Click here for Saturday's live coverage of the PIAA wrestling tournament.
Click here forFriday's coverage of the PIAA state wrestling tournament.
The PIAA wrestling tournament opens Thursday at Hershey's Giant Center, and many athletes from western Pennsylvania will be in action.
Follow western region's wrestlers in Class 2A and Class 3A , including District 10 and the WPIAL here throughout the day.
PIAA wrestling schedule:2022 PIAA Class 2A, 3A wrestling championship schedule in Hershey
PIAA Western wrestling recap:Cathedral Prep duo moves into PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals
Class 3A pairings:Here are the Class 3A wrestling pairings for the PIAA tournament
Class 3A wrestlers to watch:These are the Class 3A wrestlers to watch at the PIAA tournament
We'll have updates and highlights:
Back at it Friday
We're closing up shop here at the Giant Center.
To recap, Corry's Hayden Linkerhof (215) and Xavier Reyda (285); Harbor Creek's Connor Pierce (138); and Girard's Story Buchanan (145) were Erie County wrestlers who advanced to Friday's quarterfinals in the Class 2A portion of the PIAA tournament.
Cathedral Prep's Jake Van Dee (126) and Kaemen Smith (152) were the only District 10 wrestlers who qualified for the Class 3A quarterfinals.
General McLane's Wilson Spires lost by fall toUpper Darby's Julien Laventure in the 285-pound first round after Spires won his prelim match. Spires will wrestle in the consolations on Friday.
There will be two 2A sessions on Friday. They'll start at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The lone 3A session will take place in the middle. It has a start time of 2:15 p.m.
Two and done
Thursday's consolation first round doubled as the end of the season for four District 10 wrestlers. Half were Cathedral Prep Ramblers and the other half were McDowell Trojans.
For Prep, Keagan Oler was eliminated from the 106 field and Kelyn Blossey at 172.
Oler's freshman season concluded with a 22-10. Blossey, a senior, saw his high school wrestling career conclude with a senior mark of 21-9 and an overall mark of 84-49.
McDowell juniors Caleb Butterfield and Troy Peterson each went 0-2 on Thursday. Butterfield (30-10) competed at 160 and Peterson (29-7) at 215.
Also eliminated was West Allegheny's Nico Taddy. The junior finished his 2021-22 season at 36-7.
Oler eliminated
Keagan Oler's freshman season for the Cathedral Prep Ramblers ended during Friday's consolation first round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament.
Olerwent 0-2 in his initial appearance at the Giant Center. Luke Siranni of Abington Heights eliminated him from medal contention with a 21-4 technical fall.
The match only lasted 2:08.
Oler finished 22-10 for the 2021-22 Ramblers.
First round finished
The first round of the championship bracket concluded with only Cathedral Prep and West Allegheny duos advancing to Friday's quarterfinals.
West Allegheny's Ty Watters (32-3) was a victor at 145, as was Shawn Taylor (39-6)at 160. Watters pinned Abington's Shane Kibler in 1:32 and Taylor followed with his 9-4 decision against McDowell's Caleb Butterfield.
Watters' quarterfinal foe will be Andrew Harmon (17-1), a junior from Bethlehem Catholic.
Taylor drew Central Dauphin sophomore Ryan Garvick (38-3).
The 3A consolation first round will start at 8:15 p.m.
Smith secures quarterfinal berth
Cathedral Prep middleweight Kaemen Smith joined senior classmate Jake Van Dee as the recipient of a quarterfinal berth during Friday's 3A session.
Smith won a competitive 4-3 decision against North Penn senior William Morrow. He'll take a 29-3 record into his next match, which will be against an unexpected opponent as far as the bracket goes.
Lebanon junior Griffin Gonzalez won twice Friday. The second of his victories was an 11-2 major decision over Northampton junior Dagen Condomitti, who was the North East region top seed and began the tournament at 30-1.
The two wins for Gonzales left him 37-4 going into his match vs. Smith.
More Van Dee drama
Cathedral Prep lightweight Jake Van Dee won last season's PIAA 3A 113-pound title when he was signaled for a takedown as regulation buzzer sounded.
Cut to Thursday, when the senior returned to wrestle Bethlehem Catholic's Dante Frinzi on the same Giant Center mat he won that 2021 championship.
Their126-pound match did go beyond its six minutes of regulation.
Well beyond.
