BETHLEHEM - Sure, there are unknowns on the opening night of the District 11 wrestling tournament.

But there are also plenty of opportunities.

Chances to make a statement, to bust a bracket and to create momentum that could last all the way to Hershey.

A number of Times News area wrestlers made their presence felt Friday night, as nine advanced to today’s semifinals in the Class 2A bracket.

Lehighton led the way with four moving on, as Ethan Nothstein (107), Aidan Gruber (114), Jacob Ferguson (152) and Reese Balk (285) all reached the semis.

Northwestern placed three into the semifinal round, with Luke Fugazzotto (160), Dalton Clymer (172) and Buck Miller (189) all advancing, as did Palmerton’s Derek King (139) and Tamaqua’s Gabe Erbe (121).

Tribe Pride

Nothstein and Ferguson reached the semis as No. 6 seeds.

After pinning Pen Argyl’s Blayke Lacey in 0:45 in the first round, Nothstein took down No. 3 seed Brock Schneiderwind in 2:25 in the quarterfinals.

“It didn’t really bother me,” Nothstein said of his seed. “My dad always says to just go out there and wrestle. It doesn’t matter who you’re wrestling, just wrestle.”

A quick pin in his first match helped Nothstein settle in.

“It felt good just to set the tone, make a statement,” said Nothstein. “Especially to go out there and get a pin in my second match. It gives me a lot of motivation for tomorrow to hopefully get through semis and make it to finals.”

Nothstein will wrestle No. 2 seed Santino Micci of Wilson in the semis.

It marks another big step forward for the junior, who has battled back from injury midway through the season. Nothstein, who weighs in at 101 pounds and has struggled to or been unable to make the minimum weight the past two years, also knows he’s giving up weight to most of his opponents.

But 12 years of wrestling experience have helped him in key situations.

“I just try to feel the person out in the first 30 seconds,” said Nothstein. “Try to circle and see what they do first, try to counter off that. I just try to build momentum ... and get a feel for the match.”

It’s worked all season, as Nothstein, who is now 20-8, showed again on Friday night.

“I was kinda nervous,” Nothstein said of his quarterfinal match. “I kinda got in a scramble there and didn’t know what to do with myself. The period ended, and my coach told me not to reach back, but I have a really good move; I got it with a reverse headlock and kind of leaned back, and the ref slapped the mat and I was amped.”

After pinning Williams Valley’s Parker Lords in 2:42 in his first-round match, Ferguson topped No. 3 seed Jacob Schlier of Tamaqua with a fall in 5:05 to move on.

Ferguson will wrestle No. 2 seed Keegan Ramsay of Notre Dame Green Pond in the semis.

Gruber, a district finalist and state qualifier last season and seeded third, will wrestle No. 2 seed Cole Hubert of Saucon Valley in the semis, while Balk - the fourth seed - will face top seed Aiden Compton of Notre Dame Green Pond.

Earning their stripes

Miller and Clymer, both seeded third, are also off to a good start in their quest to return to Hershey after qualifying for states a year ago.

Clymer posted two pins to reach the semis, while Miller outlasted Notre Dame Green Pond’s Connor Smalley 9-8 in the quarterfinals to move on.

Miller built a 5-0 advantage in the first period before Smalley cut it to 5-4 in the second. Miller pushed the lead to 8-4 with an escape and a takedown before Smalley got a reversal in the final 0:09 of the period to make it 8-6.

Smalley tied it at 8-8 with two back points with 1:14 to go in the third period, but Miller went ahead with an escape with 0:51 to take the lead and held on for the win as Smalley tried to get a takedown.

“I just got sloppy, and he’s a dangerous wrestler, so he was definitely scoring a lot of points off of that,” said Miller. “It wasn’t my best mat awareness. I already had a stall call and I started backing up with two seconds left. I was a little scared. But I knew if I just hung on there, I would get the win.”

Miller was also familiar with Smalley, a freshman, who transferred to Notre Dame from Northwestern.

“Mostly just last year, in the room,” Miller said of wrestling Smalley.

Miller will wrestle No. 2 seed Jake Scheib of Tri-Valley in the semis.

“It definitely helps that I know I should be out at states at the end of the year,” Miller said of his postseason experience. “The semis will be a tough match, and what I have in my mind is I have to win at least one more of my matches tomorrow.”

Fugazzotto, a freshman and the top seed at 160 pounds, powered into the semis with two pins. He will face No. 4 seed Joseph Lapenna of Notre Dame Green Pond in the semis.

Clymer will wrestle No. 2 seed Daniel Haubert of Palisades in the semis. Clymer topped Haubert 3-2 at the Coal Cracker Tournament, but lost a 5-2 decision to the Pirates’ junior at the Colonial League Tournament.

“It’s definitely nice having people like Luke and Dalton and Noah Scholfer (at 215 pounds) all around me,” said Miller. “We definitely push each other pretty hard.”

Bouncing back

Erbe, the No. 3 seed, pinned Mahanoy’s Victor Hanley before posting a 3-0 decision over Pen Argyl’s Aiden Knorr in the quarters.

The junior got the first takedown and was solid throughout to control the match with Knorr. Erbe will wrestle No. 2 seed Cooper Feltman of Notre Dame Green Pond in the semis.

“I just worked hard to get here, so I’m looking forward to my next match, because I’ve lost to him the last couple of years,” Erbe said of Feltman. “I’m just looking forward to going out there and getting the chance to wrestle him again. I just want to go out there and wrestle the best I can, and hopefully come out on top.”

King continued his impressive campaign, which is now nearing 30 wins, with a decision and a major decision to reach the semifinals at 139 pounds for the Blue Bombers. He will wrestle top seed Bryson Vaughn of Notre Dame Green Pond in the semis.

“I think that I have improved throughout my matches,” said King, who won 9-2 and 12-3. “I got better and better as the matches went on. After how last year went, I’m just really excited to get the quarterfinal out of the way.”

The sophomore did not place at last year’s district tournament, and has learned from some tough losses throughout his career, including in the Colonial League final this season.

“I thought I was able to bounce back from that,” said King. “In the matches after I thought I was really able to bounce back mentally.”

The same goes for Erbe, who also made it to the Schuylkill League final and has been a regional qualifier each of the last two seasons.

Erbe entered districts having won 11 of his last 13 matches since a loss in the Schuylkill League final, while King has now won three in a row.

“It obviously helps,” Erbe said of his experience. “But you put the work in over the offseason. When you get this far, it shows hard work pays off.”

UP NEXT

... The second day of competition on Saturday begins with second round consolations at 9 a.m., followed by semifinals and third round consolations, which will start no earlier than 10:15. The fourth round consolations will take place at 11:45 a.m. The finals and consolation finals will take place at Liberty High School for both classes. The third- and fifth-place matches will take place at 3 p.m., followed by the Parade of Champions at 4:30 and the championship finals at 4:45.

MOVING ON

... There will be four wrestlers in Class 2A advancing to the Southeast Regional Tournament, while five will move on from 3A to the Northeast Regional the following week. The Southeast Regional will take place March 3-4 at Freedom High School, and the Northeast Regional will be held the same days at Liberty High School.

JIM THORPE

Pigtail Round

160

- Raphael Dinarte (Jim Thorpe) dec. Hogan Troutman (Tri-Valley), 7-4.

Preliminary Round

114 - Steven Korte (Jim Thorpe) pinned Levi Kunkel (Tamaqua) in 1:45; 133 - Tanner McQueen (Notre Dame-GP) dec. Ridge Snyder (Jim Thorpe), 7-0; 139 - Nicholas Zeigenfuss (Lehighton) pinned Max Pfeifer (Jim Thorpe) in 1:51; 145 - Richard Kenna (Jim Thorpe) dec. Ethan Barachie (Lehighton), 5-3 in SV; 152 - Jacob Schlier (Tamaqua) pinned Cael Heaney (Jim Thorpe) in 2:30; 160 - Luke Fugazzotto (Northwestern) pinned Raphael Dinarte (Jim Thorpe) in :56; 215 - Noah Schlofer (Northwestern) pinned Blake Carroll (Jim Thorpe) in 1:30; 285

- Reese Balk (Lehighton) pinned Peter Almeida (Jim Thorpe) in :59.

Quarterfinals

114 - Aidan Gruber (Lehighton) major dec. Steven Korte (Jim Thorpe), 10-0; 145

- Travis Riefenstahl (Saucon Valley) pinned Richard Kenna (Jim Thorpe) in :49.

First Round Consolations

133 - Ridge Snyder (Jim Thorpe) pinned Chase Zeigenfuss (Tamaqua) in :17; 139 - Max Pfeifer (Jim Thorpe) pinned Sonny Seritti (Mahanoy Area) in 2:17; 152 - Cael Heaney (Jim Thorpe) pinned Parker Lords (Williams Valley) in 2:03; 160 - Kyler Quick (Mahanoy Area) pinned Raphael Dinarte (Jim Thorpe) in 1:54; 215 - Landon Moll (Northern Lehigh) dec. Blake Carroll (Jim Thorpe), 3-1; 285

- Cameron Green (Williams Valley) pinned Peter Almeida (Jim Thorpe) in 2:30.

LEHIGHTON

Preliminary Round

107 - Ethan Nothstein (Lehighton) pinned Blayke Lacey in :45; 114 - Aidan Gruber (Lehighton) tech fall Camber Boyer (Pine Grove), 16-1 at 1:18; 121 - Mikhail Hartranft (Catasauqua) pinned Jake Hall (Lehighton) in 1:24; 127 - Blake Muffley (Lehighton) major dec. Aidan Ortiz (Palmerton), 10-2; 133 - Evan Wentz (Lehighton) pinned Chase Zeigenfuss (Tamaqua) in 1:17; 139 - Nicholas Zeigenfuss (Lehighton) pinned Max Pfeifer (Jim Thorpe) in 1:51; 145 - Richard Kenna (Jim Thorpe) dec. Ethan Barachie (Lehighton), 5-3 in SV; 152 - Jacob Ferguson (Lehighton) pinned Parker Lords (Williams Valley) in 2:42; 172 - Kristopher Kessler (Pen Argyl) dec. Brok Solt (Lehighton), 9-5; 189 - Jack Tosh (Northern Lehigh) dec. Deven Armbruster (Lehighton), 6-0; 215 - Braxton Schwartz (Tri-Valley) dec. Wyatt Sherer (Lehighton), 8-3; 285

- Reese Balk (Lehighton) pinned Peter Almeida (Jim Thorpe) in :59.

Quarterfinals

107 - Ethan Nothstein (Lehighton) pinned Brock Schneiderwind (Palisades) in 2:25; 114 - Aidan Gruber (Lehighton) major dec. Steven Korte (Jim Thorpe), 10-0; 127 - Nathan Sterner (North Schuylkill) dec. Blake Muffley (Lehighton), 7-3; 133 - Tanner McQueen (Notre Dame-GP) dec. Evan Wentz (Lehighton), 6-0; 139 - Owel Woll (Blue Mountain) pinned Nicholas Zeigenfuss (Lehighton) in 5:11; 152 - Jacob Ferguson (Lehighton) pinned Jacob Schlier (Tamaqua) in 5:05; 285

- Reese Balk (Lehighton) pinned Sam Frame (Northern Lehigh) in 1:50.

First Round Consolations

121 - Michael Cobb (Panther Valley) dec. Jake Hall (Lehighton), 15-8; 145 - Gavin Fehr (Catasauqua) pinned Ethan Barachie (Lehighton) in 2:34; 172

- Brok Solt (Lehighton) pinned Mergim Bushati (Panther Valley) in 2:59.

NORTHERN LEHIGH

Pigtail Round

145- Teddy Musselman (Palisades) pinned Emil Mustafin (Northern Lehigh) in 1:16; 152

- Daniel Lucykanish (Palmerton) pinned Amir Mustafin (Northern Lehigh) in :20.

