SOL Wrestlers Garner Gold (By Glenn Kaiser)

Photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. & Sharon Shipe. Check back for a gallery of photos.

SOL WRESTLERS GARNER GOLD
Williams (CBE), Mutarelli (CRS), Sement (CRN) & Gaj (Quakertown) Win State Titles

By Glenn Kaiser

Hershey, PA-Suburban One League wrestlers thrived at the Giant Center in Chocolate Town, USA over the past three days, truly making Hershey the “sweetest place on earth.”  Central Bucks East freshman Chase Williams remained phenomenal, winning the 107-pound crown, Council Rock South’s Anthony Mutarelli won gold at 133 with his first trip to the PIAA (AAA) Individual championships, Eren Sement (Council Rock North) finally won his first gold medal, at 145, and Quakertown’s Colin Gaj capped another perfect season with his second state championship at 160-pounds.

All in all, the SOL won 12 medals after the grueling three-day event that showcased some of the nation’s best student/athletes on the mats.  And a record setting four of them were champs from the SOL. Hatboro-Horsham’s Dom Morrison failed to repeat as a champ, as he had to settle for fifth place after stumbling in overtime to eventual champ at 114-pounds, Wilmont Kai from Whitehall in the semifinals 6-4 TB2.  Central Bucks West senior Patrick Kelly was the runner-up for the Bucks at 139, Kelly was fourth last year here.  Kelly suffered defeat in the finals to the Outstanding Wrestler of this year’s PIAA (AAA) Individual Championships, Tahir Parkins from Nazareth.  Upper Dublin’s Dom Powell placed fifth in a grueling 107-pound bracket won by his local SOL nemesis Chase Williams.

Williams needed a takedown in overtime to win his first title, winning 6-0 SV over another super-frosh from Northampton, Brayden Wenrich.  Williams used the entire mat and clock all season long, along the way to winning a PIAA State Championship.  Mutarelli was a machine, winning his title handily over Greater Latrobe senior Luke Willochell, 9-3.  Mutarelli held up to his reputation, adding a PIAA gold medal to his resume. He is a former National Prep champ when he wrestled at Malvern Prep.  He will head out West to wrestle at Oregon State next year.  Eren Sement finally got the chip of his shoulder with his solid 1-0 win over former state champ Dalton Perry from Central Mountain.  Sement used an escape to score the only point of the match from the bottom position and then rode out Perry to win the big one.  Sement will head to Michigan in the Big 10 to begin his collegiate career in the fall after finishing 180-20 scholastically, and may very well see Perry again, as he will attend Penn State.  Sement adds gold to his four total medals, he was third three-years in a row prior to this season.

Colin Gaj (Quakertown) never appeared to be challenged along the way to his second state title, as he was surgical dismantling all of his foes.  He downed Altoona’s Luke Sikes by major decision 11-2 in the 160-pound final.  He will head to VA Tech after closing out a stellar career with a 182-11 record, two state titles (both perfect seasons 49-0 in 2023 and 44-0 here in 2025), a silver medal and fourth place medal to go along with all of his accolades.  Both Sement and Gaj will rise in the Pennsylvania record books with their win totals.  Gaj came in at #26 and Sement at #32 in the record books for most wins in PA history prior to the start of the state tournament.

Council Rock South finished eighth (50.5-points) overall in the team race won by, guess who? Bethlehem Catholic with 88-points.  Thomas Jefferson (76 pts.) was second and Nazareth third with 72.5-points. The Golden Hawks Pat Woloshyn finished fourth at 139 wrestling back through the consolations after losing to Parkins in the quarters.  Quakertown was 13^th (39.5) as a team with Gavin Carroll placing seventh at 152-pounds for the Panthers.  Central Bucks West’s Chris Dennis was fourth at 152-pounds to help the Bucks finish 15^th overall with 38pts.  CR North placed in the top-20 as well in 18^th (37) as Marco Loss capped his great postseason run with a seventh place medal at 121.  And Pennridge’s Quinn McBride capped of his season bringing home the sixth place medal at 127-pounds to round-out the SOL place-winners.

It truly was an amazing effort by SOL grapplers here in Hershey in 2025 and one for the record books with four champions.  Many other SOL wrestlers scored points through-out the tournament with preliminary round, quarterfinal round and wrestle-back victories.  Which may have very well strengthened the case for District One (Southeast Region) to qualify five wrestlers from each weight-to class to the 20-man bracket in AAA.