HERSHEY — Even though they lost close consolation final matches in the Giant Center Saturday afternoon, senior Steven McClure and junior Blake Passarelli walked away from the 2018 PIAA Class AA Championships with medals to give the Curwensville Area High School wrestling program a shot in the arm.
McClure had to settle fourth place at heavyweight, the highest finish for the Golden Tide since Nick Sipes earned the bronze medal in 2007.
Passarelli wound up eighth at 113 pounds after winning only one bout in his first two trips to the state tourney.
The last time Curwensville had more than one placewinner also was in 2007, when Derek Brothers, who finish eighth, and Sipes were teammates.
“I’m proud of both of them,” Golden Tide coach Dean Swatsworth said. “They wrestled great all weekend. They came here to win, and that’s what they did.
“Their goals were to get on the podium, and they met them.”
“I think this was a big step for our program, getting two guys down here and both of them placing.”
Both found it difficult getting into their offenses against high-quality opponents in their season-ending matches, though.
McClure, the Northwest Region champion, managed only three escapes in a 5-3 bronze medal match loss to Johnstown Bishop McCort senior Josiah Jones, who lost in the state finals at 220 the last two years.
The three-time District 6 titlist and Oklahoma University commit prevailed by taking down McClure with 15 seconds left in the first period and again midway through the second period.
McClure finished his outstanding season with a 34-5 record and his career at 64-18, a win total that would have been considerably higher had he not missed the first two months of his sophomore year because of an injury.
He was a two-time District 9 runner-up and three-time region qualifier.
Passarelli was edged 3-1 by Southeast Region champ Nate Smith in the seventh-place bout.
Smith’s takedown in the second period was the difference.
Passarelli (30-7) will take an 88-26 record into his senior season when he’ll have the opportunity to finish high on the Golden Tide Century Club list.
“Blake and Steven both had pretty tough kids,” Swatsworth said. “Most kids when you get in the top eight are pretty good.
“You can‘t relax at all, and when someone relaxes, you have to score.”
The 23 points garnered by McClure and Passarelli made Curwensville the highest-scoring District 9 team. The Golden Tide tied for 31st place in the 137-team standings.
District 9 wound up with just six placewinners out of 18 qualifiers.
Port Allegany senior 160-pounder Jacob Kallenborn was the lone finalist, and he was major decisioned, 8-0, by undefeated Caleb Clymer of Northwestern Lehigh.
Senior Lukas McClain (138) of Ridgway and senior Caleb Hetrick (145) of Brookville finished fourth, while sophomore Colby Whitehill (285) of Brookville was eighth. Hetrick was a three-time placewinner with a 127-38 career record.
McClure beat Whitehill for the region crown after losing to him in the district finals.
District 10 made it another good showing for the NW Region with 22 of 38 qualifiers earning medals.
Freshman Gary Steen (106) and senior Cole Matthews (138) of team champion Reynolds and senior Cody Mulligan (170) of Saegertown won titles, the latter two for the second time.
Mulligan (168-21 career) repeated at the same weight for his third state medal, while Matthews (177-15 career) claimed his fourth medal, having won at 120 as a freshman, placing third at 126 as a sophomore and second last year.
Jefferson-Morgan senior Gavin Teasdale became only the 13th four-time champion by claiming the 126 title for the second year to add to crowns at 106 as a freshman and 113 as a sophomore. He will head to Penn State with an incredible 162-2 schoolboy record.
Montoursville senior Gavin Hoffman ruled at 195 for the third year in a row to cap a 176-9 career that also included a sixth place at 170 as a freshman. The Ohio State commit is ranked No. 1 in the nation by The Open Mat and InterMat.
Two other champs wore gold for the second year in a row, Southern Columbia senior Jaret Lane, up a weight at 120, and Susquehanna Township junior Edmond Ruth, up from 152 at 170.
Three returning gold medalists were unable to make it back to the top of the podium.
Chestnut Ridge senior Justin McCoy was beaten by Frazier sophomore Thayne Lawrence at 152, Reynolds junior Beau Bayless placed third at 113 and Wyalusing senior Creighton Edsell was fourth at 160.
Rounding out the list of champions were Mount Union senior Josh Boozel, who continued his mastery over Glendale freshman Brock McMillen at 113; Muncy senior Josh Klock at 132, Palisades junior Nathan Haubert at 145, Bishop McCort senior Anthony Walters at 220 and Tri-Valley senior Dan Scheib at 285.
