a closer look at the accomplishments of the 47 wrestlers from the Wyoming Valley Conference that will be competing at this weekend&#8217;s Northeast Regional tournaments.Wyoming Valley Conference Regional QualifiersCLASS 2A (21)Hanover Area (5)Jeff Bennett (120) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 33-4 First Round: District 4 No. 4 seed Matthew Milbrand, a sophomore with a record of 33-4. How he got here: Bennett is now a three-time regional qualifier after winning his first district title and being named the tournament&#8217;s Outstanding Wrestler.Owen Davis (138) &#8211; Grade: 9 Record: 28-14 First Round: Athens junior Gage Cannavino, the runner-up from District 4 with a 34-8 record. How he got here: Davis took third at last week&#8217;s district tournamentNoah Rakowski (152) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 27-9 First Round: Jake Carpenter from Shamokin, who is the No. 4 seed from District 4 and a sophomore with a mark of 17-4. How he got here: Rakowski picked up his first district gold last week and qualified for regionals for the second time following a third-place finish in last year&#8217;s district tournament.J.J. Hooper (170) &#8211; Grade: 10 Record: 17-14 First Round: District 4 runner-up Brandon Stokes from Milton. The senior boasts a record of 32-6. How he got here: Hooper will be wrestling in his first regional tournament after placing third at district last weekend.John Sheridan (285) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 22-1 First Round: Lewisburg senior Cody Palmer, who sports a mark of 30-12 and took fourth in the District 4 tournament. How he got here: Sheridan is coming off his first district championship, but missed the second half of last season with an injury. He&#8217;s making his second regional appearance. He made it as a sophomore when he was third in the district and went 1-2 at regionals that year.Lake-Lehman (6)Bob Long (106) &#8211; Grade: 9 Record: 31-8 First Round: Montgomery freshman Brandon Daldo, who is 23-13 and is the fourth seed from District 4. How he got here: the Black Knight won a district title last weekend. In his three wins, he won by tech fall, pin and decision.Bob Lipski (138) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 34-10 First Round: Creighton Edsell, a sophomore from Wyalusing and the fourth-place medalist from D4 with a mark of 35-6. How he got here: Lipski spent his first two seasons with Wyoming Valley West in Class 3A. He claimed his first district medal last weekend when he won the gold and reached regionals for the first time.Jake Tomolonis (152) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 20-18 First Round: Wyalusing sophomore Denton Porter, who is 33-7 and took third in the District 3 tournament. How he got here: The District 2 runner-up, Tomolonis improved on last year&#8217;s showing of fifth at districts to reach regionals for the first time.Tommy Williams (182) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 21-13 First Round: Gage Heller (22-9), a senior from Milton who placed fourth at the District 4 tournament last weekend. How he got here: Williams improved on consecutive fifth-place finishes at districts to advance to regionals for the first time by winning his first district title as the No. 2 seed.Mike Slivinski (220) &#8211; Grade: 10 Record: 28-13 First Round: Athens senior Roger Horton, who is 34-4 and took third at the District 4 event last weekend. How he got here: Slivinski finished as runner-up at the D2 tournament, losing in overtime rideout to returning state qualifier Thor Balavage from Scranton Prep. Records don&#8217;t matter when it comes to Slivinski, or anyone on Lake-Lehman for that matter because the team has wrestled very tough competition all season.Kaleb Konigus (285) &#8211; Grade: 10 Record: 20-15 First Round: Line Mountain junior Garrett Keifer (36-5), the D4 third-place finisher and a state qualifier from last season. How he got here: Konigus, the son of head coach J.J. Konigus, placed second at districts in his first appearance after winning the WVC Junior High Tournament a year ago.Meyers (6)Bryce Waters (106) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 15-4 First Round: Benton sophomore Joseph Klock, who is 25-6 and the runner-up from District 4. How he got here: Waters is making his first appearance at regionals, and advanced by taking third at districts.Colin Pasone (113) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 36-2 First Round: Warrior Run junior Trey Heiss (23-7), the fourth-place finisher in the District 4 tourney. How he got here: Now a three-time district champ, Pasone will make his second appearance at regionals after missing it as a freshman with an injury despite qualifying. He qualified for states last season, placing third in the region.Kevin Huertero (126) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 19-15 First Round: Line Mountain junior Brian Earlston, who is 31-8 and the runner-up from District 4. How he got here: Huertero took second at districts last year and was third this year to be a two-time regional qualifier.Jeremy Bergold (145) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 31-8 First Round: Gavin McCutcheon, a senior from Sayre with a mark of 24-11 and is the No. 4 seed from District 4. How he got here: Bergold is coming off winning his first district gold medal after taking third last year.Gino Setta (160) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 25-5 First Round: