This column was originally published in the Feb. 16, 2013 edition of The Mercury.

BOYERTOWN — For 26 years, Pioneer Athletic Conference wrestlers took turns beating up on one another during the regular season before most of them parted ways for the postseason.

This year, or today to be specific, everyone gets an opportunity to make yet another statement, or gets that coveted chance at redemption — and all in one place, in front of everyone else — when the inaugural PAC-10 Championships get under way this morning (9:30 a.m.) at Boyertown High School.

Unlike years past, when the postseason began and teams headed off into different directions, namely the Section 2, 3 and 4 as well as Class AA tournaments, all 10 will be poised to renew some old (and some new) individual battles that will dictate the top five in each class ... or who exactly will move on to next week’s district showdown.

The new district-wide format was discussed at length and later approved last summer by District 1 officials. Most if not all coaches, even the majority of fans, have since been very supportive of the change that replaces the six sectionals with the Bicentennial, Central, Ches-Mont, Del-Val, PAC-10, and Suburban One American, Continental and National league championships.

“I think it adds a lot of excitement,” District 1 Steering Committee chairman Dennis Kellon said last year when announcing the change.

That it does.
And perhaps nowhere more than in the PAC-10.

Considered, and rightfully so, the most competitive alignment in the district this season, this winter’s PAC-10 regular season was ruled by a very good and very balanced Owen J. Roberts lineup. It would be rather foolish to expect anyone other than OJR to pin down the team title today when all is said and done, too.

But it won’t be anywhere near as easy as all those jaw-dropping numbers the Wildcats produced en route to their second straight unbeaten PAC-10 championship. Today, as Owen J. Roberts head coach Steve DeRafelo said recently, will be an entirely different ballgame. Today, as Boyertown head coach Pete Ventresca said recently, will be a dogfight.

Today will be both ... if not more.

It wasn’t any surprise to see OJR, Upper Perkiomen and Boyertown each get three No. 1 seeds, or for Spring-Ford to get two. And the remaining three were divided up between Methacton, Perkiomen Valley and Pottstown. It also wasn’t any surprise to see OJR get an additional four No. 2 seeds, one more than both Spring-Ford and Boyertown.

Now what would be a surprise, actually a big surprise, is if all those premier seedings hold up. And that’s not to discredit any of those entries on the top and bottom of their respective brackets, either. It’s just that there is two very big quarterfinals and a whole lot of semifinals that could — that’s could — drop a number of those first and second seeds into the consolations.

One quarterfinal to keep an eye on could unfold in the talent-congested 126-pound weight class. Upper Perkiomen’s Dylan Steffenino, a state qualifier a year ago who hasn’t been anywhere near 100 percent this year because of an arm injury, has to deal with upstart freshman Al Ciccitto of Methacton in a pigtail. He needs a win to get Owen J. Roberts’ No. 2 Colby Frank (18-4), and that survivor will likely get Spring-Ford’s No. 3 seed Sean Hennessey (28-3). The upper-half of the bracket is no breeze, either, not with Pottstown’s Bryant Wise (29-2) and Boyertown’s No. 1 seed Eddie Kriczky (29-7).

The other quarterfinal is up at 195. Phoenixville’s Jordan Valenteen (23-5) gets Owen J. Roberts’ Brad Trego (22-13), a returning regional qualifier who has spent most of the last two seasons as a considerably undersized but game 285-pounder. The winner gets Boyertown’s top-seeded Jordan Wertz (28-9), who has been hot, hot, hot the past month. On the opposite side of the bracket is Methacton’s Mike Baccaro (27-4) and Spring-Ford’s Mason Romano (24-7).

It won’t get any easier at 132, either, even with Spring-Ford’s Adam Dombrosky opting to move up to 138. Barring any upsets, the semifinals should be physical scraps between Upper Perkiomen’s Wolfgang McStravick (37-5) and Pottsgrove’s Nico Demetrio (19-7), and Methacton’s Joe Staley (28-3) and OJR’s Dominick Petrucelli (26-10), who was as impressive as any of the Wildcats during last week’s PIAA team duals.

At 152, Perkiomen Valley’s top-seeded Nick Giangiulio (26-1) should get quite a semifinal test from Boyertown freshman Gregg Harvey (22-10). And if Owen J. Roberts’ Kyle Shronk (24-4) can stay healthy, a Giangiulio-Shronk final may be one of the most watched of the entire tournament.

And not to overlook anyone at 220, but Part One of what could very well be a District 1 trilogy — or consecutive league, district and regional final — will feature freshman phenom Jordan Wood (34-1) of Boyertown against super soph Pat Finn (21-2) of Pottsgrove.

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The top seeds are Upper Perkiomen’s Dustin Steffenino at 106; OJR’s Derek Gulotta at 113; Upper Perkiomen’s Dante Steffenino at 120; Kriczky at 126; McStravick at 132; Dombrosky at 138; OJR’s Adam Moser at 145; Giangiulio at 152; Pottstown’s Darien Hain at 160; Spring-Ford’s Tyler McGuigan at 170; OJR’s Gordon Bolig at 182; Wertz at 195; Wood at 220; and Methacton’s Tracey Green at 285. ... Pottstown, which set a single-season school record with 22 wins this winter, also has a second seed in Jasheel Brown (145) and five third seeds — Logan Pennypacker (106); Robbie McCoy (113), Patrick Bohn (138), Sebastian Shiffler (152), and Jeff Slody (220). ... Pope John Paul II also has a second seed in Kirk Cherneskie at 182.

NOTES
Pope John Paul II is the only Class AA school in the PAC-10, which means if any of the Golden Panthers’ entries place fifth or better they will be replaced at next week’s AAA district tournament by the next highest-placing wrestler in that weight class. ... The PAC-10’s five qualifiers and the Central League’s top six will line up for next week’s District 1-AAA West Tournament at Spring-Ford, where only the top three finishers in each weight class advance to the Southeast Regional at Pottstown.