Hazleton Area’s Jake Benyo (second place) on the 121-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Hazleton Area’s Gabe Benyo (second place), and Abington Heights’ Dakota Sandy (sixth place) on the 114-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Pittston Area’s Brody Spindler (second place) and Abington Heights’ Frank Scialpi (sixth place) on the 215-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Abington Heights’ Brady Full (third place) on the 127-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Abington Heights’ Mason Whitney (third place) on the 133-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Crestwood’s Micah Engelman (fifth place) on the 145-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Wallenpaupack’s Gabe Caufield (fourth place) and Hazleton Area’s Jaxson Johnson (sixth place) on the 172-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Abington Heights’ Lucas Drake (sixth place) on the 152-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
West Scranton’s Tommy Schechterly atop the 160-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Crestwood’s Mariusz Bibla (sixth place) on the 189-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
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Hazleton Area’s Jake Benyo (second place) on the 121-pound podium. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
BETHLEHEM — Tommy Schechterly knew he made a mistake.
However, West Scranton’s star wrestler needed 42 seconds to rectify it.
A one-minute, 14-second whirlwind in the second period saw Schechterly gain the lead, lose it and regain it.
Then, he shut the door in the third for a 5-3 decision over Nazareth’s Dominick Tunison to capture the 160-pound title at the Class 3A Northeast Regional on Saturday at Liberty High School.
It was District 2’s only Class 3A crown, with Hazleton Area’s Gabe (114) and Jake Benyo (121) and Pittston Area’s Brody Spindler (215) all settling for silver.
The public address announcer mistakenly called Schechterly a West Scranton senior during the parade of champions.
Although he’s only a sophomore, the Invaders star certainly responded to a little adversity like a seasoned veteran.
Schechterly, ranked fourth in the state according to PA Power Wrestling, chose down to start the second period and scored the first point of the final with an escape. Then, Tunison (seventh in state) secured a takedown for a 3-1 advantage.
However, he didn’t panic, secured the escape and had a nice shot into Tunison’s right leg that resulted in a takedown and a 5-3 lead.
“I knew I messed up when I stepped over and gave him that free three,” Schechterly said. “I had to turn the burners on, come back and get three, so I didn’t have to be moving all around in the third period.”
He made sure to keep it there, riding out Tunison for the final two minutes and 35 seconds of the match.
“I was good in my position” Schechterly said. “I practiced there. I knew what I could do there, so I just kept tight.”
Schechterly secured his spot at states in a marathon semifinal match against Emmaus’ Xyler Sallit (eighth in state).
He overcame a stall in the second period, riding out Sallit to get the match back on schedule. Then, he tied it in the third with an escape. After a scoreless overtime period, the two exchanged ride outs to send the match to the ultimate tiebreaker. Since Sallit scored the first point in the match, he had choice for the 30-second period. He chose top, and Schechterly slithered out from underneath him for the match-winning escape.
“I felt him start to get high on top, and knew if I flipped that one leg out I was going to eventually be able to get out and I was lucky enough to get it out in the last eight seconds,” Schechterly said.
Next up is the PIAA tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn a state medal.
Silver lining
Hazleton Area’s Jake and Gabe Benyo and Pittston Area’s Brody Spindler wish they could have their finals matches back.
The good news is they might face rematches at states.
The Wyoming Valley Conference wrestlers secured their spots in Hershey earlier in the day with semifinal victories.
Jake Benyo (seventh in state) secured a third-period reversal and a stall point for a 3-0 win over Easton’s Jack Famularo (10th in state) in the 121-pound semifinals.
He delivered some third-period magic again in the final with another third-period reversal to tie his match against Bethlehem Catholic’s Nico Emili (fifth in state). It was the third straight match he hit a pivotal reversal.
“I’ve been wrestling pretty much my whole life,” Jake Benyo said. “In middle school, I’ve had a bunch of those matches. I’ve kind of been training for those moments my whole life. I’m kind of used to it a little bit.”
After a scoreless overtime period, Emili secured an escape with two seconds left in tiebreaker one. Jake Benyo couldn’t respond with an escape of his own in tiebreaker two and settled for silver.
“I think (I wrestled well), but I didn’t get what I wanted,” Jake Benyo said. “I was getting to my attacks and stuff, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Hopefully, that’s a matchup at states I kind of want now.”
