Skip to main content

3 Franklin County medalists have long day at states


Hitting a big move early in a match can frequently be the difference between winning and losing.

The two Chambersburg wrestlers competing in the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships on Saturday saw both sides of that situation in the morning.

By the end of the session, senior Drew Peck had lost in the semifinals, came back and won a consolation bout, and then fell in the match for third place at 182 pounds Saturday night.

Trojan freshman Luke Nichter (160) won his opener, then lost, and had to settle for a sixth-place medal when he was defeated in the fifth-place bout.

Shippensburg senior Chandler Olson also went 1-1 in the morning, then won in the fifth-place match to cap off a fine career.

Peck was the aggressor in the first 30 seconds of his semifinal match against Travis Stefanik of Nazareth and he got in deep on a single-leg shot. But as Peck tried to get his balance to come out on top, Stefanik rolled through with Peck's leg and came up on top. To make matters worse, Stefanik was awarded a quick two back points for a 4-0 lead.

"I got to the leg and I thought I had it," Peck said, "but I got a little sloppy and he scrambled well and came out on top."

In the second Stefanik made it 7-0 with an escape and takedown. Peck chose neutral for the third and did notch a takedown to make it 7-2, but couldn't get any closer.

It finished better when Peck came back for his consolation bout. He reversed Boyertown's Elijah Jones in the second period, then threw in a half from a crab ride, pulled Jones to his back and decked him in 2:38.

Peck said, "It's hard to come back after a loss in the semifinals, because the other guy is coming off a couple of wins. But I tried to pretend nothing bad had happened."

In his final bout, Peck suffered a 4-0 defeat to Cole Urbas of State College. Urbas, very strong on top, took that position for the second period and made it work for a nearfall. Peck chose neutral for the third period, but Urbas scored the only takedown.

In his first consy bout, against Nazareth's Cole Wilson, Nichter caught a leg and went right into a cradle for a takedown, nearfall and 5-0 lead. But Wilson steadily worked his way back and when he scored a takedown with 23 seconds left, he tied the match 8-8.

Nichter kept his cool and hipped Wilson to his side, scrambled out for a reversal, then added icing on the cake by catching Wilson in a turks for back points and a 13-8 victory.

In his second match, Nichter faced Penn Manor's Jonah Barley, who had edged him 4-3 in the District 3 final. This time, Barley won 4-1, on the strength of a second-period escape, a penalty point for illegal scissors, and then a final-second takedown when Nichter tried a desperation throw.

Nichter fell behind 4-0 in the first period against Ryan Resnick of Owen J. Roberts in his last bout, and ended up on the short end of an 8-3 decision.

Ship's Olson had some fun in his first bout, scoring an 11-0 major decision over Patrick Gould of East Stroudsburg South. A tight cradle for three points in the second period put Olson firmly in control.

In the next round, he met up with Ryan Anderson of Bethlehem Catholic, who had beaten Olson 3-1 in the first round. Anderson had just come off a 6-0 loss against world champion Spencer Lee, which was kind of a moral victory for Anderson not giving up bonus points.

The Olson-Anderson bout was very similar to the first, with Olson unable to penetrate Anderson's physical defense on his feet. A third period takedown for Anderson gave him a 3-0 lead and he ended up winning 5-1.

But Olson ended his career on a high note, winning 8-1 over Noah Levett of Kiski Area. A takedown and nearfall in the third period sealed the win.