Chris Vassar of Cedar Cliff escapes the hold of Christian Stone of Clearfield during their PIAA AAA 103 pound preliminary match at the Giant Center.

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(JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News)

Most freshman would wilt on the pressure of being on the Giant Center floor in front of a raucous Class AAA crowd at the PIAA Wrestling Championships.
   
Not Christopher Vassar.
   
The Cedar Cliff newbie is used to being in tight matches. It seems to be a constant for Vassar, who has 11 matches this season where the margin of victory has been two points or less.
   
So when he finished in a scoreless tie with Clearfield’s Christian Stone at the end of regulation, Vassar didn’t panic. It was simply status quo.
   
Vassar showed the prowess of a polished veteran, when he escaped in the second overtime period and rode Stone out in the third to take a 1-0 decision and earn a spot in today’s quarterfinal round, which is scheduled for 1 p.m.
   
“Some people get to that third period in a tight match and think that they are going to lose,” Vassar said. “All those close matches have helped me mentally. I seem to pick it up more.
   
“I trusted in all the work outs I do riding people out in the room. I knew eventually I would get out, and I was able to post his hand and swivel my hips up and out.”
   
It’s all mental.
   
Vassar (38-9) may be small, but he has the confidence of a 285-pound heavyweight. He believes in his ability and his work ethic. And never was that more evident than when he wiggled away from Stone with five seconds left in the second overtime period.

From there, it was brute strength and riding ability. Stone almost got away, but Vassar climbed up his legs and dropped the Clearfield freshman to his knees and hung on for the victory.
   
“I’m not surprised with how well I’m doing,” said Vassar, who will face Liberty junior Anthony Cabrera in the quarterfinals. “I work hard training, keep my grades up and trust my coaches.
   
“I’m just going to keep working hard and come back tomorrow and try win.”
   
Vassar wasn’t the only local newcomer to the state tournament to have a good showing.
   
East Pennsboro’s Zachary Nye was nervous early but surged late to pin Blue Mountain’s Brook Gosch in 5:43.
   
Nye was only up 1-0 when Gosch chose down to start the third period. Big mistake, as the Panthers junior rolled the Eagles standout and racked up the fall.
   
“I was driving in here and saw the Giant Center, and was like ‘Oh, my God’,” Nye said. “It was my first match at states and I didn’t want to do anything stupid, so I really didn’t do anything.
   
“I usually feel pretty comfortable on top and once I got on top in the third, I started to get comfortable and the nerves started to go away.”
   
Nye (37-0) will face Methacton’s Brandan Clark (35-5), who upset defending state champion Nate Gaffney, of Connellsville, in the quarterfinals.
   
“I’m much more relaxed now that Gaffney lost,” Nye said. “But the guy I’m facing beat the defending state champion, so he is a good wrestler and I can’t overlook him.”
   
Susquehanna Twp. Sophomore Averee Robinson made a splash in his first state appearance, downing Penn Trafford’s Zach Baker 11-4.
   
Despite being sluggish, Robinson dominated this tilt, scoring six takedowns over three periods to take the victory.
   
“I knew I would be nervous, but I didn’t think I would be this sluggish,” Robinson said. “I thought I was going to be ready, but it was one of my worst matches of the year.
   
“I saw some classmates in the stands, and it made me so proud to represent my school and help put Susquehanna Twp. on the map. I was just hoping to get out with a win.”
   
Robinson (35-2) will take on Clearfield’s Andre Buck (28-8) in the quarterfinals.

Bo Candelaria of Middletown controls Tim Riley of Council Rock South on the way to a technical fall.

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(JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News)

CLASS AAA
145 POUNDS: Ryan Krecker (33-4), Nazareth vs. Bo Candelaria (30-3), Middletown: Candelaria looks unbeatable after scoring tech falls in the finals of districts and in Thursday’s first round of states. But don’t discount Krecker, who defeated Candelaria at Beast of the East in mid-December 7-2 and will be a tough out for the Blue Raiders star.

285 POUNDS: Evan Craig (47-0), Abington Heights vs. Adam Lazenga (41-1), Bethel Park: Craig was the runner-up at 285 as a sophomore and moved to the top of the podium a year ago. He will face his first test of the tournament in Lazenga, who is a pinning machine and put up plenty of resistance to the mighty Craig.