Preliminary Round

107 - Evan Reed (Catasauqua) pinned Noah Gosart (Northern Lehigh) in 2:26; 121 - Josh Merkel (Palmerton) pinned Cody Mazzocca (Northern Lehigh) in 5:17; 172 - Chase Moffit (Northern Lehigh) dec. Owen Fortna (Tri-Valley), 7-5 189 - Jack Tosh (Northern Lehigh) dec. Deven Armbruster (Lehighton), 6-0; 215 - Niko Carestla (Schuylkill Haven) pinned Landon Moll (Northern Lehigh) in 1:48; 285

- Sam Frame (Northern Lehigh) pinned Cameron Green (Williams Valley) in 3:30.

Quarterfinals

172 - Bradley Renninger (Blue Mountain) pinned Chase Moffit (Northern Lehigh) in 5:19; 189 - Jacob Jones (Saucon Valley) pinned Jack Tosh (Northern Lehigh) in 1:28; 285

- Reese Balk (Lehighton) pinned Sam Frame (Northern Lehigh) in 1:50.

First Round Consolations

107 - Noah Gosart (Northern Lehigh) pinned Ty Dellmyer (Saucon Valley) in :53; 215

- Landon Moll (Northern Lehigh) dec. Blake Carroll (Jim Thorpe), 3-1.

NORTHWESTERN

Preliminary Round

160 - Luke Fugazzotto (Northwestern) pinned Raphael Dinarte (Jim Thorpe) in :56; 172 - Dalton Clymer (Northwestern) pinned Mergim Bushati (Panther Valley) in 1:02; 215 - Noah Schlofer (Northwestern) pinned Blake Carroll (Jim Thorpe) in 1:30; 285

- Dartanyon Delillo (Northwestern) dec. Jeremius Molina (Mahanoy Area), 10-3.

Quarterfinals

160 - Luke Fugazzotto (Northwestern) pinned Skylor Green (Williams Valley) in 1:57; 172 - Dalton Clymer (Northwestern) pinned Kristopher Kessler (Pen Argyl) in 1:18; 189 - Buck Miller (Northwestern) dec. Connor Smalley (Notre Dame-GP), 9-8; 215 - Niko Carestia (Schuylkill Haven) pinned Noah Schlofer (Northwestern) in 1:13; 285

- Aiden Compton (Notre Dame-GP) pinned Dartanyon Delillo (Northwestern) in :55.

PALMERTON

Pigtail Round

152

- Daniel Lucykanish (Palmerton) pinned Amir Mustafin (Northern Lehigh) in :20.

Preliminary Round

114 - Ayden Smith (Notre Dame-GP) pinned Kellen Trotter (Palmerton) in :21; 121 - Josh Merkel (Palmerton) pinned Cody Mazzocca (Northern Lehigh) in 5:17; 127 - Blake Muffley (Lehighton) major dec. Aidan Ortiz (Palmerton), 10-2; 133 - Dillon Lombardi (Palmerton) dec. Ashton Owens (Pine Grove), 4-2; 139 - Derek King (Palmerton) dec. Brody Boyce (Tamaqua), 9-2; 145 - Bryce Smith (Palmerton) pinned Mason Holva (Salisbury) in 3:09; 152 - Liam Scrivanich (Saucon Valley) pinned Daniel Lucykanish (Palmerton) in :39; 160

- Nuallan King (Pen Argyl) dec. Jameson Trainer (Palmerton), 5-3.

Quarterfinals

121 - Aiden Grogg (Saucon Valley) pinned Josh Merkel (Palmerton) in 1:48; 133 - John Haubert (Palisades) tech fall Dillon Lombardi (Palmerton), 15-0 in 2:18; 139 - Derek King (Palmerton) major dec. Jimmy Weikel (North Schuylkill), 12-3; 145

- Andrew Zimmerman (Schuylkill Haven) major dec. Bryce Smith (Palmerton), 21-9.

