states down to 8 wrestlers per weight class. From a Pennlive.com article...

The early session at the PIAA’s Class 3A West Super Regional was just as difficult on the mat as it looked to be on paper. A total of 18 wrestlers from District 3 walked into Altoona Area High School for the 106-138-pound tournaments on Saturday morning, and six of them finished in the top four of their weights to earn spots in the PIAA championships.

The tournament format was unique, in terms of the split sessions -- 106 to 138-pounders wrestled to completion early, and 145 to 285 followed in the afternoon -- along with its very existence as a means to reduce next week’s PIAA tournament field to eight-man brackets.


The West Super Regional was also brutal in much the same way as a regular state tournament with 91 of the 130 top-10 ranked wrestlers in the state in Altoona, including three weights -- 113, 152 and 285 pounds -- that featured the top-4 wrestlers Pennsylvania.

The format kept more than a few state qualifiers and medalists from getting back to Hershey.