Joe Spisak of Boiling Springs hugs coach Rod Wright underneath the stands following his 6-3 win over Ronnie Garbinsky of Tyrone Area during their PIAA AA 130 pound semi final match at the Giant Center. JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News...

Milton Hershey's Cris Ramirez pins Shamokin's Wes Tillett in their preliminary match at the PIAA Wrestling Championships.

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(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

Cris Ramirez probably never saw the movie “Cool Hand Luke.”
               
But he pulled a significant piece of advice from that classic con-on-the-run film. After a disappointing PIAA Class AA Southeast Region Wrestling Tournanment last week, he decided, in the word of Strother Martin’s famous Captain, to get his mind right.

It’s right.

Ramirez (25-8) turned his fifth-place regional finish into a flurry of improvement over the last four days, all of it resulting in a stunning first-round pin of Shamokin’s Wes Tillett (34-5) in the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championship Thursday at Giant Center.

Ramirez’s victory was one of two stunners by midstate wrestlers in a mixed bag for the locals.

The other came from Juniata senior Seth Beitz (42-7), who knocked off Central Cambria’s Phillip Steinberg, last year’s runner-up at 135 pounds, by a 6-3 score.

Six other midstate wrestlers scored first-round wins: Line Mountain’s impressive freshman Zain Retherford at 103 and Adam Kritzer at 130, Juniata’s PIAA champion Arty Walsh at 119 and PIAA runner-up Zac Beitz at 125, and Boiling Springs’ Joe Spisak at 130 and hot-as-slag Tylor Unger at 285.

But the victories by Ramirez and Seth Beitz were show-stealers for the locals.

“After regionals, we went back in the room and worked,” Ramirez said. “And not just baby practices. There was a lot of running, a lot of work.”

It wasn’t just physical work, either.

“We watched a video [of Tillett] and learned some things about him,” Ramirez said. “I was looking for his weakness, and when I found it, I went after it.”

What Ramirez found, in part because of the video that Milton Hershey assistant coach Ed Neiswender pulled of the wrestling site flowrestling.com, was that Tillett could be thrown. And that’s what Ramirez did … twice.

The first was a counter when Tillett, leading 2-1, attempted to tackle Ramirez, who went over and under and flipped Tillet for a takedown near the edge.

The second throw was much better. Ramirez walked into a low bear hug, lifted and tossed Tillett and got the pin at 3:27.

“I think maybe he thought it’d be easy since I was a No. 5 guy [from the region],” Ramirez said. “I know I thought that about Unger last week.” Unger (33-15), who pushed through a grueling 3-2 win over Wyalusing’s Pete Champluvier.

Unger, who entered the District 3-AA tournament with a 26-12 record, but has since gone 9-3 against good competition, turned in a stunning 9-2 decision over Ramirez last week.

“I learned from that,” said Ramirez, a Bronx resident who once loved theater.

Unger, for his his part, is thrilled with the new him, even if he’s not quite sure how to articulate his new-man turn of events.

“Everything’s just going well,” Unger said. “I just look at my opponent as my enemy and treat him that way.”

Boiling Springs head coach Rodney Wright was more concise about Unger’s improvement.

“He’s found a new love for the sport,” said Wright, the three-time PIAA champion from Lakeview. “Just the other day, he said ‘I can’t wait for next year.’ I told him, ‘Hey, let’s take of this year first.’ ‘’

Unger’s more famous teammate, Spisak (44-1), got in just 43 seconds of work, the time it took him to pin Bentworth’s Francis Mizia.

“I just wanted to come out physical, get the feel for it,” Spisak said. “Having only one match today is kind of anticlimactic, but that’s the way it’s set up. It’d be nice to have another.”

Seth Beitz showed he’s capable of reaching Saturday’s state finals by wrestling a smart, tough match against Steinberg. He trailed 3-2 after two periods, but was the aggressor in the third and outscored Steinberg 4-0 with a takedown and nearfall.

Beitz’s brother Zac had no problems, dumping Iroquois’ Dylan Simmer 9-2 at 125 while Walsh got enough of a fight from Blairsville’s Adam Weinell in a 9-3 decision.

Retherford was especially impressive in his 10-0 execution of Mount Union’s Ryan Wilson, who had just three losses entering the tournament, while Kritzer pulled off a mild surprise by topping North East’s Levi Morton 10-5. He gets Spisak in this morning’s quarterfinals.

Among those falling short in the opening round were Milton Hershey’s Nick Lamoreaux, who couldn’t find any openings against PIAA runner-up Evan Link of Penn Cambria in a 6-2 loss.

