Five WPIAL wrestlers win gold at PIAA state championships in Hershey
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Five high school wrestlers from Western Pennsylvania brought home gold medals from Hershey and can now call themselves state champions.
A phenomenal freshman from Norwin
Norwin's Landon Sidun lived up to the hype of his national ranking as the best 114-lb. wrestler in the country, defeating Ridley's Curtis Nelson by a 6-3 decision in the 3A class.
Landon Sidun - State Champ!
— NorwinWrestling (@NorwinWrestling) March 10, 2024
Nate Campbell - 5th!
Jo Dollman - 5th!#StrengthAndHonor pic.twitter.com/zk2Txj0adT
Sidun finished his freshman year with a 42-2 record.
Maddox gets over the hump
Maddox Shaw became Thomas Jefferson's second state wrestling champion, following in the steps of Brian Finnerty two years ago.
Last year, Shaw came up just short, losing in the title bout of the state finals, but this year, he was able to squeak out a 3-1 decision over Central Mountain's Dalton Perry with a sudden victory win in the 3A 139-lb. class.
Sweet revenge.
— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) March 9, 2024
Thomas Jefferson’s Maddox Shaw takes down former PIAA champ and Penn State recruit Dalton Perry of Central Mountain in overtime, securing a 3-1 win and his first state title at 139 lbs. while avenging a loss to Perry in the 2022 semifinals.
Congrats, Maddox 👏🥇 pic.twitter.com/h60owO1tjQ
The #4 nationally-ranked 139 lb. TJ junior racked up a 43-3 record this season.
Spencer gets the job done
In the 172 lb. 3A weight class, Pine-Richland's Vaughn Spencer went home a winner, defeating Trinity's Bode Morgan by an 8-4 decision.
Here’s Pine-Richland junior Vaughn Spencer, who gave up an early takedown in his all-WPIAL state final against Trinity’s Bodie Morgan before rallying back for a 6-3 win at 172 lbs.
— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) March 10, 2024
After injuries derailed his first two high school seasons, Spencer is now on top of the mountain: pic.twitter.com/80ZE2xVRNo
Spencer trailed in the match before battling back for the win.
Four titles in four years
Frazier's Rune Lawrence was the talk of the town on the weekend as he joined the history books as a four-time state champion.
FOUR!!!!
— PA Power Wrestling (@PAPowerWrestle) March 9, 2024
Frazier’s Rune Lawrence becomes just the 14th four-time state champion in PIAA history pic.twitter.com/ga24HmMPr4
The third best 215. lb wrestler in the country ended his season with a 33-1 record and a 145-8 career record as won a 6-3 decision over Muncy's Austin Johnson.
An undefeated season
It was a perfect season for Central Valley's Brenan Morgan, who put a bow on his senior year with a 43-0 record.
Congratulations to our 1st ever STATE Wrestling Champion, Senior Brenan Morgan (285)! A great way to finish his high school career! Congrats Brenan! 🥇@wpial7 @UVAWrestling @BrenanMorgan pic.twitter.com/oNF0UK2b5H
— CVWarriorsAthletics (@warriors_cv) March 10, 2024
Morgan finished his year off by winning by a 6-4 decision over Berks Catholic's Brody Kline, becoming Central Valley's first state wrestling champion.