PIAA State Wrestling Championships: Seidel Wins Third Straight Gold

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Aaron Seidel. He is a young man whose actions speak louder than words. In fact, the Northern Lebanon wrestling superstar does not say much at all. When he speaks, it is usually to say either “please”, “thank you”, or to praise someone else. If he does choose to talk about himself, highly competitive nature quickly emerges.

Earlier this season, Seidel finished 2nd at the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament. While it was a huge accomplishment for the junior who moved full-time into the 121-pound weight class this season, the tournament finals offered Seidel the only blemish on his high school record over the past two seasons. His loss was to Leo DeLuca, a New Jersey State Champion who is committed to wrestle at Iowa. When asked about his performance when voted as the LebCo Male Athlete of the Week, Seidel described his performance very simply with two words: “I lost.”

The meaning of his response was easy to understand. Not to put words in the head of the two-time Pennsylvania State Champion, but the loss likely sparked two thoughts for Seidel: “I am going to work even harder.” and “It WON’T happen again.”

Seidel continued on in his season, winning thirty-six straight matches, which included a League, Section, District, and Regional Championship. He was also the anchor that helped Northern Lebanon regain the Section 3 Championship after having lost it to inter-county rival ELCO last year. His biggest test of the season came at the Southeast Regional Championships last week, when he was matched up against Faith Christian’s Gauge Botero, the reigning 121-pound State Champ. Seidel won that match 7-0 in a sign that he was prepared to win his third straight championship.

Entering the Giant Center on Thursday, Seidel carried with him a 48-1 record. He quickly improved on that mark with a Round of 16 victory over Central Valley’s Antonio Boni. He pinned Boni in 1:30. In Friday’s quarterfinals, he pinned Hughesville’s Chase Shaner in 1:01, giving him his 50th win of the season. On Friday night, he cruised by Bishop McCort’s Lincoln Sledzianowski with a 13-0 major decision.

After winning the previous two State Championships at the 106/107 weight class, the only person standing in the way of a third straight title, this time at two weight classes higher, would be Bishop McDevitt’s Greyson Music. The Crusader freshman is an Annville-native who wrestled at the junior high level for the Dutchmen before transferring this season. The Lebanon County natives actually met twice before at the Sectional and the District levels. Seidel won both matchups convincingly with a tech fall and a major decision.

For Music, his run through States was impressive. On his way to the Finals, he picked up three tight decisions, with two of them coming via sudden victory. This type of grit and determination was nothing to discount when headed into the gold medal matchup with Seidel.

However, Seidel is generational talent. He is well-seasoned. And that single loss has fueled his season. Not to be disrespectful, but it would be foolish to believe that anything less than a miracle would result in a victory by Music.

In the match-up, Seidel was careful not to make any mistakes that could result in an opportunistic Music turning the tables. Seidel scored a takedown in the 1st period, then escaped and registered another takedown in the 2nd period. Leading 5-0 going into the final two minutes, Seidel continued to wrestle in a smart manner. It was not until the end of the match that he nearly pinned Music. That move at the end ran the score to 8-0, giving Seidel a Major Decision.

The victory was Seidel’s third straight PIAA State Championship. The junior is already committed to wrestle at Virginia Tech once he graduates from Northern Lebanon. However, much of his story remains unwritten. While there is no certainty with how many twists will be included in plot, the one sure thing is that Seidel will be ready to take on anything new that challenges him.

Click for Full LebCo Results from the State Championship

Aaron Seidel’s Semifinal Victory