Hershey Heaven: PIAA Class AAA Finals Set to Take Place
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At 106 lbs. super freshman Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) will face District 3 Champion Conner Sheehan (Solanco) in a re-match of the POWERade semi-finals in which Pletcher won (6-0). One of the most exciting semi-final abouts was at 113 lbs. when senior Zach Fuentus (Norristown Area) defeated sophomore A.C. Headlee (12-7) in overtime. Fuentus will face returning State Champion Ethan Lizak (Parkland) who had a tough semi-final win over Scotty Parker (Pennridge) by score of (4-2). The last time these two met was on January 14, 2011 at the Escape the Rock Tournament which Fuentus won (4-2).
At 120 lbs. it will be an all WPIAL Finas as junior Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan) will take on sophomore Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area). The two are very familiar opponents. The two have met twice this season with Krivus winning both matches by scores of (8-6) and (6-2). Last season Krivus placed third at the PIAA State Championship by defeating Macri (3-2). In another all WPIAL State Final returning State runner-ups Conner Schram (Canon-McMillan) and Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional). The two will meet for the second week in a row as Schram won (3-2) in a very closely contested bout.
WPIAL runner-up Tyler Smith (Franklin Regional) will take on sophomore Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley) in the finals at 132 lbs. Duggan was a PIAA State fourth place medalist last season at 126 lbs. as he defeated WPIAL Champion and 2x PIAA State Medalist Ethan Kenney (Connellsville Area) by a (3-2) margin in the semi-finals. In a very intriguing match-up at 138 lbs. junior Joe Galasso (Father Judge) will take on 2012 PIAA runner-up Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin). Galasso was a 2012 PIAA State fifth place medalist last season at 132 lbs. The two have not met in their careers.
At 145 lbs. the WPIAL finals re-match between Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan) and Josh Shields (Franklin Regional) will not take place as 2012 State runner-up Chris Vassar (Cedar Cliff) defeated Shields (1-0) in the semi-final round. Chishko, a junior, will be entering his first PIAA State Finals after finishing in third place the previous two seasons. The Cedar Cliff senior has been wrestling tough and is relentless from the top position. The two have not met in their careers.
At 152 lbs. it will be an all District 3 Final as 2012 State Champion Garett Hammond (Chambersburg Area) will take on T.C. Warner (Cumberland Valley) for the third time this post-season. In the 2012 145 lbs. State Finals Hammond won the State Championship by score of (12-9). This season, however, T.C. Warner has been the top dog as he won both the District 3 Section 1 Tournament and South Central Regional finals against Hammond by scores of (7-6) and (3-2).
At 160 lbs. it will be another all District 3 Final as career undefeated 2x State Champion Chance Marsteller will take on another retuning State Champion in the 2013 Finals. Last season Marsteller downed State Champion Brian Brill (Central Mountain) in the Class AAA Finals at 160 lbs. This season the junior will take on Garrett Peppelman (Central Dauphin) in a re-match of the South Central Regional Finals. Marsteller won that meeting (7-2). Returning Class AAA State Champion Cody Wiercioch (Canon-McMillan) will go for his third career PIAA State Championship as he takes on Joey Gartland (Penncrest).
In a re-match of the Escape the Rock Finals seniors Jacob Taylor (Bald Eagle Area) will take on Brett Harner (Norristown Area) at 182 lbs. Both wrestlers were 2012 PIAA State Third Place Medalists last season and Taylor won their only career meeting this season (3-2 UTB). This match predicts to be just as tight. At 195 lbs. it will be the third all WPIAL final with returning State Champion Matt McCutcheon (Kiski Area) going against fellow WPIAL star Jake Hart (Hampton) in a re-match of last weeks South West Regional final which Hart won in overtime.
At 220 lbs. 2x returning State Champion Tom Haines (Solanco) will take on one of the Nation’s top freshman in Boyertown Area’s Jordan Wood. The freshman has been on fire en route to his first career PIAA State Finals with a record of (46-1). His only defeat this season was to Wyoming Seminary senior Garrett Ryan who recently was a runner-up at the National Prep Tournament. Wood will try to do what Haines did his freshman season when he burst onto the National scene by winning the 2011 PIAA State Championship at 215 lbs.
In the final bout of the 2013 PIAA State Championships senior Aaron Bradley (Nazareth Area) will face off against Erie Central Tech senior Andrew Welton at 285 lbs. Bradley was a 2012 PIAA State runner-up last season to Tom Haines at 220 lbs. while Welton is earning his first PIAA State medal in his third trip to the State Tournament.
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