Friday's PIAA recap: D-10 wrestlers seek medals on final day; Chiesa's historic season ends
Click here for PIAA Class 2A results.
Click here for PIAA Class 3A results.
HERSHEY ― Eight District 10 wrestlers received painful reminders Friday for how justifiably difficult it is to win a PIAA tournament.
Eight Class 2A qualifiers from northwestern Pennsylvania were one round away from competing in finals at the Giant Center.
Of those eight, seven suffered semifinal losses.
Of those seven, four wore Erie County singlets.
Only Hunter Hohman prevailed.
Hohman, the elder of two Grove City brothers involved in the meet, tripled up Deegan Ross of Lackawanna Trail for a 12-4 major decision in their 160-pound meeting. The senior, a former seventh-place medalist at states, will take a 42-1 season record into Saturday's 2:15 p.m. championship session.
Hohman seeks to be the 10th Eagle who presented a PIAA gold medal.
One graduate who owns one is Wes Phipps, his coach. Phipps was the state's best small-school wrestler at 182 in 2012.
"I'm just so blessed to be back here and able to help these guys (achieve) their goals," Phipps said. "I can tell you this is a lot more stressful being here as a coach than as a wrestler," Phipps said. "But I'm just so blessed to be back here and able to help these guys (achieve) their goals."
Despite Hohman's stellar record, he'll still be a significant underdog for the final given Grant MacKay's varsity resume.
MacKay, a senior for District 7 Laurel, not only is 46-1 this season but 165-19 overall. The University of Pittsburgh recruit is a 2021 state titlist and a two-time finalist.
MacKay ruined the possibility of an all-district final. A conceded escape point was all he allowed Conneaut's Collin Hearn en route to a 9-1 major decision.
Hudson Hohman, a freshman for the Eagles, also advanced to Friday's semifinals. His match only lasted 1 minute, 9 seconds thanks to Faith Christian Academy's Gauge Botero quick pin.*The 2A 160 bracket was one that offered hope of an all-district final. The 127 and 215 weight classes were the other two.
North East's Cyrus Hurd and Conneaut's Hunter Gould will still meet Saturday.
Only it will be for fifth place at 127, instead of first.
Hurd dropped into the division's consolation bracket after a 7-4 victory for Burrell's Cooper Hornack. Gould took Chris Vargo into overtime before the Bentworth star won 8-3 in the tiebraker format.
The most tantalizing final, at least for Erie County's wrestling fans, would have been the sixth meeting this season between Fort LeBoeuf's Danny Church and Girard's Abe Keep. They were in separate semifinals at 215.
Their opponents emphatically prevented that from occuring.
Muncy's Austin Johnson upped his perfect record to 38-0 with a 10-2 major decision against Church. Morgan's late takedown of Keep, an Edinboro University recruit, was the difference in his 4-3 win.
Church will wrestle for the 215 bronze medal on Saturday. Keep, who lost his consolation semifinal, seeks fifth place.Magnus Lloyd's semifinal appearance lasted all of 55 seconds. That's how long it took Frazier's Rune Lawrene to pin General McLane's 189-pounder and former state junior titlist.
Lloyd's final four loss followed the one by Jalen Wagner. The Reynolds senior lost 3-2 to Notre Dame-Green Pond's Holden Garcia at 172.
Sallot and Saylor survive 3A purge
District 10 will still have ample 2A medalists despite the abundance of championship semifinal setbacks.
That wasn't the case after Friday's lone Class 3A session.
By the time it ended, only McDowell's Logan Sallot and Hickory's Connor Saylor were assured of top-eight podium appearances.
Sallot represents the district's last chance at a 2022-23 PIAA wrestling winner. The senior was halfway to that goal after a 3-2 decision against Chris Dennis, a Central Bucks West freshman.
Sallot wrestled the third period after he sustained a jammed right finger in the second period. He also lost a two-point cushion when he was whistled for stalling during the third.