First Round Consolations

114 - Gavin Hacker (Catasauqua) pinned Kellen Trotter (Palmerton) in 3:31; 127 - Aidan Ortiz (Palmerton) dec. Carter Smith (Blue Mountain), 7-1; 152 - Daniel Lucykanish (Palmerton) dec. Alex Moser (Pen Argyl), 6-0; 160

- Jameson Trainer (Palmerton) dec. Zeandros Johnson (Wilson), 8-6.

PANTHER VALLEY

Pigtail Round

139

- Kayden Lucas (Tri-Valley) pinned Jah Bushati (Panther Valley) in 3:54.

Preliminary Round

114 - Giovanni Diblagio (Wilson) pinned Tevin Walsh (Panther Valley) in 2:00; 121 - Kaden Casey (North Schuylkill) major dec. Michael Cobb (Panther Valley), 13-0; 133 - John Samy (Salisbury) pinned Racer McGuire (Panther Valley) in :38; 145 - Andrew Zimmerman (Schuylkill Haven) pinned Giovanni Fleming (Panther Valley) in 1:19; 160 - Joseph Lapenna (Notre Dame-GP) major dec. Riyell Wann (Panther Valley), 9-0; 172

- Dalton Clymer (Northwestern) pinned Mergim Bushati (Panther Valley) in 1:02.

First Round Consolations

114 - Tevin Walsh (Panther Valley) dec. Jaxon McGuckin (Salisbury), 10-9; 121 - Michael Cobb (Panther Valley) dec. Jake Hall (Lehighton), 15-8; 133 - Jonathan Cordon Pinto (Catasauqua) pinned Racer McGuire (Panther Valley) in 1:10; 145 - Mason Holva (Salisbury) dec. Giovanni Fleming (Panther Valley), 9-2; 160 - Riyell Wann (Panther Valley) pinned William Bear (Catasauqua) in 2:29; 172

- Brok Solt (Lehighton) pinned Mergim Bushati (Panther Valley) in 2:59.

TAMAQUA

Preliminary Round

114 - Steven Korte (Jim Thorpe) pinned Levi Kunkel (Tamaqua) in 1:45; 121 - Gabe Erbe (Tamaqua) pinned Victor Hanley (Mahanoy Area) in :30; 127 - David M’balla (Wilson) major dec. Allen Tracy (Tamaqua), 20-8; 133 - Evan Wentz (Lehighton) pinned Chase Zeigenfuss (Tamaqua) in 1:17; 139 - Derek King (Palmerton) dec. Brody Boyce (Tamaqua), 9-2; 145 - Carson Yourey (Tri-Valley) pinned Stephen Kieffer (Tamaqua) in 5:01; 152 - Jacob Schlier (Tamaqua) pinned Cael Heaney (Jim Thorpe) in 2:30; 160 - Bradley Whalen (Tamaqua) pinned William Bear (Catasauqua) in 3:42; 172 - Jacob Hehn (Tamaqua) dec. Jacob Watson (Salisbury), 8-2; 189

- Jakub Gloc (Salisbury) pinned Tiparth Soneja (Tamaqua) in :44.

Quarterfinals

121 - Gabe Erbe (Tamaqua) dec. Aiden Knorr (Pen Argyl), 5-0; 152 - Jacob Ferguson (Lehighton) pinned Jacob Schlier (Tamaqua) in 5:05; 160 - Joseph Lapenna (Notre Dame-GP) pinned Bradley Whalen (Tamaqua) in 1:10; 172

- Daniel Haubert (Palisades) pinned Jacon Hehn (Tamaqua) in 1:32.

First Round Consolations

114 - Levi Kunkel (Tamaqua) pinned Camber Boyer (Pine Grove) in 3:36; 133 - Ridge Snyder (Jim Thorpe) pinned Chase Zeigenfuss (Tamaqua) in :17; 139 - Jordan Tocci-Wachter (Salisbury) tech fall Brody Boyce (Tamaqua), 17-2 in 4:21; 145

- Stephen Kieffer (Tamaqua) pinned Teddy Musselman (Palisades) in :48.