Escape the Rock announces 2019 field

[dicemen99]

On Memorial Day we announced our 2019 field. With plenty of new additions, this will be the toughest ETR yet.

• - COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH (PA-HOST) - PA AAA State Duals Top 8
• - ARCHBISHOP WOOD (PA) - PA State Duals Qualifier
• - BATTLEFIELD (VA) - VA 6A State Champions
• - BELLE VERNON (PA) - PA AAA State 16th
• - BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC (PA) - PA AAA State Duals Champs, Tournament 3rd
• - BOYERTOWN (PA) - PA State Duals Qualifier
• - BROAD RUN (VA)
• - CANON MCMILLAN (PA) - PA AAA State Tournament 4th, State Duals 4th
• - CAVE SPRING (VA) - VA 3A State 3rd
• - CHAMBERSBURG (PA)
• - COLLINGSWOOD (NJ)
• - CONNELLSVILLE (PA)
• - COUNCIL ROCK NORTH (PA)
• - DELAWARE VALLEY (PA)
• - DELBARTON SCHOOL (NJ) - NJ State Tournament 2nd
• - EASTON (PA)
• - FATHER JUDGE (PA)
• 
  - FAUQUIER (VA) - VA 4A State 2nd
• - FRAZIER (PA)
• - GERMANTOWN ACADEMY (PA) - National Prep 12th
• - GRASSFIELD (VA) - VA 6A State 6th
• - HANOVER PARK (NJ) - NJ State Tournament 10th
• - HEMPFIELD AREA (PA) - PA State Tournament 8th
• - JW ROBINSON (VA) - VA 6A State 2nd
• - KELLAM (VA)
• - KINGSWAY (NJ) - NJ State Tournament 13th
• - LA SALLE (OH) - OH D1 State Tournament 4th - State Duals Final 4
• - LEGACY CHRISTIAN (OH) - OH D3 State Tournament 13th
• - LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (VA) - VA 4A State Tournament 9th
• - LOWER DAUPHIN (PA)
• - MALVERN PREP (PA) - National Prep 3rd
• - MARIANA BRACETTI (PA)
• - MUSSELMAN (WV)
• - NESHAMINY (PA)
• - NEW KENT (VA) - VA 3A State Tournament 5th

• - NORTHAMPTON (PA)
• - NORTHSIDE (VA)
• - OSCEOLA (FL) - FL 3A State Tournament 4th
• - OWEN J. ROBERTS (PA)
• - PARKLAND (PA)
• - PAULSBORO (NJ) - NJ State Tournament 5th - Group 1 State Dual Champs
• - QUAKERTOWN (PA)
• - ROSELLE PARK (NJ) - NJ Group 1 State Duals Final 4
• - SOUTHERN COLUMBIA (PA) - PA AA State Tournament 2nd - State Duals 2nd
• - SOUTHERN REGIONAL (NJ) - NJ Group 5 State Dual Finalists
• - ST. CHRISTOPHER'S (VA) - National Prep 6th
• - ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE (DC)
• - ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL (NJ) - NJ State Tournament 7th
• - ST. PAUL'S (MD) - National Prep 7th
• - STROUDSBURG (PA)
• - TAMPA PREP (FL) - FL 1A State Tournament 3rd
• - WILLIAM TENNENT (PA)

Each team name has a link to a team and top individual bio.

Teams in BOLD were not in the 2018 field. The top 11 2018 teams and 21 out of the top 22 returned in 2019.

 

[dicemen99]

2019 Escape the Rock by the numbers:

ETR returners:
8 Champs
17 Finalists
69 Medalists

State Finish:
Two 3x Champs
Seven 2x Champs
17 Champs
28 Finalists
78 Medalists
158 State Qualifiers

Fargo, Super32, FloNationals or NHSCA:
13 National Champs
21 Finalists
55 All Americans

Those numbers are as good or better than any regular season tournament in the country not named Beast or Ironman.

If you are within a couple hour drive of Holland, PA (just north of Philadelphia) on January 19th & 20th, it is a great event to take in. We provide two HD large flat screen bout boards for spectators to know who is on what mat and announcements to let you know when highly accomplished wrestlers are facing off.

If you can't make it, it is on FloArena and streamed live (all mats) by FLO from start to finish.

 

[dicemen99]

Just a couple of notes to add to the above accolades for teams that are getting some serious youth infusions - call them teams to watch:

Legacy Christian (OH) - adding at least 3 freshman who already have offseason wins over state medalists (including one who placed at FLO HS as a 7th grader) in addition to their rising sophs who are hammers

New Kent (VA) - unbelievable freshman class includes 5 wrestlers who won youth state championships and look to be nationally ranked kids during their careers

Kingsway (NJ) - adding 3 freshman - a NJ JH Champ, Finalist & 3rd - to a young lineup that is potent

Malvern Prep (PA) - reloading as they add 4 freshman who were PJW Champs including 2 multiple champs.

Southern Columbia (PA) will try to fit Gavin Garcia as well as a PJW Champ and a PJW finalist into a stacked lineup. Note - they also have a PJW JH 3rd going into 8th grade.

Last year's nationally ranked top two teams Bethlehem Catholic (#12 FLO) and La Salle (#13 FLO) return most, if not all, of the firepower from their lineups intact. Hearing rumors that BECA is adding a few also, although I have no idea where they will squeeze into the lineup. 3rd place Delbarton (#13 FLO) lost a couple ETR champs including Pat Glory, but is adding at least one stud that I've heard. Malvern (#18 FLO) lost a ton, but reloads as noted above. I'd expect Southern Columbia to finally make an appearance in the national rankings this year, as well as Paulsboro and St. Joe's Regional who both return their lineups intact - if not FLO's (top 25), then Intermat (top 40) or Open Mat's (top 50). Kingsway and Legacy Christian may be a year away, New Kent maybe 2. St. Paul's might make an appearance in one as they will be an excellent deep tournament team, but not as much depth - as of now. Council Rock South returns 2 medalists and 7 state qualifiers and has 10 kids who should be in Hershey this year, so they may end up nationally ranked as well.

As always, it's only May and some of these kids can (and will) end up somewhere else, while others will pop up on rosters that weren't expected.