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Annville-Cleona and Northern Lebanon took the mat Friday and Saturday at Warwick High School for the PIAA AA Southeast Regional Championships, where the stakes were clear — a regional medal was earned by finishing in the top eight, but only the top five in each weight class advanced to Hershey.
By the end of the weekend, the Lebanon County pair had plenty to show for it. Four LebCo wrestlers reached the podium with top-eight finishes, and two earned the right to continue their seasons on the mats at Hershey’s GIANT Center.
At the top of the list was Samuel Wolford, who broke through with his first Regional Championship after finishing as the runner-up each of the past two years. The Northern Lebanon senior — committed to the Naval Academy — rolled through the bracket with bonus-point wins and now heads back to Hershey looking for his third career State medal after earning silver last season.
Annville-Cleona added the other State qualifier behind a gritty bounce-back run from Oliver Funck at 145-pounds. A two-time regional medalist entering the weekend, the senior again worked his way onto the podium — and this time made the jump to Hershey — after missing States by just one place last season.
The podium depth extended beyond the qualifiers as well. Northern Lebanon senior Connor Troxell closed his career with his first Regional medal, finishing 7th at 215-pounds to cap a 40-9 season, while Annville-Cleona junior Blaine Leitz earned his first Regional medal with a 6th-place finish at 189-pounds to close the year at 38-12.
Wolford and Funck will be joining the seven AAA qualifiers who earned their spots last weekend, a list that includes ELCO’s Ashton Kriss, Klint Miller, Aleric Raihl, and Kane Kline, as well as Palmyra’s Elijah Foltz, Tyler Detwiler, and Aaron Andrew.
Next up is the final stop: the PIAA State Championships begin on Thursday, March 5th at Hershey’s GIANT Center. The nine Lebanon County boys qualifiers — along with girls qualifiers Kylee Trostle (ELCO), Dakota Dengler (Northern Lebanon), and Isabella Poole Martinez (Lebanon) — will all begin their battles on the state’s biggest stage as the road to the podium continues in Hershey.
Below are team-by-team recaps from this weekend’s Regional Championship.
Team Finish: 26th
Annville-Cleona was led by a pair of medal-winning runs from Oliver Funck and Blaine Leitz, with Funck ultimately earning the program’s lone ticket to Hershey.
For Funck, the weekend was the payoff to a postseason journey that’s been building for years. The senior battled back after an opening-round loss at 145-pounds, ripping off four straight consolation wins — including a pin in his first backside bout — to reach the consolation semifinals. Even after a tight setback there, Funck had one more answer, edging a 5-4 decision in the 5th-place match to clinch both a medal and a State berth. It’s his third straight regional medal, and after missing States by just one place last season, he’s headed to Hershey this time.
At 189-pounds, junior Blaine Leitz put together one of Annville’s strongest runs of the tournament. He opened with back-to-back pins to reach the championship semifinals, then fought through the medal rounds to finish 6th, earning the first regional medal of his career. Leitz closes the season with a 38-12 record and plenty of momentum heading into next winter.
Medalists
5th – Oliver Funck — 145-pounds*
6th – Blaine Leitz — 189-pounds
* Advances to State Championships
Funck Celebrates State Berth (Photo Credit: AC Wrestling Facebook)
Girls Wrestling: ELCO’s Trostle Wins Gold, Dengler and Poole Martinez Qualify for States; Six LebCo Girls Medal at South Central Regional Championship
Last Weekend: Road to Hershey Continues — Seven Wrestlers Punch Tickets to States, Five Advance to Regionals as LebCo Athletes Earn Thirteen Medals
Team Finish: 12th
Northern Lebanon’s run at the Regional Championships included an exciting weekend of action, highlighted by a championship run from Samuel Wolford and a regional medal from Connor Troxell out of the upper weights.
Wolford delivered the headline moment at 121-pounds, capturing his first Regional Championship after finishing as the runner-up each of the past two seasons. The senior, who is committed to the Naval Academy, was in control from the opening whistle — posting three tech falls and a pin in just eigthteen seconds on his way through the bracket — and then closed the title run with a 15-0 tech fall in the championship bout. During his dominant run, he did not surrender a single point across his four matches. With the gold in hand, he now heads back to Hershey aiming for his third career State medal after earning silver a year ago.
Troxell also reached the podium at 215-pounds, finishing his high school career with his first Regional medal after compiling a 40-9 season record. After opening with a first-round pin, he bounced back with another fall in consolations following a quarterfinal loss and ultimately finished 7th to earn a medal for the Vikings.
Northern Lebanon also had Landon Graby competing at 189-pounds. The sophomore opened with a pin in the championship bracket before running into a tough stretch against a deep field, and he closes the season with a 24-23 record.
Medalists
1st – Samuel Wolford — 121-pounds*
7th – Connor Troxell — 215-pounds
* Advances to State Championships
Sam Wolford is your 121 lb SE Regional Champion with a tech fall in the finals 15-0. Sam ran through his bracket going tech-pin-tech-tech and did not surrender a single offensive point! Next stop Giant Center pic.twitter.com/cXukZiCKTf
— NL Wrestling (@NL_Wrestling_) February 28, 2026
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