The Tom Best Memorial Top Hat Tournament: Central Mountain Wrestling Dominates
Luke Simcox of Central Mountain smiles as he walks off the matt after his win over Evan Petrovich during their match at 145 pounds during the Top Hat Tournament Saturday night Dec. 2, 2023 at Williamsport High School. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Luke Simcox (Central Mountain Hs) 46-4, Sr. over Evan Petrovich (Connellsville Area)
Amidst the 2023 rendition of the Tom Best Memorial Top Hat Tournament, one wrestling program stood out above the rest. Even without two-time state medalist Dalton Perry, Central Mountain displayed dominance throughout its first tournament of the season and ultimately took first place out of 25 teams.
Dominant Performance by Central Mountain Wrestlers
Six finals featured a Wildcat, a fact that inevitably propelled Central Mountain to run away with it. Of those wrestlers, seniors Luke Simcox and Rocco Serafini claimed gold while Giovanni Tarantella, Griffin Walizer, Jacob Weaver, and freshman Aiden Kunes finished as runners-up, as the team concluded with 36 more points than second-place Saucon Valley.
Coach Bill Walizer on the Team’s Potential
“It shows there’s some potential there,” said coach Bill Walizer on what they displayed through Friday and Saturday. “It’s a long season so it’s about being healthy at the end of the year. But of course, we’re able to pull this off without Perry. Being able to do it with Dalton says a little bit.”
Depth and Talent
Central Mountain’s depth was apparent throughout the tournament, both through its senior class and underclassmen.
Four of its finals representatives were seniors while Weaver – who placed fifth in regionals as a sophomore last season – and Kunes showed they could also represent with room left to improve. Freshman Gavin Heverly came a few points away from upsetting Hempfield’s Nico Kapusta to advance to semis as well.
“Both are really good freshmen,” said Luke Simcox when discussing Kunes and Heverly. “They came in really strong, so I hope they come out of this storm a little more confident because placing in this storm as a freshman, there’s nothing to be upset about.”
Impressive Performances by Luke Simcox and Rocco Serafini
Simcox himself picked up where he left off last season. After picking up a 53-second fall in his first match on Friday, he’d advance to semis with a practically identical victory, securing a fall against Clearfield’s Colton Bumbarger in a minute and two seconds. He’d follow that up with back-to-back major decision wins in the semifinals and finals to take first place in the 145 class.
The last two wins didn’t seem easy to those observing, with Simcox finding himself in precarious situations in each. But a reversal in the second period of the finals against Connellsville’s Evan Petrovich turned the momentum back over to his side, as he was able to secure eight points without surrendering one.
Serafini had a similar final, getting put in a rough position on bottom in the second period before escaping and quickly re-establishing momentum. Walizer is happy to see how much the senior has progressed and claims said progress came because Serafini found enjoyment in practicing and improving.
“He went through his spell there after his sophomore year, beginning of junior year where he was struggling with some stuff,” said Walizer. “He just found the enjoyment of coming to practice and getting better. [Now] he wasn’t sure he was going to take the 215 but then he goes out in the finals and beats a guy that pinned him last year.”
Success of Other Local Teams
Though Central Mountain stole the show this weekend, there were other local teams that saw success.
Williamsport sported two quarterfinal qualifiers going into Saturday, with Nariq Burks advancing to semis before an injury cut his afternoon short and Hasin Cobb coming close to doing the same despite a tough third-round opponent in eventual runner-up Giovanni Tarantella.
Cobb would suffer multiple hard-fought defeats in consolations to close out his run, ultimately placing eighth in the 285 class. Though his run didn’t end the way he wanted it to, his continuous efforts to keep his last few matches close were commendable.
“I don’t think it was just maintaining control. It was just pure wrestling,” said Cobb when asked about his efforts. “Just pure wrestling. Keep moving, keeping fighting until the bell. At the end of the day, it’s between you and him inside that circle.”
Thus concludes a long, eventful opening tournament weekend for wrestling. While we’ve seen what a few of these area teams are capable of, there’s still so much that can change through the next few months and so much more wrestling to take place.