HERSHEY – The PIAA AAA Wrestling Tournament came to a close Saturday night in Hershey. On the balance, six District 4/9 wrestlers made it to the medal round, while 13 wrestlers placed from the Northwest Region.
Leading the District 4/9 pack was Junior Ed Scott (39-0) of DuBois. Scott won the tournament in his third trip to Hershey at 138 pounds, after placing third as a freshman at 113 and failing to place last year at 126. Scott made it to the finals by defeating Northampton’s Devon Britton (25-8) by a 6-4 decision in the semi’s. Then in the finals, Scott pinned junior Dashawn Farber (38-8) of Nazareth in 3:25.
Also placing for DuBois was junior Trenton Donahue (37-8). Donahue earned 6th place at 126 pounds after losing in the first round and then winning four matches in a row.
The other state champion for District 4/9 was sophomore Nate Schon (40-1) of Selinsgrove at 220 pounds. Schon dominated his tournament, winning each match by at least 12 points. In the semi’s, Schon pinned Hazleton’s Shane Nooman in 5:59. Then in the finals, Schon met senior Andrew Balukas (29-12) of Easton, where he handily defeated him 14-1.
Three other local teams made it to the medal round as well. Senior Tyler Dilley (36-8) of Saint Marys placed 6th at 132, while junior Cade Balestrini (35-4) of Shikellamy placed 7th. Finally, senior Dillon Keane (39-2) of Bradford placed 7th.
In the region, seven other wrestlers placed at the tournament, including three other state champions. Erie Cathedral Prep seniors Carter Starocci (43-0) and Kawaun Deboe (40-0) won at 182 and 285, respectively, and Mifflin County sophomore Trey Kibe (41-1) won hist first state title at 160 pounds. Placing 4th from the region were senior Cole Urbas (37-2) of State College at 195 and junior Dorian Crosby (46-7) of Erie Cathedral Prep at 220. Sophomore Paniro Johnson (38-7) of Erie Cathedral Prep placed 5th at 145, while sophomore Ethan Richner (37-7) of Bellefonte placed 6th at 152.
The Northwest Region had the most state champions with five. The Southwest Region (WPIAL) had four champions, the Northeast had three, and the Southeast and South Central regions each had one.
Full results, courtesy of PA-Wrestling, can be found here.
