State College sends 4 to the PIAA Class 3A wrestling semifinals
State College has had four main wrestlers who have carried the team all season long.
Whether it was dual meets or tournaments, the Little Lions coaching staff could count on those four for victories.
Those four wrestlers are Hayden Cunningham (127 pounds), Pierson Manville (139), Asher Cunningham (145) and Nick Pavlechko (285). All four advanced to the PIAA Class 3A Championships semifinals, and secured themselves a podium finish.
State College, which had another wrestler in Carter Weaverling (172) competing as well, sits third in the team race with 45 points. It trails Bethlehem Catholic and Nazareth in that order.
“The guys wrestled fabulously. They all settled in. The first day you always get those jitters and stuff,” Little Lions coach Ryan Cummins said. “They just looked so much better today. They did what they had to do to get everything done. They just performed well. They definitely showed that they’re ready for this competition.”
If those four semifinalists are ready, the remainder of the field might want to look out.
Hayden Cunningham was the first one to secure a semifinals appearance. He took on Seneca Valley’s Tyler Chappell.
Chappell scored the bout’s first points with a takedown at the end of the first period. He had the choice to start the second period and went from the bottom.
Cunningham made him pay with a full-period rideout, but also collected three nearfall points along the way. The senior led 3-2 to start the third period.
Cunningham escaped to start the period, but Chappell tallied a takedown and tied the bout 4-4 with 36 seconds remaining. The Little Lion picked up a reversal with 17 seconds remaining and earned more nearfall points for a 9-4 win.
He’ll take on Greater Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary for a spot in the finals.
“He deserves all the success now. He’s weathered so much with the injuries and everything else,” Cummins said. “He belongs where he is, and he’s showing it to everybody. Hopefully, he’s going to keep rolling, get what he deserves and missed out on.”
Manville was next to move one and did so with flair.
The defending PIAA champion snapped off two takedowns of Greater Latrobe’s Nate Roth in 18 seconds. On the second takedown, Manville took Roth to his back.
He settled in and decked Roth in 1:16. Manville has pinned his way to the semifinals, where last year he used a huge pin to make the finals.
The junior will take on Trinity’s Blake Reihner, who started his PIAA Championships in the preliminary round.
“He’s on a mission. He’s dialed in. Nothing is going to stand in his way. He knows what he wants and he’s going to go out and take it,” Cummins said of Manville. “He has really looked good. We enjoy watching him that way. He’s got it in his head, that this is what he wants. He’s going to be tough to beat.”
Asher Cunningham has been stellar in his second PIAA Championships. It’s almost like his eighth-place finish last year has fueled him this year.
The sophomore went up 5-0 early on Nazareth’s Jake Doone with a cradle. Cunningham used a reversal with 10 seconds remaining in the second period to extend his lead to 7-0.
Doone did something that no one had done yet in the tournament — score a point on Cunningham. Doone recorded a takedown with 51 seconds remaining.
Cunningham escaped, though, and won 8-2. He’s improved a ton from last year, where he lost his very first match. Cunningham faces Waynesburg’s Mac Church for a chance to make the finals.
“A phenomenal job out there wrestling. He’s one of those guys and he’s been this way forever,” Cummins said of Cunningham, “but you get into a funny position, you’re in trouble with him. His mat awareness is so high. He just does such a nice job. We couldn’t be prouder of him. I’m excited to watch his next match.”
Pavlechko looked like a totally different wrestler from his first-round match on Thursday.
He was moving better on his feet and tallied the first points by taking Penn Trafford’s Joe Enick down midway through the first period. In the second period, Pavlechko picked up a reversal on Enick and was awarded a point as Enick was called for a second stall.
The Little Lion lead 5-0 to start the third period. Pavlechko picked up a second takedown on Enick, but this time he pinned Enick in 5:24. The junior gets Carlisle’s Layton Schmick in the semifinals.
“He’s such a phenomenal athlete and good in so many positions. He got the jitters out yesterday or whatever that was and showed how he can really wrestle here,” Cummins said. “That was an outstanding match. He did everything the right way. He finished his shots, got into a funky position, but got himself into a better spot and scored points. All the things that we want to see he did that match.”
As for Weaverling, he saw his final high school season come to a close. However, he went out with a bang.
