Addison Shawley propels Bellefonte wrestling to District 6 Class 3A team title over State College
Fans are usually leaving the stands when the heavyweights hit the mat at high school wrestling matches.
Bellefonte fans have learned not to do that with Addison Shawley in the lineup.
“Mr. Clutch,” as Red Raiders coach Mike Maney named him, came through again for his squad to lift them to a 31-30 win over State College on Thursday in the District 6 Class 3A team championship. It marks the first time that Bellefonte (15-0) has claimed the crown since 2007.
“We’ve been so close for so long. The individual tournament, we had our sights on winning a team title,” Maney said. “Credit to every guy that stayed committed and came to work at practice. They are so resilient. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
On Tuesday, Shawley topped Central Mountain’s Cyrus McCarl, who outweighed Shawley by roughly 68 pounds, to give the Red Raiders a win in the semifinals and the opportunity on Thursday night.
With his team trailing 30-28 against the Little Lions, Shawley stepped on the mat knowing he was going to come away with a victory for himself and his team.
“It is really nerve racking. It comes with success and feels great if you win,” the sophomore said. “I was ready to go. I knew I was going to give it my all.”
Shawley was giving up another weight advantage to the Little Lions’ Harrison Schoen, but it didn’t stop him from looking to score. He recorded a takedown for the bout’s first points and led 2-1 after one period.
Shawley’s escape was the lone point in the second period and Schoen earned an escape quickly in the third period to make it 3-2. Shawley responded with 1:01 left in the match with a takedown and rode Schoen out for the 5-2 dual- and title-clinching victory.
“I feel great. I know I came out of my team. I tried to do the best I could,” Shawley said of his win and the title. “We knew this was coming because we worked our butts off for it.”
The dual began with Bellefonte racing out to a 16-0 lead by winning the first three bouts — all with bonus points. Maney said the hot start was going to be the key.
“This week, the message was to beat a team like Central Mountain and State College, it was going to take a total team effort,” Maney said. “We had a few guys step up, but it really comes down to every guy doing their part.”
The Red Raiders received a forfeit at 106 pounds to Garrett Choates then Aidan O’Shea pinned Tom Hill at 113 pounds in 3:12.
Lane Aikey, who didn’t make his season debut until the postseason, rolled to a 13-0 shutout of Bailey Weaverling at 120 pounds to get to 16-0 in Bellefonte’s favor.
“We knew down low they were really tough. Starting at (106), we knew we’d be fighting out of a hole at the beginning,” State College coach Ryan Cummins said. “We told the guys not to worry and we’d be back and make that up. They did a really nice job of fighting to bring it back.”
The dual flipped, much like it did all match long, in the Little Lions’ favor at 126 pounds. Owen Woolcott took Aaron McClusick down and pinned him in 32 seconds.
Eric Weaver, who was often left out of State College’s lineup this year after being an important piece last season, earned a 10-4 win over Nate Smith at 132 pounds. Pierson Manville received a forfeit at 138 pounds as State College pulled the score to 16-15.
“He stayed in the room and plugged away,” Cummins said of Weaver. “He got a good chance tonight and did a phenomenal job with it.”
Bellefonte’s Jude Swisher, who recently finished third in the state at 138 pounds, racked up an 18-2 technical fall at 145 pounds in 5:09 to give the Red Raiders breathing room.
However, State College’s Carter Weaverling responded with a fall in 1:11 to tie the bout at 21-21. The teams then traded wins back and forth over the next four bouts setting up the finale.
Ethan Richner gave Bellefonte a 25-21 lead after he earned a 13-1 major decision at 160 pounds. Lance Urbas gave the Little Lions their first lead of the dual by earning a pin at 172 pounds to make it 27-25.
Ethan Rossman reclaimed the lead for the Red Raiders with a 6-2 win at 189 pounds. Bellefonte led 28-27.
Nick Pavlechko, who has been out for several months with an injury, made a return to the Little Lions’ lineup with an 8-1 win to set up the score when Shawley hit the mat.
“I’m proud of the way our kids wrestled. They did a nice job,” Cummins said. “Bellefonte has a great team. They did what they had to do tonight and wrestled a nice match. We just came up a little short at the end.”
The Red Raiders will now host the winner of Williamsport and Clearfield March 24. If they win that matchup, they’ll head to Cumberland Valley high school March 27 for the state semifinals.
Bellefonte 31, State College 30
District 6 Class 3A Team Championship
Thursday at State College
106: Garrett Choates, B, won by forfeit
113: Aidan O’Shea, B, pinned Tom Hill, 3:12
120: Lane Aikey, B, major dec. Bailey Weaverling, 13-0
126: Owen Woolcott, SC, pinned Aaron McClusick, :32
132: Eric Weaver, SC, dec. Nate Smith, 10-4
138: Pierson Manville, SC, won by forfeit
145: Jude Swisher, B, tech. fall Kyle Martin, 18-2 (5:09)
152: Carter Weaverling, SC, pinned Andrew McChesney, 1:11
160: Ethan Richner, B, major dec. Braden Newby, 13-1
172: Lance Urbas, SC, pinned Stephen Ivicic, 4:51
189: Ethan Rossman, B, dec. Ty Price, 6-2
215: Nick Pavlechko, SC, dec. Max Barrier, 8-1
285: Addison Shawley, B, dec. Harrison Schoen, 5-2
Takedowns: B 16, SC 12
Records: Bellefonte 15-0, State College 6-5
Next match: Winner of Williamsport/Clearfield at Bellefonte, Wednesday, time TBD; State College’s season complete
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 10:15 PM.
