Franklin Regional’s Camacho eyes PIAA wrestling title

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, March 5, 2018 | 11:00 PM

Franklin Regional's Colton Camacho did not feel his best at the WPIAL Class AAA wrestling championships last weekend.

Camacho, who had been plagued by finger and ankle injuries, also battled nerves as the favorite to win the 132-pound weight class. As a result, his approach was simply to find a way to win.

That's exactly what Camacho did, as he won his first WPIAL title with a 5-3 overtime victory against Penn-Trafford's Nick Coy at Canon-McMillan. In the process, he extended the Panthers' streak to 11 consecutive years with an individual WPIAL champion.

Camacho advanced to the PIAA tournament in Hershey this weekend and will be joined by freshman teammate Carter Dibert, who qualified with his third-place finish at 106 pounds.

Prior to his championship match, Camacho wrestled Waynesburg's Luca Augustine in the semifinals. Camacho made quick work of the freshman, scoring a fall at 1 minute, 32 seconds.

“I just wanted to go out there and show him what it feels like to be a national-caliber wrestler,” Camacho said of his semifinals opponent.

Camacho faced a familiar foe in the championship, as he and Coy have competed numerous times and also have been training partners. That familiarity allowed Coy to gain an upper hand with a reversal in the second period. A pair of escapes for Camacho evened the match. Both competitors scored escapes in overtime, but with just seconds remaining and ultimate rideout looming with Coy holding the choice, Camacho changed his mindset.

“Colton demanded that he was going to get a takedown,” Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe said. “There's 15 seconds left in the match, and he knows that he has to score or that his back was going to be against the wall.”

Camacho secured the takedown with 13 seconds remaining. After his achievement, Camacho said he has a bigger goal in mind.

“I didn't wrestle my pace, but I was able to get it done,” he said. “It felt pretty good (to win the WPIAL title), but I think winning a state title will be even better.”

Camacho, who went 1-2 last year in the state tournament, is confident he will have more success this time.

“I'm on a mission this weekend to show everyone that I'm top dog, and I deserve the No. 1 spot,” he said.

Lebe believes Camacho (37-2) has the ability to reach that lofty goal.

“Colton is a special talent,” Lebe said. “I've really seen a different level out of his training since the middle of the year. He just made a decision that he wants to be great.”

Lebe believes Dibert can contend for a state title despite competing in a loaded weight class.

In the WPIAL tournament, Dibert lost to Seneca Valley's Alejandro Herrera, 5-1, in the semifinals but rebounded to defeat Latrobe's Brady Sherback, 3-1, in the third-place bout.

“Carter does the right thing all the time. He's getting nothing but better,” Lebe said.

Dibert, who competed successfully in state tournaments in junior high and elementary school, will have the benefit of getting advice from his teammate in Hershey.

“Just let him know that it's a big stage,” Camacho said of the message he will have for Dibert. “High school states is just a different ballgame.”

Six other Panthers competed in the WPIAL tournament, and each won at least one match. As a result, Franklin Regional finished with the seventh-most points. Garrett Thompson, James O'Neil, Mario Sarnic, Mason Spears, Nate Smith and Zach McCann came up short in their bids to qualify for the state tournament.

O'Neil and Smith wrestled the final match of their high-school careers.

“We thanked them for what they've done for the program. It's bigger than any win or loss,” Lebe said. “They were both great leaders, and the other kids look up to them.”

Sean Meyers is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional