Valley Sports ReportBETHLEHEM, Pa. — Athens junior Connor Davidson won one match Saturday here at the PIAA, Class 3A Northeast Regional Wrestling Championships, but that win punched his ticket to the PIAA Championships at Hershey.
Freshman Chace VanDyke won his first two matches Saturday to put himself in position to advance, but lost his final two matches to place sixth. (The top five advance.)
Junior Zaine Campbell won his first match Saturday, but was eliminated in the consolation bracket round-of-4, while juniors Lucas Persun and Brendan Cooke each lost their only consolation bracket match Saturday.
Davidson, who was 2-0 Friday — a major decision and 30-second fall — to reach the semifinals, where he dropped a 17-4 major decision to Southern Lehigh's Brock Frable.
In the consolation semifinals, Davidson dropped an 11-0 decision to Nazareth Area's Elijah Simax, who locked up the win with a seven-point move midway through the third period.
In the fifth-place match, Davidson faced a rematch with Hazleton Area's Jaxson Johnson, who Davidson pinned in 30 seconds Friday in the quarterfinals.
Davidson scored the only takedown of the first period, then turned another takedown directly into a pin at 2:25 to book his trip to Hershey.
VanDyke, who was 1-1 Friday, opened Saturday with a come-from-behind, 7-5, win over Pittston Area's David Krantz.
VanDyke hit a seven-point late in the third period to erase a 3-0 deficit. Krantz scored a reversal with 1 second remaining to provide the final margin.
VanDyke followed that up with a 10-3 win over St. Joseph Prep's James Dwyer in the consolation round-of-4.
VanDyke scored takedowns in each of the first two periods, and led 6-1 heading into the final two minutes.
After a reversal by Dwyer closed the gap to 6-3 midway through the third period, VanDyke scored an escape and a takedown to push his lead to 10-3 with 49 seconds remaining.
In the consolation semifinals, VanDyke dropped a 6-4 decision to Stroudsburg's Jack Jasionowicz.
VanDyke scored a takedown with 26 seconds remaining in the first period, and led 3-1 after the first two minutes.
VanDyke recorded an escape early in the third period to take a 4-3 lead, but Jasionowicz scored a takedown with 1:05 remaining, then rode out VanDyke to earn the 6-4 win.
In the fifth-place match, Bethlehem Catholic's Michael Nicosia scored a takedown in the closing seconds of the second period to take a 4-0 lead on his way to a 10-0 major decision of VanDyke.
Persun, who was 1-1 Friday, dropped a 4-2 decision to St Joseph Prep's Maddox Rosenblatt, who scored a takedown midway through the third period to pull out the win.
Cooke, who was 1-1 Friday, dropped a 12-9 decision to Crestwood's Mariusz Bibla, who trailed 4-0 midway through the second period, before two takedowns and a two-point tilt gave him an 8-5 lead heading into the final two minutes.
Bibla scored an escape and takedown early in the third period to extend the lead to 12-5.
The PIAA, Class 3A Championships begin Thursday morning at the Giant Center in Hershey.
—————————
IN PHOTO: Athens junior Connor Davidson. ... VSR STOCK PHOTO.