Gabe Benyo faced the No. 1 114-pound wrestler in the state in Northampton’s Brayden Wenrich, who secured one takedown in the first and two takedowns in the third for a 9-1 major decision.
“I wrestled pretty bad,” Gabe Benyo (third in state) said. “I had a lot of nerves going into the match that I need to fix over the weekend for states.”
In the semifinals, he secured two first-period takedowns, and defeated Parkland’s Braden Todora (12th in state), 7-1.
“The gameplan was just to get some takedowns and finish the match out,” Gabe Benyo said.
Spindler (11th in state) dropped the 215-pound final, 4-0, to Notre Dame Green Pond’s Connor Smalley (13th in state), as the Pittston Area senior couldn’t rally from Smalley’s second-period escape and a takedown.
“I wrestled the way he wanted to wrestle. I wrestled his match,” Spindler said. “If I wrestled my match, it would be a different story I believe.”
Earlier in the day, he made sure he didn’t miss out on the state tournament.
Spindler used two first-period takedowns to fuel a 7-5 decision over Pleasant Valley’s Evan Gillespie (12th in state) in the semifinals. He survived three near-fall points in the third period that cut his lead to 6-5 before getting an escape and the win.
“Going into that match, I knew I wanted to win it more than any because I didn’t want to go back through everything and possibly not even going at all,” said Spindler, who was a state qualifier as a sophomore, but fell short of Hershey last season. “So that was my most important match of the day I would have to say, and I just focused in on it, got my offense going. I almost got caught, and battled through and ended up winning.”
Bronze Comets
Brady Full wanted his freshman season to end in Hershey. Mason Whitney desired a shot at a third-straight state medal, and, perhaps, a little revenge.
Both Abington Heights wrestlers didn’t lose a match Saturday, secured bronze medals and, most importantly, qualified for the PIAA tournament.
“I knew what I had in front of me,” Full said. “I knew it was going to be a long road, and I just didn’t quit on myself. I knew I could hang with the best, and that’s what I did today.”
Full (17th in state) dominated Parkland’s Matthew Velez (16th in state) and Athens’ Zaine Campbell (27th in state) with a 13-0 major decision and a 15-0 technical fall, respectively, to reach the consolation semifinals.
There, he rode out St. Joseph’s Prep’s Anthony Colantuono in the second period, secured an escape and a takedown in the third for a 4-0 decision to punch his ticket to states.
He didn’t stop there, going the distance against Bethlehem Catholic’s Andre Cerrato (12th in state). Cerrato chose down for the ultimate tiebreaker, and Full went to work on top, securing three back points and the ride out point for the 6-2 victory.
“I love that tilt, so when he stood up and started fighting my hands, I snatched it and I knew I had it,” Full said. “It was tight, and I just rode it back and got the backs.”
Whitney (fourth in state) started Saturday by pinning Shikellamy’s Keatin Lattimore and teching St. Joseph’s Prep’s Maddox Rosenblatt. Then, he topped Bangor Area’s Carter Smith (12th in state), 9-3, in the consolation semifinals to punch his ticket to states and set up a rematch in the third-place bout.
On Friday, Whitney lost to Nazareth’s Caleb Kosko (third in state), 2-1, in tiebreaker two. He got his revenge Saturday, securing a third-period takedown for a 4-2 victory.
“That was a really well thought out match,” Whitney said. “I think it really came down to my mindset, and how I was going into it, because in the first match I noticed he was slowing down, getting a little tired in the second and the third. So, I just pushed the pace in the beginning of the first. Obviously, it’s a shorter period, but I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing and eventually we got there.”
The Abington Heights junior eyes his third state medal, after capturing seventh place as a freshman and eighth place as a sophomore.
“We’ll just climb that podium,” Whitney said. “I’m working on finishing those shots. I was in on legs countless times that were out of bounds or can’t finish, so obviously mat awareness, keeping it in the middle of the mat and finishing my shots up.”
Abington Heights’ Dakota Sandy (114), Lucas Drake (152) and Frank Scialpi (215) each finished sixth and missed qualifying for states by one place, as the Comets finished seventh in the team standings with 67.5 points — the most points by a District 2 team at the tournament.
