Central Bucks West
Central Bucks West opened the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships in dominant fashion Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey, sending all three of its qualifiers to the championship quarterfinals.
Senior Chris Dennis, sophomore Daniel Dennis, and senior Kevin Mallon, according to The Mercury, each won their opening matches as the Bucks went 3-for-3 in the first round, giving the team 15 points and a tie for 11th place in the team standings with Connellsville. Nazareth led the tournament after the first round with 29.5 points.
Chris Dennis, already a three-time PIAA medalist, needed just 59 seconds to secure a 15-0 technical fall over Donegal’s Brady Allessie in the 172-pound first round, per match coverage.
Dennis, who placed sixth at states as both a freshman and sophomore before finishing fourth last year at 152, earned his 149th career victory with the win. The West senior will face Thomas Jefferson’s Zachary LaBryer in the quarterfinals, per the report.
Younger brother Daniel Dennis followed with another quick finish. The sophomore recorded a 15-0 technical fall in 1:31 over Canon-McMillan’s Aidan Finnigan in the 145-pound opener, according to the article. Dennis advances to meet Logan Maurer of Cumberland Valley in the quarterfinal round.
At 152 pounds, Mallon advanced with a 7-2 decision over Ephrata’s Brody Musser. The Bucks senior built a 6-1 advantage after two first-period takedowns and held on for the win. Mallon’s next opponent will be State College’s James Whitbred, who finished sixth at the weight in last year’s state tournament.
Across the local field, several wrestlers from neighboring programs also reached the quarterfinals, including North Penn’s Shane Young and Jonny O’Brien, Hatboro-Horsham’s Dominick Morrison and Robert Rose, Upper Dublin’s Dom Powell, Central Bucks East’s Chase Williams, and Pennridge’s Sawyer Ermigiotti.
Action in the Class 3A tournament resumes Friday at 2:15 p.m. with the quarterfinals and second round of consolations. The semifinals are scheduled for 7 p.m.