The senior trailed 8-3 with 23 seconds left against Conestoga’s Hayden McLellan. Weaverling threw McLellan to his back for a five-point move and tied it at the buzzer.
In sudden victory, the pair scrambled for positioning, but McLellan came away with the winning score with 16 seconds left.
“He’s such an awesome kid. He showed that he belongs here. He went out and went after the kid. Every match he looked a little bit better,” Cummins said. “I was hoping that he could pull that one out. He went in and let it all go. We’re proud of him. He should be proud of himself for how he finished out. He’s got nothing to be ashamed of.”
PIAA Class 3A Championships
Friday at Hershey
Team key: Abington Heights (AH), Altoona (A), Armstrong (AG), Baldwin (BW), Bethlehem Catholic (BC), Boiling Springs (BS), Boyertown (BT), Butler (B), Canon-McMillan (C-M), Carlisle (C), Cathedral Prep (CP), Central Bucks East (CBE), Central Bucks South (CBS), Central Bucks West (CBW), Central Dauphin (CD), Central Mountain (CM), Central York (CY), Chambersburg (CB), Chartiers Valley (CTV), Chichester (CC), Coatesville (CT), Cocalico (CL), Conestoga (CG), Connellsville (CNV), Council Rock North (CRN), Council Rock South (CRS), Crestwood (CW), Cumberland Valley (CV), Daniel Boone (DB), Delaware Valley (DV), Donegal (DG), DuBois (D), Easton (E), Elco (EC), Ephrata (ET), Franklin Regional (FR), Freedom (F), Garnet Valley (GV), Gettysburg (GB), Greater Latrobe (GL), Harriton (HT), Haverford (HV), Hazelton (H), Hempfield (HF), Hempfield Area (HA), Hickory (HY), J.P. McCaskey (J), Jersey Shore (JS), Kennett (K), Kiski Area (KA), LaSalle (LS), Lebanon (LB), Liberty (L), Manheim Central (MCT), Manheim Township (MT), McDowell (MD), Meadville (MV), Mifflin County (MC), Mt. Lebanon (ML), Nazareth (N), Neshaminy (NY), North Allegheny (NA), Northampton (NH), Northeastern (NE), Northern (NN), Owen J Robert (O), Oxford Area (OA), Parkland (P), Penn Trafford (PT), Pennridge (PRG), Pennsbury (PB), Perkiomen Valley (PV), Peters Township (PTP), Pine Richland (PR), Pittston Area (PA), Pocono Mountain East (PME), Pocono Mountain West (PMW), Pottsgrove (PG), Pottsville (PTV), Punxsutawney (PTY), Quakertown (Q), Ridley (R), Ringgold (RG), Selinsgrove (SG), Seneca Valley (SV), Shikellamy (SKY), Shippensburg (SB), Solanco (S), Souderton (ST), Spring Grove (SPG), Spring-Ford (SF), St. Joseph’s Prep (SJP), State College (SC), Strath Haven (SH), Sun Valley (SVY), Thomas Jefferson (TJ), Trinity Area (TA), Unionville (U), Upper Perkiomen (UP), Wallenpaupack (WPP), Warwick (WW), Waynesburg (WB), West Chester East (WCE), West Chester Henderson (WCH), West Allegheny (WA), West Scranton (WS), Whitehall (WH), Williamsport (WPT), Wilson (W), Wyoming Valley West (WVW), York Suburban (YS)
Team scores: 1. Bethlehem Catholic 74, 2. Nazareth 47.5, 3. State College 45, 4. Waynesburg 37, 5. Quakertown 34, 6. West Allegheny 32, T7. Central Dauphin 31, T7. Greater Latrobe 31, 9. Central Mountain 29, T10. Easton 27, T10. Owen J Roberts 27, T10. Pennridge 27, T10. Pine Richland 27
Quarterfinals
127: Hayden Cunningham, SC, dec. Tyler Chappell, SV, 9-4; 139: Pierson Manville, SC, pinned Nate Roth, GL, 1:16; 145: Asher Cunningham, SC, dec. Jake Doone, N, 8-2; 285: Nick Pavlechko, SC, pinned Joe Enick, PT, 5:24
Consolation Second Round
172: Hayden McLellan, CG, dec. Carter Weaverling, SC, 10-8 (SV)
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 6:57 PM.
