PIAA wrestling live updates for Saturday: Area wrestlers seek medals on final day
Click here for updated PIAA Class 2A results.
Click here for updated PIAA Class 3A results.
For subscribers: Grove City's Hunter Hohman highlights District 10's wrestlers with PIAA silver medal
Once again ... sincerely honored
That's it from here for updates on District 10 wrestlers who competed in this weekend's PIAA tournament.
Thanks for following along these last three days. From the business side of the laptop, this tournament remains 100% physiologically exhausting to cover, while somehow a simultaneous 100% adrenaline rush.
A drastically different sport, yes, but remember to check the GoErie.com for coverage of District 10 participants in the Class 2A portion of next weekend's PIAA swimming and diving meet at Lewisburg's Bucknell University.
Inside the games: PIAA wrestling, basketball playoff results and more for March 6-11
Saylor sixth in Class 3A 139
Hickory's Connor Saylor, in his final appearance in a Hickory Hornets singlet, finished sixth in the medal standings for the PIAA Class 3A tournament's 139-pound division.
Saylor sought to win for the 145th and final time for the Hermitage program, which was promoted to large-school class for the PIAA's current two-year cycle.
That quest, though, was thwarted by Blake Reihner. The Trinity junior persevered for a 3-2 decision in their division's fifth-place match.
Saylor, coached by Nick Clepper, went 38-11 over his last varsity season. He'll resume his wrestling career for the Division I Cleveland State University Vikings.
Sallot secures bronze in final McDowell match
It wasn't a state final, but that didn't stop Logan Sallot from celebrating like it was.
Sallot, in his final appearance for McDowell's wrestling program, won the PIAA Class 3A's bronze medal at 114 pounds. The senior more than recovered from his championship semifinal loss early Saturday with consecutive victories against a former state finalist and former state titlist.
That former state titlist was Kaedyn Williams, a Manheim Township junior who was the state's best 106-pounder two years ago and third at 113 for the 2022 meet.
Williams continued to progress the wrong way when it comes to state medals after his match vs. Sallot, who leapt and bear-hugged McDowell's coaches moments after his 2:09 pin.
It was the first and only state medal for Sallot, who formally signed and then formally revoked a scholarship offer from Division I West Virginia.
Now, he goes back on the recruiting circuit with a state medal. His career mark as a Trojan is 88-24.
Closing Class 3A session set for 7 p.m.
Unlike this afternoon's Class 2A medal matches, only two District 10 wrestlers will compete in the tournament's closing rounds.
McDowell senior Logan Sallot will vie for the bronze medal at 114 pounds. Hickory senior Connor Saylor seeks fifth place at 139.
District 10's PIAA Class 2A wrestling medalists are ...
121 poundsHudson Hohman, fr., Grove City, fourth
127 poundsHunter Gould, jr., Conneaut, fifthCyrus Hurd, so., North East, sixth
133 poundsChase Bell, jr., Reynolds, eighth
145 poundsCody Hamilton, so., Grove City, eighth
152 pounds
Steffan Lynch, sr., North East, seventhCaullin Summers, jr., Sharpsville, eighth
160 poundsHunter Hohman, jr., Grove City, secondCollin Hearn, sr., Conneaut, fourth
172 poundsJalen Wagner, sr., Reynolds, sixth
189 poundsMagnus Lloyd, jr., General McLane, sixth
215 poundsDanny Church, sr., Fort LeBoeuf, thirdAbe Keep, sr., Girard, sixth
285 poundsWilson Spires, sr., General McLane, seventh
Spires inspires with heavyweight medal
Not one, but two knee injuries during General McLane's football season left Wilson Spires' final varsity wrestling in severe doubt.
Persevere, though, he did.
The payoff came Saturday when, backed by an notably vocal Edinboro contingent, Spires won the 2A seventh-place heavyweight match. He took down Berks Catholic's Owen Reber 3-1 with 15 seconds left in their sudden-victory minute.
It was the only medal in the mat career of Spires. He went 28-10 in his last season for Lancers coach Ryan Cook.
Church third, Keep sixth at 2A 215
Fort LeBoeuf's Danny Church and Girard's Abe Keep completed their respective varsity wrestling careers in 2A 215-pound medal matches.
Church finished the small-school portion of the meet as Erie County's highest finisher. The senior, for the second time this weekend, defeated Bentworth's Vitali Daniels.
Church won 5-1 when they met during Friday's 215 championship quarterfinals and then again by Saturday's 3-0 final. The lone Bison who medaled this weekend went 45-7 this season.