"I didn't like that call," Sallot said, "but you don't always get the calls in your favor. I knew I'd have to wrestle hard anyway just to get through the match like I did. (Dennis) won his region as a freshman, so you knew he was going to be tough."
Sallot, who's back on the recriting trail after he decommitted from West Virginia University, is now 32-2. He wants to achieve what his semifinal opponent did this time last year at Hershey.
Nathan Desmond was a Bethlehem Catholic freshman when he won the PIAA 3A 106 bracket. His overall record is already 78-3.
"A lot of people are going to think he's the favorite," Sallot said. "But I've been training to wrestle him all year. I wouldn't expect our match to be a one-way match."
Saylor beat Easton's Oliver Fairchild 3-1 in their 139 consolation third-rounder. That assured the Hickory senior, a Cleveland State recruit, of a third state medal.
The first two were at the 2A level. The Hornets were promoted to large-school status for the PIAA's current two-year enrollment cycle.
"The only thing that's different about (3A) is the different schools," Saylor said. "But it's really the same. Wrestling is still wrestling, so nothing has drastically changed too much this year."
Saylor's season record currently stands at 37-9. He's gone 143-38 overall for the Hornets and coach Nick Clepper.
Chiesa's historic meet concludes
The first female who competed in a PIAA tournament.
The first female who won a match at a PIAA tournament.
Northwestern sophomore Sierra Chiesa will always be remembered for those seismic accomplishments during the tour
A top-eight medal, though, is what the 107-pounder truly sought.
Dalton Wenner, by fate, denied Chiesa that true goal.
Wenner, a freshman from District 9 Cranberry, beat her for the third time this season and the second time in as many weekends. His 11-5 decision left Chiesa (35-7) one match short of an historic hat trick.
Chiesa declined to speak after Saturday's loss.
Her coach didn't.
"Again, it was an incredible experience to watch someone, regardless of their gender, put as much time and effort and work into (wrestling) the way she has," the Wildcats' Jeremy Little said. "There's plenty of boys who would love to be in the situation she was in (Friday)."
"She's definitely changing people's lives."
Although Chiesa was through wrestling at Hershey, she'll remain in the Harrisburg area through the weekend.Chiesa and Northwestern classmate Joelle Scott will compete in the fourth annual MyHouse State Girls Wrestling
Tournament at Central Dauphin High School. Chiesa was a victor in that meet, which isn't sanctioned by the PIAA, a year ago.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
D-10 done with session
Fort LeBoeuf's Danny Church was the last of three District 10 wrestlers who won their way into Saturday's bronze medal matches.
Church rebounded from his 215 championship semifinal loss to defeat Berks Catholic's Brody Kline 4-3. He'll face Bentworth's Vitali Daniels for third place.
Church beat Daniels 5-1 when they originally met in Friday morning's championship quarterfinals.
The district's other 2A bronze medal contenders are Grove City's Hudson Hohman, younger brother of 160 finalist Hunter Hohman, at 121 and Conneaut's Collin Hearn in that same 160 weight class.
That's it for Friday's action here at Hershey. We'll be back for the first of Saturday's two Class 3A sessions.
The first will start at 9 a.m.
All-District 10 matches set for medal round
The possibility existed Conneaut's Hunter Gould and North East's Cyrus Hurd could have met in Saturday's 2A title match at 127.
Such a match will now actually happen. Only it will be for fifth place in that weight class.
Each lost their consolation semifinals.
Another D-10 meeting at Hershey, this one for fifth place, will be at 152. North East's other entrant, Steffan Lynch, will take on Sharpsville's Caullin Summers.
It's supposed to be difficult
Friday's championship semifinals for the Class 2A portion of the PIAA wrestling tournament reinforced how difficult it is to win one of its gold medals.
Fort LeBoeuf's Danny Church and Girard's Abe Keep sought to set up an all-Erie County final at 215 pounds. Such hope vanished within seconds of each other.
Muncy sophomore Austin Johnson upped his season record to 38-0 with a 10-2 major decision over Church. Keep held a slim lead over Central Valley's Brenan Morgan, but succumbed 4-3.
