Boys Wrestling: Two District Champions Highlight Weekend of Postseason Competition – Full LebCo Results

This weekend, the Wrestling postseason continued. With the AA and AAA schools taking different paths to States, athletes from Annville-Cleona and Northern Lebanon competed in the District 3 Championships (AA), while Cedar Crest, ELCO, and Palmyra competed in the South Central Regional Championships (AAA).

For the larger schools competing at Regionals, the event at Spring Grove High School would serve as the last stop before States. While there will not be any wrestlers from LebCo advancing beyond this weekend, there were three that brought home medals. ELCO’s Klint Miller and Kyle Miller each took 5th in their respective weight classes, and Palmyra’s Mason Bucks finished 6th.

The District 3 Championship served as a qualifier for next weekend’s Southeast Regionals that will take place at Bethlehem Freedom High School. Out of the twelve athletes representing Annville and Northern Lebanon, seven were able to advance. The medal haul was highlighted by the District gold medals won by Northern Lebanon’s Aaron Seidel and Sam Wolford.

The Girls had the weekend off as they prepare for their Regional Championship, which will be held at Penn Manor High School next Saturday.

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 Central Regionals (AAA)

Following Sectionals, the AAA wrestlers skipped straight to their Regional competition, a two-day event held at Spring Grove High School. LebCo schools were represented by ten wrestlers, each with dreams of earning one of the top four spots that would qualify them for the PIAA State Championships in Hershey. Three local athletes medaled, but despite impressive performances, none finished high enough to qualify for the next round of the postseason.

Cedar Crest

Lucas Gerrett (Sr.) and Landyn Kline (So.) represented the Falcons at Regionals. The two grapplers from Cedar Crest each won a match, but fell just shy of the medal rounds after both losing on decisions in the second round of consolations.

Team Finish: 36th

ELCO

Four Raiders earned the opportunity to compete at Regionals. Klint Miller (Fr.) led the way following his 1st place finish at Regionals. He was joined by his brother Kyle Miller (Jr.), along with Zane Trostle (Jr.) and Mitchell Frederick (Jr.). The Millers battled and each made the podium to collect 5th place medals.

Team Finish: 23rd

5th   Kyle Miller (215 pounds) – The junior scored two victories on Friday night to advance to day two of Regionals. Both of his victories came by way of pins in the 5th minute of the match. On Saturday, Miller lost to Chambersburg’s Aiden Hight before losing a close 5-3 decision to Cumberland Valley’s Dayne Miller. This landed him in the 5th place match, which he won with a decisive 6-1 victory over Manheim Central’s Noah Templin. Miller finishes his season with a record of 33-10.

5th   Klint Miller (152 pounds) – The freshman won both matches on Friday, including a dominant 19-1 tech fall in his first contest. On Saturday, he lost two straight decisions. The second loss was very tough, as a takedown with :03 remaining swung the score to 8-7 in favor of Donegal’s Ruben Mumper. In the 5th place match, Miller dominated on his way to earning a 7-0 decision over Manheim Central’s Anthony Cummons. Miller finishes his freshman campaign with a 36-11 record.

Palmyra

Palmyra was represented by four wrestlers at Regionals. Mason Bucks (Sr.), Josh Smith (Sr.), Jason Foutz (Jr.), and Tyler Detwiler (So.) would all go on to win at least one match. Bucks earned the lone medal for the Cougars, just missing State qualification.

Team Finish: 30th

6th   Mason Bucks (172 pounds) – Hampered by injuries, Bucks persevered to see if he could qualify for States. On Friday night, the senior pinned his first opponent before losing in the quarterfinals. He came back with a major decision to advance. On Saturday, he started the day with a 7-5 decision over Chambersburg’s Isiah Tasker. In the consolation semifinals, he lost his opportunity to wrestle for States, losing to Gettysburg’s Jaxon Townsend. Fighting through injuries, Bucks withdrew ahead of the 5th place match, thus earning a 6th place medal. He finished his season with a 26-8 record.

Boys Wrestling: Sectional Results

District 3 Championships (AA)

On Saturday, thirty-three teams were represented for the AA District 3 Championships at Central Dauphin East High School. Annville-Cleona and Northern Lebanon had a total of twelve wrestlers vying for the opportunity to earn spots at next week’s Southeast Regional Championship at Bethlehem Freedom High School. With the top seven from each weight qualifying for Regionals, seven LebCo wrestlers were able to advance.

Annville-Cleona

The Dutchmen arrived to Districts with five wrestlers: Oliver Funck (So.), Liam Pulaski (Sr.), Oliver Carey (Sr.), Darrian Holloway (Sr.), and Damien Miller (Sr.). Funck and Pulaski advanced to the medal rounds and earned their spots at next weekend’s Southeast Regionals.

