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This past weekend brought more action as LebCo wrestlers continued battling to earn their right to wrestle in the PIAA State Championships. When all was said and done, it resulted in 7 wrestlers punching their tickets to Hershey, 5 moving on to Regionals with a shot at the PIAA State Championships, and a total of 13 medals earned by our local student-athletes.
For the AAA wrestlers, the postseason journey reached a major checkpoint with the South Central Regional Championships — the last step before wrestlers earn their chance to compete in Hershey at the PIAA State Wrestling Championships beginning March 5. Regionals were a two-day event that began Friday at Spring Grove High School. The top six finishers were rewarded with medals, and the top 5 earned the right to advance to States.
Additionally, Lebanon County’s AA teams competed in the District 3 AA Championships, a one-day event held Saturday at Central Dauphin East High School. Districts wrestled to 8 places (medals), with the top 6 advancing to next weekend’s Southeast Regional Championships at Warwick High School.
AAA
Lebanon County’s AAA programs turned in a statement weekend at South Central Regionals — and two LebCo teams finished in the top 8 of a loaded 55-team field.
ELCO High School led the way on the team scoreboard, finishing 6th and advancing four wrestlers to States — a season believed to be the most State qualifiers in one year in ELCO program history. Ashton Kriss paced the charge with a runner-up finish, while Klint Miller, Aleric Raihl, and Kane Kline all landed on the podium and punched tickets to Hershey. Kane Kline and Klint Miller each earned their second straight trips to States.
Right behind them, Palmyra Area High School backed up last week’s sectional team title with an 8th-place regional finish and three State qualifiers. Elijah Foltz made the finals at 107-pounds to take 2nd, Tyler Detwiler battled to a 4th-place finish at 139-pounds, and Aaron Andrew closed the weekend by winning the 5th-place bout at 160-pounds to lock in Palmyra’s third ticket to Hershey.
Also represented was Cedar Crest with Landyn Kline competing at 189-pounds.
AA
Lebanon County produced multiple AA medalists at Districts, highlighted by a championship run from Samuel Wolford, a senior who earned his third straight District 3 championship at 121-pounds.
Northern Lebanon added more top-end points with Connor Troxell (3rd at 215-pounds) and secured an advancing medal at 152-pounds with Sincere Perez (6th). Landon Graby rounded out the Vikings’ medal count with a 7th-place finish at 189-pounds.
Annville-Cleona put two wrestlers on the podium — and both were advancing medals — as Oliver Funck (145-pounds) and Blaine Leitz (189-pounds) battled to 5th place, earning regional berths and building momentum toward next weekend.
What’s next?
The AAA Wrestlers who qualified for States will be back in action at the PIAA State Wrestling Championships in Hershey, with the tournament beginning on March 5th.
The AA Boys and Girls Wrestlers will still have to wrestle to see who will make it to States. The AA Boys who advanced will return next weekend for the Southeast Regional Championships at Warwick High School. Girls wrestlers will also be back in action next weekend, as the Regional Championships will be held at Manheim Township High School.
Below are team-by-team recaps from this weekend’s action.
AAA
South Central Regional Championships — Spring Grove
Team Finish: 6th
ELCO’s 6th-place finish was built on four true podium threats who all converted — including one finalist — and that kind of hit rate is exactly how teams climb in a 55-team regional. When all was said and done, four Raiders advanced to States in what is believed to be the most in a single season in the history of ELCO Wrestling.
At 133, Ashton Kriss powered through to the finals, including a key semifinal pin that punched his spot in the championship match. Kriss finished as the regional runner-up, providing the highest placement of ELCO’s four qualifiers.
At 160, Klint Miller took a tight semifinal loss (6-5), then responded the way a veteran does in March — a pin in the consolation semis to put himself right back into the placement round. In the 3rd-place match, Miller dominated with a 10-0 major decision, locking in 3rd and his second straight trip to States.
At 127, Kane Kline was explosive early — a pin in Round 1, then a tech fall in the quarterfinals — before being pushed to the backside in the semis. From there, Kline won a one-point decision in the consolation semis to clinch a podium finish and ended up 4th, earning his second straight trip to States.
At 121, Aleric Raihl took a quarterfinal setback, then had to earn everything the hard way in the wrestlebacks. Raihlripped off multiple wins (including a 2-0 decision and another solid decision in the consolation semis) to fight back onto the podium and finish 4th.
ELCO also had Avery Shenk and Brinley Donmoyer competing at Regionals.
