Five WPIAL wrestlers win state titles
Mount Pleasant junior returns from injury for second PIAA crown
HERSHEY, Pa. — With only one gold medalist, the WPIAL had a down year by its lofty standards at last year’s PIAA Class 2A individual championships. What a difference a year makes.
The WPIAL crowned five state champions at the 2021 PIAA Class 2A championships Friday at Giant Center and had seven state finalists overall. Mount Pleasant junior Dayton Pitzer captured his second title after missing his entire sophomore season with an injury, while South Park senior Joey Fischer, Laurel sophomore Grant MacKay, Burrell senior A.J. Corrado and Frazier freshman Rune Lawrence each claimed their first championships.
After seeing his streak of 14 consecutive pins come to an end in the semifinals, Pitzer (42-2) controlled his match against Montoursville’s Dylan Bennett from start to finish in the 215-pound final en route to a 6-1 win.
“I felt dominant,” Pitzer said. “Maybe the score didn’t show it as much, but I don’t think he was in too many scoring positions. He’s a tough wrestler, though. It felt good.”
When Pitzer won the 182-pound championship as a freshman in 2019, he became the first WPIAL wrestler to win a state title at a weight class above 152 pounds. Lawrence joined him in that exclusive club with a thrilling 9-7 win against Penns Valley’s Malachi Duvall in the 172-pound final.
Lawrence (30-1) jumped to a 6-2 lead, only for Duvall to catch him in a headlock for a five-point move late in the second period. Lawrence then took the top position and controlled Duvall for the entire third period, then turned him to his back for the match-winning points just before the final buzzer.
Friday night marked the third time in as many weeks Lawrence and Duvall faced off, with Lawrence coming from behind to win all three matches.
“I’m blessed,” Lawrence said. “Honestly, it’s a pretty amazing thing to do. … I think I wanted it a little bit more.”
Corrado and Midd-West’s Avery Bassett were tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation in the 160-pound final, then Corrado (34-0)
brought the crowd to its feet with a stunning pin just 20 seconds into the overtime period.
“I kind of saw it in the moment,” Corrado said about his match-winning move. “I’ve been pancaking kids a lot this year. It’s something I developed earlier this season, and it’s paying off.”
MacKay, who transferred to Laurel from North Allegheny after a strong freshman season, put his impressive top game on display in the 152-pound final. MacKay (40-3) rode out Hamburg’s Dalton Gimbor for the entire third period to take a hard-fought 1-0 victory for his first state title.
“It hasn’t really kicked in yet,” MacKay said. “Everybody believed in me. I really thought this year was my year. … It’s truly been 12 months in the making.”
Fischer (24-0) finished fourth in the state as a sophomore and second as a junior, but this time the Clarion recruit would not be denied in his quest for gold. He scored an early takedown and held off a late rally by Muncy’s Scott Johnson for a 3-2 decision in the 126-pound final. Fischer finishes his high school career with a stellar record of 142-13.
“It’s awesome, man,” Fischer said. “A lot of people don’t realize how much truly went into this. Not only physically
putting in the work, but mentally and in my heart. It took a lot of self-belief when nobody else believed in me. It feels great.”
Burrell freshman Cooper Hornack (283) dropped a 6-2 decision to Hickory sophomore Louie Gill at 106 pounds in the opening match of the night, while Buccaneers senior Ian Oswalt (24-3) fell to Glendale’s Brock McMillen, 1-0, in the 138pound final. Burrell finished in third place in the team standings, and the Bucs’ three PIAA finalists were the most in school history.