Annville-Cleona’s Dylan Killian fell behind Loyalsock’s Alec Eggerton 8-2, turned him with a third-period cradle, but couldn’t get the pin and lost 8-5.

Juniata’s Dylan Treaster at 152 and Dan Fultz at 285 also dropped first-round matches, Treaster to Tyler Gargano of Hickory 12-4 and Fultz to PIAA runner-up Tyler DeMott of Benton 10-2.   Williams Valley’s Ben Ancheff was pinned in overtime by Forest Hills’ Robert Oshaben.

Boiling Springs senior Joe Spisak prepares for his preliminary match against Bentworth's Francis Mizia.

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(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

Boiling Springs' 130-pounder Joe Spisak wrestled for less than a minute before the first day of his PIAA wrestling tournament came to an end. In his preliminary match against Bentworth's Francis Mizia, Spisak scored a takedown in the opening seconds and locked in a quick cradle to register an early fall.

Spisak -- who has second, fourth and seventh place state finishes under his belt -- had the second-fastest pin of the preliminary round. The senior wrestles Line Mountain's Adam Kritzer, a 10-5 winner over North East's Levi Morton, in tomorrow's quarterfinals.

Milton Hershey's Cris Ramirez pins Shamokin's Wes Tillett in the preliminary round of the PIAA Class AA wrestling tournament.

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(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

The preliminary round of the PIAA Class AA wrestling tournament is in the books, and eight local wrestlers are still in the hunt for state titles. One other, Juniata 285-pounder Dan Fultz, is looking to battle back through the consolation brackets.

103 pounds
Zain Retherford, Line Mountain: Retherford won by major decision, 10-0, over Mount Union's Ryan Wilson. He faces Oley Valley's Robert Ritschard in tomorrow's quarterfinals.

119 pounds
Arty Walsh, Juniata: Walsh, reigning state champ at 112 last season, had his hands full with Blairsville's Adam Weinell but held on for a 9-3 decision. He faces Westmont-Hilltop's Tanner Hough in the quarters.

125 pounds
Zac Beitz, Juniata: Beitz won handily, 9-2 over Iroquois' Dylan Simmer. He moves on to face Benton's Coltin Fought, a winner by tech fall in the prelims, in the quarterfinals.

130 pounds
Joe Spisak, Boiling Springs: Spisak recorded the fastest pin of the preliminary round, a dominant 43-second showing against Bentworth's Francis Mizia. Spisak recorded a quick takedown and locked up a cradle on Mizia to move on to the quarters, where Line Mountain's Adam Kritzer awaits. Kritzer beat North East's Levi Morton 10-5 in his opener.

140 pounds
Seth Beitz, Juniata: Beitz scored one of the tournament's biggest upsets thus far, coming back from a 3-2 deficit to take a 6-3 decision over Central Cambria's Phillip Steinberg, a state runner-up at 135 last season. Beitz faces Loyalsock's Alec Eggerton in the quarterfinals.

285 pounds
Cris Ramirez, Milton Hershey: Ramirez got off to a slow start against Shamokin's Wes Tillett, but woke up in a hurry in the second period. Ramirez first recorded an improbable takedown by fighting off his back, then muscled Tillett to his back moments later. The result was a pin in 3:27 and a quarterfinal date with Richland's John Rizzo.

Tylor Unger, Boiling Springs: In a match mostly wrestled from the neutral position, Unger out-lasted Wyalusing's Pete Champluvier and scored a 3-2 victory. He faces Bethlehem-Center's Jeff Tarley in tomorrow's quarters.

District 4 has placed 28 wrestlers into Friday's 8 a.m. PIAA Wrestling Championship quarterfinal round at Giant Center.

Benton is carrying the torch for this group with six, followed by Shamokin and Athens each with three.

District 3 chimed in second in this race with 18 wrestlers in the quarters. Schuylkill Valley, no surprise, leads this bunch with four. Juniata still has three wrestlers in the championship bracket.

Speaking of the Indians, they have carried the local torch with Seth Beitz, Zac Beitz and Arty Walsh all making the quarters. Boiling Springs has placed two in the quarters, thanks to the efforts of Joe Spisak and the surprising Tylor Unger.

Cris Ramirez made the quarters with an impressive pin at 285, representing Milton Hershey.

Line Mountain's Zain Retherford and Adam Kritzer are also in the quarterfinals. Juniata's Dan Fultz and Williams Valley's Ben Ancheff are alive in the consolation bracket.

District 3 wrestlers went 18-19 in the preliminary round of the PIAA Class AA tournament, according to a tally by Patriot-News reporter Jeremy Elliott. Two highlights have been upset victories by Juniata 140-pounder Seth Beitz, who defeated PIAA runner-up Phillip Steinberg 6-3, and Fairfield's Kyle Flohr, who toppled Muncy's Zach Strickland 6-4.

