Here’s a look at the 11 Centre County wrestlers beginning their quest for PIAA gold
The final, and most important, week of the high school wrestling season is here.
It is PIAA Championship week for 11 Centre County wrestlers.
Those athletes will need either their best four or five matches, depending if they have a preliminary match or not, to claim a PIAA gold medal. There is a nice mix between each of the two classifications.
Six wrestlers will compete in the Class 2A championships, with five others going through the Class 3A brackets. Bald Eagle Area has the most wrestlers with four. State College will have three, as Bellefonte and Penns Valley have two apiece.
Here’s a look at each of the wrestlers aiming for that ultimate goal:
Class 2A
Bald Eagle Area
Lucas Fye, Soph., 113 pounds
Record: 31-8
Regional finish: 2nd
First opponent: Jacob Carfley, Curwensville, Sr., 24-7, Northwest Regional third (second round)
How he got here: Fye made an impressive run through the Southwest Regional tournament taking out WPIAL opponents along the way. He opened with a 15-0 technical fall over Burrell’s Calio Zanella in 2:17.
Fye edged Laurel’s Colin Bartley, who was the No. 3 seed, 1-0, to make the semifinals. He then topped Quaker Valley’s Jack Kazalas, 5-4, to set up a District 6 finals rematch with West Branch’s Landon Bainey.
Bainey pinned Fye in 2:18.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “Just the experience, just getting to wrestle in the Giant Center,” Fye said about what he’s looking forward to this week. “I’m really excited. I’m really excited to be there and wrestle, and see what I can make happen. I’d like to be able to place, and come out with a medal.”
Coen Bainey, Jr., 120 pounds
Record: 33-4
Regional finish: 2nd
First opponent: Eric Howe, Lancaster Catholic, Sr., 43-2, Southeast Regional third (second round)
How he got here: Bainey was the top seed in the regional tournament and cruised to the semifinals with bonus point victories. He opened with a pin in 35 seconds, and then hung a 16-0 technical fall on Burgettstown’s Dylan Slovick in 5:15 of their quarterfinals match.
In the semifinals, Bainey used a late third-period reversal and collected nearfall points to turn a tied bout into a 6-2 win over Burrell’s Cooper Hornack. Bainey took on a familiar foe in Bentworth’s Chris Vargo, who Bainey beat earlier this year at the Ultimate Warrior tournament, in the finals.
Vargo got some revenge, and topped Bainey, 4-0.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “I’m looking forward to getting on those mats. It’s a feeling you don’t get to have too often,” Bainey said. “It’s a special thing that not many people get to do, and it’s awesome to get to do it, on the biggest stage in the whole state. I’m ready for it to start.”
Asked about having so many teammates there, Bainey added: “It’s awesome to be able to have a group of kids that are in the same mentality as you, and ready to go wrestle. Being in the hotel room with them, and you all have the same mentality and it’s 9:30 at night, and you are ready to go to sleep and wrestle the next morning, it’s a different atmosphere. It’s quite amazing.”
Caleb Close, Fr., 172 pounds
Record: 37-11
Regional finish: 4th
First opponent: Lucas Miller, Northwestern Lehigh, Jr., 27-14, Southeast Regional sixth (preliminary round)
How he got here: Close was in his first regional tournament and showed it wasn’t too big of a stage for him. He made the semifinals with no problems.
He opened with a 17-1 technical fall in 4:17, and made the semifinals by pinning Somerset’s Rowan Holmes in 3:40. In the semifinals, Close ran into the defending PIAA champion in Frazier’s Rune Lawrence, who pinned the freshman in 1:49.
Close rebounded nicely with a 9-2 win to make the consolation finals, where he then defaulted out to finish fourth.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “As a young kid, I always went and watched the high school state tournament. It was always really cool to watch the older kids, and the high level of wrestling,” Close said. “It was really enjoyable. I think it’s really cool that now I’m going to be someone that little kids are coming to watch. I’m excited to go have fun and wrestle. Coming into the season, I guess I was a little more confident than I should’ve been. I guess I wasn’t quite ready, and my conditioning wasn’t there. A couple of the first tournaments were like eye openers. It gave me motivation, and helped me realize I got a long way to go. I think I’ve improved a lot since then and worked a lot harder.”
Noah Foltz, Sr., 189 pounds
Record: 31-9
Regional finish: 4th
First opponent: Collin Neal, Boiling Springs, Soph., 41-15, Southeast Regional sixth (preliminary round)
How he got here: Foltz was the No. 3 seed but was upset in the quarterfinals by Mt. Pleasant’s Noah Gnibus, 3-1. Foltz rebounded though by topping a fellow District 6 wrestler in Penn Cambria’s Austin Wagner, 5-1.
In the consolation quarterfinals, Foltz’s first-period takedown of the No. 2 seed in Berlin-Brothersvalley’s Grant Mathias was enough to secure his first PIAA spot. Foltz then shut out Central Cambria’s Ethan Kubat, 7-0, in the consolation semifinals. Foltz beat Kubat for the district title.
