Day 1 recap: Sierra Chiesa goes 1-1, advances at PIAA wrestling tournament

Click here for updated PIAA Class 2A results.

Click here for updated PIAA Class 3A results.

HERSHEY — Rarely, if ever, has the victor for one of the PIAA wrestling tournament's consolation matches received such robust applause.

It was anything but an ordinary outcome, though, when Northwestern's Sierra Chiesa had her right hand emphatically raised by an official following her 8-5 decision over Oswayo Valley's Andrew Coriaty in Thursday's Class 2A 107-pound pairing at the Giant Center.

Day 2 at Hershey: Live updates from Friday's PIAA wrestling tournament

Day 3 at Hershey:Live updates from Saturday

Before then, no female had ever won a state match since the competition's 1938 debut.

No female even competed in one before Chiesa's historic appearance earlier in the day. She lost 6-5 to Central Valley's Antonio Boni.

Thus, the louder-than-normal cheers throughout the arena for what otherwise would have been a standard result.Chiesa, as is her private nature, preferred making history to discussing it when the three media outlets sought to speak with her.

For subscribers: Sierra Chiesa blazes trail for female wrestlers ahead of state tournament

"It's good to know I won a match here," Chiesa said. "Being (a girl), people are either going to think (Coriaty) was an easy opponent or they're going to think, 'Ooh, she's pretty good.' (Friday) is still going to be stressful. It's going to be like that for all the rounds."

Chiesa, now 34-6, will return to action against Philipsburg-Osceola's Caleb Hummel (37-10) in Friday's consolation second round.

Should the Wildcats sophomore win that match and the one which follows, she would be assured of a top-eight state medal come Saturday's 107 ceremony.

The tournament also was the first that included sister-brother siblings.

Sebastian Chiesa, Sierra's older brother, is still alive in the 121 division. The senior, who wrestled at Exton's Church Farm School for three years, went 1-1 on Thursday.

The elder Chiesa beat Chestnut Ridge's Brock Holderbaum and then lost to Faith Christian Academy star Gauge Botero by a 15-0 technical fall.

Sebastian Chiesa (34-10) will face Quaker Valley junior Jack Kazalas (37-4).

Class 2A photos: Scenes from the 2023 PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships

LeBoeuf's Church beats not-that McChesney

Shane McChesney didn't check his family tree.

However, Fort LeBoeuf's wrestling coach was very sure Danny Church's opponent wasn't a distant relative.Still, fans of the Bison likely did a double take when they saw Church vs. McChesney listed as a first round match in the 215 championship bracket.

Fortunately for Church, it was Christian McChesney, a Greensburg-Salem senior.

Even better was that Church won. LeBoeuf's senior team captain recorded a 17-1 technical fall in 4 minutes, 47 seconds.

Church (42-6) was one of three Bison who advanced to Friday's 2A championship quarterfinals. The others were JoJo Przybycien at 133 and Conner McChesney, Shane McChesney's son, at 172.Jake Bennett (121) and Ryan Welka (189),

LeBoeuf's other two tournament qualifiers, also remained alived for medals after Thursday's early rounds.That all five remain in contention, according to Church, is a testament to Shane McChesney and his staff.

"They're here to make us all better," Church said. "That's always their main focus, and that's really cool."

'A damn dogfight'

The General McLane Lancers were back in the state's 2A tournament after the PIAA reclassfied them with small-school status for the current two-year enrollment cycle.

Two of them, juniors Chance Kimmy and Magnus Lloyd, remained alive for PIAA gold medals.

Kimmy (160) is now 40-11 this season thanks to a 3-0 shutout of Milton's Alex Hoffman. Lloyd (189) also won by a three-point margin with his 7-4 decision against Tri Valley's Jacob Scheib.

Lloyd (30-8), a former state junior wrestling champ, beat an opponent who ably prepared him for his future opponents.

"That was a damn dogfight," he said. "(Scheib) was a strong as an ox."

Kimmy (40-11) won in his PIAA debut. He was the first of McLane's three participants in action, with Wilson Spires the last.

