With a field of 42 teams, which represent seven different states, the 10th Annual Escape the Rock tournament is once again staking its claim as one of the toughest in-season tournaments in the country.

The already strong contingent of teams and wrestlers will continue to grow as New York (St. Anthony’s) and West Virginia (Mussleman) will each have a presence at the tournament for the first time. State power Bethlehem Catholic is returning and will look to make a push for the team title after earning a runner-up finish in the team race a year ago.

Stroudsburg and Liberty will add to the list of tough PA teams from District 11 making the trip to Council Rock South High School. Malvern Prep is making its return and will lead a good group of new prep schools appearing this season which include Georgetown Prep (MD), St. Christopher’s (VA), St. Paul's (MD) and the Phelps School (PA).

More first timers include Exeter (PA), Berlin Brothers Valley (PA), Oscar Smith (VA) and Queen of Peace (NJ). Battlefield (VA) and Mountain View (VA) will be coming back to the tournament after being away for a few years.

Below are weight class capsules, notes and picks.

Action gets underway Saturday at 10:30 a.m. EST.

*Wrestlers are listed in order of pre-seeds.


106
The Contenders
#15-Riley Palmer, Council Rock South – Bethlehem Holiday Classic Champ, King of the Mountain Champ (113), Returning ETR 6th.
#14-Matt Parker, Pennridge – Beast of the East runner-up, King of the Mountain Champ (106), Fargo AA
Gerard Angelo, Hanover Park – Beast of the East 3rd
Jakob Campbell, Boyertown – Beast of the East 8th, King of the Mountain 3rd.

Commentary: Both Palmer and Parker have a long list of accolades, which include both of them winning King of the Mountain this season at 106 and 113, respectively. So having them both here at 106 should make for an incredible final. Palmer may be the top-seed, but I have to give the nod to Parker here. Beast of the East 3rd place finisher Gerard Angelo should also do well here, but may have to settle for another bronze as I don’t see him getting by Parker in the semi’s. Don’t be surprised to see sophomore Will Kaldes do some damage here either. I consider him to be my sleeper pick.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Parker  2. Palmer  3. Angelo
Willie’s picks:  1. Palmer  2. Parker  3. Angelo


113
The Contenders
HM-Danny Moran, Northampton – Beast of the East runner-up, Bethlehem Holiday Classic 3rd, Returning ETR runner-up, State runner-up.
Joey Prata, St. Christopher’s – State Champ, Beast of the East 6th, National Prep Champ, CD Greco Champ.
Kordell Rush, Pennridge – Beast of the East 7th, King of the Mountain runner-up, Fargo AA, Returning ETR 4th.
KJ Fenstermacher, Liberty – Bethlehem Holiday Classic runner-up.
Dan Planta, St. Paul’s – Powerade 3rd
Aaron Rump, Chambersburg – Returning 7th

Commentary: Plenty of familiarity here. As a returning runner-up Moran is definitely a favorite to make the final once again this year. He could have his hands full with Fenstermacher in the semi’s, but I see Moran winning a close one here. Take into consideration that it depends which KJ shows up on match day. In the bottom half of the bracket, Rush and Prata are on a collision coarse for each other where I see Rush pulling out the win to advance to the final against Moran. Planta impressed me at Powerade and Rump will surely be looking to impress upon his 7th place finish from a year ago so I wouldn’t be shocked to see an upset from one of them.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Moran  2. Fenstermacher  3. Planta
Willie’s picks:  1. Moran  2. Fenstermacher  3. Prata


120
The Contenders
HM-Jake Riegel, Bethlehem Catholic – Returning ETR Champ, Beast of the East 4th, King of the Mountain 3rd, State Champ.
Brett Kulp, Exeter – State 5th.
Derek Gulotta, OJR – King of the Mountain 4th, State 4th, Returning 4th.
Wyatt Long, Cumberland Valley – Beast of the East 7th.

Commentary: Reigel is the favorite here with being the returning 106-pound champ. The only question is, who will he have the final? Long could throw a monkey wrench into the operation and pull the upset over Kulp in the quarters killing Gulotta’s chances of a rematch with Kulp who owns a, 3-2 overtime win over him. But the way I see it, Gulotta should advance to the final against Reigel no matter who he meets in the semi’s.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Reigel  2. Gulotta  3. Long
Willie’s picks:  1. Gulotta  2. Reigel   3. Kulp


126
The Contenders
#11-Luke Karam, Bethlehem Catholic – State Champ, Beast of the East Champ, King of the Mountain 3rd, Fargo AA, Returning ETR Champ.
#10-Anthony Cefolo, Hanover Park – State Champ, Beast of the East 3rd, Fargo AA.
HM-Zack Trampe, Council Rock South – Bethlehem Holiday Classic Champ, King of the Mountain Champ.
#17-Ben Lamantia, St. Anthony’s – Excaliber Champ, S32 placer
Ryan Friedman, St. Paul’s – FloNationals 3rd, Powerade 8th.
JD Gregory, Hanover – State Champ, Fargo AA, Returning ETR 6th
Jacob Lizak, Parkland – Powerade 3rd, Fargo AA, Returning ETR 3rd, State 5th.
Mikey Sheetz, Northampton – Bethlehem Holiday Classic Champ (2013), Returning ETR runner-up, two-time State placer.