In the consolation finals, Foltz dropped a tough 11-5 match.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “Definitely the experience and winning matches down there. I’m excited to compete, and finally get down there for the first time. I’ve been working at for it for four years now,” Foltz said. “It’s surreal and a dream come true. I think it is something that growing up all the youth wrestlers look up to, the high school guys making the state tournament and coming back with state medals. Now, I’m in that position. It makes me feel really good. I try and set a good example for them (younger wrestlers). In the room right now, the junior high guys are practicing with us. We try and lead by example down there, and do the right things. We are trying to show them that it pays off in the end.”
Penns Valley
Jack Darlington, Soph., 106 pounds
Record: 32-9
Regional finish: 6th
First opponent: Major Lewis, Trinity, Jr., 36-5, Southeast Regional fourth (preliminary round)
How he got here: Darlington opened his regional tournament with a 9-2 win over Fort Cherry’s Shawn Robertson to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he ran into the District 5 champion in Chestnut Ridge’s Easton Mull, who pinned Darlington in 1:05.
He opened his consolation action against fellow District 6 wrestler Isaiah Shilcosky of Forest Hills. Darlington beat Shilcosky for a second time in three weeks. He punched his PIAA ticket by pinning Derry’s Dylan Klim in 54 seconds of their consolation quarterfinals match.
In the consolation semifinals, Tyrone’s Korry Walls pinned Darlington to send him to the fifth place match. In that match, Darlington dropped a 7-1 decision to another District 6 wrestler in Mount Union’s Mason Beatty.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “I’m looking forward to having fun, and putting it all out on the mat. It feels good. It shows that the hard work is starting to pay off, but the work is not finished yet,” Darlington said. “I feel like (since) I’ve been there (as a spectator), I know what to expect.”
Ty Watson, Soph., 145 pounds
Record: 38-0
Regional finish: Champion
First opponent: Winner of Mason Leshock, Line Mountain, Sr., 32-11, Northeast Regional fourth/Ean Wilson, Boiling Springs, Soph., 36-18, Southeast Regional sixth (second round)
How he got here: Watson is one of only seven Class 2A wrestlers that are undefeated entering the PIAA Championships. He was the top seed in the regional tournament, and breezed his way to the finals.
The sophomore pinned his way to the finals, which were three falls. One of those wins came over a fellow Centre County wrestler: Philipsburg-Osceola’s Austin Foster in the quarterfinals.
In the finals, Watson took on the District 5 champ in Chestnut Ridge’s Trevor Weyandt. Watson showed off a strong top game and tallied nearfall points and a reversal to shut out Weyandt, 7-0, for his first regional title.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “The atmosphere. I’ve been going since I was a little kid, me, my dad and my uncle, we all would go down every year bright and early in the morning. When I was little, we’d watch the bigger high school wrestlers, saying hopefully I can be here one day,” Watson said. “It’s just great that I can fulfill my dream, and come down to Hershey and wrestle for my first time. I’ve been going for nine or 10 years. It’s been great. I’ve really been looking forward to it. I’m ready to get down there and compete. I’m prepared. Like everyone is saying, the hay is in the barn. You’ve already done everything you need. Now, you just relax, go down, wrestle and have fun. I’m pumped. I got a good spot. I think I can do pretty well, that’s the goal.”
Class 3A
State College
Asher Cunningham, Fr., 120 pounds
Record: 32-6
Regional finish: Champion
First opponent: Jacob Houpt, Canon-McMillan, Sr., 34-5, Southwest Regional third (second round)
How he got here: Cunningham was the top seed in his first regional tournament, and showed why. He opened with a 7-0 shutout of McDowell’s Logan Sallot in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Cunningham hung a 17-0 technical fall on Central Mountain’s Luke Ananea in 3:33 of wrestling. The freshman got a rematch with Juniata’s Casey Smith in the finals.
Cunningham beat Smith for a second time, but this time around it was a much larger margin. In the district final, the Little Lion won by three; in the regional, the final score was 16-3.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “I’m excited to wrestle. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be my first state tournament. I’m just going to go after it,” Cunningham said. “I was there watching my brother a few years back. I know what to expect. I’m ready to go. I’m feeling the best I’ve felt all year. I’m peaking at the right time. I’m ready to make some noise. This is what I’ve been working for all year.”
Pierson Manville, Soph., 138 pounds
Record: 34-3
Regional finish: Champion
First opponent: Winner of Nick Velde, Emmaus, Sr., 32-6, Northeast Regional fourth/Daniel Husain, Garnet Valley, Sr., 39-5, Southeast Regional third (second round)
How he got here: Manville was the top seed, and had no problems repeating as a regional champ. He used back-to-back technical falls to make the finals.
He outscored his first two opponents 37-7 in 8.5 minutes of wrestling.