The undefeated kings, all in the heavier weights, were Hoffman (45-0), Clymer (38-0), Scheib (38-0), Walters (35-0) and Ruth (31-0).
Ligonier Valley senior Robert Patrick (170) lost in the finals for the third time in four years.
TEAM SCORING (Top 50 of 137, plus all District 5, 6, 9 and 10 teams)
1. Reynolds, 120 points; 2. Southern Columbia, 80; 3. Mount Union, 63.5; 4. (tie) Montoursville and St. Joseph’s Academy, 48; 6. Chestnut Ridge, 47.5; 7. Bishop McCort, 56; 8. Saucon Valley, 42; 9. Muncy, 41; 10. Burrell, 40; 11. Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 39; 12. (tie) Harbor Creek and Northwest Lehigh, 37; 14. Fort LeBoeuf, 35; 15. Cambridge Springs, 34; 16. (tie) Greenville and Susquehanna Township, 33; 18. Saegertown, 32.5; 19. Benton, 31; 20. Tri-Valley, 30; 21. (tie) Bermudian Springs and Southmoreland, 29; 23. (tie) Boiling Springs and Notre Dame-Green Pond, 28; 25. (tie) Frazier and Palisades, 27; 27. Jefferson-Morgan, 26.5; 28. South Side Beaver, 28; 29. Derry, 25; 30. McGuffey, 24; 31. (tie) Curwensville, Athens, Ligonier Valley and Trinity, 23; 35. (tie) Port Allegany and Freedom; 37. Brookville, 21; 38. (tie) Glendale, Benton, Bloomsburg, Everett and Quaker Valley, 20; 43. Jamestown, 19; 44. (tie) Juniata, Pequa Valley, Scranton Prep and Susquenita, 18; 48. Newport 17; 49. (tie) Penn Cambria, Warrior Run and Wyalusing, 16.
56. (tie) Eisenhower, Huntingdon and Marion Center, 14; 60. (tie) West Branch and Ridgway, 13; 64. (tie) Union City; 67. Sharpsville, 10; 72. (tie) Brockway and Westmont Hilltop; 76. (tie) Slippery Rock; 80. (tie) Central and Forest Hills; 85. (tie) Coudersport and Berlin-Brothers Valley, 5; 88. (tie) Redbank Valley, Oswayo Valley, Central Cambria, Portage and Southern Huntingdon, 4; 101. (tie) Clarion, Corry and Penns Valley, 3; 107. (tie) Blairsville, Kane, Lakeview and Tussey Mountain, 2; 119. (tie) Bradford, Iroquois, Mercer, Northwestern, Smethport and United, 0.
CHAMPIONSHIPS
(District-Place, Region-Place, Grade, Record in Parenthesis)
106 – Gary Steen (10-1), NW-1, 9, 45-4), Reynolds, dec. Patrick DeMark (3-1, SE-1, 10, 35-3), Trinity, 5-2.
113 – Josh Boozel (6-1, SW-1, 12, 38-3), Mount Union, dec. Brock McMillen (6-2, SW-2, 9, 41-4), Glendale, 7-3.
120 – Jaret Lane (4-1, NE-1, 12, 48-1), Southern Columbia, dec. Chase Shields (3-1, SE-1, 11, 40-5), Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 3-2
126 – Gavin Teasdale (7-1, SW-1, 12, 40-2), Jefferson Morgan dec. Joshua Jones (11-1, SE-1, 11, 36-3), Saucon Valley, 2-0.
132 – Josh Klock (4-2, NE-2, 12, 47-5), Muncy, dec. Cole Rhone (4-1, NE-1, 12, 37-5), Benton, 4-3.
138 – Cole Matthews (10-1, NW-1, 12, 47-2), Reynolds dec. Caleb Dowling (6-1, SW-1, 10, 38-2), St. Joseph’s Academy, 5-2.
145 – Nathan Haubert (11-1, SE-1, 11, 31-3), Palisades, dec. Kollin Meyers (3-1, SE-2, 11, 43-3), Boiling Springs, 9-3.
152 – Thayne Lawrence (7-1, SW-2, 10, 30-2), Frazier, dec. Justin McCoy (5-1, SW-1, 12, 45-2), Chestnut Ridge, 8-1.
160 – Caleb Clymer (11-1), SE-1, 12, 38-0), Northwestern Lehigh, major dec. Jacob Kallenborn (9-1, NW-1, 12, 39-2), Port Allegany, 8-0.
170 – Edmond Ruth (3-1, SE-1, 11, 31-0), Susquehanna Township, dec. Robert Patrick (6-1, SW-1, 12, 33-1), Ligonier Valley, 6-4.
