It’s a sweet 16 from the Pioneer Athletic Conference headed for ‘The Sweetest Place on Earth’ when the PIAA Wrestling Championships begin Thursday in Hershey.
Much of the PAC will hunt in a pack as Perkiomen Valley sends six, Owen J. Roberts four, including regional champions Sam Gautreau (152), Dean Bechtold (189) and Dillon Bechtold (215), and Spring-Ford qualified three. Daniel Boone also sends a pair of South Central regional champs in Tucker Hogan (189) and Dean Houser (121).
It’s a solo mission for others. That includes Boyertown junior Gavin Sheridan, the southeast regional champion at 133, Pottsgrove senior Dominic DeMeno and Upper Perkiomen junior Branden Rozanski.
The Class 3A tournament opens at 4 p.m. Thursday with the preliminaries, championship first round, and first round of consolations. Action at Giant Center continues Friday afternoon with the championship quarterfinals at 2:15 p.m. leading into the second and third rounds of consolations. Saturday opens at 9 a.m. with the championship semifinals and consolation rounds to determine medal placement. The medal rounds will begin at 7 p.m.
Sheridan is bound for Hershey for the third time in his career, but it’s the first time he’ll go it alone.
“I feel like there’s more pressure on me honestly, but the goal is still the same,” said Sheridan. “I feel there’s more pressure, more eyes on me, which honestly, I feel like I perform better under. I know I have a good support system behind me even though I was the only one to make it.”
Chance Babb, now at Alvernia and on his way to NCAA DIvision III Championships this weekend in Roanoke, Va., placed sixth a year ago for the Bears. Sheridan is primed for a podium finish after missing out his first two seasons.
“It’s about putting trust in my ability, technique and hard work. Go out there, have fun, let it fly,” he said. “The past two years I went out nervous, like I didn’t deserve to be there, that I wasn’t good enough. But this year I feel I trust the work I’ve put in, my conditioning and I think I’m good enough to be anywhere up on the podium. That’s the goal.”
Sheridan, who is seeded fourth, hasn’t lost in 2023, rattling off 32 consecutive wins, including knocking off three-time state qualifier Carmen Cortese of West Chester Henderson 8-4 in the 133-pound final last weekend at Souderton.
For DeMeno, the solo endeavor isn’t entirely foreign.
“Last year I was the only one to make it to regionals, so I’m kind of used to it,’ he said. “I feel like it can help. It would be better to have my teammates, but at the same time I get all the coaching focused on me and I can focus on me. It’s good and bad at the same time.”
Pottsgrove’s Dominic DeMeno pins Hatboro-Horsham’s Andy Alameda-Guzman at 215 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
DeMeno (33-6) negotiated a stacked 215-pound bracket at the Southeast Regional to place fourth and earn his first trip to the PIAA Championships. It was a much more satisfying finish after suffering a heartbreaker when he was sixth – one spot out of states – a year earlier.
“Missing out by one place last year was definitely not a good feeling,” DeMeno said. “I knew I couldn’t have that happen again. I just did everything I could in the summer, going to camps, traveling to wrestle on different teams, working as hard as I could to make sure I was there this year.”
DeMeno put in the extra work in the offseason, attending camps at Kutztown University and Penn State, plus competing at the VIrginia Beach Duals with a team primarily composed of Boyertown wrestlers and Disney’s Wide World of Sports with the Carlisle-based Keystone Brawlers Wrestling Club.
He dove in blind to the Disney experience, first meeting the team and coaches upon arrival.
“They asked me at the last moment to wrestle for their team and I did it, flew down to Florida and met them as I got there when I got to the hotel,” DeMeno said. “That was the first time I wrestled with them. I didn’t know anybody on the team but it was kids from everywhere around Pa. I got to know a lot of them and made a quick bond with them.”
DeMeno’s willingness to jump into the unknown may fit perfectly with his first trip to the state tournament. He attended as a spectator his freshman year, but it’s a much different animal when competing.
“It’s gonna be an experience there now on the floor,” he said.
A preliminary awaits DeMeno against Meadville senior Rhoan Woodrow (24-9). A win there would lead into a meeting with McCaskey’s unbeaten senior Jose Garcia (36-0), the No. 3 seed.
Rozanski (35-5) dropped down to 121 for the postseason and rolled to the North sectional title at Perkiomen Valley on Feb. 25. He was upset by Pennridge freshman Quinn McBride in the opening round of regionals and had to navigate a challenging path to states. But he blasted through five straight consolation wins – three straight without surrendering a point – to claim third place and his second state berth.
Upper Perkiomen’s Branden Rozanski, top, controls Conestoga’s Steven Wiechecki during the 121-pount final at the District 1-3A North tournament on Feb. 25 at Perkiomen Valley. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)
He’ll match up with Baldwin junior Owen Klodowski (35-6) in a preliminary before a potential meeting with Freedom senior Christian Horvath (34-3), the Northeast champion.
Perkiomen Valley sends its largest contingent to states since 1975. Leading the way is regional runner-up Gavin Pascoe (39-8) and two-time state medalist Kelly Kakos (16-5), who returned quickly from an in-season meniscus tear to earn a third PIAA appearance. The Lock Haven commit vying to become the PAC’s first three-time medalist since Spring-Ford’s Joey Milano will be in a recovery race after his first-period injury default in the regional third-place match.
They’ll be joined by freshman Max Tancini (44-7), Carson Pascoe (44-5) and brothers Carson Euker (34-10) and Grant Euker (37-8), who both placed fifth at regionals.
Owen J. Roberts features the PAC’s highest-seeded wrestler in junior Dillon Bechtold (43-2). The No. 2 seed at 215 pounds placed fifth at 172 last year. He’ll be joined by fellow regional champions, junior Sam Gautreau (40-5) and freshman brother Dean Bechtold (39-8), and senior Mason Karkoska (32-11), who reached Hershey for the first time.
PAC champion Spring-Ford qualified three for Hershey, brothers and repeat qualifiers Gus Smith (27-12) and Quinn Smith (30-4), and freshman Mason Richards (27-11), only the third Ram rookie to make Hershey. Spring-Ford likely would have sent four if not for the knee injury that cost senior Cole Smith from continuing at regionals for his third PIAA trip. Smith saw his year end with a 34-3 record and amassed 110 victories in his career.
Daniel Boone’s Hogan is the No. 1 seed at 189 pounds after amassing a 40-0 record. The reigning Mercury All-Area Wrestler of the Year placed third at states as a sophomore. He surpassed 100 career wins at regionals two weekends ago. Junior Dean Houser is 37-6 and coming off the 121-pound regional win. Houser hasn’t lost in the new year outside a pair of defeats to Malvern Prep’s Nick O’Neill, an Army recruit who recently became a three-time National Preps medalist.
