In just over a week, Bethlehem Catholic junior Reef Dillard has faced Whitehall state champion Willmont Kai twice, Easton junior Noah Fenner who is already closing in on 100 career wins, and Nazareth star freshman Caleb Kosko.

In total, Dillard entered Tuesday night’s PIAA 3A tournament dual meets at Scranton High School with a 5-6 record in his last 11 matches, which were almost exclusively against state qualifiers.

He added outstanding Owen J. Roberts sophomore Carter Soto and two-time state medalist Mason Whitney from Abington Heights to his run of elite opponents as the Golden Hawks faced off against both opponents with a spot in the state quarterfinals on the line.

Bethlehem Catholic defeated District 1 fourth-place finisher Owen J. Roberts 56-18 before rolling past District 2 champion Abington Heights 49-20 in the nightcap of an exciting doubleheader.

Just over two weeks removed from a 5-3 win over Soto at Escape the Rock, Dillard pinned him this time midway through the third period and followed it up with a last second takedown in sudden victory against Whitney to cap the junior’s confidence-building night.

“I think tonight was a really important match for us. Not only as a team, but also individually, or at least specifically for me,” Dillard said. “It was helpful for me to kind of get my groove back, get my momentum going, because I always knew I was up there with all those kids.

“It was good for me to just reassure myself that I am one of the best and kind of get ready for the postseason.”

Bethlehem Catholic coach Mike Cole couldn’t help but smile thinking back on his star junior’s big night.

“I still think there’s a ton of upside with Reef, but today was a huge step in the right direction,” Cole said. “He’s going to keep putting it together, and I think he’s going to be right where we need him, just like he was last year.”

The four-time defending PIAA 3A champions will return to the state’s final stage, although a change in location for the second straight year will add a few miles to the trip as the Golden Hawks travel to Johnstown on Friday night to face District 1 champion Boyertown at 7 p.m. at 1st Summit Arena.

“It means a lot. Culturally, we value the team as much as we value [the] individual [tournament] and you know, it’s also just expected,” Cole said on getting back to the state championship duals. “So, that creates a lot of pressure, but I think that we manage that well with the kids, and I think it helps them become stronger men. That’s what we really want. We want to teach these kids how to be fabulous teammates, and we want to teach them how to be fabulous individuals.

“That’s the thing that attracted me to Becahi, and I’m going to keep that culture going.”

Bethlehem Catholic 56, Owen J. Roberts 18: Keanu Dillard and Owen J. Roberts senior heavyweight Dean Bechtold will soon be teammates at Lehigh University and the two captains exchanged pleasantries before the match. However, the stark difference between their current teams was evident early on.

Zach Papcsy and Connor Gillahan opened the team scoring with a pair of first-period pins before the Bechtold brothers, Dean and sophomore 215-pounder Decker, returned the favor to tie the team score at 12.

The Golden Hawks won the next seven matches to advance to the nightcap of the doubleheader.

There still could’ve been some tension over the result when the 107-pound matchup between Becahi’s Michael Nicosia and Wildcats sophomore Nolan Coryell unfolded with the team score still knotted at 12.

Nicosia entered the third period with a 4-1 lead, but a quick escape and takedown by Coryell resulted in a 5-4 lead that could’ve ignited a furious attempt by the Wildcats. Instead, Nicosia got free for a match-tying escape and fought off an admirable takedown attempt for half a minute before regaining his balance and delivering the match-winning takedown with just 20 seconds remaining.

“He’s just tough as nails, right?” Cole said. “His grittiness is fabulous, and it’s going to pay off for him, and it does pay off for him, but in the long run that grittiness and toughness is exactly what we love to see and expect.”

A win by fall for Gino Bozzi, Nico Emili’s technical fall and a run of pins by the Dillard brothers, A.J. Gomez, and Andre Cerrato sealed the blowout victory. Reef Dillard battled talented sophomore Carter Soto for close to five minutes before sealing the bonus points for the Golden Hawks midway through the third period.

Emil Sperling, who had just a 1-7 record in his debut junior season entering the day, punctuated the win with a pin in just under a minute to electrify the Bethlehem Catholic bench and crowd heading into its matchup against the Comets.

Bethlehem Catholic 49, Abington Heights 20: Gillahan set the tone early on once again with a hard-earned second period pin of Ayden Kane. Frank Scialpi and Dane Wheeler responded with back-to-back wins to give Abington Heights a lead that lasted just seconds as a forfeit at 107 pounds gave Becahi a 12-9 lead.

