Eleven Area Youth Wrestlers Qualify for PJW State Tournament

Chris Rossetti

Published March 21, 2018 4:19 am

Eleven Area Youth Wrestlers Qualify for PJW State Tournament

CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Eleven area youth wrestlers who train through the Partner Trained Wrestling Club in Clarion are headed to the 2018 Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling State Youth Wrestling Tournament Friday and Saturday, March 23-24.

(Photo of the Partner Trained Wrestling Club members who have qualified for the PJW State Youth Tournament. Standing, from left: Dane Wenner, Derek Smail, Mason Gourley, Jacob Shilling, Dawson Smail, Hayden Hindman. Kneeling, from left: Kira Edmonds, Dalton Wenner, Weston Pisarchick, Jacob Henry. Missing from photo: Jackson Zimmerman.)

The wrestlers qualified this past weekend at the either the Area V Championships at Clearfield High School or the Area VI Championships at Meadville High School.

Winning Area V titles in the boys’ 9- and 10-years old division were Derek Smail of Clarion at 150 pounds, Mason Gourley of Clarion at 95 pounds, Jacob Shilling of Redbank Valley at 120 pounds and Jacob Henry of Keystone at 90 pounds.

Taking home an Area V title in the girls’ 9- and 10-years old division was Kira Edmonds of Keystone at 75 pounds, while Weston Pisarchick of Brockway (70 pounds) and Jackson Zimmerman of Brookville (125 pounds) won Area V championships in the 11- and 12-years old boys’ division.

Cranberry’s Dalton Wenner took home an Area VI championship in the 9- and 10-years old boys’ division at 65 pounds, as well.

Three wrestlers had runner-up finishes to qualify for the state tournament.

Dane Wenner of Cranberry was second at 85 pounds in the Area VI 11- and 12-years old boys’ division, while Hayden Hindman of Clarion was second at 105 pounds in the Area V 9- and 10-years boys’ old division and Dawson Smail of Clarion took second at 135 pounds in the 11- and 12-years old boys’ division.

To qualify for the state tournament, a wrestler must finish in the top two in their age and weight bracket from their area.

Area V consists of Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Cameron, Elk, McKean and Potter Counties, while Area VIA consists of Venango, Mercer, Lawrence and most of Crawford Counties.