HERSHEY >> It was perhaps the most compelling example of emotion associated with wrestling.
And, to Tommy Killoran’s credit, a noble display of emotional control.
Killoran’s scholastic career at Boyertown was dealt a punch to the gut Saturday. The Bear senior saw his hopes for a state gold medal in the 285-pound bracket of the PIAA Championships dashed by a 2-1 loss to Liberty’s Andrew Gunning … the downside to an otherwise stellar post-season that saw him not just win at every level from the Pioneer Athletic Conference on up, but to dominate the opposition.
Boyertown’s Tommy Killoran and Bethlehem Liberty’s Andrew Gunning have opposing reactions after Gunning won the 285-pound final, 2-1. (Nate Heckenberger – For Pa Prep Live)
In spite of that, Killoran graciously agreed to a post-match interview even though given the option to pass.
“I was trying to get a snatch and stuff,” he said of his strategy against Gunning, a senior and Northeast Regional champion sporting a 42-0 record. “There were a few times when I had takedowns, but we went out of bounds.”
A stalling call with 27 seconds left in the bout proved the difference. The wrestlers had traded bottom escapes — Killoran in the second period, Gunning in the third — and spent much of the bout foot-fighting and trying to make something happen with their arms interlocked.
Killoran (42-8) made his second trip to Hershey’s Giant Center for the individual tournament on a roll that saw him win gold medals at the Pioneer Athletic Conference, District 1-AAA West and Southeast AAA Regional tournaments. He was also named Outstanding Wrestler at the Southeast AAA Regional, the first Bear heavyweight to do that since current assistant coach Mike Spaid’s own heavyweight title run in 2004.
Killoran bookended a first-period pin of Exeter’s Oscar Daniels with 3-0 and 3-1 decisions of Hollidaysburg’s Hunter Gill and Bethlehem Catholic’s Niko Camacho. The win over Camacho avenged a similar-score loss when the grapplers met in the championship match of the PIAA Class AAA Duals Tournament last month.
Killoran’s efforts as the area’s lone qualifier for a gold-medal match were much appreciated by a sizeable Boyertown fan base, which cheered the announcement of his medal receipt.
“That was nice, all the people who were out there rooting for me,” he said.
Killoran’s Boyertown teammate, Jakob Campbell, got some consolation in the seventh-place bout at 113: A 5-3 decision of Warwick’s Devin Schnupp. Taking a 4-3 lead through the first two periods, the Bear junior escaped from a third-period bottom start to come away from Hershey with a medal for the second year in a row.
“There are some things that don’t go your way,” Campbell said in sizing up his 2015-16 season. “You may not like it, but you have to accept it.”
Campbell (35-6) was making his third trip to states, having placed third at 106 last year. His first two bouts — a win and loss — were by 3-2 scores; he then won 2-1 over Nazareth’s Ryan O’Grady but lost 7-1 to Liberty’s Luke Werner.
Boyertown’s Tommy Killoran is comforted by his teammates after a 2-1 loss to Bethlehem Liberty’s Andrew Gunning in the 285-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For Pa Prep Live)
“I feel I accomplished my goals this year,” he said, “but there’s more to do. You have to have the ‘What more can I do?’ attitude.”
Spring-Ford’s Steve Rice (39-6) won three straight in wrestlebacks after an opening-round loss and ended up with the seventh-place medal at 170 as a result of his scheduled opponent, Penn Manor’s Jack Zimmerman, forfeiting due to concussion issues. He ended his scholastic career with an 88-29 record.
“It was unbelievable,” Rice said of his high-school time. “I saw guys like Frankie (Krauss) and Ryan (Hayes) get medals here, and that drove me to do it.”
Like he did in high school, Rice will be a two-sport participant in college. He will be playing football and wrestling at Muhlenberg College.
“I couldn’t stop both,” he said.
Spring-Ford sophomore Brandon Meredith capped his first trip to states by claiming a fourth-place medal at 106. Meredith (37-9) lost to Spring Grove’s Dalton Rohrbaugh, 10-3.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to come to one of the toughest tournaments in the country,” he said, “The competition is tough here, and it shows me how much work I have to do.”
Meredith’s first two wins were by two points, the second one a sudden victory outcome. He sustained a 3-2 loss to Seneca Valley’s Louis Newell, then came back with 3-0 decision of Central Mountain’s Geo Borzana.
“Getting a state medal was a goal of mine,” he said, “but getting fourth exceeded my expectations. It showed I belong. Now I’m going to try and place higher next time.”
Gregg Harvey closed out his stellar scholastic career at Boyertown by getting the fifth-place medal at 182. Harvey (52-8) got the forfeit when Cedar Cliff’s Josh Colello was unable to wrestle due to injury.
Harvey became Boyertown’s single-season win leader in his fourth trip to state tournament, the Bear senior improved on his sixth-place finish last year.
Harvey dropped into wrestlebacks with a quarterfinal-round loss to Cedar Cliff’s Josh Colello. He tied former teammate Jordan Wertz’s record for single-season victories with a 7-1 decision of Dallas’ Cole Dixon Friday, then claimed it outright with 7-2 verdict over Lower Dauphin’s Evan Morrill Saturday morning.
“I feel it was a great time, a great four years,” Harvey said. “It wasn’t the result I wanted. I worked all season to get the gold, but it didn’t happen.”
For the future, Harvey indicated he will be looking to wrestle in college. He also plans to participate in freestyle wrestling over the summer, following the lead of Killoran and classmate Jordan Wood.
Daniel Boone’s Jesse Enck (39-5) became the program’s first wrestler to qualify for states since Tyler Swartz in 2008, and the first to medal since Chris Gallo (189) and Carmello Marreo (275) placed fifth in 1999. He pulled out a 5-4 decision on Shippensburg’s Cameron Tinner that was every bit as tense as the final score might indicate.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “I got a takedown at the end. It was unexpected … I just went after it.”
Enck ended up wrestling for seventh place after being edged by LaSalle’s Garrett Zobel Saturday morning, 5-4.
NOTES
Boyertown finished ninth in the team standings, its nine-man qualifying contingent collecting 47 points over the three days of state-level action. Bethlehem Catholic was the overall team champion with 125, followed by Nazareth (90) and Mifflin County (85.5). … Prior to the medal matches, Boyertown head coach Pete Ventresca was named the Class AAA Coach of the Year. Ventresca guided the Bears to an unbeaten PAC-10 run, a 22-1 overall record, second place in the PIAA Class AAA Duals Tournament and team championships in the PAC-10, District 1-AAA West and Southeast AAA Regional.