Those losses followed Magnus Lloyd's 55-second appearance in a 2A 189 semifinal.
That's how long it took Frazier's Rune Lawrence, already a two-time PIAA gold medalist, to pin the General McLane junior and former state junior titlist.
All three county upperweights will return this session in consolation semifinals.
Combined with another championship loss by Reynolds' Jalen Wagner at 172, and Grove City's Hunter Hohman will be District 10's lone championship finalist during Saturday's final day of action.
Elder Hohman to vie for 2A 160 championship
Grove City junior Hunter Hohman, the older of two Grove City brothers who qualified for the PIAA 2A tournament, will participate in Saturday's 160-pound final.
Hohman tripled up Lackawanna Trail's Deegan Ross 12-4 in their semifinal. That left the Eagles middleweight with a season record of 42-1.
Hudson Hohman, a Grove City freshman, lost his 121 semifinal. He's currently in the consolation semifinals.
Hohman's opponent has past experience in state finals. Laurel senior Grant MacKay, a University of Pittsburgh recruit, was a 2021 state champ and a 2022 silver medalist.
MacKay goes into his match vs. Hohman at 47-1. He spoiled the possibility of an all-District 10 final with his 9-1 major decision of Conneaut's Collin Hearn.
At least one all-District 10 medal match set
Sharpsville's Caullin Summers and North East's Steffan Lynch will compete for seventh place in the 2A 152-pound division. Each lost their consolation quarterfinal matches.
Saucon Valley's Liam Scrivanich decisioned Summers 5-3. They were followed on the same mat by Penns Valley's Ty Watson and Lynch.
Watson led 6-4 when he pinned Lynch at 2:19.
All medal matches will take place during Saturday's lone 2A session, which begins at 2:15 p.m.
D-10 wrestlers denied 127 final
Not only did state wrestlers ruin the possibility of an all-District 10 Class 2A championship match at 127 pounds, they made sure neither made it that far.
North East's Cyrus Hurd and Conneaut's Hunter Gould each lost their semifinals on adjacent Giant Center mats.
Burrell junior Cooper Hornack never trailed throughout his 7-4 decision against Hurd. The junior for the Grapepickers (23-4) sought to reach the title match and become the school's first state champion in the sport.
The same held for Gould, who lost by an 8-3 tiebreaker final to Bentworth junior Chris Vargo. The Eagles junior is now 38-4.
Despite their losses, each district participant can still finish as high as third in the 127 medal standings. They'll return later this session to wrestle consolation semifinals, with the possibility of facing off for the bronze medal come Saturday.
Small-school semifinals set for 7:30 p.m.
Giant Center personnel are in the midst of reducing the number of mats from four two. The two in the middle are the ones where Friday's championship semis will take place.
It's also the ones where four Erie County wrestlers seek to reach title matches.
That quartet is North East sophomore Cyrus Hurd (127); General McLane junior Magnus Lloyd (189); and Fort LeBoeuf senior Danny Church and Girard's Abe Keep in separate 215 semis.
What D-10 lacks in 3A medalists, it will make up for in 2A. Also vying for those finals are Grove City freshman Hudson Hohman (121) and junior Hunter Hohman (160); and Conneaut junior Hunter Gould (127) and senior Collin Hearn (160).
The tantalizing possibility exists for all-District 10 gold medal matches at 127, 160 and 215.
Class 2A photos: Scenes from the 2023 PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships
Sallot, Saylor to comprise D-10 3A medalists
Bad news for District 10: Only two of its wrestlers will medal by the end of the PIAA Class 3A tournament.
Good news for District 10: One of them is halfway to a state championship.
Eli Makel of Waynesburg Central shut out McDowell's Troy Peterson 7-0 in their 215 consy third-rounder. That elimination result meant Logan Sallot, Peterson's 114 teammate, and Hickory 139-pounder Connor Saylor will be the only northwestern Pennsylvania participants throughout Saturday's large-school competition.
Peterson's varsity career concluded with a senior record of 32-7 and a 44-34 overall.
