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For three years, Jimmy Hoffman has wrestled on the big stage at the PIAA Championships.

The Hazleton Area senior, who hopes to make it four straight years a month from now, is the only wrestler on the Cougars’ roster who will have experience at the Giant Center in Hershey this weekend for the PIAA Team Championships.

As the District 2 Class 3A champion Cougars begin their quest at the state tournament at 6 p.m. Thursday against District 3 runner-up Cedar Cliff, Hoffman vows to help his teammates who will be wrestling under the big lights for the first time.

“They’re gonna love it. The atmosphere there is unbelievable,” said Hoffman who is ranked first in the state by several publications and is also ranked nationally at 138 pounds in several polls. “It’s gonna be tough to get used to, but once we get the singlets strapped up, it’s gonna be go time.”

Freshman Charles Everdale has amassed 29 victories this season, while fellow freshman Jake Marnell has turned heads with six of his 17 wins this season coming by fall. Sophomore Shane Noonan already has 56 career wins, including 31 this season, second on the team to only Hoffman’s 33. Jeremy Aquino, another 10th grader, helped the Cougars to the District 2 title last weekend, winning a toss-up match in the second-to-last bout of the championship dual against Delaware Valley.

“Those kids have really picked it up in the room, and not only there,” Hoffman said. “They come out and do what they need to do. They do their job. They wrestle hard all six minutes and they’re hard workers.”

Every team participating in Hershey is guaranteed two matches. If the Cougars win their first, they will wrestle again on Friday at noon in the state quarterfinals against the winner of the Nazareth-Owen J. Roberts dual. A loss would mean a dual on Friday afternoon against the loser of that aforementioned match at 10 a.m.

Snow Must Go On

The projected weather forecast of snow isn’t stopping the show from going on. The PIAA sent out a news release on Wednesday stating that nothing will change.

“At this time, with varying forecasts on the total accumulations expected in the Hershey/Harrisburg area and the majority of the storm predicted to end mid-morning, we will start the tournament as scheduled with the afternoon start time of 2 p.m.,” the release stated. “We will continue to monitor the weather changes over the next twenty-four hours. Travel safety for our schools, participants, and spectators are our top priority.”

Lackawanna Ruling

In the battle for league supremacy in District 2 this year, the Lackawanna League has dominated the WVC in team competition.

The conference from the north took the top three spots at the Class 2A duals event with Honesdale, Western Wayne and Valley View. The league also took two of the top three spots in Class 3A with Delaware Valley being runner-up and West Scranton taking third. The WVC was fourth in both classes with Meyers (2A) and Tunkhannock (3A).

In dual meets this season, the only two teams of the eight D2 duals qualifiers from the WVC to have winning records against the LL were Hazleton Area (2-0) and Hanover Area (3-2) as the WVC has an overall record among those squads of 11-14.

“I think it varies from year to year and it bounces back and forth,” Tunkhannock coach Bob Hegedty said when asked about Lackawanna League dominance. “Maybe we need to pick it up a little bit on our end. We gotta get kids out and keep them healthy. It’s good to have that. You want competition on both sides. Maybe next year it will be all Valley Conference, who knows.”

Hazleton Area’s Jimmy Hoffman will lead the Cougars at the PIAA Class 3A team championships Thursday in Hershey.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_WVCwrestling_2-2.jpg.optimal.jpgHazleton Area’s Jimmy Hoffman will lead the Cougars at the PIAA Class 3A team championships Thursday in Hershey. Bill Tarutis | Times Leader file photo

By Dave Rosengrant

For Times Leader

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