Including Beitz's victory, midstate grapplers went a rock solid 7-4 in the opening round. Boiling Springs' 130-pounder Joe Spisak recorded the fastest pin of the day, using a cradle to finish Bentworth's Francis Mizia in 43 seconds.

Milton Hershey heavyweight Cris Ramirez also recorded an impressive pin, muscling Shamokin's Wes Tillett to the mat with a bear hug at the 3:27 mark of their match.

Boiling Springs junior Tylor Unger also moved on to the quarterfinals of the heavyweight bracket, outlasting Wyalusing's Pete Champluvier 3-2. Juniata heavyweight Dan Fultz lost by major decision, 10-2 to Benton's Tyler DeMott.

Full bracket results can be found on PennLive.com.

Reporter: Phil, your little brother Mikey, maybe you
need to help him out with interviews? For supposedly having
an outgoing personality, hes kind of a boring
interview.
Phil Racciato: Hes just stupid.
Thats the type of brotherly tough-love it is for the
wrestling Racciatos of Pen Argyl Area High School.
Phil is a senior for the Green Knights this season who is
38-3 at 145 pounds with District 11 and Southeast Regional
titles. Mikey is a freshman at Pen Argyl who is 41-4 at 130
with a district gold medal and a regional silver.
The Racciatos will represent their community and their
school at this weeks PIAA Class AA Wrestling
Championships in Hershey, Pa.
They started for the high school football team and played
defense on the same side of the field. They wrestle on the
same team and practice against each other. And they live in
the same household.
But trying to get the competitive brothers to say something
complimentary about one another, it just isnt easy.
This year weve gotten closer since football and
especially now with wrestling, Phil offered after
scoring three backpoints with the hes just
stupid comment.
We hang out sometimes. In wrestling, I want him to do
well. And I think he wants me to, too.
Mikey admitted big bro usually gets the better of their
physical scraps -- but not the verbal ones. He, however,
offered up a legitimate reason.
We wrestle here and there, the younger brother
said. He gets the best of me for the most part, but
sometimes Ill catch him. Hes a lot heavier,
though.
The toughest competition may come against each other
because theyve both enjoyed plenty of success against
their opponents.
The Racciatos are the best wrestlers on the best team in
Class AA in District 11. Both are ranked in the top six of
their respective weight classes in the state.
They also could be considered the best brother tag-team in
the Lehigh Valley. The Hedashs -- Craemer, Colin and Connor
of Northern Lehigh -- and the Cruzs -- Randy and Darian of
Bethlehem Catholic -- also could claim top brother honors.
Saucon Valley coach Chad Shirk, who has seen plenty of the
Racciatos this season, said unpredictable is the
word that best describes their wide-open, high-scoring
style.
Theyve both got an unorthodox way. They just
dont stop; they keep on attacking. Someone who would
normally be in a bad position, those two get out of it and
quickly put their opponents in a bad position, Shirk
said. The one thing is, they have incredible hips ...
and you cant teach that.
Pen Argyl coach Scott Kupec said from a fans
perspective -- and even a coachs -- the brothers are a
pleasure to watch.
You never know what theyll pull out of their
bag of tricks, said The Express-Times Coach of the
Year last season. Hips are so important in wrestling.
Opponents think they have them, then all of a sudden they
hip out and theyll surprise you.
Phil has made exciting, late-match comebacks routine this
season.
The most recent came in the 145-pound district semifinals.
He trailed Tri-Valleys Sam Scheib 7-4 in the final 10
seconds but scored a reversal and three back points to pull
out the two-point victory. A 125-match winner, he pinned
Scheib a week later in the regional semifinals.
Mikey, meanwhile, physically attacks opponents with a
relentless style and rarely is involved in close bouts.
Of the first 35 wins of his career, a total of 29 came by
bonus points. His most recent loss was in the 130-pound
regional final, 7-3, against Boiling Springs highly
regarded senior Joe Spisak, who is 43-1.
Im sort of surprised by how well Ive
done, said Mikey, a two-time junior high district
champion. I didnt know what to expect. But I
like this level a lot better. Theres a lot more
excitement.
Though Phil usually gets the better of his brother in their
head-to-head battles right now, he acknowledges Mikey could
eventually be something special.
He has the potential to win a state title, said
Phil, who is considering wrestling in college at Wilkes.
Hes wrestling on a high level for a freshman. He
needs to keep working at it.
Its improbable the Racciatos will both win gold at
this weeks PIAA Wrestling Championships, but it is
possible they will walk out of the Giant Center on Saturday
with state medals hanging from their neck.
But even if it isnt meant to be, they still have the
unique distinction of capturing district gold on the same
night.
I think that was pretty cool, Phil admitted.
Im happy we got to do it my senior year and his
freshman year. Ill definitely look back at that one
day and be proud.
Even for the sons of Phil and Michele Racciato of Pen
Argyl, there is a little brotherly love.
Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or
mblouse@express-times.com. Talk about sports in the region
at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