Keep, an Edinboro University wrestling recruit, will graduate from Girard as a two-time PIAA medalist. Each were at 215.
Berks Catholics' Brody Kline took down Keep with 15 seconds left in their sudden-victory minute. The 3-1 loss left the YellowJacket with a season record of 37-8.
Keep won 114 matches for a program that's evolved during his school tenure and that of coach Jason Johnson.
Wagner, Lloyd with consecutive sixth-place medals
Reynolds' Jalen Wagner forfeited his 172-pound match to Montgomery's Caden Finck for fifth place in their division.
Magnus Lloyd was only active for slightly longer.
Jacob Jones of Saucon Valley pinned Lloyd, a General McLane junior, 54 seconds into their fifth-place match. Lloyd, a former state junior champion, went 31-11 over his third season with the Lancers.
Grove City's Hunter Hohman a PIAA 2A silver medalist
Only in an elite event like the PIAA wrestling tournament could someone with a record of 42-1 be considered a mammoth underdog.
However, Grant MacKay proved why throughout his Class 2A 160-pound final against Grove City's Hunter Hohman.
MacKay, a senior who will graduate with a varsity career record of 166-19, blanked Hohman 5-0 in their title match at the Giant Center. The senior from District 7 Laurel, located in the New Castle area, won his second state championship in his third appearance in its finals.
MacKay, who finished 47-1 as a senior, will resume his wrestling career down the road at the University of Pittsburgh.
Hohman was District 10's only PIAA finalist, either at 2A or Class 3A. He sought to join Eagles coach Wes Phipps as a PIAA gold medalist.
Conneaut's Collin Hearn was the district's other 160 state medalist. He finished fourth in that weight class when Deegan Ross of Lackawanna Trail won 8-0 in their bronze medal match.
Earlier, North East's Steffan Lynch defeated Sharpsville's Caullin Summers in an all-District 10 match for seventh place at 152.
Lynch, a senior, went 32-7 in his lone season in a Grapepickers singlet. He formerly wrestled while a Cathedral Prep student.
Hamilton eighth at 2A 145
Cody Hamilton, the third Grove City wrestler who qualified for state action, received the eighth and final medal in his division.
Benton's Chase Burke defeated Hamilton 3-1 for seventh place at 133. Hamilton concluded his sophomore season with an overall record of 37-5.
Bell eighth at 2A 133
Chase Bell is the first of two Reynolds wrestlers who medaled.
Bell, a 133-pounder, received the eighth and final medal for his weight class. Noah Doi of Camp Hill held off a late two-point move by the junior for a 3-2 decision.
Bell won twice to reach the division's championship semifinals, but then lost twice in consolation action. He went 31-13 for the Raiders.
Gould wins all-District 10 medal match
District 10 was assured a medal round victor when Conneaut's Hunter Gould and North East's Cyrus Hurd met for fifth place in the 127-pound bracket.
Standing higher on the top-eight medal podium will be Gould thanks to his 4-0 shutout. The junior for the Eagles concluded his junior season with a 39-5 mark.
Hurd, who missed the early weeks of his sophomore season with a broken hand, ended it at 23-6.
Younger Hohman fourth at 2A 121
District 10 has its first official medalist for the 2022-23 PIAA wrestling tournament.
Grove City freshman Hudson Hohman, whose older brother Hunter will vie for a state title later in this Class 2A medal round, finished fourth in the 121 bracket.
Branden Wentzel of Montoursville recorded a 9-5 decision over Hudson Hohman in their bronze medal match. The first-year Eagle finished with a record of 34-9 under coach Wes Phipps, himself a former PIAA titlist.
Chiesa cheered during parade of champions
Per PIAA tradition, an adrenaline-pumping montage of the tournament's wrestlers in action was shown as part of the ceremonies ahead of the PIAA Class 2A parade of champions.
Sierra Chiesa wasn't the only competitor who was briefly cheered during the montage. However, the image of her hand being raised after her historic victory in the 107 consolation bracket was louder than most.
Chiesa, a Northwestern sophomore, made history as the first female to ever compete in the tournament's 86-year history. She added to that lore as the first female to win a match, an 8-5 decision against Oswayo Valley's Andrew Coriaty.
Class 2A championship session has 2 p.m. start
District 10 has various wrestlers assured of top-eight medals by the end of this weekend's small-school competition.
In Hunter Hohman's case, the Grove City middleweight goes for a top-one.
Hohman will wrestle Laurel's Grant MacKay for the 160-pound championship. The junior for the Eagles was the district's lone wrestler in either class who won his way into a final.
