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Fresh off of the 2009 victory at the Dapper Dan Event, Pennsylvania's 2010 senior class appears to have set the tone for a repeat victory against Team USA next March. This group of seniors has been tagged since early 2007 as the best ever to come out of Pennsylvania. Only time will tell if that's the case, but it's hard to argue with all the accomplishments these kids have earned to date.
The buzz of the class comes from twins that compete for Central Mountain High School -- Dylan and Andrew Alton. The brothers won Junior Nationals in Fargo this summer and have given verbal commitments to Penn State. Marshall Peppelman from Central Dauphin has only seen the state finals so far in his career, a runner-up finisher as a freshman, Marshall looks to three-peat in 2010.
The Alton twins, Dylan and Andrew, won titles at Junior Nationals this summer in Fargo, North Dakota (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)School: Central Mountain
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 140
Projected College Weight Class: 141
Scouting Report: Andrew, who verbally committed to Penn State, capped his perfect season last March with a first-period fall in the state finals. Anticipation is building in the Keystone State for a matchup with No. 4 Josh Kindig. This battle began this past offseason with these two in freestyle and the finale will come next March!
1b. Dylan Alton
School: Central Mountain
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 145
Projected College Weight Class: 149
Scouting Report: Dylan, like twin brother Andrew, gave a verbal commitment to Penn State. Dylan is one up on his twin with two PIAA state championships. His second title this past March was one of his toughest tests of the year ... beating returning state champion Joey Napoli.
1c. Marshall Peppelman
School: Central Dauphin
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152
Projected College Weight Class: 157
Scouting Report: Peppelman has more gold than Fort Knox. His team has won three consecutive state duals championships, won the team title at the individual states, and are the early favorites to win it all again in Pennsylvania. He is considering Cornell, Ohio State, and Virginia for college.
Josh Kindig finished runner-up to Andrew Alton this summer at Junior Nationals (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)School: Blue Mountain High School (130-11)
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 135/140
Projected College Weight Class: 141
Scouting Report: Kindig didn't have far to travel during his career for the best competition. He's a District 11 product. His 2008 state runner-up finish was to highly talented Jordan Oliver, who now competes at Oklahoma State. The road to Hershey meant for Kindig to win gold he would have had to have beaten Oliver in three consecutive weeks. Kindig's senior campaign will have him battling Andrew Alton based on projected weight classes.
5. Dirk Cowburn
School: Coudersport
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160
Projected College Weight Class: 165
Scouting Report: Cowburn battled a football injury that occurred late in the season. He missed most of December. Cowburn competes in the small school division and is looking for his third state championship this season.
6. Sam Sherlock
School: West Mifflin
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130
Projected College Weight Class:133
Scouting Report: Sherlock has given a verbal commitment to Penn State and he's not backing down from the competition. He is looking to avenge an overtime loss to Chris Villalonga and bring home a Beast title this December. He'll get tested throughout the season while competing in the powerhouse WPIAL.
7. Simon Kitzsis
School: Wyoming Seminary
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 135/140
Projected College Weight Class: 141
Scouting Report: Kitzsis will take to the big stage early as Wyoming Seminary has a schedule that is brutal during the first half of the season. Kitzsis took home a Beast title as the No. 9 seed last season, which caused his stock to go up. He's hoping to bring home more hardware in 2010. He's considering Maryland, Virginia, Northwestern, Lehigh, North Carolina, Binghamton, and Boston for college.
8. Evan Craig
School: Abington Heights
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 285
Projected College Weight Class: 285
Scouting Report: Craig jumped into the mix as a freshman competing at heavyweight, which is unheard of in Pennsylvania. He took home gold as a Fargo Cadet Nationals champion in 2008, and then followed up with his first state championship as a junior.
Josh Dziewa won a Junior Nationals title this summer in freestyle, but comes in at No. 9 in a deep Pennsylvania senior class (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)School: Council Rock South
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 135
Projected College Weight Class: 141
Scouting Report: Well known, but viewed only from off-season events in 2009, Dziewa (pronounced Jevva) made his presence known in Fargo with a Junior Nationals title this summer. Council Rock South has improved its schedule and will travel to the Ironman in December. Dziewa has dropped some heartbreakers in the championship brackets at the PA states. He's looking for that title in 2010.
10. Mike McMullen
School: Wyoming Seminary
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 285
Projected College Weight Class: 285
Scouting Report: Like Kitzsis, McMullen's team will travel to all the major events early in the season. He has his sights on gold at Ironman and the Beast in December. He will likely play football in college ... but he's leaving his options open. He's looking at Harvard, Penn, Columbia, Virginia, Penn State, Army, and Northwestern.
Honorable Mention:
Colin Shober (Schuylkill Valley)
Matt Cunningham (Shady Side Academy)
Nate Gaffney (Connellsville)
Spencer Myers (Selinsgrove)
Antonio Giorgio (Warwick)
Tyler Rauenzahn (Blue Mountain)
Clint Morrison (Cedar Cliff)
Jamie Callendar (Council Rock North)
A.J. Schopp (Tyrone)
Jordan Moss (Sharon)
Eric Hess (Benton)
Tyler Demott (Benton)
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