The Christmas holiday wrestling tournament season kicks off Saturday with the first of two days of the Trojan Wars at Chambersburg, where Bangor, Easton and Salisbury are among the 53 teams participating from Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.
Many District 11 teams are at the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic on Sunday and Monday at Liberty’s Memorial Gym. Competing teams are: Blue Mountain, Boyertown, Council Rock South, Delaware Valley, Emmaus, Freedom, Garnet Valley, Hazleton Area, Hempfield, Honesdale, Kennett, Liberty, Nazareth, North Allegheny, North Penn, Northwestern Lehigh, Parkland, Phillipsburg, Quakertown, Saucon Valley, Southern Lehigh, Stroudsburg, Warwick, West Scranton, Whitehall, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Wilson-West Lawn, Wilson, Wyoming Valley West.
Session 1 starts Sunday at 9 a.m. Session 2 on Monday begins at 10. Tickets are $20 cash or $22 credit card. Students and seniors are $15 cash, $17 card.
Emmaus’ Emilio Albanese announced his recent commitment to Lehigh. The junior is 14-0 this season, 93-13 in his career. He is a two-time District 11 Class 3A runner-up, two-time top-3 finisher at the Northeast Regional and a two-time top-4 finisher at the PIAA Wrestling Championships.
The annual Jim Thorpe Christmas tournament is Monday and Tuesday. Participating teams are: Allen, Archbishop Ryan, Berwick, Catasauqua, Cedar Crest, Central Catholic, East Stroudsburg South, Harry S. Truman, Hughesville, Jim Thorpe, LaSalle, Lehighton, Mahanoy Area, Methacton, Northern Lehigh, Northeast Bradford, North Schuylkill, Oley Valley, Panther Valley, Pen Argyl, Pocono Mountain West, Pottsville, Shamokin, Tamaqua, Upper Perkiomen, Valley View, Wallenpaupack, West Chester East, Williams Valley and Wyalusing.
Tournaments on Tuesday and Wednesday involving area teams are:
Powerade at Canon-McMillan with Notre Dame-Green Pond;
Governor Mifflin Holiday Tournament with Palmerton, Pine Grove and Tri-Valley;
Frank Wadas Memorial Tournament at Tunkhannock with East Stroudsburg North and Pleasant Valley;
King of Castle at Sussex Central (Del.) with Palisades.
The annual Tony Iasiello Christmas City Classic is Tuesday at Bethlehem Catholic. Participating teams are Bethlehem Catholic, Conestoga Valley, Executive Education, Father Judge, Kutztown, Scranton Prep, Upper Merion and Western Wayne.
Look ahead to 2026
Colonial League action resumes Tuesday, Jan. 6. EPC returns Wednesday, Jan. 7. Schuylkill League starts up again on Monday, Jan. 5.
There are several intriguing matchups and tournaments after the New Year before league action picks up again.
There are two tournaments involving area teams on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 2-3. Faith Christian heads to the Irvin S. Naylor Duals at McDonogh (Md.). Pocono Mountain East and Salisbury are going to the Geesaman Tournament at Northern Lebanon.
The Parkland Winter Duals are Saturday, Jan. 3. Pool A: Parkland, LaSalle, Boyertown, Southern Lehigh, Delaware Valley and Quakertown. Pool B: Northampton, Abington Heights, Council Rock South, Bangor, Northwestern Lehigh and Hatboro-Horsham. Each team will wrestle the other five in their pool, then a placement match against a team in the other pool.
Other tournaments on Jan. 3 are:
Lehighton’s Indian Duals with East Stroudsburg North, Governor Mifflin, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Manheim Central, North Schuylkill, Panther Valley, Pleasant Valley
Battle of Valley Forge Duals: Pen Argyl, Stroudsburg
Mats at the Mecca Duals at Pottsville: Pennridge, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Williams Valley
Hawk Mountain Duals at Hamburg: Tamaqua, Upper Perkiomen
Rage in the Cage Duals at Garnet Valley: Wilson
Bethlehem Catholic visits Notre Dame-GP at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3 in what quickly evolved into a must-see annual matchup.
Girls tournaments
Quakertown is headed to Powerade at Canon-McMillan on Saturday and Sunday.
Emmaus and Pine Grove are participating in the Governor Mifflin tournament on Monday and Tuesday.
Bethlehem Catholic hosts the Tony Iasiello Girls Memorial tournament on Tuesday with Bethlehem Catholic, Liberty, Nazareth, Northern Lehigh, Southern Lehigh entered.
There are several New Year’s tournaments, including the Penn Manor New Year’s Rumble on Saturday with Liberty, Nazareth, Palisades, Pocono Mountain West competing.
Also Saturday, Pine Grove is at Matness at the MACC at Montgomery.
Parkland Duals are Sunday with East Stroudsburg South, Emmaus, Freedom, Northampton, Panther Valley, Parkland, Pocono Mountain East in the field.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
