HERSHEY, Pa. — Sam Hillegas came into the PIAA Class 3A wrestling finals as the only reigning champion from the WPIAL and with the expectation that he would win again.
While he was picking up his second consecutive gold medal, the North Hills sophomore brought along a few friends to help him celebrate.
Hillegas, who won the PIAA title at 113 pounds in 2017, moved up two weight classes and still brought home the crown as he rallied to defeat Central Dauphin senior Chris Wright, 4-2, at 126.
“It’s real big motivation coming into this tournament and being a winner last year,” Hillegas said. “But you’ve just got to look at it as another tournament and just going out there to wrestle.”
Hillegas was the last of four consecutive winners from the WPIAL to open the meet. Overall, five WPIAL wrestlers won state titles.
“They’re some of my best friends and I work out with those kids and train real hard and we go at it in the practice room,” Hillegas said.
In the first match, Seneca Valley freshman Alejandro Herrera-Rondon got his first point in two matches against Norwin sophomore Kurtis Phipps. A point may not sound like much, but this one was everything.
It ended a 14-minute dry spell over two matches and came when Herrera-Rondon kept the WPIAL champion Phipps from escaping and rode out the third extra period for a 1-0 victory. He lost to Phipps, 1-0, in the WPIAL finals.
Herrera-Rondo’s victory came down to a flip of the coin as he won the option of which position to take in the third extra period. He took the up position and did not allow an escape, which gave him the only point of the match.
Shaler junior Ryan Sullivan walked off the mat with a silver medal in 2017. But he came back with a vengeance Saturday and ousted West Chester Henderson sophomore Killian Delaney, 4-3, for his first state title.
“The kid is strong, I’m not going to lie, and he kept me up tight and kept me from going on offense,” Sullivan said.
Canon-McMillan senior Logan Macri made it three consecutive WPIAL victories to begin the meet, as the No. 2 seed at 120 pounds ousted Downingtown West senior Doug Zapf — who won the title at 106 in 2017 — with a 3-2 decision.
“I would have been proud of myself and that’s what I use to take nerves away,” Macri said. “Being second in the state of Pa. is good, but first is that much better.”
After Hillegas, though, things dried up for the WPIAL. Colton Camacho of Franklin Regional (132) and Belle Vernon senior Zach Hartman (160) lost in third-period rallies, while Albert Gallatin’s Tim Wallace (182) could not come back from 3-0 down and lost, 3-1, to Pennridge senior Josh Stillings.
Top-seeded Isaac Reid of Kiski Area ended the streak — and won the WPIAL’s fifth title — when he defeated Cathedral Prep junior Kawaun DeBoe, 3-1, to close out the meet.
First Published: March 11, 2018, 4:23 a.m.