CLASS AA
112 POUNDS: David White (42-3), Athens vs. Evan Link (34-4), Penn Cambria: Link is on the rebound from a surprising third-place finish in the Southwest Region last week in Johnstown. He will look to get back on track against White, a two-time state medalist and Northeast Region champion.

152 POUNDS: Tyler Hain (34-4), Warrior Run vs. Cody Wiercioch (35-1), Charleroi: Hain is a two-time PIAA runner-up and squares off against arguably the best freshman in Class AA. It’s senior against the youngster to see who will be the favorite to stand at the top of the podium on Saturday.

The PIAA AAA preliminary round takes place at the Giant Center.

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(JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News)

There is little doubt after the preliminary round which Class AA district is tops in the state.
       
It’s District 4 in a landslide.
      
The Sunbury-Williamsport area is home to 25 percent of the field left in the championship bracket, owning 28 of the 112 quarterfinal spots. The quarterfinals are slated to go off at 8 a.m. this morning.
       
Benton seems to be the strongest team in the District 4 field with six wrestlers in the quarterfinals, which is also good enough to take the team championship lead with 20 points. Burrell is second with 16 points.
       
Fellow District 4 running mate Athens put three wrestlers in the finals and is fifth in the team chase with 10 points. Shamokin is tied for sixth with three wrestlers in the quarterfinals and nine points.
       
Where does District 3 rank compared to the rest of the state in Class AA: try second with 18. Schuylkill Valley helped the cause with four in contention for a state title. Juniata is second with three, followed by Boiling Springs with two.

BOO BIRDS
The first boos from the stands ripped through the Giant Center air during a 135-pound tilt between Central Mountain’s Jordan Rich and La Salle’s Joey Mazzi.
       
Mazzi trailed 5-1 in the match before locking in a headlock and taking Rich, a fourth-place finisher a year ago at 125, for an additional three near fall points to grab a 6-5 lead.
       
But before Mazzi could pin Rich, he lost Rich’s arm and the headlock turned illegal, costing Mazzi a point and tying the match at 6-6. Rich (35-2) was then awarded a caution point, first noticed by the assistant, and not the match, referee to make it 7-6. Annoyed, Mazzi decided to let up Rich and go for the takedown in the final 14 seconds.
       
Mazzi failed to get the takedown and stormed off the mat none too happy with the referee.

STATE CHAMP FALLS
Connellsville’s Nate Gaffney, the defending champion at 215, dropped a 6-2 decision to Methacton’s Brandan Clark (35-5) in the first round at the same weight.
       
Gaffney tore a ligament in his right knee earlier, but still managed to finish, much like Selinsgrove’s Spencer Myers did against Gaffney in the finals a year ago.
       
Unfortunately for the Connellsville standout, the injury was so severe that he did not return to tournament action.

MORE TOP WRESTLERS FALL
It wasn’t a good day to be a returning runner-up in Class AAA.
       
Blue Mountain’s Tyler Rauenzahn, Bradford’s Mark Havers and Cedar Cliff’s Clint Morrison, all silver medalists from last season were bounced out of the championship bracket in the first round of competition.
       
Havers, who lost to Central Dauphin’s Marshall Peppelman in the 152-pound final a year ago, was the biggest surprise of the group, dropping an 8-6 decision to Chichester’s Bobby Scheivert at 160.
       
Morrison, a runner-up at 171, was out-muscled by Cathedral Prep’s Jermaine Easter (37-5) 10-8 in an entertaining bout at 171. Easter had a big lead early, 8-2, before Morrison rallied and fell just short.
       
As for Rauenzahn, second at 119 last year, his loss wasn’t terribly surprising; he fell 11-7 to McDowell sophomore Steve Spearman, who boasts a spotless 39-0 mark at 130.
       
Morrison and Rauenzahn managed to win consolations, while Havers took an early two and out exit.

NO COMPLAINTS
This was the first year the PIAA held the state pairings until the Sunday before competition, and the process seemed to work out well.
       
"It's been a non-isuue," PIAA assistant executive director Mark Byers said. "We had one e-mail messaging complaining that one of the weights should have been re-drawn, but that was an anonymous message.  Otherwise, we had no complaints."
       