What: PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships.
When: Thursday through Saturday.
Where: Giant Center, Hershey, Pa.
Predictions: (Top eight finishers in each weight class earn
state medals. *Denotes returning state champion.)
103 -- 1. *Nick Roberts, North Star; 2. Corey Bush,
Ridgway; 3. Brad Farley, Bermudian Springs.
112 -- 1. Randy Cruz, Bethlehem Catholic; 2. Shane Rankin,
Union City; 3. David White, Athens.
119 -- 1. *Arty Walsh, Juniata; 2. Michael Rhone, Benton;
3. Mason Beckman, Reynolds.
125 -- 1. Dylan DUrso, Reynolds; 2. Dave Makara,
Burrell; 3. Coltin Fought, Benton.
130 -- 1. Frank Martellotti, Shady Side Academy; 2. Joe
Spisak, Boiling Springs; 3. Mikey Racciato, Pen Argyl.
135 -- 1. A.J. Shopp, Tyrone; 2. Luke Frey, Montoursville;
3. *Nick Hodgkins, Wyomissing.
140 -- 1. *Colin Shober, Schuylkill Haven; 2. Phillip
Steinberg, Central Cambria; 3. Cody Copeland, Greenville.
145 -- 1. Jordan Moss, Sharon; 2. Aaron Fry, Muncy; 3.
Phil Racciato, Pen Argyl.
152 -- 1. Jeremy King, Fort LeBoeuf; 2. Brandon Collins,
Commodore Perry; 3. Cody Wiercioch, Charleroi.
160 -- 1. *Dirk Cowburn, Coudersport; 2. *Eric Hess,
Benton; 3. Mike Cobb, Wyalusing.
171 -- 1. Nathaniel Brown, Lewisburg; 2. Matthew
Cunningham, Shady Side Academy; 3. Colin Hedash, Northern
Lehigh.
189 -- 1. Stephan Ceremuga, Commodore Perry; 2. Travis
Chesla, Towanda; 3. Jacob Shields, Brookville.
215 -- 1. Brian Hooks, Commodore Perry; 2. Brian Beattie,
Burrell; 3. Jared Burger, Union City.
285 -- 1. Joe Chittester, Ridgway; 2. John Rizzo,
Richland; 3. Jeff Tarley, Beth-Center.
MICHAEL BLOUSE

Juniata's Arty Walsh

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(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

PIAA-AA TOURNAMENT LOCAL WRESTLERS
Weight, Wrestler (class), Team, Record
112, Nick Lamoreaux (sr), Milton Hershey, 31-3
119, Arty Walsh (so), Juniata, 43-0
125, Zac Beitz (so), Juniata, 46-2
130, Joe Spisak (sr), Boiling Springs, 43-1
140, Seth Beitz (sr), Juniata, 41-7
140, Dylan Killian (jr), Annville-Cleona, 35-8
160, Dylan Treaster (jr), Juniata, 37-10
285, Cris Ramirez (sr), Milton Hershey, 24-8
285, Tylor Unger (jr), Boiling Springs, 32-15
285, Dan Fultz (sr), Juniata, 46-4

PIAA-AA UNDEFEATED WRESTLERS
Weight, Wrestler (class), Team, Record
103, Nick Roberts (so), North Star, 35-0
119, Mason Beckman (jr), Reynolds, 45-0
119, Arty Walsh (so), Juniata, 43-0
130, Ronnie Grains (jr), Tyrone, 38-0
135, A.J. Schopp (sr), Tyrone, 38-0
135, Luke Frey (jr), Montoursville, 30-0
140, Colin Shober (sr), Schuylkill Valley, 49-0
145, Aaron Fry (sr), Muncy, 40-0
145, Jordan Moss (sr), Sharon, 42-0
171, Nathaniel Brown (jr), Lewisburg, 37-0
189, Stephan Ceremuga (jr), Comm. Perry, 38-0
285, Joe Chittester (sr), Ridgway, 37-0

PIAA-AA WRESTLING RETURNING CHAMPIONS
Wt., Wrestler, Team, '09 Weight.
103, Nick Roberts (so), North Star, 103
119, Arty Walsh (so), Juniata, 112
135, Nick Hodgkins (jr), Wyomissing, 130
140, Colin Shober (sr), Schuylkill Valley, 135
160, Eric Hess (sr), Benton, 145
160, Dirk Cowburn (sr), Coudersport, 152

Cris Ramirez, left, came to Milton Hershey from the Bronx, N.Y.