Van Dee rode out Frinzi from the top in the ultimate tiebreaker for a dramatic 2-1 victory in their first-rounder. Van Dee, a University of Nebraska recruit, and Frinzi, bound for Harvard, showed why they were sought by Division I programs.
Thursday's win left Van Dee at 18-1 overall. His overall record is diminished because of injuries late in Prep's regular season.
Frinzi dropped into the consolation round at 38-7.
Van Dee's quarterfinal opponent on Friday will be Pine-Richland junior Anthony Ferraro (38-6).
Mixed results at upperweights
Meadville's Griffin Buzzell, District 10's only large-school wrestler who's not wearing the singlet of an Erie County program, advanced out of the preliminary round at 189.
Buzzell was never in trouble throughout his 13-1 major decision agaisnt Parkland's Alex Neely. The senior for the Bulldogs moved to 28-2, a record he'll take into his underdog status as the first-round opponent of Mount Lebanon senior Mac Stout (38-0).
General McLane's Wilson Spires concluded the preliminary action for district participants with a 3-2 decision against fellow heavyweight Jacob Pomykata of Butler. The lone Lancer in the 3A tournament improved to 38-5.
Spires, like Buzzell, drew a daunting opponent for the next round. He must find a way to upset Upper Darby senior Julien Laventure (36-1).
In between Buzzell and Spires was Troy Peterson. The 215-pounder for the Trojans was pinned by Seneca Valley's Liam Volk-Klos in 3:05.
Peterson will return this session for his consolation first-rounder, which he must win to resume his season.
Oler opens Class 3A action
Cathedral Prep lightweight Keagan Oler lost his PIAA opener in a 106 preliminary match.
Landon Machado, a Delaware Valley junior, staved off several shots by Oler in the third period and held on for a 4-3 decision. Machado advanced to Friday's quarterfinals even though he only took up the sport last season.
Oler, a freshman, fell into the 106 consolation bracket at 22-9. He'll wrestle again later in this session.
Thursday 2A recap:Class 2A wrestlers from Western Pa. advance to PIAA quarterfinals
County action over in 2A
Erie County wrestlers went 2-1 in Thursday's consolation first-rounders. The winners were Fort LeBoeuf's JoJo Przybycien at 126 and Girard's Abe Keep at 215.
Keep had multiple chances to pin Bedford's Ceaton Hale in their elimination match. The YellowJackets junior, up 10-0, finally did with exactly one minute left in regulation.
Keep returns for Friday's action with a season record of 35-6.
Fort LeBoeuf's Conner McChesney saw his sophomore season end in the 152 consolation bracket. He and Notre Dame-Green Pond's Keegan Ramsey were tied at 6-all after regulation and overtime, but Ramsay recorded five points during the first of their two 30-second tiebreaker periods for an 11-6 victory.
McChesney, whose father is Bison coach Shane McChesney, concluded his second season for LeBoeuf with a 32-10 record.
Class 2A pairings:Here are the Class 2A wrestling pairings for the PIAA tournament
Class 2A wrestlers to watch:These are the Class 2A wrestlers to watch at the PIAA tournament
Thursday's Class 2A results:Results from the PIAA Class 2A wrestling tournament
Fort LeBoeuf's JoJo Przybycien prevails
Fort LeBoeuf's JoJo Przybycien was the first Erie County wrestler who stayed alive after a consolation match.
The 126-pounder, with a takedown in the extra minute, eliminated Chase Weimer with a 5-3 sudden-victory decision. That left the Przybycien 38-5 overall going into Friday's action.
Also advancing in the 126 consolation bracket was South Side Beaver's Tim Carfelli. He eliminated Cambridge Springs' Gunnar Gage 7-3.
Eliminated in their consolation matches were Franklin's Cael Dailey at 106; Commodore Perry's Hunter Geibel at 113; and Saegertown's Owen Hershelman at 120.
Outside Erie County:Central Valley's Ambrose Boni and Quaker Valley's Justin Richey
Central Valley's Ambrose Boni and Quaker Valley's Justin Richey were western Pennsylvania winners outside the first round victors from the Erie area.
Boni claimed a 7-3 decision over Bryson Vaughn of Notre Dame-Green Pond. He's now 35-3.
It's possible that Boni could face Harbor Creek star Carter Pierce in the 138 semifinals. They're on the same side of that championship bracket.
Richey defeated Reynolds' Kane Kettering with a 5-3 decision. The senior was one of the few wrestlers during the session that won twice.
