HERSHEY — Curwensville freshman McKenzie Astorino won a pair of bouts Friday at the PIAA Championships to advance to the finals in the 100-pound weight class, while Clearfield senior Makayla Taylor rebounded from a quarterfinal loss to earn her second trip to the state podium.
Astorino outlasted Nazareth junior Chelsea Dressler 1-0 in the semifinals in a battle between the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked wrestlers in the state according to PA-Wrestling.com, setting up a championship bout with top-ranked Quakertown senior Ashley Stank (37-4), the returning PIAA gold medalist at the weight.
Taylor went 1-2 on Friday, but will go for seventh place in the 155-pound weight class against Norwin’s Karsyn Champion, who was pinned by Neshaminy’s Annette Barry in their third-round consey bout. Taylor, who was fourth at 155 last season, pinned Champion in the Round of 16 on Thursday.
Astorino and Dressler battled through a scoreless first \with the Tide freshman working her way out of danger at the end of the period, fending off a double by her opponent to keep the bout knotted 0-0. Astorino won the flip and chose bottom to start the second and was immediately given the escape by Dressler to put the wrestlers back neutral with a full two minutes in the period. Dressler got in on a single at the edge of the mat about 40 seconds into the period, but Astorino was again able to defend the attack and keep her 1-point lead.
With neither wrestler able to record a takedown in the second, Dressler took down in the third, needing a point to tie. But she was unable to find a way to escape as Astorino spent nearly the entire period with a deep bar in trying to turn Dressler, who was eventually hit with a stall with 20 seconds left. Astorino improved to 38-1, while Dressler (36-4) dropped to the conseys and will finish no worse than sixth.
Astorino made it to the semifinals with a 10-2 major decision over Montour senior Kristen Walzer. Astorino came out on the positive end of an opening flurry, scoring the bout’s first points with a takedown at 1:08. Walzer came around for a reversal with 38 seconds left in the period and nearly turned Astorino for back points, but the bout went to the second with the Lady Tide wrestler in front 3-2.
Walzer chose bottom to start the second, but was unable to escape the clutches of Astorino, who eventually scored three nearfall points with 27 seconds left in the period to go on top 6-2. With her success from the top position in the second, Astorino decided to stay there for the third and remained in control, picking up four more nearfall points to set the final.
The loss was the first of the postseason for Walzer (9-1), who wrestled on the boys varsity team in the regular season. Walzer rebounded to pick up a technical fall over Bellwood-Antis’ Juliette Cuevas in the blood round to put her in line for her third state medal. She has already has two sixth-place finishes in her career. Walzer followed that up with a 3-0 decision in Sudden Victory over Lackawanna Trail’s Cidney Schaffer, who gave Astorino her only loss this season in last week’s Central Region final.
Like Walzer, the Lady Bison’s Taylor had a successful rebound in the blood round after a disappointing quarterfinal loss.
Taylor had no trouble with Warwick junior Kori Elle McMillion (27-6), pinning the South Central region runner-up in 1:29 after taking a 5-0 lead. Taylor fell into the consolation bracket after dropping a 14-2 major decision to Emmaus senior Olivya Kroope. Kroope used a big 7-point move off the opening whistle, throwing Taylor to her back and recording a quick four count to go up 7-0 just 15 seconds in. Kroope added four more back points with 33 seconds left in the period to take an 11-0 advantage to the second.
There, Taylor chose top and rode her opponent the entire period, but was unable to find a way to turn Kroope, who was hit with a pair of stalling warnings, giving the Lady Bison a point. Leading 11-1 after two, Kroope took top and was called for another stall late in the period to make it 11-2,before turning Taylor for three back points as time expired.
That set up Taylor’s bout with McMillon.
After taking care of McMillon, Taylor faced Dallastown junior Amelia Smith (34-9) in the third round of consolations. After a scoreless first, Taylor took down. But after Smith stopped Taylor’s initial move, she tried to hook up a far cradle. Taylor (24-9) got out of that, but got caught in a bundle and pinned at 1:28 to knock her into the seventh-place bout.
While Astorino and Taylor assured themselves of state medals, their teammates bowed out of the tournament after suffering blood round losses.
Lady Bison senior 148-pounder Alara Quickel ran into Big Spring sophomore Lily Raudabaugh in her second round consey bout and was pinned in 1:16 of the second period after falling behind 7-0 in the first. Raudabaugh (34-4) assured herself of her second PIAA medal with the win. She was seventh at 148 last season.
Quickel ended her season with a record of 21-14 and finished her three-year varsity career with a 47-45 mark.
Curwensville 142-pounder Brylee London saw her season end at the hands of Hughesville sophomore Avery Earnest, who gave the Lady Tide freshman three of her losses this year. Earnest defeated London in the Queen of the Mountain Duals in December and in the finals of the Curwensville Tournament two weeks later.
On Friday afternoon, London took a lead over Earnest, using an ankle pick to record a takedown early in the first and nearly turning her at the edge of the mat before settling for the 3-0 lead after one. But Earnest chose top to start the second and was able to turn London to her back and pin her at 2:05 to secure a podium finish.
London finished her freshman campaign with a 36-10 record, while also setting the new Lady Tide program record for falls in a season with 27.
The fourth round of consolation for the girls begins Saturday morning at 9:30 with the third-, fifth- and seventh-place bouts running concurrently with the boys class 2A and 3A competitors following at 11:30.
The Parade of Champions is slated for 3:40 p.m. and the finals are set for 4 p.m.