Spires went 1-1 in the heavyweight bracket. That left the senior with a 25-9 record.

'Pickers' pair prevail

Although far from twins, North East coach Matt Humes informed a reporter it's easy to determine which Grapepicker is Steffan Lynch and which is Cyrus Hurd.

Lynch, he said, is the one who didn't suffer a broken hand when he punched a wall in a fit of anger.

Hurd admitted that's why he was away from the action during the early weeks of the team's 2022-23 season. The former Cathedral Prep Rambler considered himself fortunate enough to have healed in time to get back on the mat and qualify for his first PIAA meet.

Hurd defeated Line Mountain's Nolan Baumert 7-1 in their 127 opener. The North East sophomore is now 22-3.

Hurd said the mental pain of his self-inflicted injury was far worse than the physical aspect.

"The worst part was watching all my teammates wrestle in tournaments," he said, "and I had to sit there and watch. There were matches where I know if I had wrestled, we could have won them."

Lynch, also a former Rambler, made an escape point hold up for a 1-0 decision against Beth-Center's Tyler Berish in the 152 weight class. The senior, the Northwest Region's gold medalist, takes a 30-5 mark into his quarterfinal vs. Warrior Run sophomore Cameron Milheim (42-7).

Lynch, like Hurd, won in his PIAA debut.

"I worked very hard to get to this (tournament) this season, so I was feeling very good (Thursday)," Lynch said.

Girard's dye-hard duo

It was difficult to determine which was more yellow.

The singlets worn by Girard's Abe Keep and Story Buchanan or the dyed hair they specifically sported for the tournament.

Keep was diplomatic for only so long before he confessed to whose idea that was.

"There was a reason for … yeah, it was Story's," the senior said.

Keep likely would have won regardless of his locks. The Edinboro University recruit advanced to the 215 quarterfinals with a 3:39 fall of Montoursville's Cole Yonkin.

Berks Catholic junior Brody Kline (42-4) will be the next opponent for Keep, who was last season's fourth-place medalist in his same weight class.

"Last year's tournament taught me not be scared here," Keep said. "Coming in fourth proved I can really do this. Now, I know what to think about and what not to."Buchanan's golden locks didn't deter him from dropping into the 152 consolation bracket. The junior, who was undefeated going into the region meet, lost 6-3 to Frazier's Ryan Celaschi.

Buchanan (39-2) recovered for a 3-1 decision of Carmine Lenzi in their elimination match.

Sallot now solo as 3A gold medal contender

It will be Logan Sallot's doing if District 10 ends up with a Class 3A state champion come Saturday night.Sallot, McDowell's 114-pounder, was the only wrestler from northwestern Pennsylvania who advanced to Friday's championship quarterfinals. The senior won a 4-2 decision over Seneca Valley's Connor Smith in their meet opener.While it's always one match at a time for any wrestler, Sallot admitted he did study his entire bracket.

Even better, he liked what he saw.

Class 3A photos: Scenes from the 2023 PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships

"I felt good where I was placed right off the bat," Sallot said. "I knew Smith would be tough, but I went out there expecting to win because I'd beaten him (earlier) this season. There were some (moves) he does on his feet, but I was prepared for that."

Sallot (31-2) drew Chris Dennis as his quarterfinal foe. Dennis, a Central Bucks West freshman, dominated Boiling Springs' Drew Scherer for a 16-0 technical fall in 2:43.

All other large-school wreslters from the district were either eliminated or remained alive in consolation brackets.Those still seeking top-eight medals are Prep's Sam Staab at 127; Hickory's Connor Saylor at 139; and McDowell's Artis Simmons (152) and Troy Peterson (215).

Peterson led Grant Euker 4-1 when the Perkiomen Valley senior defaulted because of an elbow injury with three seconds left in the second period.

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.

Live updates from Day 1:

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... and we'll be back with live updates Friday at around 8:45 a.m. The first of two Class 2A sessions will start at 9.