Saylor seeks fifth at 139
Hickory's Connor Saylor was the latest conquest of Central Mountain's Dalton Perry.
Saylor met the Central Mountain star, a sophomore who's already verbally committed to Penn State University. Perry blanked the Hornets middleweight 7-0 in their 139 consolation semifinal.
Trinity junior Blake Reihner will be the last varsity opponent of Saylor's career come Saturday night's 3A championship session. The Hickory senior (38-9) plans to resume wrestling for the Cleveland State Vikings.
Sallot seeks third at 114
Logan Sallot never received a PIAA medal over his first three seasons as a McDowell wrestler.
Now, the senior can claim one of bronze variety in the last match of his tenure with the Trojans.
Sallot recovered from his loss in the Class 3A championship semifinals earlier this session to win his consolation semifinal. The 114-pounder, thanks to a 5-0 run midway through his match vs. Greater Latrobe's Luke Willochell, won 7-3 and advanced to Saturday night's third-place match.
Sallot takes a season mark of 33-3 and an overall record of 87-24 into his final appearance with McDowell and rookie coach Josh Knapp. His last varsity opponent will be Kaedyn Williams (23-1), a junior from Manheim Township.
Williams' lone loss was in Saturday's other 114 championship final. He was a PIAA gold medalist (106) as a freshman and a bronze medalist (113) as a sophomore.
Session resumes at 11:15 a.m.
That's when the Class 3A consolation semifinals will start. In action amid them will be McDowell senior Logan Sallot at 114 pounds and Hickory senior Connor Saylor at 139.
Saylor secures consy semifinal berth
Hickory senior Connor Saylor, thanks to a three-point near fall with less than 40 seconds left in regulation, insured his 7-3 decision over Bethlehem Catholic's Kollin Roth in their 3A 139-pound consolation quarterfinal.
The result sent Saylor, in his final day on the mat for the Hornets, into a consy semifinal later this session. The Cleveland State recruit (38-9) will face Central Mountain's Dalton Perry, who's already verbally committed to Penn Sate University's juggernaut wrestling program despite his sophomore status.
Sallot succumbs in 114 semifinals
Logan Sallot didn't wrestle poorly in his Class 3A championship semifinal against Nathan Desmond.
That's because Desmond didn't truly let the McDowell senior wrestle at all.
Desmond, a returning state champion from Bethlehem Catholic, didn't let Sallot get any quality scoring chances throughout their match. The sophomore led 8-0 at the time of his pin with exactly one minute left in the the third period.
Desmond advanced to Saturday night's 114 title match with a season record of 40-1 and a varsity mark that's already at 79-3.
Sallot, now 32-3, can still finish third in the division by the end of his last day in a McDowell singlet. He'll return later this session for a consolation semifinal against Greater Latrobe sophomore Luke Wilochell.
Down the stretch they come
Mike Copper here, back for the third and final day of the PIAA wrestling tournament at Hershey's Giant Center.
The first of two Class 3A sessions will start at 9 a.m. Only two District 10 wrestlers, McDowell's Logan Sallot and Hickory's Connor Saylor, will be involved.
However, Sallot's initial match will determine if the district has a finalist in tonight's large-school gold medal matches. The senior (32-2) will face Bethlehem Catholic sophomore Nathan Desmond (39-1) in a 114-pound semifinal.
Desmond was last season's state titlist in the state's former 106 weight class. He's already 78-3 in less than two full seasons.
Sallot or Desmond will face Northampton senior Carson Wagner (32-10) or Manheim Township's Kaedyn Williams (22-0), the other 114 semifinalists, during Saturday's 7 p.m. title matches.
Saylor, in his final day of wrestling for the Hickory Hornets, is assured of a medal somewhere in the 139 bracket. The Cleveland State recruit (37-9) will take on Greater Latrobe senior Nate Roth in a consolation quarterfinal during this session.
Saturday schedule
Follow along here throughout Saturday's last day of the PIAA wrestling tournament at Hershey's Giant Center for Mike Copper's updates and highlights of District 10 wrestlers.
Class 3A sessions will start at 9 a.m., highlighted by the semifinals. The second 3A session starts at 6:45 p.m. with the Parade of Champions followed by the finals and medal rounds at 7 p.m.
The lone Class 2A session begins at 1:45 p.m. with the Parade of Champions followed by the finals and medal rounds at 2.
Friday recap: Revisit or get updated on Friday's action from the PIAA wrestling tournament
Day 1 recap: Sierra Chiesa goes 1-1, advances at PIAA wrestling tournament
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Day 3: 2023 PIAA wrestling, District 10 updates; finals, medal rounds
