Glenn Kaiser recaps the opening rounds of the PIAA AAA Individual Wrestling Championships, highlighting the nine SOL grapplers who advanced to the quarterfinals.
Nine SOL Wrestlers Advance To Quarterfinals In Hershey
By Glenn Kaiser
Thursday’s first round at states did not go so well for area wrestlers at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA in the opening rounds. Only nine SOL grapplers advanced to the quarterfinals in the championship brackets of the PIAA AAA Individual Wrestling Championships. Wrestling continues Friday at 2:15pm with the second round of consolations along with the quarterfinals simultaneously.
The competition was fierce in every weight class, and it was tough sledding for many to navigate their way forward and for many to wrestle back into contention in the consolations. Council Rock North led the way with three quarterfinalists. 113-pounder Luke Lucerne is starting to kick it into high gear as he scored in overtime to win 6-3 over Pottsville’s Nick Onea (NE-2). Lucerne used three back-points with a tilt to move on to face Manheim Central’s undefeated Will Betancourt. The Indians 138-pounder Cam Robinson looks unstoppable as he was fast and furious in his 7-3 victory over Hempfield Area’s Ty Linsenbigler. Robinson will face Northern York’s SC champ Paul Fiete in the quarters. And Dillon Sheehy at 152-pounds was dominant over Gettysburg’s Dylan Reinhert. Sheehy will now battle the top seed in Gage McClenahan from Bald Eagle Area. CR North is tie for 5th place in the team standings with 14 points with an outstanding first day in Hershey.
Council Rock South is not far behind their sister school in a tie for 8th place in the team standings with 13 points and two quarterfinalists. Kyle Waterman is back on track at 106-pounds as he shut out Carter Dibert from Franklin Regional 6-0. Dibert defeated CR North’s Kyle Hauserman 4-1 in a pigtail match to open the tournament. Shane Hanson-Ashworth advanced to the quarters with a solid match which he needed to be perfect, winning 1-0 over Cocalico’s Josiah Gehr. Hanson-Ashworth will be tested again in this stacked weight class as he will take on the #3 seed in Nazareth’s Sean Pierson next.
Harry S Truman’s Gunnar Fuss at 126-pounds continued his stellar postseason run advancing with a convincing 7-3 win over Shik’s Cade Balestrini in another star-studded bracket. Fuss will wrestle a very hot Jacob Ealy (Hopewell), who downed BECCAs Kenny Hermann 11-8 in his first- round match after winning in the pigtails. Tyler Williams (Souderton) has not lost a step since his freshman trip to the Giant Center. He advanced at 132-pounds with a major decision over Seth Andrus (Central Mt.) 11-3. Williams will face off against bracket buster Zack Zeamer from Manheim Central who upset East Stroudsburg’s Patrick Gould in overtime in first round action after a prelim victory over Zack Macy (Chartiers Valley).
Pennridge’s Josh Stillings remains dominant at 182-pounds pinning Justin Hart (Hampton) to gain a quarterfinal spot against a rugged Donovan Ball of Cedar Cliff. Stillings remains the clear-cut favorite to win his weight class, but remains focused at the task at hand, winning one match at a time. And at heavyweight, Bensalem’s Nick Cooper took advantage of his PIAA championship experience from last year, winning 5-4 over Easton’s John Pineda in first round action. He will face a large opponent in Erie Cathedral Prep’s Kawaun Deboe, the 40-1 second seed at 285-pounds.
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