Big Spring’s Hunter Gregoris blows through 145-pound sectional field at Mechanicsburg

MECHANICSBURG: Hunter Gregoris had a simple mantra entering Saturday’s District 3-AAA Sectional at Mechanicsburg High School.

“Today, I was just like, ‘It doesn’t matter what happens. I’m just going to score points and do whatever I can to get first.’”

Good plan.

It seemed like a huge undertaking. Gregoris entered the 145-pound bracket as the No. 4 seed and squared off against top-seeded Tate Nichter, of Chambersburg, in a tough semifinal bout.

No problem. Gregoris stunned the crowd with a 14-7 semifinal decision and backed it up with a 12-3 thumping of Cedar Cliff’s Christian Prestil in the championship bout to claim the coveted title.

“I was like, ‘I’m just going to give it my hardest. It doesn’t matter the seeding, I’m just going to wrestle like I know how to wrestle,’” Gregoris said. “It’s my senior year, my last chance to show people what I can do.”

The Big Spring senior scored nine points in the final two minutes of the semifinal against Nichter. The run included a reversal, takedown, and two sets of near-fall points.

That dominance continued into the finals against Prestil. Gregoris came out strong with a pair of takedowns and three near-fall points for a 7-1 advantage.

“A lot,” said Gregoris when asked if the semifinal win gave him confidence in the finals. “Knowing how well I wrestled in the semis, I was like, ‘This kid isn’t as good as the other kid, so I’m just going to wrestle like I did in the semis and get the win.’

“It’s hard [to have the same intensity]. I had to do as good as the last match. At the same time, I needed to do whatever I needed to do to win. That’s my mindset.”

Prestil never recovered.

Gregoris added another takedown in the second period. He followed it up with an escape to start the third and polished off the victory with a takedown.

That put Gregoris in a good position entering next week’s District 3 Tournament. Not only should he get a favorable draw, he has plenty of confidence against the field.

“I will have the mentality that I can beat anyone,” Gregoris said. “The last two years, I would wrestle someone who was seeded higher or better than me and be nervous about it. Now, I think I can beat anybody.”

THREE TITLES APIECE: Cedar Cliff and Lower Dauphin led the way with three champions apiece. Aiden Lewis (106), J.J. Wilson (126), and Michael Cassidy (132) were winners for the Colts, with the trio of T.T. Elhajj (138), Clayton Ulrey (160), and Kyler Wuestner (285) reaching the top of the podium for the Falcons.

SPEAKING OF WILSON: J.J. Wilson’s 126-pound championship bout with Carlisle’s Rafael Portilla was far from easy. The scrappy Portilla had length on Wilson and matched the Colts star’s physicality. Wilson scored on a takedown in the first and escaped in the second. Portilla was forced to throw something at Wilson in the third, and the Colts standout countered with a takedown for a hard-fought 5-0 decision.

OTHER CHAMPIONS: Susquehanna Twp.’s Kody Evans collected the 120-pound title with a 24-6 tech fall over Cumberland Valley’s Ruston Dzielak. It came at the 3:52 mark of the match. Cumberland Valleys Ben Monn (113) and Jacob Lucas (182) earned titles. Carlisle’s Colton Zimmerman (152), Edmond Ruth (170), Northern’s Kyle Swartz (195), and Red Land’s Dylan Rodenhaber (220) also earned gold.

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