182 – Cody Mulligan (10-1, NW-1, 12, 40-3), Saegertown, dec. Julian Gorring (10-2, NW-2, 11, 30-6), Fort LeBoeuf, 5-3.
195 – Gavin Hoffman (4-1, NE-1, 12, 45-0), Montoursville tech fall over Chase Dull (3-1, SE-1, 11, 39-4), Bermudian Springs, 18-3 (3:24).
220 – Anthony Walters (6-1, SW-1, 12, 35-0), Bishop McCort, major dec. Dominic DeLuca (7-1, SW-2, 11, 48-5), Derry, 16-8.
285 – Dan Scheib (11-1, SE-1, 12, 38-0), Tri Valley, dec. Bishop McCoy (7-1, SW-1, 12, 42-2), South Side Beaver, 3-2.
THIRD-PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 – Conner Redinger (7-1, SW-1, 9, 39-2), Quaker Valley, dec. Sheldon Seymour (4-1), NE-1, 10, 35-3), Troy, 8-2.
113 – Beau Bayless (10-1, NW-1, 11, 48-5, Reynolds, dec. Ian Oswalt (7-1, SW-3, 9, 47-10), Burrell, 1-0.
120 – Richie Markulics (11-1, SE-2, 11, 37-5), Notre Dame-Green Pond, dec. Isaac Crowell (10-1, NW-1, 12, 37-7), Fort LeBoeuf, 3-2.
126 – Garrett Cornell (5-1, SW-3, 11, 39-4), Everett, dec. Tye Varndell (10-1, NW-1, 11, 38-6), Cambridge Springs, 5-3.
132 – Rocco Bartolo (10-2, NW-2, 11, 37-9), Reynolds, won forfeit over Mark-Samuel Sallot (10-1, NW-1, 12, 47-4) Harbor Creek.
138 – Matt Hildebrand (4-2, NE-1, 12, 39-4), Bloomsburg dec. Charlie Beatty (6-2, SW-2, 12, 34-9), Marion Center, 4-2.
145 – Tyler Griffiths (7-2, SW-3, 12, 28-7), Southmoreland, won by default over Caleb Hetrick (9-1, NW-1, 12, 35-7), Brookville, 2:33.
152 – Andrew Todaro (6-1, SW-5, 12, 39-6), Mount Union, dec. Tyler Wileman (6-4, SW-3, 11, 40-11), Juniata, 7-3.
160 – Jared McGill (5-1, SW-1, 11, 46-1), Chestnut Ridge, pinned Creighton Edsell (4-1, NE-1, 12, 43-3), Wyalusing, 2:32.
170 – Dalton Group (3-2, SE-2, 12, 40-3), Susquenita, major dec. Christian Clutter (7-1, SW-4, 11, 47-6), McGuffey, 8-0.
182 – Gaige Garcia (4-1, NE-1, 10, 45-3), Southern Columbia pinned Luca Colestok (3-2, SE-2, 12, 40-5) Camp Hill, :36.
195 – Clay Verbanec (10-2, NW-2, 12, 38-7), Cambridge Springs dec. Ivan Balavage (2-1, NE-3, 12, 42-7), Scranton Prep, 9-6.
220 – Jacob McMaster (10-1, NW-1, 11, 41-1), Greenville, pinned Jake Ryan (6-3, SW-4, 10, 39-9), Mount Union, :51.
285 – Josiah Jones (6-1, SW-2, 12, 35-3), Bishop McCort, dec. Steven McClure (9-2, NW-1, 12, 34-5), Curwensville, 5-3.
FIFTH-PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 – Gabe Strickland (4-2, NE-2, 9, 32-11), Benton, dec. Amonn Ohl (6-1, SW-3, 9, 42-5), St. Joseph’s Academy, 5-3.
113 – Wyatt Lutz (4-1), NE-1, 12, 39-4), Montoursville, major dec. Patrick Edmondson (4-2, NE-3, 9, 44-12), Southern Columbia, 11-2.
120 – Zach Witmer (6-1, SW-1, 9, 43-4), St. Joseph’s Academy, dec. Andrew Ischo (10-2, NW-3, 11, 31-13), Reynolds, 2-0.
126 – A.J. Burkhart (4-1, NE-1, 12, 38-7), Athens dec. Bronson Garber (3-3, SE-4, 11, 38-6), Upper Dauphin, 3-2.
