The PIAA Championships kick off Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey. Class 2A, 3A and the girls will compete each day, in hopes of finishing as a top-eight state medalist. The boys brackets have 20 wrestlers in them, while 16 girls fill out those brackets.
There are eight sets of brothers, one set of siblings and one pair of sisters from District 1 participating in Hershey this weekend. Sun Valley has a brother-sister combo, Brecken Strickland (133) and Jameson Strickland (148), heading back to the Giant Center. Council Rock North’s AJ (107) and Pierce Kane (133), Sun Valley’s Jacob (107) and Brandon Carr (189), Faith Christian Academy’s Freddy (114) and Joey Bachmann (127) and Nick (172) and Jason Singer (215), Downingtown West’s Brayden (121) and Chase Sigle (127), Kennett’s Bryce (127) and Blake Boyer (139), Central Bucks West’s Daniel (133) and Chris Dennis (152), and Owen J. Roberts’ Decker (215) and Dean Bechtold (285) will be competing in Hershey. Avon Grove’s Emma (136) and Kaitlynn Arnold (155) will also be there for the second straight year.
Also, Unionville’s Cole Haines (139) followed his father, Kurt Haines’ footsteps as state qualifiers from Chester County. Kurt placed third in 1991 for Downingtown. That father-son combo became just the second duo from Chester County to both reach 100 wins, following Tim and Cannon Hershey, who were also last the last father-son combo to both qualify for states.
Oxford tied a school record with three Class 3A qualifiers, joining the 2003 and 2008 teams. Jon Smith (160), Blake Hostetter (172) and Jace McKinney (285) head to Hershey in hopes of becoming the first Hornet to earn a state medal since Nick Ruggear in 2010.
Smith was a regional runner-up for the second season in a row, but wasn’t able to compete at states as a freshman due to an injury. Hostetter is making his first appearance as well, coming in as a regional champ. There are no easy draws in Hershey, but both hope to be the first Hornet to reach the state semis since Blake’s second cousin, Jarrett Hostetter, did in 2005.
Eren Sement (145) has a chance to become Council Rock North’s first four-time state medalist, but he could also become the first wrestler in PIAA history to take third all four years. The latter is one he’s likely trying to avoid, having taken third his first three seasons. North hasn’t had a champion since Jamie Callender in 2010.
It will be no walk in the park, with former state champ, Dalton Perry of Central Mountain, in the bracket, along with West Scranton’s Michael Turi and Baldwin’s Ramil Islamov. Sement has racked up 14 wins in Hershey, but he’s hoping finish this tournament without a loss, much like Nazareth’s Zach Horan and Franklin Regional’s Michael Kemerer did last decade after finishing as runners-up their first three seasons.
Quakertown’s Collin Gaj (160) is chasing some history of his own. No Panther has ever won two state titles nor reached the finals three times. Gaj could do both this weekend, and if he gets to the podium, he’d be the first Panther since Nate Nauroth in 2005 to be a four-time state placer.
Gaj is already Quakertown’s all-time wins leader, but he’s also having a season for the ages. The Virginia Tech commit is 40-0 and has scored bonus points in every match. His closest bout this year was a 10-1 win over Benjamin Weader of Chanitilly (VA), in the Escape the Rock final. Bishop McCort’s Bo Bassett is the only other PIAA wrestler this year to be undefeated while scoring bonus in every match.
Council Rock South’s Anthony Mutarelli is making his debut in Hershey after a two year layoff from the postseason. As a freshman, Mutarelli won a Prep National title while at Malvern Prep. An injury kept him out of the postseason as a sophomore and last year he was ruled ineligible after transferring from Malvern.
Recently, Nate Desmond and Anthony Evanitsky won national titles at Wyoming Seminary after winning PIAA championships at Bethlehem Catholic and Wyoming Area, respectively. Back in 2002, Matt Storniolo won a PIAA title at State College, one year after winning a national prep title at Haverford School, but Mutarelli is looking to join a very small group. The Oregon State commit is on the top half of the bracket, along with returning state champ, Trey Wagner of Northampton, and University of Pittsburg recruit, Nico Fanella.
West Chester Rustin has only had two state medalists in its previous 18 years of existence, when Corey McQuiston and Tyler Wood reached the podium in 2012. Sophomore AJ Corp (160) is making his first appearance in Hershey with high hopes of end that drought. He is ranked No. 8 in 3A by PA Power Wrestling, two spots behind Jon Smith of Oxford.
Corp isn’t the only District 1 wrestler looking to break a streak. Jayden Lee (114) is hoping to give Radnor its first medalist since 1995. Kyle Von Schmidt (121) and Walker Murray (215) give Pennsbury two chances to get Pennsbury to the podium for the first time since 2012. Oxford hasn’t had a medalist since 2010 and Dom Powell hopes to be Upper Dublin’s first since 2005.
Faith Christian is re-writing plenty of records in its own program, in District 1 and even in the Class 2A state tournament. Individually, some Lions will be looking to etch their names into some record books. Gauge Botero (121) is looking for his second state title and will be the first four-time medalist in program history should he reach the podium. Sophomore Adam Waters (189) already has a pair of state titles and would be the second from District 1 to win three, joining former North Penn star, Chris Kwortnik. Sophomore Joey Bachmann (127) is also going for his second gold.
In just the second year with the girls competing on their own in the PIAA, there will be a lot of newness for awhile. Freshman Shannon Logue qualifying for states will mark the first time Bishop Shanahan will ever compete in a state tournament, girls or boys. Shanahan had a boys team briefly in the 2000s, ending in 2011, but never sent anyone to Hershey. Logue, as a one-person team, will officially put the Eagles on the proverbial wrestling mat this week.
Another effect of the newness of girls wrestling in the PIAA is opportunity for girls who never would’ve considered the sport otherwise. Look no further than Conestoga senior, Lauren Sweet, who has a jiu jitsu background, but never wrestled until this season. She is 6-3 for the season, and her career, but earned a trip to states with a third-place finish at regionals.
Last season, Downingtown West’s Sarah Pearson reached states in her first season of wrestling and she heads to Hershey in her sophomore campaign as a regional champ.
Boyertown has now had a state qualifier for 30 straight seasons, dating back to 1996. Brody Coleman (121), Beck Babb (139) and JD Heiser (172) advanced to states last weekend, and will try to prolong the Bears’ streak of four straight years with a medalist. In the first 29 years of the run, Boyertown reached the podium 24 times.
Council Rock South has had a state medalist in 21 straight seasons and brings six wrestlers — John Segata (107), Anthony Mutarelli (133), Pat Woloshyn (139), Ben Brillhart (160), Gavin Cole (172) and Jeff Gessner (285) — to Hershey.