Commentary: Plenty of contenders here, but the cream will surely rise to the top. Karam is the returning 113-pound champ so he definitely gets the nod to repeat, especially if he performs like he did at the Beast. The guy to keep an eye on here is Trampe. Trampe took home the KOM title with a 7-5 win over Ethan McCoy who defeated Karam in the semi’s to start the season. So he is definitely not someone to overlook.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Karam  2. Trampe  3. Cefolo
Willie’s picks:  1. Karam   2. Trampe   3. Cefolo


132
The Contenders
#14-Eric Hong, Georgetown Prep – National Prep Champ, Fargo AA, FloNationals 4th (2013).
Joey Gould, Bethlehem Catholic – State placer, Returning ETR 7th.
Sam Morina, Paulsboro – State qualifier, Returning 6th.
Austin Nash, Hanover Park – Beast 5th
Todd Hetrick, Northampton – Bethlehem Holiday Classic runner-up

Commentary: Should be a 1-2 match up between Gould and Hong in the final with Hong taking it. Not sure many will be able to give Hong a run here, but I could see Pennridge’s Josh Stillings putting up a fight along with Hetrick who will be in the mix.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Hong  2. Gould  3. Morina
Willie’s picks:  1. Hong   2. Gould   3. Hetrick


138
The Contenders
Stephen Maloney, Bethlehem Catholic – Beast of the East 5th, King of the Mountain 6th, State placer, Returning 7th.
Dimitri D’Orsaneo, OJR – King of the Mountain 4th, State placer.
David Rump, Chambersburg – Beast of the East 4th, State qualifier.
JD Stone, Colonial Forge – State runner-up

Commentary: I feel like anything can happen at this weight. I could certainly see Rump coming out of the top half. That’s no slight to top-seeded Maloney either. These three guys along with Liberty’s John Ritter, who I consider to be my sleeper pick, will make things very entertaining.

Holmes’ picks:  1. Rump  2. Maloney  3. Stone
Willie’s picks:  1. Maloney  2. D'Orsaneo   3. Rump


145
The Contenders
#14-Kent Lane, Southern Columbia – State runner-up, FloNationals placer.
Jason Gaccione, High Point – State placer
BC Laprade, New Kent – VA State Champ
Austin Riggs, JW Robinson – VA State runner-up
Christian Bassolino, Hanover Park – Beast of the East 8th
Luke Martoccio, Council Rock South – Bethlehem Holiday Classic runner-up

Commentary: Let’s start this one with the sleeper pick Cole Karam from Bethlehem Catholic. The 10th-seeded junior hasn’t had the best luck and has been plagued with injury in the past. But so far this season things are shaping up to be a bit better for him after getting things started with a 3rd place finish at King of the Mountain. I don’t see him at the top of the podium, but at least a 4th place finish could be in his future here. Lane is surely the favorite to win the title here. He will most-likely take on BC Laprade in the final, but I think Riggs can give him fits in the semi’s.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Lane  2. Laprade   3. Riggs
Willie’s picks:  1. Lane   2. Gaccione   3. Riggs


152
The Contenders
Billy Barnes, Southern Columbia – State runner-up.
Mikey Labriola, Bethlehem Catholic – State placer, Beast of the East 7th, King of the Mountain runner-up.
Blake Hohman, New Kent – VA State runner-up, Returning placer.
Dom Petrucelli, OJR – King of the Mountain 4th, State qualifier.
Dylan Schwartz, Council Rock South – Bethlehem Holiday Classic Champ, King of the Mountain 4th.

Commentary: I’m going to call this weight a considerable toss up with the advantage going to Barnes. Labriola is a very game opponent who I think can push Barnes if they meet in the final, but the returning state runner-up should be able to edge the shifty sophomore. Schwartz is another guy to keep an eye on along with Petrucelli.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Barnes  2. Labriola  3. Petrucelli
Willie’s picks:  1. Barnes   2. Labriola  3. Schwartz


160
The Contenders
#16-Corbin Allen, Hanover – State Champ, S32 placer, Fargo AA
#5 at 152-Pat Duggan, Cumberland Valley – State placer, Beast of the East runner-up, Fargo AA.
Mike Beard, Malvern Prep – Beast of the East 3rd, Ironman 6th.
Adam Soldridge, Bethlehem Catholic – King of the Mountain runner-up, State qualifier.
Anthony Oliveri, Hanover Park – Beast of the East 6th.