Richey opened with a 4-1 victory vs. Keegan Ramsey of Notre Dame-Green Pond. His two wins left him 37-8.
Girard's Story Buchanan a benefactor
Just learned from Girard coach Jason Johnson that Story Buchanan won his 145-pound match without stepping foot on the mat because his opponent didn't make weight.
Buchanan was supposed to open against Jake Gilfoil of District 3 Bishop McDevitt. However, Buchanan and Johnson were informed shortly before action began at 9 a.m. that Gilfoil would have to forfeit.
That rare result left Buchanan 31-9 going into Friday's quarterfinals. It's there he'll face Montgomery's Conner Harer, who at 44-0 is favored to win the bracket.
Idle until 1:15 p.m.
The championship first round concluded shortly before 12:30 p.m. The consolation first round will begin in 45 minutes.
The losers of those matches will have their seasons ended.
Erie County quartet done for the day
Thursday's first round concluded with four county wrestlers getting to enjoy the rest of the session.
Corry upperweights Hayden Linkerhof and Xavier Reyda, Harbor Creek middleweight Connor Pierce and Girard middleweight Story Buchanan won their matches. Their quarterfinals won't take place until Friday.
Linkerhof, a Bucknell University recruit, defeated Jared Blobe of Notre Dame-Green Pond by a 7-1 decision. The senior improved to 34-6.
Reyda, in his state debut, only needed 1:35 to flatten Hamburg junior Charles Sheppard. The senior advanced at 31-4 in his final season for the Beavers.
Buchanan, like Reyda, made his PIAA debut Friday.
Unlike Reyda, he never broke a sweat.
Pierce, already a three-time state medalist, is one step closer to concluding his varsity wrestling career with the fourth one colored gold. The senior improved to 35-0 this season with an 11-5 decision against Southern Columbia's Kole Biscoe.
Buchanan advanced in the 145 bracket because of a forfeit by Jake Gilfoil of District 3 Bishop McDevitt. That rare result in a PIAA championship bracket left the YellowJackets sophomore at 31-9.
Abe Keep, Buchanan's teammate at 215, lost to Brody Kline. The Berks Catholic sophomore persevered for a 5-3 decision.
Keep dropped into Friday's consolation first round at 34-6.
Fort LeBoeuf's JoJo Przybycien and Conner McChesney each lost to Chestnut Ridge opponents.
Koby Burkett rallied for a 5-3 victory at 126. Burkett turned a two-point takedown into a decisive three-point, near-fall during the final minute of regulation.
Przybycien, a sophomore who medaled as a freshman, dropped to 37-5.
Chestnut Ridge's Jack Moyer spoiled McChesney's state debut. He defeated the Bison sophomore 9-4.
McChesney (32-9) wrestled in the same state tournament that his father, Shane McChesey, was a silver medalist for back in 1995.
Chestnut Ridge's Kobi Burkett beats Fort LeBoeuf's JoJo Przybycien
Chestnut Ridge junior Kobi Burkett rallied in the final minute of his 126 match for a 5-3 victory vs. Fort LeBoeuf sophomore JoJo Przybycien.
Burkett, who trailed most of the match 3-0, turned a takedown into a decisive three-point, near-fall. He also avenged a Jan. 15 loss to Przbycien when they met at the Ultimate Duals in Brookville.
Przbycien dropped into the consolation first round with a 37-5 record. He'll return later this session.
Second Panther,Saegertown's Hunter Robison prevails
Saegertown's Hunter Robison joined 106 teammate Carter Beck in Friday's 2A quarterfinals.
Robison, a former General McLane student, pinned Lehighton's Aidan Gruber with one second left in the first period of their 113 match. The senior's quarterfinal opponent will be Montoursville's Brandon Wentzel (39-3), who won his first-rounder with a 20-5 technical fall.
Louie Gill and Carter Beck into quarterfinals
District 10 got its first 2A quarterfinalists in 106-pounders Louie Gill and Carter Beck.
Gill, the division's defending champion out of Hickory, pinned Mount Union's Mason Beatty with 40 seconds left in their first-rounder. Now 40-1, the Hornets sophomore will have the rest of Thursday off, and then return Friday for his next match vs. Notre Dame-Green Pond sophomore Ayden Smith (37-9).
Beck, a Saegertown freshman, dictated the action throughout his 10-4 decision over Wyalusing's Clayton Carr. The first-year Panther will take a 35-5 mark into his quarterfinal against Northwestern Lebanon freshman Aaron Seibel (46-1).
