Trib HSSN Wrestling Team of the Week: Franklin Regional

By: Doug Gulasy
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 | 10:42 PM

Team of the week: Franklin Regional

The Panthers were on center stage Saturday night in the PIAA Class AAA championship finals at Giant Center in Hershey, as three of Franklin Regional’s four state qualifiers advanced to the championship bouts in their respective weight classes.

Sophomore Carter Dibert became the seventh state champion in school history when he beat Seneca Valley’s Dylan Chappell in the 106-pound final, avenging a loss from the WPIAL championship bout. Dibert took control early with a takedown and back points and never looked back in his 7-2 victory.

Franklin Regional also had a pair of runner-up finishes, as Finn Solomon fell in the 113-pound final to Seneca Valley’s Alejandro Herrera-Rondon and Colton Camacho dropped a one-point decision to Kiski Area’s Darren Miller in the 126-pound championship bout.

The strength of that trio helped FR place fifth in the team standings, second-best among WPIAL teams at the tournament.

Other nominees

Freedom: The Bulldogs left Hershey with a pair of silver medalists in Bryson Miller and Trent Schultheis. Miller avenged earlier losses to Ellwood City’s Austin Walley by beating him in the semifinals at 195 pounds before a narrow loss to Mt. Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer in the finals. Schultheis made it to the 152-pound finals before falling.

Hopewell: It was a banner weekend for the Vikings, as senior Jacob Ealy became the first PIAA wrestling champion in school history by beating Saegertown’s Kenny Kiser in the Class AA 138-pound final. Hopewell’s other state tournament qualifier, Connor Forrest, added a seventh-place medal at 220 pounds.

Kiski Area: The Cavaliers’ four PIAA qualifiers all earned medals, including a gold (126-pounder Darren Miller), a silver (152-pounder Cam Connor) and a bronze (160-pounder Jack Blumer). Nick Delp finished eighth at 170. Miller became the third state champion in school history, and Kiski Area finished fourth in the Class AAA team standings.

Seneca Valley: The Raiders put two wrestlers into the PIAA Class AAA finals. Sophomore Alejandro Herrera-Rondon capped off his dominant season by winning his second state championship, beating Franklin Regional’s Finn Solomon in the 113-pound final. Sophomore Dylan Chappell made it to the championship bout at 106, falling to Franklin Regional’s Carter Dibert.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Doug at 412-388-5830, dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Franklin Regional, Freedom, Hopewell, Kiski School, Seneca Valley