Lucas Sangiuliano's appearance in the 106-pound final Saturday night at Liberty's Memorial Gymnasium might have come as a surprise to some.

Sangiuliano was, after all, the sixth seed in the District 11 Class 2A event.But the Lehighton freshman's run to the doorstep of a district title really shouldn't have been much of a shock at all."Coming in as the sixth seed, he was able to fly under the radar a little bit," said Indians' head coach Floyd Brown. "I think wrestling the bigger, stronger kids at 113 (pounds) all season helped prepare him for the postseason."Sangiuliano wrestled at 113 pounds throughout the season, and carried a record of 17-14 into the district tournament."The last month of the season, he was weighing in around 109 or 110 and wrestling up at 115 to help the team out," Brown said of Sangiuliano. "He came to almost all of our offseason workouts last spring and summer, attended summer camp and really put the time in to make himself better."That dedication paid dividends in the district tournament, as Sangiuliano pinned Pen Argyl's Brilynd Madeya in 1:33 in the first round, then knocked off No. 3 seed Mikey Myers of Williams Valley with a 6-3 decision to move into the semifinals."I just went out there and wrestled my match, my moves," Sangiuliano said after reaching the semifinals. "I was a little nervous coming into the match. But once the first period was over, I just settled in and wrestled my match."That's when I knew I was going to be able to hang with him, and possibly win. I felt like I definitely had an advantage on top because I thought I was a little stronger than him."What followed was a clinic against second seed Gavin Locke of North Schuylkill. Sangiuliano picked apart Locke, recording a technical fall (18-2, 5:01) to secure his place in the finals.Sangiuliano was pinned by Wilson's Elijah Bundro - ranked second at 106 pounds in Off the Mat's most recent Class 2A state rankings and currently 31-1 - in the final. But the result certainly didn't diminish what was a breakout tournament for Sangiuliano."I was pretty confident of making it to the semis," Sangiuliano said of his expectations for the district tournament. "I went out there, didn't worry about it and just wrestled."It's been a great experience. I have a great drill partner. I mostly work with Nate Kemmerer (who wrestles at 120 pounds for the Indians.) That improves me the most for these situations. We talk about our matches, we drill, and I think that prepares me really well."Don't be surprised if Sangiuliano continues to make a name for himself at this weekend's Southeast Regional Tournament at Wilson West Lawn High School."If he wrestles with the same intensity and confidence he had at districts, I think he gives himself a good shot," Brown said of Sangiuliano's prospects for the regional tournament.Sangiuliano's performance was one of many impressive showings turned in by Times News area wrestlers during the district tournament, which proved once again that anything is possible.Jim Thorpe's Ethan Mordaunt, seeded fourth, bounced back from a semifinal loss to eventual champion and top seed Brady Mickatavage in the 195-pound bracket. The sophomore pinned Palmerton's John Iles, the No. 2 seed, in the third-place match."We were very pleased with how Ethan wrestled this past weekend," said Jim Thorpe head coach Shawn Albert. "His quarterfinals match (a 7-6 decision victory against Williams Valley's Devon Rabuck) set the tone for his ticket to regionals."I told all the guys that their expectation needs to be to advance to regionals. Ethan took that mindset to heart this weekend and has reaped the reward of advancing."And with the number of regional qualifiers in each weight class dropping from five to four, the work of several lower seeds was that much more impressive.Panther Valley's Tanner Kennedy, a No. 5 seed at 152 pounds, and Tamaqua freshman Bronson Strouse, the fifth seed at 220, both placed third to secure their spot in the regional tournament.Northern Lehigh's Seth Fronheiser, the No. 6 seed at 126 pounds, battled to take fourth at districts and move on to regionals, while Northwestern's Jackson Bernhard, the fifth seed at 145 pounds, also placed fourth to advance.Two No. 4 seeds, Northern Lehigh's Ezra Neff (132) and Lehighton's Dylan Schock (160), both placed fourth at districts to move on.Could more surprises be in store this weekend at regionals?