Byers said it's likely that the PIAA will retain the process.
       
"We'll review it at the wrestling steering committe [next month] and barring any changes, we'll likely proceed with this method in the future," byers said.

MEAT IN THE SEATS
Attendance for Thursday's sessions were 5,775 for Class AA and 6,909 for Class AAA for first-day total of 12,684, a bit off the PIAA's normal first-day numbers.

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.

Whether it is the regular season, the District 3 Championships or the PIAA Wrestling Championships, Bo knows one thing.

Winning.

Bo Candelaria wasted little time in showing that he isn’t about to lay over for Central Mountain’s Andrew Alton or anyone else in the 145-pound weight class for that matter, when he carved out a picture-perfect 16-1 over Council Rock South’s Tim Riley in the first round of Class AAA competition.

“Everything is working for me right now,” Candelaria said. “There are always some pre-state butterflies coming in; your eyes get big but once you blink and get that first match in, you are into it.

“This is my time to feel strong. I’m not going to back down now.”/p

The Blue Raiders senior (30-3) rests in the top-heavy side of the 145-bracket, with weight favorite Alton and Nazareth’s Ryan Krecker (34-4), who Candelaria will face in the quarterfinals, which start at 1 p.m.

It should be noted that Krecker decisioned Candelaria 7-2 at Beast of the East in mid-December. But he can expect to see a different wrestler this time around.

“I’m in better shape, and I’m more aggressive than when we wrestled the first time,” Candelaria said. “The last time, I wrestled his way. This time, I’m going show him the way I wrestle.”

A win, and Candelaria will likely hit Alton, the state champion at 140 last year, in the semifinals.

“I don’t mind that those guys are on my side of the bracket,’ Candelaria said. “I’m here to win gold and wrestle the best whether it is in the first round or the finals.”

The local Mid-Penn contingent showed its worth on the state stage by advancing 13 of 23 wrestlers into the Class AAA quarterfinals. Five more wrestlers are still alive in the consolations.

Cumberland Valley’s Travis Friend is in his last high school season and is looking to make it count.

He got off to a good start by punishing Ringgold’s Neal Rands and then pinning him in 3:12 to advance to the quarterfinals against St. Marys Sean Sadosky (34-0).

“Districts is done and over with,” said Friend (23-1), who lost to East Pennsboro’s Zachary Nye in the District 3 final. “There is no pressure on me. I like where I am in the bracket and just want to take it one match at a time and make it on the medal stand.

“This is my last time season, and I want to go out on a good note.”

Central Dauphin’s Marshall Peppelman (160) and Kenny Courts (171) are also looking to put an exclamation point on the season.

The two ripped off quick pins, spending a combined 1:31 on the mat in advancing to today’s quarters.

Others local wrestlers remaining in the championship hunt are Cedar Cliff’s Christopher Vassar (103), Big Spring’s Dereck Enders (112), Central Dauphin’s Tyler Buckman (130), Cumberland Valley’s Shawn Greevy (135), Carlisle’s Jayshon Wilson (152), Big Spring’s Luke Etter (160), Cumberland Valley’s Tristan Warner (171), East Pennsboro’s Zachary Nye (215) and Susquehanna Twp.’s Averee Robinson (285).

Central Dauphin's Kenny Courts, drags Cumberland Valley's Tristan Warner, to the mat during their 171 pound match in the District 3 Wrestling Championships.

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(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

Four weeks ago, state wrestling fans were whipped into anticipation mode for the next three days.
   
Who wouldn’t be after seeing Central Dauphin clip Central Mountain 35-34 in the PIAA Class AAA Team Championships semifinals. You could just sense that these two mat behemoths would go at it again in the individual brackets during the PIAA Championships at Giant Center.
   
Too bad it didn’t turn out that way.
   
Oh, Central Mountain did its part. The Wildcats will bring eight wrestlers to Hershey, five of whom were Northwest Region champions, while the Rams stumbled a bit at districts and qualified only four wrestlers. In other words, the team championship will probably be heading north to District 6.
   
So instead of focusing on a monster team showdown — there is no reason to — it would be more prudent to shift gears and focus on the best weights in class.
   
And there are plenty.
   
