Centre County crowns 3 champions at PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships in Hershey
Centre County had three wrestlers walk into Saturday’s final round of the PIAA wrestling championships as finalists.
All three walked out with gold medals.
Bald Eagle Area’s Gage McClenahan and St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy’s Caleb Dowling and Tyler Stoltzfus all won state championships at their respective weight classes. McClenahan is the first Bald Eagle state champ since 2013, while Dowling and Stoltzfus are the first two in program history to win gold. It’s the first time the county has had an individual champion since the Eagles’ Jacob Taylor accomplished the feat in 2013.
The three wrestlers said it showed what the area could do at the highest level of the sport.
“It’s definitely cool,” Dowling said.
McClenahan was the first of the three wrestlers to earn his gold medal. The senior 145-pounder took down Tunkhannock’s Gavin D’Amato with a 1-0 decision in the finals. McClenahan scored the match’s lone point when he escaped within five seconds of the start of the second period.
He then rode D’Amato out for the full two minutes of the third period to earn the win.
McClenahan said he started to feel good about his chances with a minute left in the period.
“Around a minute, I could feel him getting more and more tired,” he said. “I knew if I stayed patient I felt like I could get my legs in.”
Shortly thereafter, with 10 seconds left in the match, the emotions began to set in and he’d realized what was happening. The senior eased off D’Amato and rested on his opponent’s back for a brief moment as the buzzer sounded. He thought about his friends, his family, and everyone else who helped him reach that point in time.
McClenahan felt his arm raised by the official, then flexed toward those friends and family members once it was released.
The senior had some foresight after his win with two fellow Centre County wrestlers on deck.
“Caleb and Tyler are beasts,” McClenahan said with a smile. “It’s awesome I could win a little bit before them, but I know they’re coming up here to get theirs soon.”
Dowling was next to secure his gold and did just that with a 3-2 victory over Burrell’s A.J. Corrado. The St. Joseph’s senior had come close to this moment before, with two semifinals appearances and a previous finals appearance already on his resume. Once his match came to an end, and he’d realized that he’d finally won gold, Dowling sprinted to his parents for a hug. The senior was overwhelmed with relief and joy that he wasn’t sure would come.
“This is everything I ever wanted,” he said. “I didn’t know how I’d feel if I never won one. Just having that weight off my shoulders, enjoying it and having fun, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Dowling had long envisioned the moment he’d finally experienced and it lived up to everything he’d hoped it would be.
“It’s been hard to put into words,” he said. “It’s been a dream since I was six years old. When I was a little kid, it was far-fetched. In the last year, there wasn’t a single day I didn’t think about states. It’s pretty awesome.”
The senior’s teammate was the final Centre County wrestler to earn his gold medal at 170 pounds. Stoltzfus took the mat with gold on his mind against Saucon Valley’s Matthew Arciuolo, but the thought didn’t originate Saturday. The 170-pounder had been envisioning this moment since he was in sixth grade.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “We worked really hard for this, me, my coaches and my family. I couldn’t have done it without them. It’s awesome to see it come to fruition.”
He earned his medal with a 1-0 victory that left Stoltzfus unsure if he’d come away with the gold that he’d so badly wanted.
“It set in when it was over,” he said with a laugh. “I lost a match that was very similar to this a few months ago. That was playing through my head. I thought I had it in the bag too early back then. So, I had to make sure I stayed in position and finish the match out well.”
Stoltzfus was happy that he could cap off the county’s successful final round because of the people he was able to do it with.
“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “I like winning with kids I know. It’s a great year. I’m super happy and super thankful. Caleb has been there for me. We push each other hard and I’ve really enjoyed his company.”
All three wrestlers said it showed what the county was capable of and were proud they were able to find success with their friends.
“We all get along,” Dowling said. “Gage, me and him (Stoltzfus) have known each other since we were 10. It’s pretty awesome to see your friends succeeding.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 5:18 PM.