More mixed results conclude session for D-10 wrestlers

Troy Peterson, McDowell's 215-pounder, moved on via injury default.

Grant Euker of Perkiomen Valley, who went onto the mat with each knee wrapped, appeared to injure one of them during the second period. Following a lengthy injury timeout, he returned only to injure an elbow.

Peterson, who led 4-1 at that time, was declared the winner with 3 seconds left in the second period. The senior stayed alive with a 31-6 mark.

Meadville's appearance in the 3A tournament ended after one day.

The Bulldogs' Rhoan Woodrow was eliminated in the bottom half of the 215 consy bracket. Shikellamy's Mason Rebuck pinned the senior in 1:51.

Meadville's Ben Fuller (107) was eliminated earlier in the session.

McDowell duo also with diverse results

Similar to Prep's lightweights, McDowell's middleweights had different outcomes in consecutive weight classes.

The Trojans' Artis Simmons, with the only two-point move of the match, stayed alive for a 152 medal. He held on for a 3-1 victory against Gavin Cole of Council Rock South.

Simmons, who went 1-1 on Thursday, is now 26-4. The senior returns to action against Easton's James Geiger (30-13).

Butterfield's time on the mat for the Trojans ended when Gettysburg's Jaxon Townsend dominated the third period of his 5-1 decision in their 160 meeting. Butterfield bowed out at 31-8 in his last season for McDowell and first and only one with new coach Josh Knapp.

Prep duo with diverse results

Cathedral Prep's Keagan Oler and Sam Staab split their results in the consolation first round.

Oler's season ended when Pennridge's Quinn McBride eliminated him 9-7 at 121. Oler bowed out at 28-14 as a sophomore.

Staab stayed alive at 127. The senior will wrestle at least one more time in an orange and black singlet thanks to his 9-2 victory at the expense of Conestoga's Miles Warkentine.

Thursday's win and loss for Staab left him 33-9 going into Thursday's consy second rounder against Eren Sement (37-4), a sophomore from Council Rock North.

D-10 3A winless at 107

The 2022-23 seasons ended for Meadville's Ben Fuller and Hickory's Brody Bishop. The freshmen were eliminated after 0-2 days in the Class 3A 107 bracket.

Each also bowed out after 6-0 losses in the consolation first round. Max Tancini of Perkiomen Valley blanked Fuller and Penn-Trafford's Dylan Barrett did the same to Bishop.

Fuller went 25-9 in his first year for the Bulldogs. Bishop was 28-10 as a first-year Hornet.

Sallot solo for 3A quarterfinals

If District 10 is to boast a Class 3A tournament titlist, it will be Logan Sallot's doing.

Sallot, McDowell's 114-pounder, was the only district wrestler who advanced to Friday's championship quarterfinals. That was assured when Armstrong's Connor Jacobs pinned the Trojans' Troy Peterson seven seconds into the third period of their 215 first-rounder.

All other district records lost matches in that round and fell into their respective consolation brackets.

Peterson did so at 30-6. He'll be the last district wrestler who competes when the initial consolation matches begin at 8 p.m.

Trojans now 1-2 in first-rounders

McDowell's Troy Peterson is District 10's last hope to join another Trojan, Logan Sallot, in Friday's 3A quarterfinals for the 3A portion of the tournament.

That became a reality when Central Dauphin's Michael Beers won a competitive 4-2 decision over McDowell's Caleb Butterfield in their 160 opener. Butterfield appeared to have two quality scoring chances over the third period, but couldn't get a two-point signal from either official.

Butterfield (31-7) will return this session for his consy first-rounder against Gettysburg's Jaxon Townsend (35-11).

Simmons sent to 152 consy bracket

Artis Simmons, the first of two McDowell middlweights in 3A brackets, lost his first-rounder at 152 pounds.

Simmons and Boiling Springs' Michael Duggan were tied three on three separate occasions during their match. However, Duggan was elusive enough not surrender the lead to his Trojan foe.

Duggan's eventual 9-7 victory dropped Simmons to 25-4 and a berth in the consy first round. He'll face Gavin Cole (34-17) of Council Rock South later this session.