The crown jewel of Class AAA bracketology is the 171-pound weight. There are arguably six or seven wrestlers in this group who could end up at the top of the podium Saturday night.
   
“People are going to remember who comes out on top at 171,” Cumberland Valley hammer Tristan Warner said. “The weight is pretty strong top to bottom, but I think I’m up to the challenge. I’m looking forward to it.”
   
Warner (35-2) is a strong contender, as his only losses this season have come at the hands of Central Dauphin’s Kenny Courts (38-0), the last of which was a 4-2 overtime barn burner in the district final.
   
Courts, who took silver a year ago at 160, has already beaten four of his competitors at 171 and has a Beast of the East crown, which came with a victory over Warner in the final, making him the favorite.
   
But in order to earn best in class honors, he will have to run a gauntlet of talent that would like nothing more than to knock off a Central Dauphin wrestler on the way to gold.
   
Chartiers Valley’s Tyler Wilps (37-0) is undefeated and on a quarterfinal collision course with Central Mountain’s Dylan Caprio (35-5). Butler’s Cole Baxter (36-1), if nothing else one of the toughest names in wrestling, has made the leap from 145 and could meet Courts in a quarterfinal tilt.
   
As for Warner, if he can win his first-round match against Upper Moreland’s James Nicholson, he likely will face Hazleton’s Jared Kay (36-5), who bounced him out of the tournament last year, in the quarters.
   
“He beat me 1-0 last year,” said Warner, who will wrestle at Old Dominion next year. “He kept me from a medal and, if I win there, I will probably meet Wilps in the semifinals. There are no weak matches.
   
“I just have to bring my A game and get through one match at a time.”
   
If there is a close second as far as a tough weight class, it comes at 135, where seven competitors have four losses or less.
   
Heading the list is Council Rock South’s Josh Dziewa (35-1), whose only loss this season came at the hands of Central Mountain’s Andrew Alton 10-6. Other heavy hitters are Central Mountain’s Jordan Rich (34-2), Boyertown’s Alex Pellicciotti (41-4), La Salle’s Joey Mazzi (44-3), who will meet Rich in the first round, and Cumberland Valley’s Shawn Greevy (20-2).
   
One of the best finals in Class AAA could come at 125, where Nazareth’s Zachary Horan (35-1) and Bellefonte’s Mitchell Port (41-0) are on opposite ends of the bracket. And if that doesn’t trip your trigger, you can tune in to see if Central Mountain 152-pounder Dylan Alton (41-0) and Central Dauphin’s Marshall Peppelman (46-0) can make it three titles in a row.
   
The Class AA brackets aren’t as deep as their Class AAA counterparts, but there are plenty of notables that bode well for the fan shelling out money at the ticket window.
   
The best weight of the bunch could be 135. Sure, Wyomissing’s Nick Hodgkins (33-1), the defending 130-pound champion, is lurking, but Tyrone’s A.J. Schopp (38-0), Montoursville’s Luke Frey (30-0) and Ridgway’s Garet Pisani (34-2) are by no means pushovers.
   
Six returning champions will be vying to duplicate last year’s feat in Class AA, two of whom are on course to meet in the finals at 160. Benton’s Eric Hess (37-2) won at 145, while Coudersport’s Dirk Cowburn (45-1) was the 152-pound champ.
   
If you are looking for a team race, you’ve got it in Class AA.
   
Schuylkill Valley heads the list of entries with eight, followed by Pen Argyl, Benton and Burrell, each with six. Shady Side Academy and Reynolds boast five.
   
That means there will be an emphasis on winning a title, giving the advantage to Schuylkill Valley with defending 135 champ Colin Shober at 140. But don’t discount Shade Side Academy, which has three returning placers, including 2007 champion Frank Martellotti at 130, and Burrell, a team that has four returning place winners.

When the Cedar Crest swim team entered last weekend’s District 3 swimming championships, the Falcons had expectations of doing well. But those expectations were tempered by the knowledge that they were facing some outstanding opposition.

On the boys side, Wilson and Cumberland Valley would be tough. For the girls, Wilson and Hershey would be the top contenders.

Cedar Crest did not beat those squads. But the Falcons got the most out of their own performances to finish third in the boys standings and sixth in the girls standings.

