Font ResizeIn some cases, that was true -- James Buchanan's Todd Meyers (31-6) will face Central Dauphin's Tyler Buckman (31-3) in his first match, and Shane McFerren of Waynesboro (25-2) hits Zach Nye of East Pennsboro (32-0) right away.
But some area coaches were not displeased after looking at the pairing sheets.
"We're excited," Greencastle-Antrim coach Fred Yelton said. "We like the draw we got for both of our kids."
Todd DeWalt (22-7) meets section champion Ashton Corbin of Harrisburg (17-3) at 189, and Dylan Schaeffer (22-6) faces Dan Schreffler of Cedar Cliff (23-11) at 160. Schaeffer reached districts last year and went 2-2.
Yelton said, "It's always a benefit to have that experience. Dylan wrestled his best in the postseason last year and we hope he can again."
Nobody in the area has more experience in districts than Chambersburg senior Jimmy Hughes. In each of the past three seasons, Hughes has won his first two bouts in Hershey and gotten to the semifinals. But each time he was beaten in that round and could not come back through the consolations to qualify for states. Last year he fell 5-3 in the third-place bout.
Wrestling too conservatively has been a problem.
"This is my last year," Hughes said. "This is my lowest seed, so I've got nothing to lose. I want to open
Hughes (28-2) faces Chase Billet of Northeastern (25-4) in his opener.
Trojan coach Doug Rine said, "It is not an easy road to get to states through District 3. Jimmy will have to be at the top of his game."
Chambersburg also sends freshman Tanner Shoap (29-3) at 103 and sophomore Dawson Peck (27-5) at 215. Shoap meets Eddie Lockowitz of Daniel Boone (24-8), while Peck will see Chris Ahnert of Lebanon (27-3).
"Both kids are wrestling very well right now," Rine said. "Tanner's only losses were to good kids and if Dawson can get some takedowns, he'll be tough to beat."
JB's Meyers, a sophomore, is apparently going in with the right attitude.
Rocket coach Matt Gordon said, "When Todd saw the brackets, he said, 'Good, I want to wrestle (Buckman).' He just takes things as they come and does his best. He's very positive."
Waynesboro has the area's largest contingent, five, including two with district experience.
Jacob Smith (27-6) is hitting Hershey for the third time at 112 pounds and has a 3-4 career record. Marvin Gaskill (25-5) was 2-2 a year ago at 285.
Smith and New Oxford's Andrew Brehm (22-15) meet in the opening round, while Gaskill takes on Jordan Sweitzer of Muhlenberg (23-7).
The Indians also have a pair of sophomores who will be in action -- Richie Scott (20-7) at 119 and Trey Andree (17-4) at 135. Both will hit tough draws from York County, Scott vs. Jake Verheyen of Spring Grove (34-6) and Andree vs. Drew Rebling of South Western (24-4).
"We fared OK with the pairings," Waynesboro coach Eric Mowen said. "We don't look past the first round. We need somebody to get hot and have a good weekend. We want them to get to Saturday and try to get on the medal stand."
Note: District 3 changed its sessions -- Friday (unless snow forces a change) remains the same, with Class AA starting at 9 a.m. and AAA at 3:30 ... Instead of separate sessions Saturday before joining for the finals, AA and AAA will both begin at 9 a.m. and wrestle through semifinals and all of the consolations before taking a break ... The championships begin at 7 p.m.
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Ed Gotwals may be reached at 262-4755 and egotwals@publicopinionnews.com.
District 3 wrestling
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: Hersheypark Arena
Sessions: Friday (preliminary and quarterfinal rounds) -- Class AA, 9 a.m.; Class AAA, 3:30 p.m. Saturday (semifinals and consolations) -- AA and AAA, 9 a.m.; Saturday (championships) -- AA and AAA, 7 p.m.
Who: 11 area wrestlers have qualified.
Goal: A place in the top 3 qualifies a wrestler for the PIAA State Tournament.
