Twenty-two wrestlers from eight high schools in the Alle-Kiski region are headed to the PIAA Regionals at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown Friday, March 1st. (See who each of them will face in the first round, below) The Tournament pits the six best individual wrestlers in each weight division in the WPIAL against other champions from three districts in this side of the state. The top five wrestlers in each weight class who win at this level go on in one week to the last round, the state championships in Hershey, PA.

Every weight class but one is represented by someone from the Alle-Kiski region. There is no one at the 152lb weight. Some weight divisions even have as many as three from this area.

Area high schools represented at the Regionals include Burrell, Highlands, Valley, Riverview, Kittanning, Blairsville, Elderton and Shady Side.

Burrell, whose team won the 2008 PIAA Team Wrestling Championships in early February, is sending 11 wrestlers. That almost puts one Burrell wrestler in every one of the 14 weight classes.

The Burrell Bucs squad is led by the one-two-three knockout punch of Shane Welsh (135lbs), Jordan Shields (140lbs), and Bob Speer (145lbs). All three seniors won WPIAL championship titles to advance to the regionals. Because of those victories, each of the three earned a bye during the first round of Regionals and will not wrestle until the second round.

In the WPIALs held in late February, Welsh won his third WPIAL title and teammate Jordan Shields won his fourth WPIAL title. Shields' fourth title makes him only the second in Burrell wrestling history to win four. The feat is practically unheard of in the WPIAL. Less than 20 wrestlers in the WPIAL have repeated four times as champion.

Welsh, Shields and Shady Side's Dane Johnson (who resides here in the Alle-Kiski region) each have over 100 career victories. Johnson wrestles at 125lbs and also has a bye in the first round, having also won a WPIAL title. Elderton's Zack Reefer, wrestling at heavyweight (285lb) has a first-round bye as well after winning the WPIAL crown.

Here, broken down by weight class, are the wrestlers & their opponents, their year in school and their records along with who they face in the first round, as well as where they were ranked February 18th by Wrestling Report.

• 103 lbs
  Mike Henderson Highlands (11) 31-7 ranked 5th
  Adam Weinell Blairsville (10) 30-5
  
  Ronnie Garbinsky Tyrone Area (9) 33-2
  Keith Cornman Kittanning (9) 25-10 ranked 4th

• 112 lbs
  Jesse Runk Huntingdon Area (11) 30-10
  Jeremy Landowski Burrell (9) 31-10 ranked 4th
  

• 119 lbs
  Travis McKillop Burrell (9) 25-7 ranked 1rst
  Willie Sollenberger N. Bedford (9) 21-13

• 125 lbs
  Dane Johnson Shady Side (11) 42-2 ranked 1rst
  BYE
  
  Thomas McVicker Forest Hills (12) 28-5
  Brandon Morris Kittanning (12) 30-10 22
  
  Tyler Berger Burrell (11) 33-10 ranked 3rd
  Craig Harris Richland (10) 25-11

• 130 lbs
  Nolan Greenwald Burrell (10) 22-16 ranked 4th
  Andy Sollenberger N. Bedford (11) 25-8
  
  Sam Zimmerman North Star (12) 24-5
  Levi Smeltzer Elderton (12) 33-7 ranked 5th

• 135 lbs
  Shane Welsh Burrell (12) 37-3 ranked 1rst
  BYE

• 140 lbs
  Jordan Shields Burrell (12) 40-1 ranked 1rst
  BYE

• 145 lbs
  Bob Speer Burrell (12) 35-7 ranked 1rst
  BYE
  
  Chad Miller Richland (11) 25-8
  Jamie Atwood Kittanning (12) 27-4 ranked 2nd

• 152 lbs
  no one representing our region
  

• 160 lbs
  Matt McKillop Burrell (12) 27-14 ranked 6th
  Dustin Drake Mount Union Area (12) 39-1
  
  Myers Miller Ligonier Valley (12) 28-6
  Mike Kuhns Valley (11) 28-10 ranked 6th

• 171 lbs
  Chaz Merriman Westmont-Hilltop (10) 21-10
  Josh Dezort Riverview (12) 24-6 ranked 2nd

• 189 lbs
  Eric Herrold Penns Valley (12) 26-6
  Kyle Dudley Valley (10) 28-7
  
  Derek Edwards Burrell (11) 27-13 ranked 4th
  Tyler Cogan N. Bedford (12) 19-12

• 215 lbs
  Lou Gardone Burrell (12) 30-7 ranked 3rd
  Cody Shippey Bedford (11) 27-8

• 285 lbs
  Brian Beattie Burrell (9) 29-11 ranked 2nd
  Cody Weaverling Hyndman (12) 19-7
  
  Zack Reefer Elderton (12) 33-2 ranked 3rd
  BYE