Simmons succumbs in 152 consy bracket
It's down to McDowell's Troy Peterson (215) to provide teammate Logan Sallot some company come Saturday's medal matches for the Class 3A portion of the PIAA tournament.
Artis Simmons, at 152 pounds, was eliminated in the "round of tears" by Griffin Gonzalez. The Lebanon senior decisioned the Trojan middleweight 3-2.
Simmons was eliminated in his lone PIAA tournament appearance. He finished 27-5 in his final year for McDowell wrestling and first and only one with Josh Knapp as coach.
Hickory star to hold latest and last state medal
Connor Saylor will be District 10's only PIAA Class 3A tournament medalist who doesn't wear a McDowell singlet.
Saylor, whose first two PIAA awards were at the Class 2A level, assured himself the third will be of the large-school variety. The senior, a Cleveland State recruit, won his way out of the 139 "round of tears" with a 3-1 decision at the expense of Easton's Oliver Fairchild.
Hickory, despite being located in Mercer County, was reclassified a 3A program for the PIAA's current two-year enrollment cycle. Saylor medaled for the Hornets where tournament entrants from Cathedral Prep and Meadville didn't.
Saylor will take a season record of 37-9 into Saturday's medal rounds. His overall mark for the Hornets is currently 143-38.
D-10 also represented by officials
I somehow forgot to post that four District 10 officials are working the matches this weekend. Three have Erie County ties.
Erie native Dave Kruszewski was a former Gannon University wrestler and NCAA Division II medalist. He was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2015.
Pat Fordyce was the former athletic director at North East and Ned Bailey was the former football coach at Harbor Creek.
Also working matches on the Giant Center's six mats this weekend has been Andy Payne of Mercer County.
Rain for "round of tears" to fall at 4:45 p.m.
The losers in the 3A consolation third round will depart knowing they were one win away from securing a top-eight medal and a berth on the PIAA podium during Saturday's final day of competition.
Trojans trio still alive for individual medals
McDowell is now 3-0 going into the 3A session's consolation third-rounders.
The Trojans' latest victor was Troy Peterson. The senior is one match away from his first state medal thanks to a 5-1 victory vs. Brandon Stiehler of Pocono Mountain West.
Peterson (32-6) recorded takedowns in the second and third periods for the bulk of his points. He'll make a state podium appearance come Saturday if he beats senior Eli Makel of Waynesburg Central.
Logan Sallot (114) won his championship quarterfinal earlier in the session, followed by Artis Simmons (152) with a victory in the consolation second round.
Simmons still alive in 152 consy field
This will be the first, last and only time McDowell's Artis Simmons appears in a PIAA wrestling tournament.
The senior is one match shy of medaling in that meet.
Simmons secured a berth in the 3A "round of tears" with a dominant third period against 152 opponent James Geiger. He beat the Easton junior 10-5.
Simmons has now won twice in the division's consolation bracket. He'll take a 27-4 mark into his next match against Lebanon senior Griffin Gonzalez.
Hornets' Saylor sails further into consy bracket
Hickory star Connor Saylor needs one more win to become a three-time PIAA medalist.
The difference is, his third would be of the Class 3A variety.
Saylor, who formerly medaled when the Hornets were a Class 2A program, needs one more win to medal in a large-school field. The Cleveland State recruit, now 36-9, recorded the only points of his 2-0 victory vs. Oxford Area's Austin McMillan with a third-period takedown.
Saylor worked on McMillan's ailing left shoulder throughout the third period. McMillan had to take injury time during those two minutes to have it tended to.
Oliver Fairchild of Easton will be Saylor's next consolation opponent.
Ramblers' Staab sent home
Sam Staab's career as a Cathedral Prep wrestler concluded with his loss in Friday's 127-pound consolation third-rounder.
Council Rock South's Eren Sement nearly shut out the Ramblers' lightweight. The sophomore's 7-1 decision still spelled the end of Staab's time in a Prep singlet.
