In a day of competition spanning nearly 11 hours, some of the top wrestlers from Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio packed into two gymnasiums at Corry High School to battle it out.

At 8-and-under 65 pounds, Coleman Miller was entered against 19 other wrestlers in the largest bracket of the tournament. In his opening match, Miller secured a 34-second, first-period pin, using a near-side cradle that squeezed his Meadville opponent into submission. Miller then dropped his next two matches to Cambridge Springs teammates who finished fifth and sixth in the bracket.

In the 12-and-under 80-pound weight class, Shawn Lang lost a tough opening-round bout to the eventual runner-up from Ramblers. In the consolation round, Lang dropped a hard-fought 4-2 decision to the fourth-place finisher in his bracket.

At 85 pounds, Wyatt Wilson stormed out of the gates with a nasty double arm bar to pin his Falconer opponent in 1:05 of the opening period. In the quarterfinals, the sledding got tough as Wilson dropped an 8-0 decision to the eventual fourth-place finisher from Port Allegany.

Hunter Ingerson secures a 14-second fall with a farmer’s throw.

In the consolation round, Wilson faced another Port Allegany opponent who benefited from his teammate’s scouting report, ending Wilson’s day.

Finally, at 95 pounds, Timmy Giger dropped both of his first two matches on a day where he wasn’t 100% physically. Giger had two previous wins against his opening-round Corry opponent and did his best to fight through a gripping headache, but was unable to close the gap after surrendering a 5-point headlock. In the consolation bracket, Giger dropped a major decision to an opponent with a well-known name in NW PA wrestling.

On Sunday, 14 Little Dragons competed in an equally grueling long day of competition at the novice (first- and second-year) level. With more than 300 wrestlers competing, each round of the tournament took two hours to complete.

In his first career tournament, Ethan Kent faced three very tough second-year opponents. Kent may have finished 0-3, but it didn’t take him long to overcome the opening-match jitters and concentrate on the wrestling. In their second tournaments, Jacob Ryan, Landon Coppersmith and Weston Ackley made immense improvements. Ryan and Coppersmith both recorded their first wins while Ackley scored a total of 22 points in the three matches that he lost by five combined points. Ackley displayed excellent technique in defending the half-nelson and was one scramble away from earning his first victory in each match.

Fellow first-year wrestlers Triton Ringer and Hunter Ingerson began to look experienced. Ringer won three of his five bouts, using a variety of moves, including the crossface, half-nelson, and farmer’s throw. After a frustrating 0-3 start, Ingerson made quick work of a very experienced third-year Frewsburg opponent with a 14-second pin via farmer’s throw.

Evan Wellner works to lock up a quarter-nelson.

Also in their first year but wrestling like veterans, Oliver Drescher, Evan Wellner, and KC Nelson dispatched 10 of their 11 opponents for an impressive 91% winning percentage. Drescher scored takedowns in bunches with knee picks and farmer’s throws. Wellner relied heavily on his headlocks but also scored big with a quarter-nelson. Nelson went to his farmer’s throw in every match, but also showed some versatility pinning his final opponent with a quarter nelson.

Not to be outdone by their first-year teammates, second-year wrestlers Owen Damcott, Curtis McGraw and Lucas Cope were also a combined 10-1 on the day while Jaxson Boozer went 2-2. Damcott dominated his opposition with high crotch and double-leg takedowns on his feet, and his top pressure had his opponents continually fighting off butchers and half-nelsons. McGraw posted falls via headlock and half-nelson and secured his third win with a sudden-victory takedown in overtime to take a gritty 12-10 decision. Cope ran the table on his competition with a high-paced, frenetic, unorthodox style that frustrated and confused his opponents. Finally, Boozer’s much more conventional style kept all of his matches close, with his points coming mostly from takedowns off of well-timed sprawls and quick go-behinds.

After a long weekend of grueling battles, the Little Dragons will defend their home turf this Saturday at the Warren YMCA. The first session begins at 9:30 a.m. and the second session at 12:30 p.m.