HERSHEY — Nobody within the state of Pennsylvania was able to keep their bouts with State College’s returning state champion Asher Cunningham close.
While he did have three losses to New Jersey wrestlers and decisions against wrestlers from the Midwest at Walsh Ironman, Cunningham was a scoring machine against Pennsylvania wrestlers.
So, it made sense that the Penn State wrestling commit piled up the points on Thursday, March 6, through Saturday, March 8, in the PIAA Class 3A Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center.
Cunningham reeled off three technical falls in his first three bouts at 172 pounds, outscoring his opponents 52-4, including a 16-1 romp over Shikellamy’s Connor Wetzel in the semifinals.
He concluded his run through the tournament with a 12-6 decision over Thomas Jefferson’s Bode Marlow in a rematch of the West Regional finals to capture his second state title.
“Asher had a great season and a great finish to his high school career,” State College first-year coach Jason Nickal said. “He dominated all the way through, and that’s kind of what we expected of him.”
Sophomore teammate James Whitbred reached the semifinals before placing sixth at 152, while Bellefonte junior Ezra Swisher placed eighth at 152.
State College senior Nicholas Berrena went 0-2 at 133.
Against Marlow, Cunningham scored a first-period takedown and escaped quickly in the second for a 4-0 lead. Marlow took him down with a minute left in the second, but Cunningham quickly reversed.
Cunningham took a 6-4 lead into the third period, where he got a takedown 12 seconds into it. He rode until Marlow escaped with 33 seconds left. Cunningham got a takedown with three seconds left to reach the secure the win.
“Marlow is a good opponent,” Nickal said. “The week before, we had tech-falled him (18-0 in 6:00), and we knew he was going to come out and try to keep things closer and probably not open up as much as he did in the previous matches. Asher did a really nice job of taking the points, getting a lead and securing the state title.”
Cunningham earned four state medals in his career, including eighth as a freshman and fourth as a sophomore. He finished 35-3 as a senior and 135-20 in his career.
Now it’s off to the talent-laden Penn State wrestling team, where Asher’s dad, Casey, is the head assistant coach under head coach Cael Sanderson.
“He’s got a bright future ahead of him,” said Nickal, whose son, Bo, was a three-time NCAA champ at Penn State. “He’s going to be in a room with a lot of really excellent coaches and excellent talent. We expect him to get better and better every time he steps on the mat.”
Whitbred (18-7), a returning state qualifier, earned decisions in his first two bouts before suffering a 4-2 loss to Connellsville’s Evan Petrovich in the semifinals. He then lost, 4-1, in the consolation semifinals and 4-3 to Nazareth’s Cade Campbell in the fifth-place bout. He beat Campbell, 6-1, in the quarterfinals.
“He had a great run to the semifinals,” Nickal said, “and then he lost a couple close matches. In the fifth-place match, we went back and looked at the video. He actually had the takedown, and it wasn’t awarded by the official, which is unfortunate.
“James had an unbelievable season, and he’s showing he’s one of the top contenders in the state this year and in the future.”
BEA’s CLOSE FINISHES SECOND
The way Bald Eagle Area’s Caleb Close wrestled in the postseason, experts figured it would take a real beast to beat the District 6 and Southwest Regional champion.
Close wrestled that beast in the 189-pound finals of the PIAA Class 2A Championships. After recording two pins and a 15-0 technical fall in the semifinals, Close was beaten by Faith Christian Academy’s now three-time state champ Adam Waters, 11-1.
It was Close’s record-setting fourth state medal, placing eighth as a freshman, seventh as a sophomore and third last year.
“He had an outstanding tournament,” BEA coach Ron Guenot said. “You can’t take anything away from his career and what he accomplished being the first Bald Eagle four-time placewinner. That’s an amazing accomplishment. He wanted to be a state champion, and I know he’ll move on from this and continue to get better at the next level.
“[Waters] is a three-time state champion for a reason, and not too many people have gone the distance with him this year. He’s exceptional.”
Close finished his senior season with a 44-2 record and his career with a 171-24 mark.
Penns Valley freshman Max Dinges could be wrestling in the finals next season after he finished third at 114 this season, becoming the program’s first freshman state medalist.
Dinges (47-4) lost to Hanover’s C.J. Caines in overtime, 4-1, in the quarterfinals, but he went 4-0 in the consolations, including back-to-back overtime wins over McCort rival Eli Herring, 4-1 and Conwell-Egan’s Thomas Boyce, 3-0, in the third-place bout. He beat Boyce, 6-1, in the first round also.
“For him to battle back, win five matches (total) and take third is pretty impressive,” Penns Valley coach Joel Brinker said. “There were a lot of familiar people and a lot of state medalists that he had to battle and fight his way through. So that says a lot about him.”
BEA had two other place winners with fourth-placer Caden Judice at 133 and eighth-placer Tanner Guenot at 121.
Guenot (47-10), the son of Ron, suffered a scary injury in the consolation quarterfinals. The sophomore had to injury default after he landed hard on the mat at the 4:50 mark while wrestling Hickory’s Elijah Scriven.
Medical officials tended to him for several minutes before he was taken off the mat on a gurney and transported to a hospital.
The next day, the now two-time state medalist, who shined in the District 6 and Southwest Regional tournaments, was able to be on the medals stand.
“He’s fine,” Ron said on Sunday, March 9. “He was able to get on the podium, and we’re just happy to see him there. He said he felt good. He was thankful to be able to join his teammates and be there to watch Caleb in the finals.
“It was definitely upsetting. Your mind goes a bunch of different ways. I’m thankful the athletic trainers and the first responders did a great job. It was very scary, but he was in good hands.”
Judice (39-9) recorded a major decision and a decision to reach the semifinals, where he lost by technical fall, 21-6, to Northern Lebanon’s three-time state champ Aaron Seidel. Seidel then was denied a fourth title by Bishop McCort’s Jax Forrest, 7-1, in a classic final that netted Forrest the Outstanding Wrestler award.
Judice, a junior who placed seventh last year, responded with a 2-1 win before an 11-8 loss to Cathedral Prep’s Keagan Oler.
“He wrestled really well from the first wrestle to the last whistle,” Coach Guenot said. “He went up the podium a couple steps compared to last year, and that’s what he wanted to do. I know his goal is to go up that podium three more steps.”
Philipsburg-Osceola junior Caleb Hummel went 2-2 at 114 in his third state tournament, just missing out on his first medal with a 2-1 loss in the third round of consolations.
Penns Valley’s Erik Carlile (127) and BEA’s Dawson Lomison (139) went 1-2.
P-O’s HUNT PLACES SEVENTH
Philipsburg-Osceola sophomore Charli Hunt placed seventh at 136 at the second girls PIAA Championships.
Hunt (33-2) was the only Centre County girl to earn a medal.
BEA senior Grace Crestani (190) went 1-2, while senior teammate Eden Eveleth (106) went 0-2.