Staab finished 33-10 as a senior and 64-22 overall. This was his lone appearance at states.
Class 3A photos:Scenes from the 2023 PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships
Sallot secures 3A semifinal berth
Logan Sallot is halfway to becoming a PIAA gold medalist.
Sallot, a McDowell senior and one of three fourth-year wrestlers in the Class 3A 114-pound field, prevailed for a 3-2 decision in his quarterfinal match against Central Bucks West freshman Chris Dennis.
Sallot, now 32-2, overcame a jammed finger he suffered during the third period. He also won despite being penalized for stalling, which gave Dennis a point that pulled him within one of tying the match.
However, Sallot, as he had throughout the final two minutes, dictated enough action from the top position to advance.
Sallot, the only District 10 wrestler left in a 3A championship bracket, will have the rest of Friday to rest. He'll need it, as Saturday morning's semifinal opponent will be once-beaten Nathan Desmond of Bethlehem Catholic.
Desmond was the state's large-school gold medalist as a 107-pound freshman. His overall record is already 78-3 overall.
Saturday's other 114 semi will pit Northampton senior Carson Wagner (32-10) vs. Manheim Township junior Kaedyn Williams (22-0).
Thursday coverage:Catch up on what happened on the mats on Day 1
Second small-school session set for 7:30 p.m.
We're done here until 2:15 p.m., when Friday's lone Class 3A session starts.
The highlight for District 10 fans will be Logan Sallot. The McDowell senior is the district's lone championship quarterfinalist.
Sallot (31-2) will face freshman Chris Dennis (32-3) of Central Bucks West in the 114-pound bracket.
Spires inspires McLane faithful
The crowd had largely filed out of the Giant Center by the time General McLane heavyweight began his consolation third-round against Huntingdon's Gunner Singleton.
That's probably why the Lancer fans sounded louder than would be the norm at the end of that match.
Spires down 6-4 in the final minute of the third period, rallied for an eventual 8-7 victory. The senior is assured of a medal no matter how he fares the rest of the tournament.
An all-District 10 consolation quarterfinal between Spires (27-9) and Mike Mazurek was thwarted when Burgettstown's Joey Baronick beat the Sharon senior 3-1 in a tiebreaker. Mazurek's last season as a Tiger was with a 33-4 record.
Consolation well suddenly dry for D-10
General McLane's Chance Kimmy, Titusville's Brock Covell and Fort LeBoeuf's Conner McChesney each saw their medal hopes and tournament appearances end within minutes.
Kimmy bowed out at 160, while Covell and McChesney were eliminated at 172. McChesney's loss was to Lucas Lawler of Bishop McDevitt, who used a cradle hold for a two-point move with 33 seconds left sudden-victory time.
Lawler's 3-1 win left McChesney, son of Bison coach Shane McChesney, with a 41-9 record as a junior.
Two through to 152 medal matches
North East's Steffan Lynch and Sharpsville's Caullin Summers won their "round of tears" matches on opposite sides of the 152 consolation bracket.
Lynch pinned Hopewell's Isaiah Pisano 1:37 into their paring. He'll take a 31-6 mark into Friday night's consy quarterfinals vs. Penns Valley's Ty Watson (38-5).
Summers edged West Perry's Nolan Zeigler in the bracket's top half. He's now 37-9 as the Blue Devils' lone meet entrant.
Liam Scrivanich of Saucon Valley is next up for Summers.
Hamilton to hold state medal
Grove City sophomore Cody Hamilton is the second District 10 entrant assured of a consolation medal.
Hamilton routed Saucon Valley's Travis Riefenstahl 18-4 in their "round of tears" meeting. He's now 37-3.
Bell splits — and wins — against Przybycien
Reynolds' Chase Bell and Fort LeBoeuf's JoJo Przybycien met four times this season.
Although they split their season series after Friday's 2A 133 consolation third-rounder, it was Bell who recorded the biggest result. His 3-2 decision assured him of a state medal and ended Przybycien's bid for a third.
Przybycien finished 42-8 as a Bison junior. Bell, also a junior, advanced at 32-12.