In the finals, Manville took on Central Mountain’s Taylor Weaver, who he beat for the district crown. Weaver closed the gap a bit from the first time, as Manville only managed a 12-2 major decision this time as opposed to a technical fall the first time around.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “I’m just looking forward to the competition and having fun. There is a lot of motivation. There has been a lot of time put into this. It’s time to let it loose for me. I’m very excited,” Manville said. “I’m expecting some great competition in my matches. I’m expected ... to do what I’ve been taught and listen to my coaches at the same time. I don’t look at the specific number of matches I have to get what I want. I just go out there and do what I’ve been taught. I just follow a process for each match. I’m pretty sure it works. I’m going to wrestle one second at a time. I’m going to let it fly, but not go crazy.”
Nick Pavlechko, Soph., 215 pounds
Record: 28-3
Regional finish: Champion
First opponent: Corey Boerio, Latrobe, Jr., 41-9, Southwest Regional third (second round)
How he got here: Pavlechko, who was the top seed in the regional, didn’t take too much time making his first final. The sophomore opened with a pin of Shikellamy’s Mason Rebuck in 3:10.
In the semifinals, Pavlechko pinned Selinsgrove’s Steven Miller in 2:26. The Little Lion took on a fellow District 6 wrestler in Mifflin County’s Anson Wagner in the finals.
Pavlechko edged Wagner, 4-3, in the regional final as opposed to the 14-5 major decision he had in the district final.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “I’m excited to wrestle, go out, compete, and see what we can do. It’s not that I couldn’t wrestle last year, but it’s a new year. There is some extra motivation, since I didn’t get to do it last year,” Pavlechko said. “It’ll be fun to see, and get a little bit of a feel. I think it will be cool to just be on the mat, and really feel the energy of the crowd and everything.”
Asked about having multiple teammates there, Pavlechko said: “It’s really cool. I got two of my best friends, and we are doing this together.”
Bellefonte
Aidan O’Shea, Sr., 132 pounds
Record: 34-7
Regional finish: 3rd
First opponent: Collin Gaj, Quakertown, Fr., 41-5, Southeast Regional champion (second round)
How he got here: O’Shea made the semifinals by shutting out his first two opponents. He opened with a 16-0 technical fall, his 12th such victory of the year, and followed with a 7-0 win.
In the semifinals, O’Shea was sent to the consolation bracket by dropping a 12-1 loss to Williamsport’s Braden Bower, who was the No. 1 seed. The senior shut out a third opponent in the consolation semifinals, 7-0, which was his 100th career victory.
O’Shea used a second-period escape in the consolation finals as the winning points in his fourth shutout of the regional to secure his second PIAA trip.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “I’m looking forward to proving myself. I made it before. I have one win there. I’m just looking forward to proving myself, and showing that I’m there with the top guys in the state, and getting on the podium is going to be my way to do it,” O’Shea said. “Honestly, I feel like I’ve been overlooked my whole life, especially not making states last year. I feel like I’m flying under a lot of people’s radars again. It’s thrilling. It’s all I can think about. I haven’t been so happy like ever. I’m not really sure why, but sophomore year, it was nice to make it, but I was more just happy to make it. This year, I’m super excited because I’m ready to go prove myself. I’m ready to go out there and compete, and show what I’m made of. There is no better stage to do it, than PA states. I’m ready to let it all go. I’m going to go out there and let it fly. This is it. It’s the last time putting on a Bellefonte singlet. I’m not ready for it to be done until Saturday.”
Jude Swisher, Sr., 145 pounds
Record: 38-1
Regional finish: Champion
First opponent: Winner of Christian Fritz, Northampton, Sr., 20-10, Northeast Regional fourth/Lucas Kapusta, Hempfield, Jr., 32-5, Southwest Regional third (second round)
How he got here: It took Swisher just about 3.5 minutes of wrestling to reach his fourth straight regional final. He opened by pinning General McLane’s Kyle Cousin in 1:49.
In the semifinals, Swisher racked up an 18-1 technical fall on Altoona’s Will Young in 2:50. The Penn commit then shut out his finals opponent in Williamsport’s Riley Bower, 7-0. He used a five-point second period to blow open a scoreless bout.
Wrestler’s comments on tournament: “The ice cream at Hershey is great. I like that chocolate milk there at Chocolate World too, that stuff is really exciting to look forward to. In addition, wrestling is something that is going to be really fun. All of that stuff is going to be great,” Swisher said with a laugh. “On a more serious note, I’m grateful for the opportunity to do what I love to do. It has been a very long high school career, with plenty of ups and even more downs. I really believe that I’ve made the most of every single opportunity over these last however many months. Here I am now, I have four matches in front of me. The work is all done. I’m ready to be a state champ. All we have to do is go do that. I’m prepared.”
PIAA Championships
When: Thursday-Saturday
Where: Giant Center, Hershey
Brackets: FloArena
Tickets: Online only
Twitter: @byncobler