“For us, coming into this event, that was spectacular,” Cedar Crest head coach Beth Yocum said.

Perhaps the most spectacular performance for the Falcons was delivered by freshman Maddie Hoch. She won the gold medal in the AAA girls 500-yard freestyle in 4:57.52. She beat two-time gold medalist Claire Loht of Red Land by 1.41 seconds.

Not only did that put Hoch on top of the medal stand, but that time made her the top seed in the PIAA swimming championships. The state swimming meet will be at Bucknell University from next Wednesday through Saturday.
Yocum said that Hoch’s success in states will depend on how strong her practices are.

“As long as she feels confident in practice, she’s able to transfer that into meets,” Yocum said.

Hoch also qualified for states in the 200 freestyle, in which she placed third with a 1:50.87.

Skylar Doss will be headed to states in two individual events. She was fourth in the 200 Individual Medley with a 2:09.91 and eighth in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:07.00.

Kathleen Gast qualified in the 200 freestyle with an 11th-place 1:57.19.

Cedar Crest’s relay teams in the 200 and 400 free will move on to states as well. The 200 free team was fifth with a 1:39.65, and the 400 free team was third with a 3:36.40.

The Falcon boys did not claim any gold medals, but sent three individuals and two relay teams to states.

Allen Weik was the silver medalist in the 500 freestyle with a 4:44.38. He will also be in states in the 200 freestyle. He had a third-place 1:43.60 in that race.

Also moving on are Andrew Miller, sixth in the 100 freestyle with a 47.68, and Michael Lightner, sixth in the 100 backstroke with a 54.24.

The Falcons’ 200 free relay team was second with a 1:27.26, and the 400 free relay team was third with a 3:12.56.

Yocum said that Cedar Crest’s relays did not necessarily peak at the district meet.

"With our relays, we still have opportunities for improvement if you look at the individual splits,” Yocum said.

Two Falcon boys medaled at districts without qualifying for states. Austin Yocum was eighth in the 200 free with a 1:51.06, and Ryan Sullivan was fourth in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:05.79.

LEBANON COUNTY NOTES

- In AA boys, Palmyra had three individuals and two relays grab medals and state berths. The Cougars’ 200 medley relay was fifth with a 1:43.92, while the 400 free relay was sixth with a 3:22.69. Steve Tunitis was sixth in the 200 freestyle with a 1:49.76. Ben Annibali took seventh in the 100 backstroke with a 56.15. Michael Lacroce was eighth in the 100 butterfly with a 55.01. The Palmyra girls medaled in the 400 free relay with a sixth-place 3:46.96, but did not qualify for states.

- Having an actual swim team is not required to be successful at the district meet. Ask Annville-Cleona’s Travis and Austin Bohn, or Andrea May. Or Northern Lebanon’s Brooke Gehino. Although the Dutchmen have no official swim team, Travis Bohn took third in the AA boys 100 backstroke with a 53.80 and sixth in the 200 IM with a 2:00.83, qualifying for states in both events. Austin Bohn was eighth in the 200 IM with a 2:01.46, also qualifying for states. On the AA girls side, May had a 1:11.81 in the 100 breaststroke, good for third place and a state spot. Gehino was fourth in the 200 IM with a 2:15.82. That put her in states. She also had an eighth-place 1:02.77 in the 100 backstroke, which got her on the medal stand but was not enough to get her into states.

- Annville-Cleona’s Dylan Killian is the only Lebanon County wrestler to make it to states, after placing second in the AA Southeastern Regional last weekend. Killian, who is 35-8 this year, will face Loyalsock’s Alec Eggerton in the preliminaries. Eggerton was third in the Northeastern Regional and has a 26-5 record.

Central Dauphin's Marshall Peppelman works an arm bar on Spring Grove's Logen Wisner during their 160-pound match in the District 3 Wrestling Championships.

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(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

To an outsider, it might seem easy being Central Dauphin’s Marshall Peppelman.
   
He’s in tiptop shape, chiseled out of granite. He’s a 160-pound locomotive who has run over countless opponents, leaving them bewildered and out of sorts on his way to being a two-time defending state champion.
   
Peppelman’s family is comfortable, enjoying the benefits of his father being a successful orthopedic surgeon. He will attend Cornell of the Ivy League in the fall.
   