Ramblers relegated to consolation brackets

Cathedral Prep's Keagan Oler and Stam Staab will have to take scenic routes if they want to be medalists for this year's Class 3A tournament.

Staab, like Oler, lost his opening match. Hempfield's Seamus Mack pinned the Ramblers' 127-pounder 1:07 into their first-round match.

Staab dropped to 32-9 in his final season in a Prep singlet. He'll need to beat Conestoga's Miles Warkentine (32-5) later this session in order to extend his varsity career.

Two tumble to 107 consy bracket

Hickory's Brody Bishop joined Meadville's Ben Fuller in the 107 consolation bracket.

Bishop, a freshman, lost a 15-5 major decision to Abington Heights' Nick Sirianni in their opener. The Hornets lightweight will take a 28-9 record into his initial elimination match vs. Penn-Trafford's Dylan Barrett later this session.

Due up next for District 10 is Cathedral Prep senior Sam Staab at 127.

Sallot secures quarterfinal berth

If there's such a thing as a comfortable 4-2 victory, Logan Sallot accomplished that Thursday.

Sallot, despite that two-point final, rarely appeared in trouble for the duration of his 114-pound win against Seneca Valley's Connor Smith. The senior, who's back on the college recruiting trail after he rescinded arranged for a signed letter of intent with Division I West Virginia University to be rescinded, is now 31-2 this season.

Sallot is done for the day. His quarterfinal opponent will be Chris Dennis (32-3), a Central Bucks West freshman who advanced with a 16-0 technical fall in 2:43.

DeMeno rallies for win over Meadville's Woodrow

Meadville's Rhoan Woodrow dictated the action through the first six minutes of his 215-pound preliminary vs. Pottsgrove's Dominic DeMeno.

That span wasn't enough for the Bulldog wrestler.

DeMeno rallied from a 3-0 deficit to eventually tie his match against Woodrow with five seconds left in regulation. He finally got the decisive back points with 17 seconds left in sudden-victory time for an 8-6 decision.

The loss left Woodrow 24-10 and idle until his consolation first-rounder later this session.

Saylor sails to 139 win in 3A

One had to wonder how Hickory's Connor Saylor was placed in the 139-pound preliminary round to start his tournament appearance.

Saylor, highlighted by a three-point near fall midway through the second period, used it to kickstart his 10-3 decision against Connellsville's Lonzy Vielma. The senior, a Cleveland State recruit, improved to 35-8.

Saylor's next opponent this session will be Bethlehem Catholic star Kollin Rath (34-1).

Meadville's Rhoan Woodrow (215) is the only remaining District 10 wrestler scheduled to compete in a 3A pigtail match.

D-10 still seeks first 3A victory

Meadville's Ben Fuller and Cathedral Prep's Keagan Oler dropped into the consolation brackets of their respective weight classes after the early first round matches of the initial 3A session.

Fuller, a freshman, managed an escape point against Mount Lebanon's Ejiro Montoya, who won 6-1 in their 107-pound opener. He's now 25-8 as he waits his opponent for the consolation first round later this session.

Oler's defeat was much closer. He came on during the third period of his 121 match vs. Coatesville's Andrij Szczesniuk, but an early 5-0 deficit was too much to overcome.

Oler's 5-3 loss left him 28-13 going into his consy opener.

Class 3A action starts at 4 p.m.

McDowell will have four wrestlers in action for the large-school portion of Thursday's meet. Set to compete for the Trojans are Logan Sallot (114 pounds); Artis Simmons (152); Caleb Butterfield (160); and Troy Peterson (215).

Cathedral Prep will be represented by lightweights Keagan Oler (121) and Sam Staab (127).

We'll also have updates on wrestlers from Meadville and Hickory, the only other District 10 programs with students who qualified.

Class 2A concludes for Thursday

Fort LeBoeuf's Ryan Welka and General McLane's Wilson Spires didn't wrestle in the consolation first round of their respective weight classes, but they did learn who they'll next face upon that round's conclusion.

