Derry’s Cymmerman overcomes slow start to reach PIAA Class AA quarterfinals

By: Paul Schofield
Thursday, March 7, 2019 | 4:13 PM

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HERSHEY — Derry sophomore Ty Cymmerman started slowly in his opening-round match Thursday at the PIAA Class AA wrestling championships at the Giant Center.

But once he got his nerves under control, he rolled to an easy win.

Teammate Dom DeLuca, Mt. Pleasant freshman Dayton Pitzer and Frazier junior Thayne Lawrence didn’t mess around in their matches and all quickly disposed off their opponents with pins in less than a minute.

Cymmerman (38-6) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period and then realized he was better on his feet in the second and took down Hughesville senior Ben Heinrich two more times to build a 6-1 lead en route to a 15-3 victory.

He advances to the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. Friday against Greenville senior Bryce Knauf (42-3).

“I was a little nervous coming in,” Cymmerman said. “You don’t want to get off to a bad start or a loss. I wrestled to get a win; I probably should have done more.”

Cymmerman added three more takedowns in the third period to finish off a dominating performance.

“I didn’t want him to turn me from the top,” Cymmerman said. “I was staying away from his dump; he tried that in the first period. I was better on my feet.

“I just want to win and get a place. I’m not looking ahead. It’s not good to do that.”

DeLuca (37-1) was all smiles after his 32-second pin of Pequea senior Joey Coblentz. The Derry senior took him down and used a front headlock to secure the pin.

“Every match, I try to go out, score points and have fun,” DeLuca said. “Coach (Mike Weinell) told me this is my last year and act like this is your tournament and go out with confidence. You have nothing to lose.”

DeLuca was a PIAA runner-up at 220 pounds in 2018, but he’s seeded and ranked No. 1 for this tournament.

“This is all about advancing and moving,” DeLuca said. “It doesn’t matter what the score is.”

DeLuca will face Reynolds senior Wyatt Owen (35-10) in the quarterfinals.

Pitzer (40-1) was the only one of a trio of Mt. Pleasant freshmen to win in the first round.

He shrugged off any nerves and decked Kane junior Teddy Race in 47 seconds. He’ll face Southern Columbia sophomore Tyler Waltman (36-13) in the quarterfinals at 182 pounds.

“I think of this as just another match,” Pitzer said. “I prepared the entire year for this. I just wrestle hard and have fun. I’m always trying to pin my opponent.”

Pitzer said he worked out against DeLuca the past week, which helped him.

Mt. Pleasant freshman Luke Geibig (32-14) finished his season with two losses. He fell to Brockway freshman Mark Palmer, 11-4, in the preliminary round and then lost 3-0 to Littlestown sophomore Connor Brown at 106.

Fellow Vikings freshman Noah Teeter (36-12) bounced back after his 5-0 first-round loss to Bishop McDevitt (District 3) junior Nate Smith, by rolling to a 10-4 win against Bald Eagle Area senior Garrett Giedroc at 120.

Lawrence (26-3) needed just 30 seconds to pin of Faith Christian junior Max Schultz at 160. The top seed and returning 152-pound PIAA champion will face Notre Dame-Green Pond freshman Derek Berlitz in the quarterfinals.

Valley senior Noah Hutcherson (21-7) pulled off a surprise by defeating Greenville senior Brady Gentile, 10-8, the third seed, in the first round. He began the day by pinning Tri-Valley senior Kolt Schaeffer in the second period at 170.

Burrell sophomore Ian Oswalt (46-2) survived a scare, winning 3-2 against Biglerville junior Blake Showers at 120.

Teammate and classmate A.J. Corrado (35-11) won his preliminary-round match, defeating Notre Dame-Green Pond senior Nick Vonelli, 3-2, but he was beaten 9-0 by the second seed, Saegertown junior Kenny Kiser, 9-0.

Burrell senior Austin Mele (38-13) opened with an 8-5 preliminary-round win against Reynolds senior Hunter Thompson but lost to Saucon Valley junior Matthew Arciuolo, 18-2, in the quarterfinals.

Blairsville junior Garrett Henigin (29-8) opened with a 19-3 win in the preliminary round, but was pinned by Union Coty senior Gavin Henry in the first round at 182.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area, Mt. Pleasant