Commentary: After a second straight runner-up finish at the Beast of the East tournament at 152, Duggan will move up to 160 with the potential of meeting Allen in the final. This match up will definitely be worth the price of admission and I see it going in Duggan’s favor by a slight margin. Beard will cause some problems along the way as well as Oliveri. But neither will be able to deter the matchup between Allen and Duggan.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Duggan  2. Allen  3. Beard
Willie’s picks:  1. Duggan   2. Allen   3. Beard


170
The Contenders
Idris White, Father Judge – Super 32 6th, Powerade 6th, State placer, Returning 3rd.
Kyle Gentile, Pennridge – King of the Mountain runner-up, Beast of the East 7th, State qualifier.
Drew Peck, Chambersburg – Beast of the East 4th, NHSCA runner-up, Returning 7th.
Anthony Carter, Colonial Forge – State placer.

Commentary: White will be attempting to make another ETR final after coming up short last year where he took third. But things could get tight for him if he takes on Peck in the semi’s. That could make for an interesting test for the top seed that I’m not sure he will pass. Though he is the third seed, I still consider Taylor Cahill to be the dark horse here.

Holmes’ picks: 1. White  2. Gentile  3. Peck
Willie’s picks:  1. White  2. Peck   3. Gentile


182
The Contenders
John Jakobsen, Stroudsburg – Fargo AA, State qualifier.
Robert Winter, Colonial Forge – Returning ETR 8th, State placer.
Greg Harvey, Boyertown – King of the Mountain 4th, State qualifier.
Rashon Lusane, Malvern – Returning ETR 6th, State qualifier.
Hakim Coles, Hill – Cadet Greco AA.

Commentary: In the first year making the trip to ETR, Stroudsburg gets a top-seed with Jakobson. But I don’t see him being the favorite to take home the title. This weight is a bit of a wide-open field. The guy that will be seizing his opportunity will be Blake Barrick. The top 50 freshman will be the under the radar wrestler that will pull an upset. We will just have to see how far that momentum can carry him.

Holmes’ picks:  1. Winter  2. Lusane  3. Jakobsen
Willie’s picks:  1. Jakobsen  2. Barick   3. Lusane


195
The Contenders
Cole Depasquale, JWR – VA State Champ, Returning ETR Champ.
Tommy Rayhart, Big Spring – Returning ETR 4th.
Matt Wagner, Delaware Valley – Bethlehem Holiday Classic Champ, Returning ETR 7th, State qualifier.
Cam Houston, Colonial Forge – Beast of the East 7th, State placer.
Jeff Velez, Queen of Pease – Beast of the East 8th, NHSCA Champ, State qualifier.
Peter Corbett, St. Anthony’s – Excalibur 3rd.

Commentary: I guess the question here is, “will the returning champ, Depasquale repeat?” After moving up to 195 this year, the top seed will face some new challenges, but he has a good chance at returning to the top of the podium. However, the hill he has to climb to get there will be pretty steep with the highly decorated wrestlers in his way. The test for Depasquale will come in the quarters where he will most likely see Xavier Ferizzi. The match to watch will be between Houston and Toby Cahill in one of the other quarterfinal matches. But the quarters are where I see upsets coming for Ferizzi and Houston securing a match up between the two in the semi’s.

Holmes’ picks:  1. Rayhart  2. Houston  3. Depasquale
Willie’s picks:  1. Depasquale  2. Wagner   3. Houston


220
The Contenders
#3-Andrew Dunn, Bethlehem Catholic – Super 32 Champ, Beast of the East Champ, King of the Mountain Champ, Returning ETR Champ.
Omar Haddad, Parkland – Powerade Champ (2013), State placer, Returning runner-up.
#4-Patrick Grayson, Colonial Forge – Beast of the East runner-up, Super 32 Champ, State Champ.
Paul Triandafilou, Georgetown Prep – Mount Mat Madness Champ.
Andrew Gunning, Liberty – Bethlehem Holiday Classic Champ.
Ezra Outlaw, Pennridge – Bethlehem Holiday Classic 3rd.

Commentary: Dunn has been a mission since winning Super 32. He already owns an OT win over Grayson in the Beast finals and I believe we could see a rematch here in the final. Haddad’s performance at Powerade this season was not very impressive and unless he’s made some changes to his game, I’m not sure he will be able to take down Grayson in the semi’s. Nonetheless, this is Dunn’s tournament to lose.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Dunn  2. Grayson  3. Haddad
Willie’s picks:  1. Dunn   2. Grayson   3. Haddad


285
The Contenders
#14-Bo Spiller, Solanco – Beast of the East 6th, Powerade 6th, ETR Champ (2013), State placer.
Kostya Golobokov, Hill – Returning 6th.
Joe Kracz, Pennridge – Beast of the East 5th, Bethlehem Holiday Classic runner-up.
Deovante Randell, Paulsboro – Returning 7th, State qualifier.
Tommy Killoran, Boyertown – Beast of the East 6th, King of the Mountain 4th.

Commentary: Not too sure anyone can pose a threat to Spiller here. Golobokov will be trying to get over the sixth place groove he’s been stuck in for the last two seasons. Kracz is looking to be the guy to make the final against Spiller who will be attempting to claim another title after coming up short at 220 last season.

Holmes’ picks: 1. Spiller  2. Kracz  3. Randall
Willie’s picks:  1. Spiller   2. Golobokov   3. Kracz