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Pen Argyl's Mikey Racciato places second; Mitch Minotti of Easton takes fourth.

Mikey Racciato, of Pen Argyl, finishes third at 130.

HERSHEY, Pa. | The four inches, 20 pounds and 12 months of
maturity have turned Bethlehem Catholic High School
sophomore Randy Cruz from a boy into a young man, according
to Golden Hawks coach Jeff Karam.
Cruz is certainly wrestling like a man among boys this
postseason -- and that trend is continuing during this
weeks PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships. The
District 11 and Southeast Regional champion reached
todays 112-pound final at the Giant Center with a 9-2
win over Bentons Colt Cotten in Friday nights
semifinals.
Randys been on fire and its turned into a
bonfire, Karam said of Cruzs postseason
dominance. Hes in a zone, definitely. I saw his
success coming after last year ... hes sprouted up and
is a young man.
The cool, calm and collected Cruz, who is quiet and mostly
emotionless during and after his matches, will be joined in
the 2:30 p.m. finals by junior teammate Kyle Dehaut, a 7-6
winner over Burrells Travis McKillop in the semifinals
at 152 pounds.
Bethlehem Catholic went 2-0 in the semifinal round while
Pen Argyl was 0-for-3.
The Racciato brothers, senior Phil at 145 and freshman
Mikey at 130 pounds, along with freshman 103-pounder Matty
Williams all lost by decision in the semis. Mikey Racciato
bounced back with a consolation-round pin and will wrestle
for third place. Phil Racciato and Williams will try for
fifth place.
Cruzs three state tournament wins are by first-period
fall, 7-2 decision and 9-2 decision. His closest competition
this postseason came in the district final -- a 3-0 win over
Pen Argyls Jamie Welsh, also a dominant effort.
The confidence I built in districts and regionals is
really big, said Cruz, who improved to 37-5.
I dont show it out on the mat jumping up and
down because Im usually tired after my matches. But
Im real excited and really happy to make it this far.
This is a new experience for me, wrestling in the state
final.
Cruz will wrestle Athens senior David White, who is 44-3,
for the gold medal.
As a freshman, Cruz finished sixth in the state at 103
pounds. But this is a new year and a new wrestler, according
to Karam.
Last year he was wrestling 103, the second-year
Bethlehem Catholic coach said, but if there was a
95-pound class, hed have been there. He was light.
This year hes every bit of 114 pounds. Its made
all the difference.
Cruzs improvement since last season is not as drastic
as the huge leap forward Dehaut, who did not qualify for
states last year, has made.
Also a district and regional champ, Dehaut used a
five-point move in the first 45 seconds to forge a
comfortable lead and then held on in the final seconds for a
one-point victory.
That was huge, Dehaut, 37-6, said of the
takedown and three back points. That allowed me to
dictate the match. He had to come to me and I was able to
use my defense. He got in on me late, but Im very
comfortable on my butt.
Growing up, all you dream about is the state final.
Its a cool feeling.
Dehaut will meet freshman Cody Wiercioch of Charleroi, who
is 37-1, in the final.
Pen Argyl has had a season to remember but endured a
frustrating semifinal round.
At 130 pounds, Mikey Racciato dropped a 9-8 decision to
senior Frank Martellotti of Shady Side Academy, a 2007 state
champion who finished third the past two years. Martellotti,
who is 48-2, scored a key takedown in the final seconds of
the first period for a 4-1 lead. He built his advantage to
9-4 in the final 30 seconds before the younger Racciato made
the final score close with a penalty point, an escape and a
takedown.
The takedown at the end of the period kind of screwed
me, said Mikey Racciato, who pinned Michael DePalma of
Jeannette in the consolation semifinals. (Martellotti)
got the lead and kind of slowed things down. I knew he was a
state champ and three-time placewinner, but I thought I
could beat him. I didnt. Oh well. My goal was top four
so Im pretty good with that.
At 145, Phil Racciato lost an 11-4 decision to South
Fayettes Nick Carr, who finished second at the
Southwest Regional. Carr, who improved to 31-2, led 3-0
entering the final period as the typically explosive older
Racciato struggled to get going on offense.
Williams dropped an 11-5 decision to Brad Farley of
Bermudian Springs in the 103-pound semifinals.
Pen Argyl is guaranteed four state placewinners as junior
112-pounder Jamie Welsh will wrestle in the seventh-place
consolation bout.
Catasauquas Curtis Garner was the sixth semifinalist
to represent the Lehigh Valley on Friday night. Garner, a
senior 215-pounder, dropped an 8-4 decision to Lackawanna
Trails Eric Laytos and will wrestle today for fifth
place.
The consolation finals begin 1 p.m. at the Giant Center,
with the championship finals set for 2:30 p.m.
Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or
mblouse@express-times.com. Talk about sports in the region
at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

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.