132 – Ryan McGuire, (11-1, SE-2, 12, 32-6), Notre Dame-Green Pond, dec. Nathan Higley (4-4, NE-3, 9, 36-8), Sullivan County, 4-0.
138 – Brock Salvatore (10-2, NW-3, 12, 36-10), Sharpsville dec. Lukas McClain (9-1, NW-2, 12, 35-8), Ridgway, 4-2.
145 – Hunter Michaels (10-1, NW-2, 12, 40-9), Reynolds, dec. Gabe Miller (3-2, SE-4, 11, 41-6), Pequa Valley, 8-6.
152 – Corey Christie (7-2, SW-4, 12, 39-12), Burrell, dec. Peyton Hearn (10-1, NW-2, 11, 39-7), Conneaut, 2-1.
160 – Tyler Stoltzfus (4-4, NE-1, 10, 41-5), Mifflinburg, dec. Derek Yingling (6-1, SW-2, 11, 37-4), West Branch, 1-0.
170 – Jaden Datz (7-2, SW-3, 12, 33-7), Southmoreland, dec. Derek Brown (6-2, SW-2, 11, 36-8), Penn Cambria, 5-2.
182 – Jonathan Vargo (7-1, SW-1, 11, 34-8), Bentworth, pinned Matt Lewandowski (11-1, SE-3, 12, 34-6), Mahanoy, 2:33.
195 – Brenden Calvin (10-1, NW-1, 12, 41-2), Greenville, dec. Bryson Miller (7-1, SW-1, 11, 34-5), Freedom, 5-2.
220 – Landon Fisher (7-2, SW-3, 12, 45-7), Huntingdon, dec. Kahlil Messai (10-2, NW-2, 12, 30-7), Jamestown, 10-6.
285 – Justin Kriner (4-2, NE-2, 12, 33-7), North Penn Liberty, won by default over Connor Fulmer (4-1, NE-1, 12, 47-9), Southern Columbia, :01.
SEVENTH-PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 – Blake Showers (3-2, SE-2, 10, 37-5), Biglerville, dec. Logan Jaquay (10-3, NW-3, 10, 37-8), Eisenhower, 10-6.
113 – Nate Smith (3-1, SE-1, 10, 39-4), Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, dec. Blake Passarelli (9-1, NW-2, 11, 30-8), Curwensville, 3-1
120 – Manny Dovshek (7-3, SW-5, 12, 33-10), Bentworth, pinned Derrick Christie (6-2, SW-3, 12, 31-12), Westmont Hilltop, 3:30.
126 – Jeremy Hanford (4-2, NE-3, 12, 33-9), Warrior Run, major dec. Colin Leonard (3-1, SE-2, 11, 48-9), Northern Lebanon, 12-1.
132 – Anthony Corrado (7-4, SW-4, 9, 39-15), Burrell, de . Trent Schultheis (7-1, SW-5, 9, 40-18), Freedom, 7-0.
138 – Jason Jones (11-1, SE-2, 12, 36-6), Saucon Valley, dec. Braden Swab (6-3, SW-3, 12, 33-8), Central, 5-0.
145 – Mike Doerflinger (10-2, NW-4, 12, 31-9), Slippery Rock Michael Cusick (7-2, SW-2, 12, 39-8), South Fayette
152 – Cade Linn (4-1, NE-1, 10, 42-11), Southern Columbia, dec. Darren Beall (3-3), SE-6, 12, 37-12), Bermudian Springs, 8-1.
160 – Nate Bradley (4-3, NE-3, 12, 35-9), Athens, major dec. Shaun Gates (7-1, SW-4, 12, 41-14), Burrell, 11-2.
170 – Owen Hivner (2-1, NE-1, 12, 38-6), Lackawanna Trail, pinned Carl Harris (3-3, SE-4, 11, 33-7), Littlestown, :49.
182 – Andrew Shedleski (4-3, NE-3, 12, 38-5), Lewisburg, dec. Hunter O’Connor (4-2, NE-2, 11, 34-10), Jersey Shore, 3-1.
195 – Lucas Folmar (10-3, NW-3, 12, 38-5), Harbor Creek, dec. Brady Herr (3-2, SE-2, 12, 34-8), Newport, 8-2.
220 – Cole Fuller (12-1, NE-2, 12, 35-3), Western Wayne, pinned Hunter Poust (4-1, NE-1, 12, 42-4), Muncy, 2:27.
285 – David Schuffert (7-2, SW-3, 11, 37-6), Valley, dec. Colby Whitehill (9-1, NW-2, 10, 40-7), Brookville, 7-2.