Welka, who dropped into the 189 consy second round, will face Loyalsock's Kaden Rodarmel. Welka is 23-11 overall and Rodarmel 36-4.

Spires, a heavyweight for the Lancers, gets Christian Flaherty of Keystone Oaks as his next foe. Spires is 25-9 and Flaherty 38-5.

We're on pause here at the Giant Center until 4 p.m., when the lone Class 3A session starts. McDowell has four participants and Cathedral Prep two.

Meadville and HIckory are the other District 10 teams with wrestlers who will appear.

Rocket middleweight records 100th win

Brock Covell, the lone Titusville Rocket at Hershey, won his 100th career match during Thursday's championship first round. The 172-pounder reached the century mark with a 1:24 fall of Southern Huntingdon's Tommy Cohenour.

Covell then lost to Faith Christian Academy star Adam Waters 16-1 in a 3:50 technical fall. The senior dropped into the consolation second round, where he'll face Tyrone's Kyle Scott.

Story not over for Girard middleweight

Girard's Story Buchanan was initially unrecognizable on the mat Thursday. His blonde-dyed hair had much to do with that.

Buchanan, though, was eventually recognized as the second YellowJacket who advanced to Friday's competition. He stayed alive in the 152 consolation field with a 3-1 victory vs. Carmine Lenzi of Berks Catholic.

Buchanan (39-2) recorded his go-ahead points with 34 seconds left in regulation. His consy second-round foe will be Ayden Hunsinger of Wyalusing.

Consy middleweight updates

Alex Rueberger, the lone Sharpsville wrestler in this weekend's field, was eliminated from the 2A 127 field. The junior went 0-2, with his second loss an 8-4 final to Warrior Run's Tyler Ulrich.

Rueberger went 36-13 this season.

Victorious in their first-round consies were Reynolds' Chase Bell at 133 and Commodore Perry's Wyatt Lazzar at 145. Bell pinned Cranberry's Conner Reszkowski in 1:17, while Lazzar was an 8-1 winner against Ben Reynolds of St. Marys.

Also advancing in the 145 consy bracket was Gunnar Gage. The Cambridge Springs senior eliminated another St. Marys participant, Jaden Wehler, with a fall in 2:27.

Bennett prevails for Bison

Fort LeBoeuf's Jake Bennett stayed alive in the 2A 121 consolation bracket.

Bennett, a junior, recorded an escape point with 39 seconds left in regulation for a 3-2 decision against Chestnut Ridge's Brock Holderbaum. At 37-13, his initial opponent on Friday will be Mid Valley's Matthew Almedina (32-10).

Beck wins all-District 10 match

The tournament's first all-district meeting saw Saegertown's Carter Beck prevail in the 114 consolation bracket.

Beck blanked Reynolds' Waylon Waite 7-0. The sophomore for the Panthers remained alive for a medal at 35-4.

Waite's first season with the Raiders concluded at 30-15.

Chiesa continues historic achievements

Rarely, if ever, has a the winner of a consolation match received such robust applause.

Northwestern sophomore Sierra Chiesa officially became the first female to compete in the 86-year history of the PIAA tournament when she faced Central Valley's Antonio Boni in Thursday morning's 107-pound championship first round.

Although Boni won 6-5, Chiesa still had a chance to win her first-ever tournament match against Oswayo Valley's Andrew Coriaty in the consolation first round.

Chiesa not only won that match, but rallied to win it. Her 8-5 decision assured she'll return to the Giant Center on Friday.

Chiesa (34-6) will face Philipsburg-Osceola freshman Caleb Hummel in the consolation second round. She must win two matches to be assured of another first, a berth on the PIAA's top-eight medal stand.

District 10 had another 107-pounder keep his season alive. Corry freshman Steven Willis, competing at the same time as Chiesa's victory, won 4-1 over Newport's Roman Polcha. At 39-12, Willis next faces Griffin Tinsman of Marion Center.