Preliminaries concluded
Sharon heavyweight Mike Mazurek, the last District 10 wrestler to compete in Thursday's pigtail round, lost by a 10-2 major decision to Bedford's Cooper Lingenfelter.
Mazurek dropped into the consolation bracket at 30-8. Lingenfelter, now 19-9, will face division favorite Riley Robell (36-1) of District 3 Bishop McDevitt.
Somerset area wrestlers Trevor Donaldson, Rowan Holmes split
Meyersdale lightweight Trevor Donaldson dropped into the consolation bracket at 120, while Somerset'sRowan Holmes moved on at 172.
West Perry's Jackson Rush blanked Donaldson 5-0. It also left Donaldson, a senior, needing to win his next match later this session to avoid the end of his varsity wrestling career.
Holmes, a freshman, fared better. His 5-1 decision over North Penn-Liberty's Kohen Lehman left him 27-10 and into a first-rounder against Saucon Valley star Jacob Jones (42-3) later this session.
Two more move on from West
The WPIAL advanced Quaker Valley's Mason Diemert at 172. District 10 did the same with Saegertown's Landon Caldwell at 189.
Diemert was rarely threatened en route to a 19-3 technical fall against Berks Catholic's Gabriel Davis. Their match ended with 12 seconds left in regulation.
Caldwell recorded a takedown with 1:14 left in the third period. It was the difference in his 4-2 victory vs. Joseph Lapenna of Notre Dame-Green Pond.
Diemert and Caldwell will return this session for first-round matches in their weight classes.
Quaker Valley's Justin Richey also through at 152
Justin Richey joined Eisenhower's Gannon Jaquay as a second western Pennsylvania wrestler who made it out of the 152 preliminary round.
Richey, a Quaker Valley senior, decisioned Notre Dame-Green Pond's Keegan Ramsey 4-1. He'll take a 36-8 record into his first-rounder vs. Kane Kettering (31-8) of Reynolds later this session.
Eisenhower's Gannon Jaquay first through for District 10
Eisenhower senior Gannon Jaquay recorded the first victory by a District 10 wrestler in this year's tournament.
Jaquay controlled Northwestern Lehigh's Dalton Clymer from the top late in their 152 preliminary meeting and preserved a 3-2 decision. He'll take a 36-8 record into his next match, this one against Forest Hills great Jackson Arrington, later in the session.
Arrington (35-2) is a two-time PIAA gold medalist and a North Carolina State recruit.
Earlier, Reynolds' Camren Klenke lost his preliminary opener. Shawn Szymanski of Burrell pinned him 4:46 into their 145 meeting.
Quaker Valley's Logan Richey moving on
District 10 and WPIAL wrestlers met in the preliminary round at 120 pounds.
Quaker Valley junior Logan Richey, aided by a three-point, near-fall in the second period, decisioned Saegertown's Owen Hershelman 5-2. Richey (36-11) will return this session to face weight class favorite Jaden Pepe, a returning PIAA gold medalist, from Wyoming Area. Pepe is 41-0.
Other early losers from District 10 were Franklin's Cael Dailey at 106 and Commodore Perry's Hunter Geibel at 113. They'll return later in this session to compete in the consolation first round, where they must win to stay alive in their respective divisions.
Hello from Hershey
Mike Copper of the Erie Times-News reporting matside at Hershey's Giant Center for Thursday's single Class 2A and Class 3A sessions of the PIAA wrestling tournament.
Look for updates on District 10 and WPIAL participants throughout the day. The 2A session starts at 9 a.m. and the 3A session at 4. p.m.
Each will consist of the preliminary and first round in championship brackets and the first round in the consolation bracket.
Erie County wrestlers to follow in the 2A session are as follows.
Harbor Creek's Connor Pierce at 138 pounds.
Fort LeBoeuf's JoJo Przybycien at 126and Conner McChesney 152.
Girard's Story Buchanan at 145and Abe Keep at 215.
Corry's Hayden Linkerhof at 215 and Xavier Reyda at 285.
WPIAL wrestles to follow in the 2A session are as follows.
Quaker Valley' Patrick Cutchember at 189; Justin Richey at 152; Jack Kazalas at 113; Logan Richey at 120; Mason Diemert at 172; and Brenan Morgan at 189.
Central Valley's Ambrose Boni at 138.
Hopewell's Isaiah Pisano at 152.
South Side's Timmy Cafrelli at 126.