Any of the above could be the reason Peppelman has gotten booed. Maybe all of them; who knows?
   
“It’s never fun being booed, ever,” Peppelman said. “Even though I can say that I’ve gotten thicker skinned, it gets to me at times.
   
“It hurts, especially last year when I wrestled [Bryce] Busler and beat him 7-2. I mean, he was the second-best wrestler in the state at the time, and I couldn’t understand how I could wrestle someone that many times and people not have respect for the rivalry.”
   
Peppelman (46-0) has received solid advice from Rams head coach Jeff Sweigard, who is no stranger to jeers since CD has marched to six straight state titles. Sweigard has helped his star wrestler adopt the philosophy of “I have big shoulders, and I can take this on.”
   
His mother has also helped with the quirky slogan, “Fake it until you make it,” which has given her son the strength to shrug off any cat-calls from naysayers.
   
“It bothers me to hear any of my kids booed, but especially him,” Sweigard said. “It bothers me because if they only knew the time that he puts in behind the scenes. ... I just want to look around and say ‘why?’
   
“He’s going to Cornell. He’s not a problem discipline wise. He’s probably only missed one or two practices in four years. He’s in the room every day. I can count on him. He’s a leader, and the kids look up to him.”
   
See, it’s not so easy.
   
The Peppelman file is the most impressive District 3 has ever seen. He’s earned three district titles, a state runner-up finish as a 130-pound freshman, two state titles and the District 3-AAA wins record of 177-7, which surpasses the 172 by his brother, Walter.
   
If he can win the 160-pound championship at this weekend’s PIAA Wrestling Championships, which begin Thursday at Giant Center, he will be only the second District 3 wrestler to win three state titles. South Western’s Joey Wildasin (1988-90) accomplished the feat.
   
Numbers like that don’t come through talent alone. They certainly don’t come through luck. It takes hours of hard work and determination.
   
“My freshman year, I came in at 130 and it was a big jump,” Peppelman said. “I knew I was going to wrestle a bunch of seniors, guys that were physically mature and done growing. The physicality of wrestling an 18-year-old grown man as a 15-year-old kid was the biggest thing for me.
   
“After my freshman year, when I ended up losing in the state finals, I looked at it and realized that I was the best underclassman in the bracket and that next year there was only one more step to take. We kept training because my goal was to be a state champion and win it as many times as I possibly could.”
   
There is no shortage of work ethic.
   
Peppelman works out twice a day. He is in the Central Dauphin wrestling room, one of the toughest in the state, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Then at 6:30, he is off to the renowned Peppelman Barn, which sits on his family’s property, for another 90-minute session.
   
That doesn’t include the summer workouts, the extra running and the extra lifting needed to be the best in the state at his weight.
   
“Our family got into wrestling early and just fell in love with it,” Peppelman said. “Coach [Ken] Courts has been such a huge part, and it really started as a little slice in our basement with me, Walter, Kenny [Courts], Tony [Dallago], [Kenny] Stank and [Simon] Rice going at it.
   
“We realized that we needed a bigger spot, so we moved it a little further down on the property and built something bigger. We are fortunate that Antonio [Giorgio], Joe [Spisak] and a bunch of good guys come down. It is a good atmosphere. We all really benefit from it, and we have all become really close in the process.”
   
But not all of Peppelman’s success is because of technique. There is a certain attitude that needs to be in place. That of a winner, someone who wants no part of losing.
   
“He is a fierce competitor,” said Walter Peppelman, who wrestles at Harvard but is home this season because of an elbow injury. “There is nobody who walks out on the mat that wants to win more than him.
   
“Two practices a day and lifting, it’s hard to find someone that works that hard.”
   
It would be easy for Marshall Peppelman to hold himself in higher regard than his teammates or other wrestlers. That isn’t the case. Peppelman is a student of wrestling. He is always looking to perfect his craft and pass it along to others in the CD room.
   
“His personality is great for the team,” Sweigard said. “He doesn’t want to be treated any different than anyone else. I yell at him as much as anyone else. We have to jump on him at times to push him through those tough times, but he is very coachable.”
   
And very confident.
   