High five
Micah Engelman (19th in state) lost his consolation semifinal match, but rebounded in the fifth-place match for a 13-5 major decision over Northampton’s Chase Grabfelder (ninth in state) and a spot in the state tournament.
The Crestwood freshman (145) secured the first takedown and added another in the second for a 6-3 lead. He piled on in the third with an escape and two takedowns.
“I knew that this was the match to go to states, so I’ve got to get ready,” Engelman said. “After that first shot, I knew he was the type of guy who would go to the ankles and stay low, so I got a re-attack off of that. Down blocks and re-attacks. I got there and got my win.”
Engelman celebrated after the match and embraced his father after securing his spot in Hershey.
“It felt great,” Engelman said. “It means a lot how much work I’ve been putting in the past couple years going out to my club Mat Assassins and working hard every single day.”
Caufield secures spot
After advancing to the semifinals, Gabe Caufield (19th in state) needed just one more win to punch his ticket to states.
The Wallenpaupack senior got it in the consolation semifinals when he pinned Hazleton Area’s Jaxson Johnson in the second period.
He lost his other two matches on the day to Emmaus’ Xayden Sallit (11th in state) in the semifinals and Nazareth’s Elijah Simak (10th in state) in the third-place match. Caufield beat Simak, 10-9, in the quarterfinals Friday.
Finals
114: Brayden Wenrich (Northampton) maj. dec. Gabe Benyo (Hazleton Area), 9-1.
121: Nico Emili (Bethlehem Catholic) dec. Jake Benyo (Hazleton Area), 3-2 TB2.
160: Tommy Schechterly (West Scranton) dec. Dominick Tunison (Nazareth Area), 5-3.
215: Connor Smalley (Notre Dame Green Pond) dec. Brody Spindler (Pittston Area), 4-0.
Third place
127: Brady Full (Abington Heights) dec. Andre Cerrato (Bethlehem Catholic), 6-2 UTB.
133: Mason Whitney (Abington Heights) dec. Caleb Kosko (Nazareth Area), 4-2.
172: Elijah Simak (Nazareth Area) pinned Gabriel Caufield (Wallenpaupack), 0:09.
Fifth place
114: Elijah Heimbach (Liberty-Bethlehem) dec. Dakota Sandy (Abington Heights), 9-5.
145: Micah Engelman (Crestwood) maj. dec. Chase Grabfelder (Northampton Area), 13-5.
152: Mason Hopkins (Whitehall) dec. Lucas Drake (Abington Heights), 3-2 TB2.
172: Connor Davidson (Athens) pinned Jaxson Johnson (Hazleton Area), 2:25.
189: Connor Gillahan (Bethlehem Catholic) tech fall Mariusz Bibla (Crestwood), 19-3 3:56.
215: Evan Gillespie (Pleasant Valley) pinned Frank Scialpi (Abington Heights), 1:18.
Semifinals
114: Gabe Benyo (Hazleton Area) dec. Braden Todora (Parkland), 7-1.
121: Jake Benyo (Hazleton Area) dec. Jack Famularo (Easton Area), 3-0.
152: Gabriel Ballard (Northampton Area) pinned Lucas Drake (Abington Heights), 5:58.
160: Tommy Schechterly (West Scranton) dec. Xyler Sallit (Emmaus), 2-1 UTB.
172: Xayden Sallit (Emmaus) dec. Gabriel Caufield (Wallenpaupack), 7-2.
215: Brody Spindler (Pittston Area) dec. Evan Gillespie (Pleasant Valley), 7-5.
Consolation semifinals
114: Braden Todora (Parkland) dec. Dakota Sandy (Abington Heights), 8-7.
127: Brady Full (Abington Heights) dec. Anthony Colantuono (St. Joseph’s Prep), 4-0.
133: Mason Whitney (Abington Heights) dec. Carter Smith (Bangor Area), 9-3.
145: Ethan Krazer (Easton Area) maj. dec. Micah Engelman (Crestwood), 10-1.
152: Louden Spotts (Jersey Shore) dec. Lucas Drake (Abington Heights), 2-0.
172: Gabriel Caufield (Wallenpaupack) pinned Jaxson Johnson (Hazleton Area), 2:03.
