Skip to main content

PIAA competition heats up this week


play
Show Caption

Pairings for PIAA Championships in basketball and wrestling were released on Sunday, and the names of swimmers who qualified for the state meet were also released.

Two things you can say is that plenty of athletes from Franklin and Fulton counties are keeping the winter season going, and those individuals and teams will be piling up some mileage.

Wrestling begins first this week, with Class 3A action beginning Thursday at 4 p.m. at Giant Center in Hershey. The preliminary round, first round and first round of wrestlebacks will be held that night.

Franklin County has six competitors in the competition - Chambersburg's Drew Peck (182 pounds), Drake Brenize (152) and Luke Nichter (160), and Shippensburg's Chandler Olson (126), Cole Forrester (195) and Cameron Tinner (285).

In addition, two Southern Fulton athletes, who wrestle for Everett because of a co-op program, qualified for states in 2A, which begins Thursday morning at 9. Liam Flaherty (132) is back for the third time, and he is joined by Gavin Wills (170).

Three area basketball teams will play in the first round of the PIAA Tournament on Friday.

In Class 5A boys action, Greencastle-Antrim (18-9) takes on Upper Merion (16-10), the District 1 runner-up, at 7:30 at Cheltenham H.S. in Wyncote, and in Class 1A boys, Southern Fulton (19-5) faces District 6 runner-up Williamsburg (15-10) at Altoona H.S. at 7:30.

The McConnellsburg girls (17-7) battle Greensburg Central Catholic (18-6), the District 7 fourth-place finisher, at 6 p.m. at the University of Pitt-Johnstown in Class 2A.

On Saturday, in a Class 2A boys game, McConnellsburg (20-5) will take on District 6 second-place team Bishop Guilfoyle (17-7) at Altoona H.S. at 5:30 p.m., while the Southern Fulton girls (17-8) play a Class 1A game vs. Halifax (23-4) at Central Dauphin East H.S. in Harrisburg at 5.

PIAA swimming and diving championships will take place next week, March 15-18, at Bucknell University in Lewisburg.

Chambersburg had three boys gain automatic qualification in Class 3A (March 17-18) because of their high places in the District 3 meet. Jacob Greenwood will compete in the 200 and 500 freestyle events, Avery Barley will swim in the 100 backstroke, and Nick Cover is entered in the division competition.

In Class 2A (March 15-16), James Buchanan qualified a total of three swimmers and two relay teams, two individuals by automatic entry and the rest by being in the best 16 times outside of the automatic entries. Shippensburg also had 3 swimmers make it by way of qualifying based on their times.

JB will send Annabelle McCullough (100 butterfly, 100 freestyle), Rachel Kimmel (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), and Garbinski (50 and 100 free). McCullough, Kimmel, Annaleise Hissong and Sarah Kimmel will swim on the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.

For Shippensburg, Makenna Morris (200 IM, 500 free), Madison Osanitsch (500 free) and Sam Nonemaker (200 and 500 free) have qualified for states.