Team Finish: 19th

4th   Oliver Funck* (121 pounds) – The sophomore started his day with a huge 18-2 tech fall over his opponent from Halifax. In the quarterfinals, he was matched up against Aaron Seidel and then entered into the consolation bracket. Funck went on to win his next three matches with a pin and two decisions. Having earned his spot in the 3rd place match, Funck battled Brayden Hartranft of Berks Catholic, a junior who was a 2023 State qualifier. Funck was pinned by the more experienced Hantranft, taking 4th place and spot at Regionals. This was an improvement from his 8th place finish at Districts last season. Funck’s 4-2 day ran his season record to 27-16 overall.

6th   Liam Pulaski* (145 pounds) – The senior won his first match by pinning his opponent from East Pennsboro. He then was tasked with facing Bishop McDevitt’s Ryan Lawler, the eventual champion who finished 4th in the State last season. Losing to Lawler put him in the consolation bracket where Pulaski then won two straight matches via a 13-1 major decision and a pin. In the consolation semifinals, he lost a close 6-4 decision to Tulpehocken’s Jon McQuillen. He then entered the medal round in the 5th place match, where he lost another close 4-2 decision to Brady Dillon of Littlestown with a last reversal being the difference. With the 6th place finish, Pulaski qualified for Regionals. His 3-3 showing put his season record at 20-20.

* indicates qualification for Regionals

Northern Lebanon

The Vikings arrived to Central Dauphin East with a large contingent that included seven wrestlers: Aaron Seidel (Jr.); Sam Wolford (So.); Karter Adams (So.); Julian Zaragoza (Sr.); Tanner Feagley (Sr.); Hayden Adams (Jr.); and Eli Ostermayer (Sr.). When all of the wrestling was completed, five of them earned medals and will be advancing to Regionals.

Team Finish: 4th

1st   Aaron Seidel* (121 pounds) – The two-time PIAA State Champion went 3-0 to earn his third straight District 3 AA title. In the quarterfinals, Seidel pinned Annville’s Oliver Funck to end the match at the 1:48 mark. The junior then earned a 19-2 tech fall over Berk Catholic’s Brayden Hantranft before winning a 24-11 major decision over Annville native Greyson Music of Bishop McDevitt. It was the second straight week where Seidel defeated Hantranft and Music on his way to the top of the podium. Seidel’s season record is now 45-1.

1st   Samuel Wolford* (107 pounds) – After finishing with silver at Districts last year, the sophomore has been wrestling this season like a man possessed. He started this tournament with a 16-1 tech fall in just 2:00 over Newport’s Marek Polcha. Wolford then scored a 16-0 tech fall in the semifinals over McDevitt’s Braiden Lotier. He then faced Halifax’s Izaya Schickley in the gold medal round, pinning the freshman in just 1:38. Wolford is now 38-4 as he will continue at Regionals in his quest to return to Hershey.

4th   Karter Adams* (127 pounds) – Wrestling in his first postseason, the sophomore won Sectionals and had his sights set on qualifying for Regionals. He began the day by pinning Reece Daniels of Bermudian Springs. He then lost a heartbreaking 9-8 decision in the semifinals. In the consolation round, Adams won a 5-0 decision to earn his spot in the 3rd place match. In the medal round, he faced West Perry’s Jackson Rush and was edged out on a 6-5 decision. With his 4th place medal, Adams qualified for Regionals. His season record is now 33-11.

6th   Julian Zaragoza* (114 pounds) – The senior won his quarterfinal match with a 3-1 decision over Newport’s Roman Polcha. While he then lost his next two matches, that early victory put him in the medal round. Wrestling for 5th place, Zaragoza met Polcha again, this time losing via a 5-3 sudden victory decision. His 6th place finish earned him a spot in Regionals. Zaragoza is now 34-14 this season.

7th   Hayden Adams* (285 pounds) – The junior began the tournament with a quick :44 pin. He then lost in the quarterfinals, putting him in the consolation bracket. Adams won his next match with a 10-3 decision before losing in a wild 4-3 double tiebreaker lasting six periods. Adams then entered the 7th place match, winning over Trinity’s Micah Shaffer with a 7-3 decision. The finish qualified him for Regionals. His 3-2 day moved his season record to 34-17.

* indicates qualification for Regionals

Girls Wrestling: Sectional Results

Upcoming Events

March 1 – 2: AA Southeast Regionals @ Bethlehem Freedom High School

March 2: Girls South Central Regionals @ Penn Manor High School

March 7-9: PIAA State Wrestling Championships @ Hershey – Giant Center