Here's why Meadville will host hybrid Section 1-AA/District 10 Class 3A wrestling meets

Fans of Erie County's Class 2A and Class 3A wrestling teams tend to not cross paths during individual postseason action.

Not only are District 10's large- and small-school tournaments often held on the same dates, but also at separate locations.

That won't be the case in one instance this weekend.

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Meadville is the locale for the two-day Section 1-AA meet, which begins Friday. However, come Saturday they'll share the Bulldogs' mats with five teams that comprise the district's 3A competition.

That hybrid format, according to district wrestling Director Steve Hoover, was necessitated by the decision to hold the Northwest Region 3A tournament one weekend earlier. The Feb. 24-25 tournament is still scheduled at its regular venue, the Altoona Fieldhouse, but will provide its medalists with two weeks to prepare for the PIAA meet instead of one.

Hoover has a wait-and-see approach if scheduling the Section 1-AA/District 10 3A matches at one venue will become the norm.

“I do like the idea and I think it's going to go well,” he said. “But until it happens Saturday, I'm not sure yet.”

The Section 2-AA meet, comprised of small-school wrestlers from the district's southern half, is set for Friday and Saturday at Sharon. The district's 2A meet also will take place there Feb. 24-25.

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Six wrestlers seek second straight D-10 3A titles

The General McLane and Warren wrestling teams dropped to 2A status for the PIAA's current two-year enrollment cycle. Although Hickory was promoted to 3A for that same span, it's still only one of the handful of programs involved in Saturday's one-day district tournament.

Cathedral Prep, McDowell, Erie High and host Meadville are the others.

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McLane's absence from the district's 3A brackets, combined with graduation and transfers, means only six gold medalists are scheduled back from last year's tournament.

Prep's Keagan Oler was the 2022 champ at the former 106-pound weight class, as was the Ramblers' Sam Staab at 132. McDowell returns champs from last year in middleweight Caleb Butterfield and upperweight Troy Peterson.

Caleb and Brighton Anderson, sons of Meadville wrestling coach Barry Anderson, also have opportunities for back-to-back district titles.

Last season: General McLane and Cathedral Prep wrestling teams fit to be tied at District 10 3A meet

Bison pursue more postseason success

Fort LeBoeuf returns to postseason action in Meadville less than a week after its second-place showing in the PIAA 2A team tournament.

D-10 team tournament: Tension, tight matches on display in D-10 2A team wrestling tournament. Here's how it went

Faith Christian beat the Bison 54-12 in their championship dual at Hershey's Giant Center. LeBoeuf, in its fifth such final, had hoped for its first state victory since 2010.

Among those who wrestled for the Bison last weekend was JoJo Przybycien. The junior was last season's individual district champ at 126 pounds.

Danny Church should be LeBoeuf's starter at 215 this weekend. The senior won his 100th varsity match when the Bison beat Burgettstown in the team semifinals at Hershey.

District 10 wrestling tournaments

Schedules for District 10's Class 2A section and Class 3A wrestling tournaments:

Section 1-AA

At Meadville Area High School

• Friday: 3:45 p.m., championship rounds through quarterfinals and consolation preliminary rounds

• Saturday: 9 a.m., championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals and semifinals; 3:30 p.m., third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches; 5:30, championship matches

• Participating schools: Region 3 — Corry, Eisenhower, Seneca, Titusville, Union City, Warren, Youngsville; Region 4 — McLane, Fort LeBoeuf, Harbor Creek, Girard, Northwestern, North East

Section 2-AA

At Sharon High School

• Friday: 5:15 p.m., championship rounds through quarterfinals and consolation preliminary rounds

• Saturday: 9:15 a.m., championship semifinals and consolation rounds through semifinals; 3:30 p.m., third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches; 5:30, championship matches

• Participating schools: Region 1 — Grove City, Slippery Rock, Sharon, Sharpsville, Greenville, Mercer, Reynolds;Region 2 — Franklin, Conneaut, Commodore Perry, Maplewood, Cambridge Springs, Saegertown, Cochranton

District 10 Class 3A

At Meadville High School

• Saturday: 9 a.m., championship quarterfinals and semifinals; 3:30 p.m., third-place matches; 5:30, championship matches

• Participating schools: Region 5 — Cathedral Prep, Erie, McDowell, Meadville, Hickory

• More information: piaadistrict10.org/tournaments

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Meadville to host hybrid Section 1-AA/District 10 3A wrestling meets