Medalists
2nd – Ashton Kriss — 133-pounds*
3rd – Klint Miller — 160-pounds*
4th – Aleric Raihl — 121-pounds*
4th – Kane Kline — 127-pounds*
* Advances to State Championships
South Central Regional Championships — Spring Grove
Team Finish:8th
Palmyra’s 8th-place team finish looked like a classic “tournament points” weekend — three big podium runs at the top, and a lineup that kept forcing action across multiple weights.
At 107, Elijah Foltz set the tone immediately with a first-round pin in :43, then followed with a technical fall in the quarterfinals. From there, Foltz controlled his semifinal 7-0 to reach the finals and finished as the regional runner-up — a front-side run that anchored Palmyra’s team score.
At 139, Tyler Detwiler stacked points early with a tech fall and then a major decision in the quarters. After being pulled to the backside in the semis, Detwiler responded with one of the tougher pressure-match wins you’ll see, edging a 14-13 decision in the consolation semis to guarantee his spot on the podium. He ultimately finished 4th after the placement round.
At 160, Aaron Andrew had one of the more “grind it out” paths to States. After a tight quarterfinal loss (4-3), Andrew went to work in the wrestlebacks, winning a decision, adding a major, and then reaching the consolation semis. Even after being stopped there, Andrew answered again, taking the 5th-place bout to lock up his ticket to Hershey.
Palmyra also had Russell Cisney, Grayson Cisney, Nicolas Gordon, Owen Clark, Nicholas Weidman, Evan Andrew, and Kenneth Coles competing at Regionals.
Medalists
2nd – Elijah Foltz — 107-pounds*
4th – Tyler Detwiler — 139-pounds*
5th – Aaron Andrew — 160-pounds*
* Advances to State Championships
South Central Regional Championships — Spring Grove
Team Finish: 52nd
Cedar Crest was represented at 189 by Landyn Kline, who drew a tough first-round opponent and then came right back into a one-possession type match in the wrestlebacks. After falling 5-1 in the opening round, Kline pushed the pace in Consolation Round 1 but came up short in a 6-5 decision — a one-point finish that shows how thin the margin is at this level.
AA
District 3 AA Championships — Central Dauphin East High School
Team Finish: 18th
Annville got two wrestlers onto the podium — and both finished in advancing position — with runs that showed real toughness after early bracket turns.
At 145, Oliver Funck opened with a first-round pin, then took a quarterfinal loss that sent him to the backside. From there, Funck strung together the wins he needed to reach the placement round, then finished strong in the 5th-place match with a 10-0 major decision to lock up 5th.
At 189, Blaine Leitz opened with a 15-3 major decision, then dropped a quarterfinal and had to climb back through the wrestlebacks. Leitz answered with a pin, then a tight decision, and after being stopped in the consolation semis, he closed the day with authority — a 15-0 tech fall in the 5th-place match to take 5th and advance.
Annville-Cleona also had John White, Devon Englehart, Levi Kreider, and Jordan Nickens competing at Districts.
Medalists
5th – Oliver Funck — 145-pounds*
5th – Blaine Leitz — 189-pounds*
* Advances to Regionals
District 3 AA Championships — Central Dauphin East High School
Team Finish: 10th
Northern Lebanon’s 10th-place finish was built with a true championship-level anchor, another high finisher, and two more medalists who added major team points late in the day.
At 121, senior Samuel Wolford delivered the centerpiece, finishing the tournament on top again for his third straight District 3 title. That top-end placement alone swings a team’s day — and it gave Northern Lebanon a gold medal to build around.
At 215, Connor Troxell added another major podium result with a 3rd-place finish. He pushed through the bracket to the semis, then rebounded in the placement rounds to secure 3rd and add a big point total to the team score.
At 152, Sincere Perez had to earn his advancing spot through the grind of the consolation path, working his way into the placement rounds and finishing 6th — the final advancing position in a bracket where only the top six move on.
At 189, Landon Graby added another medal with a 7th-place finish, giving the Vikings four placers total — the kind of depth that separates teams in the standings.
Northern Lebanon also had Jackson Walter, Kohen Clark, Markus Yurkonis, and Christian Spencer competing at Districts.
Medalists
1st – Samuel Wolford — 121-pounds*
3rd – Connor Troxell — 215-pounds*
6th – Sincere Perez — 152-pounds*
7th – Landon Graby — 189-pounds
* Advances to Regionals
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