NORTH HUNTINGTON - Fox Chapel junior Brian Letters earned a spot in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class AAA individual wrestling tournament with a 7-2 decision over John Coburn. However, he was given an even greater honor before he even stepped on the mat this week.
He was seeded first in the dubious152-pound bracket.
"It's an honor and a pressure to be seeded first," Letters said. "This is one of the deepest WPIAL brackets ever, and since I'm seeded first, everyone's out to get me."
The 152-pound bracket features six wrestlers with fewer than five losses for the season meaning that the top three placers, all of whom advance to the PIAA tournament next weekend in Hershey, are anything but a certainty.
"This tournament is essentially a state tournament," Letters said. "The top six kids in this bracket are ranked in the top 10 in the state."
Letters is looking for his first WPIAL title along with teammate Brett Skonieczny, who advanced to the 112-pound quarterfinals with a pin in 1:23.
Kiski Area is represented well in the quarterfinals, as seven of its wrestlers remain in the championship bracket. Top seeds Tyler Oravec (135) and Zack McKendree (145) both recorded first-period pins, and
Scott Joseph (189) recorded a 19-6 major decision.
Kittanning's Joel Nelson (130) recorded the biggest A-K Valley upset by defeating No. 6 Corey DelMastro (32-8), 6-3. Nelson had a 2-0 lead going into the second period when he saw an opportunity to gain nearfall points.
"We were in a flurry and I got my leg in on him," Nelson said. "My power half was open and he went over."
Nelson's journey doesn't get any easier as he faces third-seeded Jake Kemerer of Hempfield in the quarterfinals.
"Last time I was eliminated in the pigtail round so I'm happy with just winning matches," Nelson said. "I'm trying not to screw up."
Kittanning's Josh Serene continued his quest for his first WPIAL title by defeating Uniontown's Jason King by fall in 3:24.
Second-seeded Zach Zummo (103) of Plum also advanced to the quarterfinals with a first-period pin.
The first round of consolations and the quarterfinals are set for 5:30 tonight at Norwin.