Chiesa makes history, falls just shy of PIAA medal
Northwestern sophomore Sierra Chiesa, who made history this week as the first female to appear and win a PIAA tournament match, finished 6 minutes shy of the one first she truly sought.
Dalton Wenner of District 9 Cranberry, for the third time this season and the second time in as many weekends, defeated Chiesa 11-5 in their Class 2A 107-pound consolation third-round. Also known as the "round of tears," because the losers finish one match short of assuring themselves a top-eight state medal.
Chiesa concluded her seismic season with a record of 35-7. She became the meet's first female to compete in a match when she lost to Central Valley's Antonio Boni 6-5 in Thursday's championship first-rounder and then beat Oswayo Valley's Andrew Coriaty 8-5 in their consolation opener.
"It was an incredible experience to be part of as a coach," Northwestern's Jeremy Little said. "It's incredible for someone, regardless of their gender, to put in as much time and effort as she did and come so close (to placing)."
Wenner's third win against Chiesa left him 33-4 in his first year for the Berries, who are a co-op program with District 10 Oil City.
2A semifinal summary
Here are Friday night's 2A championship semifinals that District 10 fans will be following. That session will start at 7:30 p.m:
121 pounds: Hudson Hohman, Grove City vs. Gauge Botero, Faith Christian Academy
127: Hunter Gould, Conneaut vs. Chris Vargo, Bentworth; Cyrus Hurd, North East vs. Cooper Hornack, Burrell
160: Collin Hearn, Conneaut vs. Grant MacKay, Laurel; Hunter Hohman, Grove City vs. Deegan Ross, Lackawanna Trail
189: Magnus Lloyd, General McLane vs. Rune Lawrence, Frazier
215: Danny Church, Fort LeBoeuf vs. Austin Johnson, Muncy; Abe Keep, Girard vs. Brenan Morgan, Central Valley
The 2A consolation third round that will close this session is scheduled to start at 11:45 a.m. It will begin with Northwestern's Sierra Chiesa (107), who will be assured of a state medal if she defeats Cranberry nemesis Dalton Wenner.
Erie County D-10 duo in 215-pound semis
Fort LeBoeuf's Danny Church and Girard's Abe Keep sprung hope for an all-Erie County championship match come Saturday's finals.
Each won their 2A 215 quarterfinal match within seconds of each other.
Church had the easier time. The Bison senior dictated the action late in his 5-1 victory over Bentworth's Vitali Daniels. He'll draw undefeated Muncy sophomore Austin Johnson (37-0) in Friday night's round of four.
Keep, with a disputed takedown as the buzzer sounded, survived for a 3-1 decision over Brody Kline of Berks Catholic. Kline's corner and the fans who watched from matchside seats vehemently disputed the takedown happened after the final whistle, but to no avail.
Keep, an Edinboro University recruit, is now 37-3. His semifinal foe is Central Valley junior Brenan Morgan (37-4).
Welsh wins against McChesney
Fort Cherry's Braedon Welsh was whistled for stalling late in his 172 championship quarterfinal vs. Conner McChesney.
The penalty point, though, wasn't enough to fully aid the Fort LeBoeuf junior. The son of Bison coach Shane McChesney lost 4-3 and dropped into the consolation bracket.
Conner McChesney goes into the "round of tears" at 41-8.
D-10 duo in 160 semis
Conneaut's Collin Hearn and Grove City's Hunter Hohman, on opposite sides of the 160 bracket, advanced to Friday night's championship semifinals.
Hearn (36-5) advanced with a 7-1 decision against Trinity's Jagger Gray. Hohman improved to 41-1 with an easy 16-3 victory against Luke Sugalski of Faith Christian Academy.
No North East duo in semis
A three-point near fall at the end of the second period spurred Warrior Run's Cameron Milheim to an 18-7 major decision over Steffan Lynch.
That left North East's senior in the 152 consolation bracket. He'll go into his "round of tears" match at 30-6.
