Font ResizeTop-ranked Central Dauphin continued its dominance Friday night at Milton Hershey's Spartan Center, beating No. 2 Spring Grove, 55-8, and earning its third straight District 3 Class AAA Team Wrestling Tournament title.
But in the process, the Rockets (20-1) claimed their first district finals appearance and their first qualification into the PIAA Championships.
As the runner-up, Spring Grove will oppose the District 4 champion, either Shikellamy or Jersey Shore, in the PIAA Team Tournament's first round on Tuesday. Shikellamy and Jersey Shore square off for their championship today.
"I think it's outstanding for the kids and this program," Spring Grove head coach Tony Miller said. "And now we're at a 20-win season. No matter what happens, that's impressive. We're 20-1 now, but I can't be happier for the kids on this team, what they've done from the beginning (and) how much they've grown."
Prior to the district final, Spring Grove tussled with Wilson for a narrow 35-32 win. James Yohe supplied the heroics at 189 pounds, earning an overtime takedown of Tyler Suruskie to push the Rockets into the championship match.
In many ways, the preparation leading into the final was the semifinal round itself.
After slipping by Middletown, 39-27, Thursday night, the Rockets had very little time to acclimate themselves to the
"Our preparation today was to get to this point," Miller said. "And to get here isn't to say we were content at this point, but we had to take it one step at a time. And that was Wilson today. To get here, the preparation was very short. It was coming down the hall."
What they ended up facing was an undefeated team that had five state-champion wrestlers from a year ago.
"We knew Central Dauphin was tough," Rockets heavyweight Neil Grudi said. "But we're definitely happy to be the first team from Spring Grove to make it to states."
In Miller's 13 years at Spring Grove, he wouldn't go as far as to list this team above all others.
However, he did say this squad was one of his most balanced and belonged among the best programs of the past.
"I won't say they're better than others, but they're definitely near the top somewhere," Miller said.
Grudi (189) and Dylan Wisner (152) each picked up major decisions in the Rockets' favor.
Central Dauphin (16-0) opened the match with nine straight wins from 289 to 145, including one pin, two major decisions and three technical falls.
Rams heavyweight Nick Stewart started things off well for Central Dauphin, pinning Trevor Cogar in 1:16.
It wasn't until Wisner finally ended the drought at 152 that the Rockets got on the board. The middleweight took full advantage of his skill edge, working Jamison Peake for a 14-1 major decision that included one near fall.
"It's awesome just to wrestle them," Grudi said. "We've wrestled them in tournaments, but to go head-to-head, it's nice knowing that you're up there with the best in the state."