Peppelman will need that swagger to carve his way through a 160-pound bracket that features seven wrestlers with three losses or fewer.
   
“When I go out on the mat, I think about all the work and time I put into it,” Peppelman said. “It’s not my past accomplishments. I think back to all the practices, the work in the room, the work over the summer and the work these last three days.
   
“It’s only four matches, but I feel I have worked harder than everyone in that bracket, and it would mean a lot for me to finish out on top. I’ve been so blessed to have all the team state titles and all the individual titles that I really just want to end it on a positive note.”

Joe Spisak can beat you in so many ways.

The Boiling Springs senior can be aggressive, taking the action to his opponent and hitting multiple moves and takedowns. He can also play defense and wait for an opponent to make a mistake.

Spisak is a tactician, a thinking man’s wrestler that can be bruising and yet finesse his way through a match. He’s the total package, and he emptied the cupboard to add another notch to his already impressive wrestling belt.

For the third straight year, Spisak stood at the top of the podium above all others in his weight class and walked out of the Wilson High School gymnasium as the Southeast Class AA Region 130-pound champion after battling to a 7-3 decision over Pen Argyl‘s Mikey Racciato.

His only loss in four trips to West Lawn came his freshman year, when he dropped a tight 5-4 decision to Brandywine Heights Zane Yocco.

“It definitely feels good in my last regional to go out with a bang,” said Spisak, who will continue his wrestling career at Virginia. “I’m just excited to wrestle well and be in the presence of all the great wrestlers here.”

Spisak is one of the elite.

It didn’t look good early against Racciato, a physically tough freshman that scored a slick takedown in the opening segment to take a quick 2-0 lead.

But Spisak didn’t panic. Within seconds, he turned a reversal into a punishing cradle and scored three back points for a 5-2 lead at the end of the first period.

“That reversal was key,” Spisak said. “[Racciato] scrambles well and is good from anywhere, and I was just trying to slow things down.

“He is one of the best young wrestlers that I have seen, and he is definitely capable of being a state champion some day. No way was I comfortable after getting that lead.”

Spisak added to his advantage in the second. After choosing down, he rolled another reversal and took a 7-2 lead to the final period, two long, drawn out minutes from another gold medal.

Racciato was awarded a stall point halfway through the third, but he couldn’t muster any offense against Spisak, who kept his opponent at bay to secure the win and should get a good spot in the state draw.

“I was obviously cautious at the end,” said Spisak, who has over 160 wins in his career. “It’s individual now, and it’s just about winning; 2-1 is the same as 15-0.

“I feel like I’m almost where I need to be. I just need to tweak a few things to get where I want to be on the podium next week at states.”

It was almost a clean sweep in finals competition for the Bubblers.

Despite giving up 30-plus pounds to Williams Valley’s Ben Ancheff, Tylor Unger scratched and clawed before dropping a hard-fought 6-2 decision at 285.

The clincher came in the third when Unger shot twice and Ancheff slipped back and got around the back of the Bubblers junior to score a pair of takedowns.

“It’s disappointing to get second, but I’m going to states and that’s fine with me,” Unger said. “I had no clue I could do that this year. I thought I was going to get 10 or 15 wins. This shows that hard work can take you places.”

Bubblers head coach Rod Wright had plenty to smile about as he left the floor after the last medal ceremony.

“I can’t say enough about how proud of Tylor and Joey I am,” Wright said. “If I would have bet on this at the beginning of the year, I would have been crazy.

“Tylor did a tremendous job. He has nothing to hang his head about.”

Juniata’s Arty Walsh gave Juniata its lone title, hanging on against former workout partner Peter Renda, of Brandywine Heights, to score a 4-3 decision at 119.

“You wrestle someone that many times, it’s bound to be close,” Walsh, a sophomore, said. “The finals weren’t what I really wanted, but I felt pretty good in the quarterfinals and semifinals. I’m peaking right now and going to states, it’s about putting on a good show when it counts.”

Nick Lamoreaux fell short 14-2 to Bethlehem Catholic’s Randy Cruz, a tarantula with long legs and arms, in the 112 final.

Cruz used his size advantage to twist and turn Lamoreaux, racking up three takedowns and five near fall points over six minutes to sprint away to the major.