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(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

Cris Ramirez did what few of us will ever admit to doing out loud: He willfully deceived his mother.

Living in the Bronx, N.Y., at the time -- Ramirez was 13 -- the Dominican Republic native looked around and didn't like what he saw.

"I wanted out; I wanted to get away from New York City," said Ramirez, currently a senior wrestler at the Milton Hershey. "I just didn't like the city.

"The only way I could think to get out was to go to military school," Ramirez said.

So he started researching military schools, even though he didn't necessarily have a military mien. All he knew is that it was an open door, out of the tight spaces and the constant flurry of New York living.

"One of my counselors asked me what my obsession with military school was about," Ramirez said. "I told her about how I wanted to go to college, to get out of the city to somewhere with good academics.

"She said, 'You don't need a military school,'" Ramirez remembered. "She said I needed a boarding school.

"I didn't even know what that was."

But he wanted to know, so it was back to the brochures and the Web sites. He found Milton Hershey. It had everything he needed and wanted.

"And," he said, "it was the only place where I could go for free."

Here's where Ramirez's mother, a Dominican who still does not speak fluent English, comes in, albeit in the background.

Ramirez set about doing all of the legwork: downloading forms, navigating the path that would lead him to Hershey. There was just one problem: His mother needed to sign the forms.

"She didn't know what she was signing," Ramirez said. "I'd give her a paper and tell her it was something for [the local public] school. She got quite a surprise when I told her I was going to Milton Hershey School."

Several discussions later, Mom was on board. And Ramirez was boarded.

This week, Ramirez (24-8) will join nine other midstate wrestlers, including Milton Hershey classmate Nick Lamoreaux (31-3 at 112), in their quest to win medals -- and possibly a state championship -- at the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships at Hershey's Giant Center.

Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. Thursday with the preliminary round. It continues Friday at 8 a.m. with quarterfinals and 6:30 p.m. with semifinals. The championships will be broadcast live statewide on PCN at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Most of the midstate focus will be on Juniata 119-pounder Arty Walsh (43-0), last year's PIAA Class AA champion at 112 who transferred from Wyomissing over the summer, and three-time medalist and one-time runner-up Joe Spisak (43-1) of Boiling Springs at 130.

Walsh is one of five Juniata wrestlers in the AA field, enough for an outside run at a team championship, especially if sophomore Zac Beitz (46-2 at 119) can return to the finals (he lost to Walsh in the 112-AA title match)

But given Juniata's draws -- even Walsh has a mega-semifinal showdown in the making with Reynolds star Mason Beckman (45-0) -- the hill is tall and steep. Seth Beitz (41-7) at 140, Dylan Treaster (37-10) at 160 and Dan Fultz (46-4) at 285 also qualified for Juniata.

Spisak, a University of Virginia recruit, has to be considered one of the favorites at 130. But so is Tyrone junior Ronnie Garbinsky (38-0); they are in the same semifinal bracket.

Other midstate wrestlers in the field are Annville-Cleona's Dylan Killian (35-8) at 140 and Boiling Springs' Tylor Unger (32-15), last week's surprise runner-up in the Southeast Region tournament at 285.

But the Milton Hershey wrestlers have followed the most twisted and interesting paths. Lamoreaux, from Bethesda, Md., didn't have to fool family to reach the Hershey school, but like Ramirez, he had no idea what scholastic wrestling was until he came to Hershey as a freshman.

"I thought it was like [pro wrestling on TV]," Lamoreaux said.

Said Ramirez, "I thought it was hitting someone with a chair."

Both were guided into wrestling by Jimmy Taylor, Milton Hershey's freshman football and wrestling coach. And, despite the lack of flying chairs, both took to it, especially Lamoreaux.

"I fell in love with it," Lamoreaux said. "I was a little disappointed after my freshman year after the season ended because it was over, but I went to a lot of summer camps and clinics. I couldn't get enough of it."

Ramirez and Lamoreaux have talent off the mat. Ramirez is into theater ("I drive two departments nuts," he said); Lamoreaux is a graphic artist who developed the logo for Milton Hershey head coach Chris Cassel's soon-to-open winery.

"I asked Nick if he wanted a project, and he said sure," Cassel said. "I told him what I was looking for, and about 20 e-mails later, he'd designed exactly what I was looking for."