There were 23 preliminary-round falls and just five technical falls, but the quarterfinals the percentage of bouts ended by fall increased as 13 of 56 bouts ended by slapping the mat. There was just one technical fall, defending champion, Nick Roberts of North Star, scored a 16-1 win in 4:33.

While 24 bouts ended early, eight bouts needed overtime to decide the winner.

 

LEADING THE TOURNAMENT – is Benton. The Tigers have four semifinalists including Eric Hess at 160. Hess was the champion last year at 145 pounds.

Benton last won the team title in 1991 as Tom Yurko, Russ Hughes (now coach) and John Hughes won individual titles.

 

GONE – Last year Arty Walsh won the 112-pound championship for Wyomissing as a freshman. He will not be a four-time champion or even a four-time placewinner. Walsh, now wrestling at Juniata, dropped a 4-3 quarterfinal decision to Tanner Hough of Westmont-Hilltop. It didn’t get any better for Walsh in the consolation bracket as he dropped his next bout 2-0 to Octarara’s Brandon Arnsberger.

 

MORE FINALISTS DROP – Penn Cambria’s Evan Link, Juniata’s Zac Beitz, Warrior Run’s Tyler Hain and Benton’s Tyler DeMott will not move up one place on the medal stand. All four dropped their quarterfinal bouts. Hain, a two-time runner-up, earned his third state medal by downing Muncy’s Zach Strickland 7-4. It was Hain’s first win in four tries this year against Strickland.

 

NO LONGER UNBEATEN – In addition to Walsh, Muncy senior Aaron Fry had his perfect season end 5-3 in overtime to Nick Carr of South Fayette.

 

QUOTE OF THE MORNING – “I got stuck with him for the last four years, now John gets stuck with him for five,” Benton coach Russ Hughes on his star Eric Hess’ decision to wrestle for Lehigh where John Hughes is an assistant.