Honesdale’s Nathan Schuman celebrates after pinning Derry Area’s Mason Keesecker in the 107-pound quarterfinals Friday morning during the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
Honesdale’s Nathan Schuman, top, wrestles Tri Valley’s Owen Wolfgang in a 107-pound first-round match Thursday at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. BOB GAETANO / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Honesdale’s Nathan Schuman celebrates after pinning Derry Area’s Mason Keesecker in the 107-pound quarterfinals Friday morning during the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. JOE BARESS / STAFF PHOTO
HERSHEY — Some people ease into their day, and maybe grab a cup of coffee before putting in the work.
Nathan Schuman, on the other hand, needed just three minutes and five seconds to get the job done.
The Honesdale sophomore dominated Derry Area’s Mason Keesecker in their 107-pound quarterfinal match to advance to the semifinals and secure his first state medal at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships on Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“It feels great,” said Schuman, who is ranked third in the state according to PA Power Wrestling. “I’ve been working toward this for a long, long time. Knowing all the work I’ve done is paying off is a good feeling.”
Schuman hit the mat at 8 a.m. and secured the first takedown 41 seconds into the match.
“That first takedown always in these closer matches, these bigger matches, once you get that first takedown it just settles you into the match and you feel like, all right I can open up now,” Schuman said. “I’m in a good spot. If I make a mistake, I’m not going down big. It’s going to be a tie match if I make a mistake. It gives you the freedom to open up a little bit more and be able to go and get on my offense even more than I was.”
That’s what he did, tacking on another takedown in the first period after a Keesecker (fifth in state) escape. He added two more takedowns in the second period, the latter he parlayed into a pin at 3:05.
“He was wearing down, he was starting to push the pace a little bit more,” Schuman said. “It was making him just make smaller mistakes, just small things that you’ve just got to capitalize on. I got him pushing in a little bit and just ripped that underhook over to his back.”
Despite the early start time and what was on the line, Schuman (49-1) approached it like he had any other match this season.
“It’s going to be the same thing for the rest of this tournament. Don’t treat any match different,” Schuman said. “Just go wrestle my match and just focus on doing my stuff and attack, attack, attack and stay on my offense and just wrestle how I like to wrestle and don’t put any pressure on it.”
Schuman was scheduled to wrestle Trinity’s Arav Pandey (second in state) in the semifinals Friday night and is guaranteed at least sixth place.
Caines clinches medal
Hanover Area’s C.J. Caines (fourth in state) lost his 127 quarterfinal match to Saucon Valley’s Carter Chunko (second in state), but rebounded in the consolation third round to secure his second state medal.
In the quarterfinal, the Hawkeyes sophomore secured a first-period takedown and led, 4-0, in the third period. However, Chunko hit a reversal and tacked on four back points for a 6-4 advantage. Caines got an escape, but Chunko added another takedown to hand Caines his first loss of the season.
In the consolation third round, Caines dominated Berlin Brothersvalley’s Lukas Smith (21st in state). He had a takedown in the first period, an escape and a takedown in the second and two takedowns and four back points in the third for a 17-1 tech fall.
He was scheduled to face Bishop McDevitt’s Zane Crouse (seventh in state) in the consolation fourth round Friday night, as he tries to climb the podium. Last season, Caines placed sixth.
Just short
Hanover Area sophomore Chase Smith (114), Mid Valley senior Matthew Almedina (139) and Honesdale junior Duke Martin (189) fell one win short of a state medal.
Smith (13th in state) beat West Branch’s Will Edwards (14th in state), 5-4, in the consolation second round, but lost, 4-2, to Williamson’s Zander Wilson (fifth in state) in the consolation third round to finish top 12 in the state.
Almedina (ninth in state) secured a 7-2 win over Derry Area’s Michael McNeal (24th in state) before losing by pin in the consolation third round to Grove City’s Tanner Hamilton (13th in state). Almedina’s high school wrestling career included four district titles with two Outstanding Wrestler awards, and he qualified for states four times. He’ll go to Division I Mercyhurst in the fall.
After winning his first-round match Thursday, Martin (ninth in state) lost by 17-2 tech fall to Faith Christian’s Adam Waters (first in state) in the quarterfinals and Montoursville’s Hayden Harvey (sixth in state) by 17-1 tech fall in the consolation third round.
Schedule
Boys and girls consolation semifinal matches are Saturday at 9:30 a.m., with third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches to follow at 11:30 a.m.
The parade of champions begins at 3:40 p.m., with the finals starting at 4 p.m.
Quarterfinals
107: Nathan Schuman (Honesdale) pinned Mason Keesecker (Derry Area), 3:05.
127: Carter Chunko (Saucon Valley) dec. C.J. Caines (Hanover Area), 9-5.
189: Adam Waters (Faith Christian) tech fall Duke Martin (Honesdale), 17-2 2:16.
Consolation third round
114: Zander Wilson (Williamson) dec. Chase Smith (Hanover Area), 4-2.
127: C.J. Caines (Hanover Area) tech fall Lukas Smith (Berlin Brothersvalley), 17-1 5:00.
139: Tanner Hamilton (Grove City) pinned Matthew Almedina (Mid Valley), 1:42.
189: Hayden Harvey (Montoursville) tech fall Duke Martin (Honesdale), 17-1 4:07.
Consolation second round
114: Chase Smith (Hanover Area) DEC Will Edwards (West Branch), 5-4.
139: Matthew Almedina (Mid Valley) dec. Michael McNeal (Derry Area), 7-2.