Looking around the rest of District 4, the rest of the sectionals should be just as competitive as the Southern, although Towanda, the fourth place team in the state in dual meet competition, probably has too much firepower for any other team in the North to beat the Black Knights for that title.
The East Sectional should be a flat-out war. Muncy beat Central Columbia at the district duals, but Central might have more overall balance in its lineup in a tournament format, and Benton, though full of holes, still has three or four wrestlers of Hershey-type caliber.
Likewise, the West Sectional looks very balanced. Milton, Lewisburg, Canton and Montoursville should battle for the title.
To give you an idea of how tough it is to get out of District 4 in Class AA (five advance at the district tournament next week), here's a look at some of the top weights in the district overall based on entrants' records:
119: The top 11 wrestlers have a combined record of 257-71 with two returning state qualifiers.
125: Top eight are combined 166-44.
130: Top 10 are 242-46, including a state runner-up (Coltin Fought) and a fourth (Brandon Pesarchick).
135: Top 11 are 261-76.
140: Top 11 are 276-61 with a state champ (Luke Frey) and a 2009 placewinner (Travis Erdman), who are both unbeaten.
152: Top 10 are 251-50.
160: Top 10 are 235-65.
189: Top nine are 243-55.