Lynch sought to join fellow Grapepicker Cyrus Hurd (127) as a championship semifinalist.
D-10 duo in 127 semis
The possibility now exists for an all-District 10 championship match at 127.
Conneaut's Hunter Gould, thanks to an escape point in the tiebreaker format, defeated Faith Christian Academy's Arment Waltenbaugh in their quarterfinal. That set up Gould (38-3) vs. Bentworth's Chris Vargo (41-2) in the top half of the bracket.
North East's Cyrus Hurd, who won his quarterfinal in the bracket's bottom half, will face Burrell's Cooper Hornack (41-6) during Friday night's 2A round of four.
Bison bumped to 133 consy bracket
JoJo Przybycien still has the chance to be a three-time PIAA medalist in as many seasons.
As was the case for his first two, though, it won't be a gold medal.
Conner Heckman of MIdd-West blanked the Fort LeBoeuf junior 8-0 in their 133 championship quarterfinal.
Przbycien (42-7) wasn't the the 133 quarterfinalist from District 10 that dropped into the consolation bracket. Wyoming Area star Jaden Pepe, a former state champion, dominated Cambridge Springs' Brody Beck 15-2 in the top half of that division's championship bracket.
Hurd has semifinal date
Erie County has its first championship semifinalist in Cyrus Hurd. The North East sophomore rallied from a three-point deficit for a 6-4 decision in his 127-pound quarterfinal vs. Coen Bainey of Bald Eagle Area.
Hurd missed the early weeks of this season with a broken hand he suffered after he punched a wall in a burst of anger. The former Cathedral Prep Rambler has done all he can to make up for his self-inflicted injury, and now stands at 23-3 going into Friday night's championship semifinal session.
Hohman heads to semis
District 10 has its first championship semifinalist.
That wrestler is Hudson Hohman. The Grove City freshman, thanks to a five-point move with less than 20 seconds left in regulation, decisioned Meadowbrook Christian's Max Wirnsberger 7-2.
Hohman takes a 33-7 mark into Friday's night's gold medal round of four.
Chiesa's chase continues
Northwestern sophomore Sierra Chiesa, the first female wrestler in the 86-year history of the PIAA tournament, is one match away from standing on the top-eight medal podium for the Class 2A 107-pound weight class.
Chiesa recorded a go-ahead takedown early in the second period of her consolation second-rounder vs. Caleb Hummel of Philipsburg-Osceola. She made it hold up throughout the third for a 4-2 decision.
By fate, Chiesa's opponent in the "round of tears" will be Dalton Wenner. The freshman from District 9 Cranberry, located in Venango County, has won their two meetings this season. That includes last weekend's Northwest Region final at Sharon.
Bowing out on a mat adjacent to Chiesa's victory over Hummel was Steven Willis. The Corry freshman was pinned by Marion Center's Griffin Tinsman in 2:36.
Willis went 39-13 for his initial season with the Beavers.
Friday's 2A sessions sandwich lone 3A act
Mike Copper back with you for the second day of the PIAA wrestling tournament. We'll begin today with the 9 a.m. championship quarterfinals and two rounds of consolation matches in the Class 2A field.
As far as Erie County, there are eight wrestlers still in contention for gold medals in their respective divisions. That doesn't include others from District 10 who also are in the top eight.
That also doesn't include Sierra Chiesa's continued quest to become the first female ever to medal in the tournament's 86-year history. The Northwestern sophomore must win twice this morning to assure herself of that epic achievement.
Live on Day 2
Follow along here throughout Friday's second day of the PIAA wrestling tournament at Hershey's Giant Center for Mike Copper's updates and highlights of District 10 wrestlers.
Class 2A sessions will start at 9 a.m., highlighted by the quarterfinals, and be followed by another session at 7:30 p.m., which will feature the semifinals.
The lone Class 3A session begins at 2:15 p.m. The quarterfinals will take place among those matches, along with second- and third-round consolations, which start at 5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Day 2: 2023 PIAA wrestling, District 10 updates; 2A semifinals, more