More D-10 quarterfinalists

As we await the 1:15 p.m. start to the 2A consolation first round, here's who else from District 10 advanced to Friday's quarterfinals from outside Erie County:

121: Hudson Hohman, Grove City, with a 10-3 decision over Berks Catholic's Gunnar Maciejewski.

133: Brody Beck, Cambridge Springs, with a 3-2 decision over West Perry's Blain Puchalsky.

145: Cody Hamilton, Grove City, with a 17-3 major decision over Quaker Valley's Logan Richey.

152: Caullin Summers, Sharpsville, with a 6-4 decision over Hopewell's Isaiah Pisano.

160: Collin Hearn, Conneaut, with a 13-3 major decision over Lewisburg's Chase Wenrich; Hunter Hohman, Grove City, with a 1:09 pin of Tussey Mountain's Ezra Masood.

172: Jalen Wagner, Reynolds, with a 7-5 decision over Bishop McDevitt's Lucas Lawler.

285: Mike Mazurek, Sharon, with a 1:10 fall of Berks Catholic's Owen Reber.

County sends eight to 2A quarterfinals

Fort LeBoeuf, General McLane and North East each advanced multiple wrestlers into Friday's championship quarterfinals for the PIAA 2A meet.

LeBoeuf, which competed in the state's small-school team tournament final at the same arena its wrestlers competed Wednesday, had first-round victors in JoJo Przybycien (133 pounds), Conner McChesney (172) and Danny Church (215).

McLane and North East sent two each into their division's quarters. Chance Kimmy was a Thursday winner in the 160 field, as was former state junior champ Magnus Lloyd at 189.

North East's Cyrus Hurd stayed alive in the 127 field, while Steffan Lynch did the same at 152. Each formerly wrestled for Cathedral Prep, which has two wresters entered in Friday's 4 p.m. Class 3A session.

Girard's Abe Keep concluded the county's list of winners. The Edinboro University recruit pinned Montoursville's Cole Younkin 3:39 into their 215 match.

The consolation first round is scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. That will end Thursday's 2A session.

Kimmy comes through for Lancers

Chance Kimmy, the first of three General McLane wrestlers in the tournament, recorded a late takedown that clinched his 3-0 decision over Milton's Alex Hoffman in their 2A 160 first-rounder.

That left Kimmy, a junior, with a season record of 40-11. It also set him up with a dubious quarterfinal opponent.

That opponent is Laurel's Grant MacKay. The senior has a career record of 163-19, a 2021 state gold medal and a scholarship for the University of Pittsburgh's wrestling program.

Grapepickers prevail in first-rounders

North East's Steffan Lynch joined teammate Cyrus Hurd in Friday's championship quarterfinals. The senior, who like Hurd formerly wrestled for Cathedral Prep, made an escape point hold up for a 1-0 decision vs. Beth-Center's Tyler Berish in their 152 first-rounder.

Lynch improved to 30-5.

Hurd headed into 127 quarters

North East's Cyrus Hurd was Erie County's first wrestler who advanced to a championship semifinal.

Hurd, a sophomore for the Grapepickers, controlled the action throughout his 7-1 decision against Line Mountain's Nolan Baumert. The former Cathedral Prep lightweight improved to 22-3 in his injury-abbreviated season.

Coen Bainey (37-6), a senior from Bald Eagle Area, will be Hurd's quarterfinal foe.

Elder Chiesa into consolations

Northwestern's Sebastian Chiesa went 1-1 for his first day of the PIAA 2A tournament. The senior, who formerly wrestled for Church Farm School in Exton, was blanked 15-0 in a 2:07 technical fall by Faith Christian Academy's Gauge Botero.

Chiesa (34-10) must win twice in the consolation bracket in order to assure himself a state medal.

Welka a winner, as is Spires

Fort LeBoeuf 189-pounder Ryan Welka doubled up Chestnut Ridge's Nick Presnell in their preliminary meeting.

Welka, now 23-10, won via an 8-4 decision. He advanced to face Bishop McDevitt's Jake Gilfoil (35-5) later this session.