The Golden Hawks maintained the lead for the rest of the night.

In the first of three bouts in a row with incredible matchups, Emili battled Dakota Sandy, who entered the night with a 28-8 record at 121 pounds. The sophomore won a high-energy scramble in the first period, turning a takedown into four near-fall points and a 7-0 lead. Four more near-fall points on a separate move made it 11-0 after one, but Sandy began the second period on top and applied constant pressure to the star sophomore.

Sandy nearly flattened Emili during the ride, settling for four near-fall points of his own, but Emili came up with a reversal and a pin with just three seconds left on the clock in the second period to deflate a potential comeback attempt for the Comets.

That kind of execution late in the period was the difference in all three marquee matchups that defined the 49-20 win.

“That’s something that we try to focus on at practice is wrestling the whole entire period, start to finish and not pulling off the gas toward the end of it,” Emili said. “Getting bonus points in a big match like this … it’s states, so it’s kind of time to flip the switch.”

The buzzer-beating pin inspired Gomez in the next match as he brought Brady Full, another talented freshman with a 28-5 record, onto his back with an identical time remaining on the first period clock this time. Dillard concluded the run with his takedown of Whitney as time expired to help the Golden Hawks take firm control of the match.

“I think it’s a thing that most coaches try to reinforce on their kids, but I think it’s probably overlooked by a lot of wrestlers,” Dillard said. “It’s honestly sometimes more important than pure technique because wrestling through all positions through the whistle, you can really push anyone past their limits. Just working hard will get you places.”

For Cole, those strong finishes only show how much his team continues to grow and mature, making them even more dangerous for the stretch run at another state title.

“As I would say in the beginning of the year, we were young, we’re native, but we’re talented and we continue to be that,” Cole said. “But what’s happening is these kids are all growing. We spend a lot of time on stalking and going forward, and we spend a lot of time on looking for pins. And, the kids are, at this time of the year, executing on it, and that’s what we want.”

Derek Bast is a freelance reporter who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.

Preliminary Round

Bethlehem Catholic 56, Owen J. Roberts 18

172: Zach Papcsy (BC) pinned Davian Mamo, 1:10 (6-0)

189: Connor Gillahan (BC) pinned Ardi Mamo, 1:37 (12-0)

215: Decker Bechtold (OJR) pinned James Bozzi, 3:20 (12-6)

285: Dean Bechtold (OJR) pinned Grant Mulhearn, 0:13 (12-12)

107: Michael Nicosia (BC) dec. Nolan Coryell, 8-5 (15-12)

114: Gino Bozzi (BC) pinned Jy’Rique Harris, 3:24 (21-12)

121: Nico Emili (BC) tf. Tyler Maach, 17-2, 3:58 (26-12)

127: A.J. Gomez (BC) pinned Jacob Lochmann, 1:24 (32-12)

133: Reef Dillard (BC) pinned Carter Soto, 4:56 (38-12)

139: Andre Cerrato (BC) pinned Gavin Brandt, 3:50 (44-12)

145: Keanu Dillard (BC) pinned Nathan Sever, 0:45 (50-12)

152: Caleb Dreibelis (OJR) pinned Julian Augello, 0:24 (50-18)

160: Emil Sperling (BC) pinned Joseph Yannick, 0:58 (56-18)

First Round

Bethlehem Catholic 49, Abington Heights 20

189: Connor Gillahan (BC) pinned Ayden Kane, 3:08 (6-0)

215: Frank Scialpi (A) pinned James Bozzi, 1:08 (6-6)

285: Dane Wheeler (A) dec. Grant Mulhearn (BC), 9-5 (6-9)

107: Michael Nicosia (BC) won by forfeit (12-9)

114: Gino Bozzi (BC) tf. Lucas Kareha, 21-4, 4:17 (17-9)

121: Nico Emili (BC) pinned Dakota Sandy, 3:57 (23-9)

127: AJ Gomez (BC) pinned Brady Full, 1:57 (29-9)

133: Reef Dillard (BC) dec. Mason Whitney, 4-1 SV (32-9)

139: Andre Cerrato (BC) tf. Braghan Pallis, 18-2, 4:57 (37-9)

145: Keanu Dillard (BC) pinned Chace Berry, 1:19 (43-9)

152: Lucas Drake (A) pinned Julian Augello, 0:54 (43-15)

160: Jack Kotchick (A) tf. Emil Sperling, 17-1, 3:51 (43-20)

172: Zach Papcsy (BC) pinned Coen Holland, 0:57 (49-20)