“Man, his cradle was everywhere,” Lamoreaux said. “Every time I looked up, there were his arms and legs. He was locking that in.

“But I came in as the underdog and made the finals, which is great. Now, I’m just going to go hard the next week and take my shot at states.”

Juniata’s Dylan Treaster dropped a narrow 6-5 decision to Schuylkill Valley’s Ryan Maurer at 160. The Indians placed three more wrestlers into the state mix, when Zac Beitz (125) and Dan Fultz (285) finished third and Seth Beitz (140) was fourth.

Tylor Unger had modest goals entering the wrestling season.

And for good reason.

He entered the Boiling Springs wrestling room this season as a first-year wrestler. He had plenty of athleticism but was unpolished, unrefined and knew very little as far as moves on the mat.

That was way back in early December. Three months later, he is one of the Bubblers’ most impressive wrestlers and has a clear shot at punching a ticket to next week’s PIAA Wrestling Championships at Giant Center.

Unger shocked the Wilson High School gymnasium by stunning Milton Hershey’s Chris Ramirez 9-2 in the 285-pound Southeast Region quarterfinals to earn a spot in this morning’s semifinal round, which kicks off at 9:30 a.m. The finals are scheduled for 6 p.m.

“I had zero technical experience at the beginning of the season,” Unger, a junior, said. “Now I have tons thanks to coach [Rod] Wright. He showed me some stuff, and I wrestled him every day.

“I had no idea I would get this far. I thought I would have about 10 wins and that is it. All that hard work has paid off for me. This is exhilarating. My heart is beating so fast.”

What is even more amazing is Unger’s short-term memory.

He has been beaten three times by Ramirez already this season. Each time, he has been pinned in the first period, including a 39 second pin in the semifinals of districts a week ago.

But Unger (31-14) got some much needed advice from Wright two minutes before he lined up across from the Spartans senior. And it paid off early with a headlock and slam that netted him three near-fall points and a 5-0 first-period lead.

“You have to forget the past,” Unger said. “You have to move on and go to the next opponent and the next match.

“We changed the game plan a little. It was more defense and less offense. He came charging in, and the headlock was just there. I just listened to coach and followed the plan to precision.”

Ramirez, who is still alive in the consolation bracket, was stunned and really never got on his game the rest of the way, mustering a mere two escapes in six minutes.

Unger, on the other hand, put an exclamation point on his win, thanks to a slam with under a minute left.

“Sometimes it’s not the third but the fourth time,” Wright said. “Chris is such a great guy, and he had our number. I hobbled over two minutes before the match and changed the plan, and it worked to our advantage.

“I knew he could beat him, but I wasn’t expecting him to dominate. A first year wrestler, 31 wins and the semifinals of regionals, that’s almost impossible to coach. I’m so happy for him.”

Boiling Springs has five of its six wrestlers still in the hunt for states. Joe Spisak is the only other semifinalist, as he pinned Schuylkill Valley’s Dakota Davis in 1:27. The Bubblers senior will face Delone Catholic’s Joshua Ruppert this morning.

Despite the loss by Ramirez, the Spartans had plenty to cheer about after Nick Lamoreaux outlasted Northwestern Lehigh’s Dylan Long 8-6 to earn a spot in the semis.

“Last year, I was just happy to be here,” said Lamoreaux, who beat Schuylkill Valley’s Nate Giorgio last week to win districts. “It is a tough bracket, and I’m just looking to make it to states and get a medal.”

Annville-Cleona Dylan Killian carried the Lancaster-Lebanon banner by securing his 100^th win with a 1:28 fall over Palmerton’s Dan Costenbader in the quarterfinals.

Win in the semifinals against Juniata’s Seth Beitz, who he pinned at sectionals, and he will make the state tournament for the second year in a row.

“I have a deal with my dad that if I make it to states, I get a moped,” Killian, a junior, said. “Last year, I went to states and went two and out. I had one of the worst draws possible, so hopefully I can get in a better spot this year.”

Juniata placed five wrestlers in the semifinals. Defending state champ Arty Walsh (119) leads the way, followed by Zac Beitz (125), Seth Beitz (140), Dylan Treaster (160) and Dan Fultz (285). Susquenita's Derec Sauve also made the semifinals at 171.