*****REGIONAL RUMBLINGS ... A look at first round matchups for Times News area wrestlers at this weekend's Southeast Regional Tournament at Wilson West Lawn High School. These are preliminary pairings as the brackets are alway subject to change.106 - Lucas Sangiuliano, Lehighton (District 11-2) vs. Tyler Reimert, Hamburg (District 3-7)113 - N/A120 - Baily Wehr, Northwestern (District 11-2) vs. Alex Puglio, ELCO (District 3-7)126 - Kollin Myers, Boiling Springs (District 3-2) vs. Seth Fronheiser, Northern Lehigh (District 11-4)132 - Ezra Neff, Northern Lehigh (District 11-3) vs. Trenton Harder, Bermudian Springs (District 3-5); Tanner McHugh, Tamaqua (District 11-1) bye138 - N/A145 - Andrwe Barnett, Kennard-Dale (District 3-2) vs. Jackson Bernhard, Northwestern (District 11-4)152 - Tanner Kennedy, Panther Valley (District 11-3) vs. Joel Orlando, Schuylkill Valley (District 3-5); Caleb Clymer, Northwestern (District 11-1) bye160 - Hunter Kennedy, Panther Valley (District 11-2) vs. Luis Negrerios, Northern Lebanon (District 3-7); Brian Shermeyer, Delone Catholic (District 3-2) vs. Dylan Schock, Lehighton (District 11-4); Ryan Farber, Northern Lehigh (District 11-1) bye170 - Carl Harris, Littlestown (District 3-2) vs. Kyle Kralik, Palmerton (District 11-4)182 - Jared Mooney, Palmerton (District 11-1) bye195 - Ethan Mordaunt, Jim Thorpe (District 11-3) vs. Jarryd Kase, Kutztown (District 3-5); Austin Taylor, Boiling Springs (District 3-2) vs. John Iles, Palmerton (District 11-4)220 - Bronson Strouse, Tamaqua (District 11-3) vs. Dorian Steele, Bermudian Springs (District 3-5)285 - Jason Schaffer, Northern Lehigh (District 11-2) vs. Tanner Harkins, Lennard-Dale (District 3-7)*****LAST TIME ... Northern Lehigh's Ryan Farber and Palmerton's Jared Mooney both placed second at last year's regional tournament. Susquenita's Dalton Group edged Farber 8-6 in the 160-pound final, while Mooney was pinned by Northern Lebanon's Luke Funck in the 182-pound championship bout. Group is up to 170 pounds this year, but Funck, the District 3 champion who is currently 43-3, is once again in Mooney's bracket, making another showdown in the finals likely. Tamaqua's Tanner McHugh was on the short end of a 4-2 decision in his 126-pound fifth-place match against Northwestern's Quentin Bernhard. Dealing with a hip injury and with a spot in the the state tournament already secured, Clymer forfeited his 145-pound fifth place match against Pen Argyl's James Klinger.*****MILESTONE... Northwestern senior Baily Wehr perhaps had the most memorable night Friday of all the wrestlers to reach the semifinals at the District 11 Class 2A Tournament.Wehr opened the event by pinning Tamaqua's Joey Minehan to record his 100th career victory, and moved into the 120-pound semis with a 40-second fall against Lehighton's Nate Kemmerer in the quarters."I just wanted to get to the semis. I just wanted to get there," said Wehr. "I was trying to take it one match a time and just focus on one match."In the first match I was a little skeptical because I know kids want to place at this tournament, and it's pretty big, and they're gonna throw big things. So I was a little nervous in my first match. But I just tried to wrestle my match. As soon as I got on top, I know how to work my moves and go."Wehr, the third seed, defeated No. 2 seed Ryan McGuire of Notre Dame Green Pond 8-2 in the semis.Wehr came up on the short end of a 3-2 decision in the 120-pound final against Saucon Valley's Josh Jones.*****OFF THE MAT... In Off The Mat's seventh issue of Class 2A state rankings released last week, Northern Lehigh's Ryan Farber led the way at No. 1 at 160 pounds, while Northwestern's Caleb Clymer stayed at No. 3 at 152 pounds. Tamaqua's Tanner McHugh moved down from 138 pounds, where he was ranked fifth, to 132 and slotted into the third spot. Palmerton's Jared Mooney moved down from 195 pounds to 182 and was ranked fifth. Northwestern's Baily Wehr remained fifth at 120 pounds. Panther Valley's Hunter Kennedy was 16th at 160 pounds. Look for these to change in the newest edition as we get deeper into the postseason. District 11 had two teams in Off the Mat's top-25 Dual Meet rankings. District champion Saucon Valley remained seventh, while runner-up Wilson stayed 16th.