During this time of year, the route to the PIAA State Wrestling Championships can be somewhat confusing for those who don’t closely follow the sport . Recently, the AAA Regionals were held, which allowed athletes from larger schools to qualify for the competition in Hershey.
Additionally, last weekend the District 3 Championships for AA schools was held. That event qualified a total of wrestlers from Annville-Cleona and Northern Lebanon who qualified for the Southeast Regional Wrestling Championships, which took place at Freedom High School in Bethlehem on Friday and Saturday.
At the Regional Championships, three LebCo wrestlers made it onto the podium. Of that group, Northern Lebanon’s Aaron Seidel led the way with his 4th straight Regional Championship and set the PIAA State All-Time Record for career victories when he notched his 200th.
Photo credit: Travis Boyd
Seidel’s Teammate Sam Wolford had an impressive performance and finished with a silver medal. Both Vikings have qualified for next week’s PIAA State Championship.
Annville-Cleona’s Oliver Funck also brought home medaled, but was stopped just short of qualifying for States. and Northern Lebanon’s Karter Adams finished 7th.
The PIAA Championships begin on Thursday, as Seidel and Wolford will join seven other area wrestlers in battling to reach the podium: ELCO’s Kylee Trostle, Kyle Miller, Klint Miller, & Kane Kline; Palmyra’s Jason Foutz & Aaron Andrew; Northern Lebanon’s Dakota Dengler.
Below are brief recaps of each of the performances by each of our LebCo wrestlers at this weekend’s Regional Championships.
If you like this type of coverage, please let us know by Following us on social media: Twitter/X – @lebcosports1 and Facebook.
For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.
South East Regional Championships (AA)
Northern Lebanon
Team Finish – 7th
1st Aaron Seidel* – Sr. (133 pounds) – The senior dominated throughout the tournament, going 4-0 on his way to his 4th straight Regional Championship. His first-round win, a 21-6 tech fall over Trinity’s Noah Aubert, marked his 200th career victory, making him the ALL-TIME PENNSYLVANIA WINS LEADER. Seidel went on to pin his next opponent before two tech falls over opponents from Bishop McDevitt (21-6) & Trinity (20-4). The Virginia Tech commit is now 54-1 this season and 203-3 in his storied career.
2nd Sam Wolford* – Jr. (114 pounds) – The junior went 3-1 to finish with a silver medal at Regionals for the 2nd straight year. His tournament included a pin, a 20-3 tech fall in just 1:20, and a 10-4 decision in the semifinals. In the finals, Wolford lost in a close 2-1 tiebreaker to Faith Christian’s Freddy Bachmann. The outstanding performance meant that Wolford will be heading to Hershey for the 3rd time in three years. He is now 50-4 this season ahead of States, where he try to add to his medal collection after finishing 4th in 2024.
7th Karter Adams – Sr. (127 pounds) – The senior went 3-2 in the tournament, winning the 7th place match with a decisive 18-1 tech fall. He finished his season with a record 43-12.
Hayden Adams – Sr. (285 pounds) – The senior heavyweight earned a first-round pin but then lost a tight 2-1 decision in the second round before seeing his season end in consolations. He finished the season with a record of 35-12, giving him a career record of 123-74.
Sincere Perez – Jr. (152 pounds) – The junior’s first match lasted over five minutes. After losing, the fatigue may have played a role in his second bout loss. Perez finished the season with a 27-21 record.
Carter Wolford – Fr. (107 pounds) – The freshman lost in the first-round, but rebounded with a spectacular 15-0 tech fall in consolations. His tournament then came to an end in the next round. Wolford finished his first varsity season with a 36-18 record.
Landon Graby – Fr. (189 pounds) – The freshman won in a 14-4 major decision, giving him a Regional victory in his first varsity campaign. He finished the tournament with a record of 1-2. For the season, Graby was 21-19.
Annville-Cleona
Team Finish – 34th
6th Oliver Funck – Jr. (127 pounds) – Following a first-round loss, Funck went on a run with wins over wrestlers from Oley Valley and Brandywine Heights to reach the consolation semifinals to put him in position to earn a 6th place medal. Finishing his season with a record of 37-11, the Annville distance running star will now turn his attention to the track.
Blaine Leitz – So. (172 pounds) – The sophomore earned a 9-2 decision in the first round of consolations to give him a victory in his first Regionals. Leitz finished his season with a record of 30-15.
To access the full brackets, visit here
Boys Wrestling: Previous Weekend’s Results
Social Media
Sam Wolford SE Regional Runner-up pic.twitter.com/2nR1oXw3jY
— NL Wrestling (@NL_Wrestling_) March 2, 2025
<
Aaron Seidel- 4x Regional Champion pic.twitter.com/HwFbGcb3wx
— NL Wrestling (@NL_Wrestling_) March 2, 2025
Upcoming Events
March 6-8: PIAA State Wrestling Championships @ Hershey – Giant Center
Buzgon Davis
Kind Hearted Pet Resort
TJT Sports
ProSeal
Penn Realty
Ask4Noah.com