Also advancing, in only 37 seconds, was General McLane heavyweight Wilson Spires. That's how long it took him to pin River Valley's Brad Miller in their opener.

History at Hershey with first female wrestler

It was shortly after 10 a.m. on March 9, 2023, that Northwestern sophomore Sierra Chiesa became the first female who ever wrestled in the 86-year history of the PIAA tournament.

She was one point shy of adding to that lore by winning her seismic match.

Instead, it was Central Valley freshman Antonio Boni who spoiled that achievement. He prevented Chiesa from turning him throughout the late stages of their 2A 107-pound, first-rounder for a 6-5 decision.

Chiesa (33-6) still has a chance to medal, but must win three matches in the consolation bracket to put herself in position to do that. She'll return later this session for her first match in that particular bracket.

Look for extended video of the Chiesa-Boni match on this page later today.

Also losing his 107 first-rounder was Corry freshman Steven Willis (38-12), who also dropped into the consolation bracket.

Rueberger relegated to consolation bracket

Sharpsville junior Alex Rueberger lost in his PIAA debut. The 127-pounder for the Blue Devils was pinned 1:48 into his opener by Marvin Armistead, a junior from Berks Catholic.

Rueberger (36-12) will have to win his consolation opener later this session in order to extend his season.

Our first D-10 results

Waylon Waite's PIAA debut lasted 43 seconds. That's how long it took Burgettstown's Parker Sentipal to pin the Reynolds freshman in their 107-pound preliminary match.

Waite dropped into the consolation bracket at 30-14.

Faring better was the other Chiesa in this tournament.

Northwestern's Sebastian Chiesa, older brother of female participant Sierra Chiesa, recorded an insurance takedown late in his 121 opener against Chestnut Ridge's Brock Holderbaum. The senior's 8-4 decision left him 34-9 and set up a first-round match vs. Faith Christian Academy's Gauge Botero (39-2) later this session.

Botero was bracketed as the favorite to win the division.

Once again ... sincerely honored

Hi, fans. Mike Copper, for the 18th straight year, checking in from Hershey's Giant Center.

It's roughly 15 minutes ahead of Thursday's opening session to the 2022-23 PIAA wrestling tournament. Early matches in the Class 2A portion of the meet will start at 9 a.m.

Expect Northwestern sophomore Sierra Chiesa, the first female to compete in the 86-year history of the tournament, to start her first round match against Central Valley freshman Antonio Boni around 9:45.

Will post some sort of update on as many of the District 10 wrestlers as possible throughout the day. That includes the early rounds of the Class 3A session, which starts at 4 p.m.

Central Pa.: Live updates from Giant Center

Southeastern Pa.: Bucks, Montco high school wrestler updates from PIAA championships in Hershey

Starting off

The PIAA wrestling tournament opens Thursday at Hershey's Giant Center, where northwestern Pennsylvania athletes will begin their journeys in hopes of a medal-round finish.

Follow action of District 10 wrestlers in Class 2A and Class 3A here with updates and highlights provided by Mike Copper throughout the day.

Schedule of events

• What: PIAA wrestling tournament

• Where: Giant Center, Hershey

• When: Thursday-Saturday

• Class AA: Preliminaries, first round start 9 a.m. Thursday; Friday wrestling continues with quarterfinals at 9 a.m. Semifinals and fourth-round consolations start at 7:30 p.m. Friday; Finals, medal rounds start 2 p.m. Saturday

• Class AAA: Preliminaries, first round start 4 p.m. Thursday; Friday wrestling continues with quarterfinals at 2:15 p.m.; Saturday wrestling continues with semifinals and fourth-round consolations at 9 a.m.; Finals, medal rounds start 7 p.m. Saturday

• Pairings: See the full pairings for the tournament's preliminary and opening rounds in Class 2A and 3A at bit.ly/PIAAwrestling.

• Follow GoErie.com throughout the tournament for round-by-round results.

Get caught up on the postseason so far with these stories

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Day 1: 2023 PIAA wrestling, District 10 updates; opening rounds