189: Terrell McFarland (Pottsville Area) pinned Mariusz Bibla (Crestwood), 0:16.
215: Christian Boetsch (Shikellamy) pinned Frank Scialpi (Abington Heights), 3:30.
Consolation quarterfinals
114: Dakota Sandy (Abington Heights) tech fall Max Hallman (Shikellamy), 17-1 2:56.
127: Brady Full (Abington Heights) tech fall Zaine Campbell (Athens), 15-0 3:35.
133: Mason Whitney (Abington Heights) tech fall Maddox Rosenblatt (St. Joseph’s Prep), 17-1 1:52. Matthew Sommer (Northampton Area) pinned Giovanni Lomonaco (Wallenpaupack), 2:24.
145: Micah Engelman (Crestwood) dec. Cristopher Recinos (Louis E Dieruff), 4-1.
152: Louden Spotts (Jersey Shore) dec. Ethan Aftewicz (Pittston Area), 2-1.
160: Keith Barker (Southern Lehigh) maj. dec. Tristan Braxton (Wallenpaupack), 17-5.
172: Jaxson Johnson (Hazleton Area) dec. Gene Ardo (Wilkes Barre Area), 7-6.
189: Conner Gillahan (Bethlehem Catholic) dec. Mason Marolo (Hazleton Area), 5-3.
189: Mariusz Bibla (Crestwood) maj. dec. JJ Segal (Delaware Valley), 12-3.
215: Frank Scialpi (Abington Heights) pinned Owen Hoffman (Selinsgrove), 1:48.
Consolation second round
107: Chace Vandyke (Athens) dec. David Krantz (Pittston Area), 7-5. Ryan Milheim (Columbia Montour Vo-Tech) tech fall James Mckeown (Wilkes Barre Area), 15-0 2:17.
114: Jordan Piselli (Williamsport) pinned Zion Colon (Delaware Valley), 4:04. Dakota Sandy (Abington Heights) maj. dec. Derek Fulmer (Nazareth Area), 11-1.
121: Cooper Helm (La Salle College) dec. Santino Aniska (West Scranton), 5-1.
127: Brady Full (Abington Heights) maj. dec. Matthew Velez (Parkland), 13-0. Michael Good (Nazareth Area) dec. Ayden Blaut (Wallenpaupack), 5-1. Noah Hernandez (Father Judge) maj. dec. Carlo Salinas (Wilkes Barre Area), 11-3.
133: Mason Whitney (Abington Heights) pinned Keatin Lattimore (Shikellamy), 2:20. Matthew Sommer (Northampton Area) pinned Jude Salko (Hazleton Area), 1:53. Giovanni Lomonaco (Wallenpaupack) dec. Liam Carr (Archbishop Ryan), 6-5.
145: Micah Engelman (Crestwood) maj. dec. Ryan Harpster (Selinsgrove), 15-3. Cole Trzeciak (La Salle College) tech fall Chace Berry (Abington Heights), 16-0 3:34.
152: Louden Spotts (Jersey Shore) dec. Logan Pop (Hazleton Area), 1-0. Ethan Aftewicz (Pittston Area) tech fall Rocco Lukash (St. Joseph’s Prep), 15-0 1:45.
160: Keith Barker (Southern Lehigh) pinned Liam Evanko (Wilkes Barre Area), 2:46. Tristan Braxton (Wallenpaupack) pinned Keegan Swift (St. Joseph’s Prep), 1:53.
172: Jaxson Johnson (Hazleton Area) maj. dec. Donte Bazemore (Central), 12-3. Gene Ardo (Wilkes Barre Area) dec. Leonard Demaria (Stroudsburg), 7-3.
189: Mason Marolo (Hazleton Area) tech fall Max Seitz (Archbishop Ryan), 17-1 1:45. Mariusz Bibla (Crestwood) dec. Brendan Cooke (Athens), 12-9. JJ Segal (Delaware Valley) by forfeit Thomas Quinn (Father Judge).
215: Frank Scialpi (Abington Heights) dec. Jackson Raker (Williamsport), 5-1. Owen Hoffman (Selinsgrove) pinned Tyler Gallo (Wallenpaupack), 4:40.
285: Colton Anderson (St. Joseph’s Prep) injury default Noah Gruber (Pittston Area), 10-9 2:16.