Six Chestnut Ridge wrestlers earned No. 1 seeds in Saturday’s District 5 Class 2A tournament at Bedford High School.
The Lions have won 13 of the past 14 district team titles, including 12 straight until 2024.
Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. The finals will start around 5:30 p.m.
The top three from each weight class advances to the Southwest Regional Feb. 27-28 in Altoona.
Chestnut Ridge’s top seeds include senior Dominic Deputy (127), juniors Jayden Imler (189) and Trenden Willey (139), sophomore Austin Bernash (133) and freshmen Kooper Deputy (107) and Carter Ickes (114).
Imler, Dominic Deputy and Willey are defending District 5 champs. Dominic Deputy is 180-11 over his career and 42-2 this season. The North Carolina State signee has won three prior district crowns. Chestnut Ridge’s Christian Feight also won a 2025 district title.
Imler is 33-8, and Willey is 29-11. Kooper Deputy is 42-0 with 35 falls. Bernash is 33-14, and Ickes is 36-10.
The other area No. 1 seeds are Bedford junior Cuyler Hale (160), Berlin Brothersvalley sophomores Carter Durst (172) and Dawson Shaffer (152) and North Star senior Ian Koval (285). Shaffer (23-7 this year) won a district crown as a freshmen. Durst (29-8) and Hale (29-9) were 2025 District 5 runners-up. Koval is 14-9.
The other top seeds are Everett sophomore Canden Hillenbrand (145) and senior Tyson Grove (215) and Tussey Mountain senior Dakota Santamaria (121). Santamaria, a Kutztown recruit, is 138-25 with a 2025 District 5 title and two state medals.
Local second seeds include Bedford sophomore Carter Kozielec (139); Berlin Brothersvalley junior Lukas Smith (127); Chestnut Ridge sophomore Garrett Weyandt (121); Conemaugh Township junior Carter Christ (107); Meyersdale senior Gianni Browne (285), juniors Cooper Porter (172) and Brennan Schardt (145) and sophomore Caleb Sines (160); North Star junior Kasey Yoder (189); and Somerset junior Sam Sheeler (152). Sines and Smith were district runners-up a year ago.
Eight with area ties will be inducted into the District 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame. They include Bedford graduates Devin Cook, Trey Easter, Brian Gibbons and Cory Thomas; Berlin Brothersvalley product Eric Knopsnyder; and North Star alums Al Barnick, Joe Lascari and Ron Matse.
Cook went 116-39 over his career with two District 5 titles and a pair of state medals (eighth in 2008 and 2009). He helped the Bisons finish fourth as a team in 2009.
Easter, who finished seventh in the state in 2010, posted a 102-30 record and was a three-time District 5 champ. His Bisons team finished fourth in the state in 2009.
Gibbons finished 129-35 over his career, was a three-time District 5 champion and helped Bedford conclude in fourth place as a team in 2009.
Thomas was 127-30 and won three District 5 titles. He finished sixth in the state in 2010 and helped the Bisons claim fourth place as a team in 2009.
Knopsnyder produced a 97-24-3 record and won a District 5 crown in 1993. He has been a major media contributor to local wrestling since 1997, mostly with The Tribune-Democrat.
Barnick went 27-10-1, won district and regional titles in 1973 and finished fourth in the state individually.
Lascari finished with a 125-26 record and two District 5 crowns.
He earned two state medals (fourth in 2010, fifth in 2008).
Matse was 60-9 over his career, while winning a District 5 and regional title in 1976. He finished third in the state in 1976.