Lewisburg junior Trey Delbaugh (36-7), the fourth place medalist from D4. How he got here: Setta claimed his second district title in three years and his fourth district medal while also grabbing career win No. 100. He was third last year and fifth as a freshman. Now a three-time regional qualifier, he went 1-2 as a sophomore at Williamsport.Namir Murphy (195) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 29-6 First Round: Allen Yancoskie, a senior from Mount Carmel with a mark of 29-4 and is the No. 3 seed from District 4. How he got here: Murphy was runner-up at districts after previously taking sixth as a freshman. He will be making his first appearance at regionals.Wyoming Area (4)Kendrick Beyer (126) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 17-10 First Round: Hughesville senior Trevor Sones, the No. 4 seed from D4 with a record of 23-10. How he got here: Beyer grabbed his first district title last weekend, picking up two pins a decision for his three wins. Now a three-time district medalist and two-time regional qualifier, he was district runner-up as a freshman and placed fourth last year.Patrick Heck (132) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 27-9 First Round: Mike Stuart, a junior from Benton with a record of 24-7, is the No. 3 seed from District 4 and is a two-time state medalist. How he got here: Heck won his 100th career match last week when he was district runner-up for the second straight season after finishing first as a freshman and sophomore. Now a four-time regional qualifier, he won a match at this tournament in his first two appearances.Zachary Briggs (170) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 31-3 First Round: Benton senior Jeremy Walsh, the fourth-place finisher from District 4 with a record of 26-8. How he got here: Briggs grabbed his second district gold in three years. The last time he won districts, he took fourth at regionals. A finish like that this season will mean a berth at states.Adam Buczynski (182) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 26-9 First Round: Lewisburg sophomore Andrew Shedleski (34-4), the runner-up from District 4. How he got here: The third-place finisher from last weekend&#8217;s district tournament, Buczynski has shown he can compete with several close losses this season. He&#8217;s making his first regional appearance after taking fourth at districts last season.CLASS 3A (26)Coughlin (3)Jake Brown (126) &#8211; Grade: 10 Record: 29-9 First Round: A junior from District 12&#8217;s Central, Ousmane Diarra (26-9), the district&#8217;s third-place finisher. How he got here: Making his first appearance at regionals, Brown placed third at districts. With a win, he would face Bethlehem Catholic&#8217;s Luke Karam &#8211; a two-time state champion &#8211; in the quarters.Josh Brown (132) &#8211; Grade: 10 Record: 32-8 First Round: Parkland&#8217;s Jacob Lizak (31-9), the third-place finisher from District 11. How he got here: Making his second appearance at regionals by taking third this season at districts after fourth last year, Brown went 1-2 at this event last year.Mike Brown (145) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 29-9 First Round: Easton senior Jacob Montes (11-3) and the No. 3 seed from District 11. How he got here: Brown is making his first trip to Bethlehem to wrestle at regionals, but has four district medals. Before taking fourth at last week&#8217;s district event, he had two sixths and a fifth-place showing at the D2 tourney.Crestwood (1)Brandon Rinehimer (120) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 22-13 First Round: Trevor Tarsi from Nazareth, the No. 5 seed from District 11 with a mark of 27-16. How he got here: A district finalist for the first time last weekend, Rinehimer is heading to regionals for the first time.Dallas (5)Kade Kravits (113) &#8211; Grade: 10 Record: 23-15 First Round: Luke Werner (33-7), a junior from Liberty with a record of 33-7 and the fourth-place finisher from D11. How he got here: Kravits reached the district final as the No. 3 seed and settled for runner-up.Alec Sampson (132) &#8211; Grade: 9 Record: 26-7 First Round: Brett Yoos (25-14), a junior from Archbishop Wood and the third-place medalist from D12. How he got here: Sampson grabbed the fourth-place medal at districts last weekend.Steven Newell (152) &#8211; Grade: 9 Record: 35-9 First Round: Pat Deacon (18-15), a junior from District 12&#8217;s Lasalle and the third-place finisher at the district tournament. How he got here: Newell placed third at last week&#8217;s D2 tourney.Xavier Barber (160) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 34-9 First Round: Josh Stoner from Pocono Mountain East, the fourth seed from District 11 and with a record of 24-10. How he got here: Barber reached regionals for the second straight year with a third-place finish this season after taking fourth a year ago. He went 2-2 at this tournament last year.Cole Dixon (182) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 37-1 First Round: He has a bye and will face either Kolby Kleckner (39-6) from Pottsville or Henry Williams (18-10) from Mariana Bracetti. How he got here: Dixon claimed his first district gold, improving one spot each season from the year before. Now a three-time regional qualifier, he has posted three victories in his previous two appearancesHazleton Area (6)Jake Maurer (106) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 33-10 First Round: Bethlehem