Wrestling season has become day to day.

That's how it will be for 23 Butler County wrestlers as they do battle in the WPIAL Tournament this weekend.

Twelve of the 23 have to wrestle in “pigtail” matches at 5:30 p.m. Thursday as the tournament gets under way at Norwin High School. Lose that match and your season is over.

“Five of our six kids are in those pigtail matches,” Seneca Valley coach Kevin Wildrick said. “That's a tough deal. It's like you have to fight your way into the thing.”

Win the pigtail match and a wrestler joins the round of 16. That's when the tournament becomes double-elimination.

“You have to be wary of your opponent all the time in this tournament, no matter where you're seeded,” Butler coach Scott Stoner said. “Dakoda (Collins) is seeded fourth at 152 and wrestles the winner of a pigtail match.

“His opponent will likely be a Canon-McMillan kid (Will Pihiou) and wrestlers in that program are expected to win. That's their mindset. Dakoda is going to have to be mentally ready.”

Butler has 12 wrestlers in the tournament, including three section champions. Blake Caudill is the Golden Tornado's highest seed as he's ranked third at 113 pounds. Zach Reges is seeded fifth at 132.

The top-three placers in each weight class advance to next weekend's state tournament in Hershey.

“Being realistically optimistic, we might get three or four kids through or we might get none,” Stoner said. “We'll coach each kid match by match. There is no looking ahead.”

The lone Seneca Valley wrestler not in a pigtail match is section runner up Austin Leon, a freshman at 132 pounds. He faces a Canon-McMillan matman in the first round.

“Anything can happen at WPIALs,” Wildrick said. “I've seen a lot of strange things. I'm not discounting any of our guys. We'll give it what we've got.”

Mars had four WPIAL qualifiers originally, but 170-pound Nathan Bair dropped out of the tourney.

The Planets' highest qualifier is third-place section placer Richie Boeh at 113 pounds. Ryan McMahon and Johan Van Wyk are in pigtail matches.

“Richie tends to focus on who he's wrestling rather than on his wrestling,” Mars coach Ray Machusko said. “A lot of young wrestlers tend to do that at this time of year.

“He's looking at the bracket and sees a lot of quality kids. This is tough competition. We just need him to focus on what he can do.”

Of Butler's 12 qualifiers, three — Connor Foust at 106, Will Bortmas at 160 and Ben McKnight at 220 — are in pigtail matches. Bortmas is wrestling a former Butler resident in Byron Minous of Thomas Jefferson.

“Byron was in our junior high program,” Stoner recalled. “He was a real promising kid, but his family left the area.

“I like him a lot. He called me in December just to check on how our guys were doing. But now we have to go and beat him.”

Both of Knoch's qualifiers — 120-pound Joel Hixon and heavyweight Ian Adkins — are in pigtail matches.

“I'm a bit surprised to see Ian getting a pigtail match as a third-place finisher,” Knoch coach Mark McLaughlin said. “I mean, he's 20-13, the kid he's wrestling (RJ Hughes of Gateway) is 21-10 and a kid from Penn-Trafford is 15-14 and seeded above both of them.

“Ian is focused, though, and I like that. If Joel wins, he faces a once-beaten kid who's really tough ... but we'll worry about getting through the pigtail first.”

WPIAL TOURNAMENTScheduleThursday — Pigtail matches, 5:30 p.m.; Preliminary round, 7 p.m.

Friday — Quarterfinals, first-round consolations, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday — Second-round consolations, 10 a.m.; Semifinals, third-round consolations, noon; Fourth-round consolations, 2:15 p.m.; Consolation Finals, 6 p.m.; Parade of Champions, 7:20 p.m.; Championship Finals, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday's Area MatchupsPigtail Matches106 pounds-Connor Foust (Butler) 25-5 vs. Jake Gerard (Ringgold) 30-10); Nick Zoria (Seneca Valley) 23-8 vs. Sean Perri (Mt. Lebanon) 7-2

120-Darion Lutton (Chartiers Valley) 13-17 vs. Joel Hixon (Knoch) 18-15

126-Brennan OShea (Seneca Valley) 13-8 vs. Zac Argyle (McKeesport) 20-10; Korey Caudill (Butler) 32-8 vs. Jake Ardelitz (Kiski Area) 25-13

138-Steve Morgan (Elizabeth Forward) 16-16 vs. Tyler Schillero (Seneca Valley) 15-12

152-Greg Incardona (Thomas Jefferson) 16-17 vs. Ryan McMahon (Mars) 18-11

160-Will Bortmas (Butler) 26-15) vs. Byron Minous (Thomas Jefferson) 18-15

170-Jacob Eaton (Seneca Valley) 10-20 vs. Matt George (Upper St. Clair) 21-11

195-Johan Van Wyk (Mars) 14-12 vs. Don McWreath (Trinity) 24-10

220-Jake DiGuilio (Plum) 21-14 vs. Ben McKnight (Butler) 17-21

285-Ian Adkins (Knoch) 20-13 vs. RJ Hughes (Gateway) 21-10

Preliminary-Round Matches113 pounds-Blake Caudill (Butler) 31-3 vs. Nick Burkett (Thomas Jefferson) 15-4 or Mark Tharp (Chartiers Valley) 10-13; Richie Boeh (Mars) 24-4 vs. Garrett Walnoha (Upper St. Clair) 24-8

120-Corey Wilding (Upper St. Clair) 30-8 vs. Nick Sutton (Butler) 33-8

132-Austin Leon (Seneca Valley) 22-9 vs. Malachi Krenzelak (Canon-McMillan) 21-14; Zach Reges (Butler) 32-8 vs. Shane Piper (Waynesburg) 22-15

138-Jesse Spohn (Butler) 26-11 vs. John Marotto (Plum) 29-6

152-Dakoda Collins (Butler) 33-6 vs. Will Pihiou (Canon-McMillan) 22-14 or Shawn McGowan (Kiski Area) 21-17

170-Ryan Hannon (Butler) vs. 26-9) vs. Derrick Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe) 26-9

182-Zach Weaver (Butler) 33-8) vs. Zach Thomas (Canon-McMillan) 20-10

195-Cole Macek (Montour) 30-6 vs. Nick Gibson (Butler) 14-15