EBENSBURG , Pa. – Despite being a two-time state runner-up and amassing 106 wins in only three high school seasons, Chestnut Ridge’s Dominic Deputy hadn’t been named the outstanding wrestler of a tournament since the seventh grade.

Deputy added to his resume by being named the Laurel Highlands Highlands Athletic Conference Tournament outstanding wrestler Saturday afternoon at Central Cambria High School.

The junior went 4-0 with three first-period pins in his first three bouts and captured his second LHAC title with a 16-1 technical fall over Penns Valley’s Erik Carlile in 3:54 during the 127-pound championship finals.

“It’s cool,” Deputy said after receiving the plaque. “I was third place in Powerade, but I came out on top dominantly.

Chestnut Ridge's Dominic Deputy (top) gets back points against Halifiax's Izaya Shipley at 107 pounds in the PIAA Class 2A wrestling tournament Thursday, March 7, 2024, inside Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.

“I don’t normally win OW. It’s normally (Dominic’s younger brother) Kooper’s thing that he wins. I don’t get OW. I’ll get it this year and then Kooper will probably come up next year and win every OW of every tournament we go to.”

Dominic Deputy was one of nine wrestlers from The Tribune-Democrat’s coverage area to captures titles at the second annual LHAC Tournament.

State and national powerhouse Bishop McCort Catholic soared to its second LHAC team title.

Bishop McCort’s Keegan Bassett (top) gains position on Forest Hills’ Landon Maul in their 107-pound contest during the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference wrestling championships at Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg, Friday, Jan.3, 2025. Bassett won 16-0.

The Crimson Crushers won the team title by 117.5 points, – 302.5-185, over second-place Clearfield – had six champions, two runners-up and 12 place in the top four of their weights. They had one less champ than in 2023-24, but they had 57 more points and had a wider margin of victory by 45 points.

“Overall as a group, I thought we wrestled well,” Bishop McCort coach Bill Bassett said. “Our goal is always to break the records, and I believe getting over 300 points is the new record. We scored a lot more points than last year.”

“We’ve got an awesome team,” junior star Bo Bassett said. “We’ve got an awesome group of brothers to be around, and I’m just grateful to be here.”

Bishop McCort’s Bo Bassett (top) controls Bedford’s Grant Koontz in their 145-pound match during the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference wrestling championships at Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg, Friday, Jan.3, 2025. Bassett won 19-4.

Chestnut Ridge finished third with 149 points.

Bishop McCort state champions Jax Forrest (133), Bo Bassett (145) and Melvin Miller (160) all won by technical fall in the finals, as did Keegan Bassett (107), Sam Herring (139) and Devon Magro (152). Forrest, Bo Bassett, Miller and Magro won their second titles.

Bishop McCort’s Jack Silfies (121) and C.J. Pensiero (172) lost in two intense final bouts. Silfies, a freshman, lost 7-5 on a disputed takedown by Philipsburg-Osceola’s Caleb Hummel before the final buzzer. Pensiero dropped a wild 15-11 decision to Clearfield’s Brady Collins, a Brown signee.

Chestnut Ridge’s Easton Mull (114) and Somerset’s Rowan Holmes (285) repeated as tournament champions.

Chestnut Ridge’s Garrett Weyandt (107) and Aaron Ickes (145) finished second, as did Somerset’s Zane Hagans (215) and Westmont Hilltop’s Jonah McCoy (285).

Deputy came out flying against Carlile, scoring a takedown and then four nearfall points for a 7-0 lead. He escaped in the second, added two more takedowns and scored nearfall points for the technical fall.

In one of the three all-area matchups in the finals, Holmes charged out to a 7-1 lead before McCoy came back with a takedown in the third to make it 7-4. Holmes reversed and gave up a stalling point late to win, 9-5.

“Rowan is coming down with a cold, obviously,” Somerset coach Nate Phillips said. “He fought through that.”

Forrest reeled off three pins before rolling to a 19-4 technical fall over Bald Eagle Area’s Caden Judice in 1:25.

“I had a lot of fun,” Forrest said. “I came here with our team after a tough December just trying to have fun and score points. I did that, and I’m proud of it.”

Bo Bassett had an eight-second pin and amassed three technical falls by a combined 57-10, including an 18-3 win over Ickes in 1:06.

“I wrestled well,” Bassett said. “I scored a lot of points and had fun. I represented the right things, and that for me is my faith.”

Magro went 4-0 with a pin and three technical falls with a combined 60-14 score. He rang up a 19-4 win over Bellefonte’s Ezra Swisher in 1:41 during the final.

Miller went 3-0 with three technical falls, outscoring his opponents 64-19. Miller, who recently knocked off the nation’s top-ranked 160-pounder, Delbarton's Alessio Perentin at the Powerade event, rang up a 21-6 win over Bellefonte’s Noah Weaver in 2:00.

Herring, who injury defaulted in the 2023-24 tournament finals with an ankle injury, had no problem in going 4-0 with two technical falls and two pins. He was money in an 18-3 technical fall over Clearfield’s Cash Diehl in 1:47.

“Right now, Sam is wrestling the best he’s ever been in my opinion,” Coach Bassett said. “He has a lot of confidence, and I’m looking forward to what Sam can do this year in the postseason.”

Keegan Bassett reeled off three technical falls by a combined 50-4 score. The freshman sensation earned a 17-2 technical fall over Weyandt in 2:35.

Penn Cambria had five medalists, including fifth-placers Layton Munyon (121), Isaac Filak (145) and Andrew Mardula (152). Nate Mack (sixth, 160) and Isaiah Chyr (eighth, 127) also earned medals.

Central Cambria, which had three semifinalists, had four medalists in Burke Niebauer (fourth, 127), Jake Wilson (fourth, 152), Jeremy Hajzus (fifth, 189) and Blaine O’Farrell (sixth, 215).

Forest Hills had four placewinners in Jake Yatsky (fourth, 215), Landon Maul (fifth, 107), Nick Noon (seventh, 172) and Santino DiPoala (eighth, 114).

Chestnut Ridge had three other placewinners in Trenden Willey (sixth, 133), Maddux Sipe (eighth, 139) and Tristan Casey (eighth, 172).

Richland had three placers in Brady Kostick (third, 133), Grayson Mahla (sixth, 189) and Ryvan Audi (seventh, 285). Bedford had three placers in sixth-placers Zeke Brambley (114) and Tucker Boone (121) and eighth-placer Cuyler Hale (160).

The Hilltoppers had two others place in Owen Dluhos (third, 121) and Connor Ward (seventh, 215). Somerset had two other placers in Sam Sheeler (fourth, 145) and Drew Miller (sixth, 152). Greater Johnstown’s Ethian Beppler (152) was eighth.