Catholic sophomore Zach Glenn (31-5), the third-place medalist from District 11. How he got here: Now a back-to-back regional qualifier, Maurer took third at districts after a fourth-place showing a year ago.Chris Lasecki (126) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 24-7 First Round: He has a bye to the quarters where he will see either Northampton freshman Devon Britton (24-10) or Northeast sophomore Adrian Lugo (26-13). How he got here: Lasecki won his second straight district title and qualified for the PIAA Championships last season, finishing fourth at regionals.Jimmy Hoffman (132) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 35-4 First Round: Frankford junior Devon Nole (3-4), the No. 4 seed from District 12. How he got here: Hoffman took second at districts, the first time he has not won the gold in his three seasons. He&#8217;s a returning two-time state qualifier, taking third at this event as a freshman and second last year. He has 111 career wins.Anthony Martoccio (138) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 28-17 First Round: Austin Gillick (27-11), a junior from Archbishop Wood and the District 12 champ. How he got here: He repeated as fourth-place finisher at district this season to qualify for regionals for the second time. He went 1-2 at this event last year.Keith Lowery (145) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 36-10 First Round: Northeast senior Isaac Morales (28-11), the bronze medalist from D12. How he got here: Taking third at districts, Lowery will make his first regional appearance after placing fifth at districts a year ago.Carson Kinney (195) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 37-5 First Round: Northeast sophomore Dominic Edwards (9-14), the No. 5 seed from D12. How he got here: Kinney won district gold for the first time after his previous best finish of sixth two years in a row to qualify for regionals for the first time.Tunkhannock (8)Josh Beeman (113) &#8211; Grade: 11 Record: 24-20 First Round: Nick Dolak (29-8), a sophomore from Parkland and the No. 3 seed from District 11. How he got here: Thanks to a fourth-place finish at districts, Beeman will make his first appearance at regionals.Tommy Traver (126) &#8211; Grade: 9 Record: 36-7 First Round: Nazareth sophomore Ian Pulli (14-26), the fifth-place medalist from District 11. How he got here: Traver finished as runner-up at districts.Jake Richards (138) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 37-10 First Round: Roman Catholic junior Matthew Grueninger (29-7), the third-place medalist from D12. How he got here: Richards rebounded from losing his first match at districts to take third and qualify for regionals for the second time. His previous best finishes at the district event were fifth as a junior and fourth as a sophomore.Bill Manley (145) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 37-5 First Round: Kareem Fuller (21-6), a senior from South Philadelphia and the fifth seed from D12. How he got here: Manley won his first district gold after taking third last year. Now making two regional appearances, he went 2-2 at this tourney last season.Mike Manley (152) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 38-8 First Round: Darrien Roberts from East Stroudsburg South. The freshman has a record of 28-4 and is the fifth seed from District 11. How he got here: Manley was runner-up at districts for the second straight season. Last year at regionals, he took sixth.Dalton Ray (160) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 38-3 First Round: St. Joseph senior Aiden O&#8217;Shaughnessy (21-12), the fourth seed from District 12. How he got here: Ray took second at districts after two previous third-place finishes. Now a three-time regional qualifier, he won two matches here last year.Sam Rice (195) &#8211; Grade: 10 Record: 32-7 First Round: Greg Bensley (30-5), the No. 4 seed from District 11 and a sophomore from Pocono Mountain West. How he got here: He was runner-up at districts after placing fifth as a freshman.Ricky Stevens (220) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 30-15 First Round: Pleasant Valley senior Trent Thomas (28-4), the runner-up from District 11. How he got here: Stevens qualified for regionals for the first time by placing fourth at districts.Wyoming Valley West (3)David Krokowski (106) &#8211; Grade: 9 Record: 34-7 First Round: Pottsville freshman Nick Onea (32-7), the fifth-place finisher from District 11. How he got here: He won his district title as the third seed and defeated the No. 1 seed in the championship bout.Wayne Smith (120) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 25-13 First Round: District 12 champion Alex Shaffer (32-8) from Archbishop Wood. How he got here: He&#8217;s now a two-time regional qualifier and two-time fourth-place finisher at districts.TJ Pashinski (170) &#8211; Grade: 12 Record: 25-9 First Round: DaJour Davis (14-8) from Olney Charter and the third-place medalist from D12. How he got here: Pashinski advanced to regionals for the first time by grabbing the third-place medal at districts, the first time he&#8217;s ever medaled at the event.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Dave Rosengrantdrosengrant@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Dave Rosengrant at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @tldrosengrant</shirttailMeta></div>

A look at all 47 WVC wrestlers entering this weekend’s Northeast Regional Tournament