Stillings

not hung on to the crab ride, the period may have ended with Stillings on his back and down on the scoreboard. But Stillings was just plain unfazed, and never lost control, and avoided a reversal call.

“That claw position is something I’ve been working on probably since freshman year,” said Stillings. “RP (Norley) and I work on that position a lot in practice, and I know I can ride pretty much anyone with it. I know it probably looked bad there, but I was honestly comfortable and knew I could hold it.”

Wallace managed an escape late in the third, but it was too little, too late, and Stillings held on for the victory.

“I was trying to stay calm, but I have to admit I was really tense before the match,” said Stillings. “This is just an amazing feeling. It’s something I’ve worked for so long. I’m so excited to accomplish something I’ve worked for my whole life.”

While Norley won’t have Stillings, who will continue his academic and wrestling career at nearby Drexel, in the room on a daily basis any more, he knows that the first state champion of his coaching career will never stray too far from Pennridge wrestling

“Josh and I work really well together,” said Norley. “And I think he’s got coaching in his blood. The kids in our youth program really look up to him. He’s real, not just a guy they see wrestle on TV. I think we’ve rubbed off on each other and I think he’ll always have a hand in where this program goes, whenever he can find a way to get back in the room.” NOTES » Several other area wrestlers picked up medals Saturday night. Souderton’s Tyler Williams lost 3-0 to Nick Coy of Penn Trafford in the fifth place match. Pope John Paul II’s Ryan Vulakh rode a strong second period to a bronze medal, picking up an escape, then taking down Northern York’s Micah Hoffman to his back for a pair of near fall to earn a 5-0 victory. North Penn’s Patrick O’Neill finished seventh at 160 with a pin in 1:14 over Southwestern’s Ethan Baney. William Tennent’s Yusuf Aladinov decked Mitchell Talbot of Central Dauphin for seventh at 195. Garrett Zobel of LaSalle grabbed a fifth place medal at 285 with a 3-1 win in sudden victory overtime over Warwick’s Ryan Stewart, and Ryan Cody wound up eighth at 285 after falling 1-0 to Roman Catholic’s Michael Leyland.