GameTimePA names 2022 York-Adams wrestling all-stars, wrestler of the year
Here are the 2021-22 GameTimePA YAIAA wrestling all-stars, as determined by staff. Scroll to the bottom to see who was named the Wrestler of the Year.
Gold rush A look back at the York/Adams wrestlers who won state titles
First team
Gabe Pecaitis, Gettysburg, so.
The 120-pounder went 36-11 and took fourth at the District 3 Class 3A tournament. He won his first bout at the state tournament. He earned bonus points in 24 of his wins. He has 55 career wins after two seasons. His 6-2 win over Dallas Schorr clinched Gettysburg's District 3 team title over Central Dauphin.
Zach Luckenbaugh, Dallastown, sr.
He went 35-10 and took fourth at the District 3 Class 3A tournament at 126 pounds. He won a sectional title, qualified for states for the first time and won a match. He earned bonus points in 22 of his 35 wins. He finished with an 80-28 career record.
Cameron Mingee, Littlestown, so.
The lone York-Adams wrestler to make the state tournament in Class 2A. Mingee took just fourth at sectionals and fifth at districts, but went 3-2 at the regional tournament to qualify for states with a fifth-place finish. He won his first match at the state tournament and finished with a 33-11 record.
Ivan Vega, Spring Grove, sr.
The senior went 27-5 and won a sectional title and reached the District 3 Class 3A final at 132 pounds. That qualified him for states. He earned bonus points in 20 of his matches — including 11 pins. He finished his career with an 88-28 career record.
Carter Davis, Central York, so.
After wrestling just eight varsity matches as a freshman, Davis went 35-8 and qualified for states as a sophomore. He won a sectional title, took third at the District 3 Class 3A tournament and won a match at states. He won 22 straight matches from late December until districts in late February. He earned bonus points in 22 of his wins.
Wyatt Dillon, Dover, so.
The 138-pounder finished second at sections but then won three matches at the District 3 meet to finished fourth and qualify for states. He finished 26-10 after going just 11-7 a year ago. He earned bonus points in 21 of his 26 wins.
Noah Rice, York Suburban, sr.
The 145-pounder went 35-6 and won a sectional title at 145 pounds. He finished fifth at the District 3 tournament, missing states by one spot. He earned bonus points in 28 of his wins, including 17 pins. He finished his career with a 104-23 record.
Caden Dobbins, Dallastown, sr.
The senior 152-pounder was the lynchpin of the lineup for the Division I champion Wildcats. He went 38-4, won a sectional title and then won another gold medal with an impressive run through a difficult District 3 Class 3A bracket. He reached the state quarterfinals and nearly made the semifinals before losing, 2-1 in overtime in the quarters. He came one win from a state medal. Dobbins earned bonus points in 33 of his 38 wins. He finished his career as a three-time state qualifier with a 124-37 career record.
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Macon Myers, Central York, jr.
The junior 160-pounder went 29-9, won a sectional title and took third at the District 3 Class 3A tournament to qualify for states. He earned bonus points in 21 of his wins, including 15 pins. He won two matches at the state tournament and came one win from a state medal.
Jacob Cherry, Gettysburg, sr.
The senior 160-pounder went 40-9 and qualified for states with a fourth-place finish at the District 3 Class 3A tournament. He earned 24 of his victories by pin. He finished his career as a two-time state qualifier with a 105-43 career record.
Sam Rodriguez, Gettysburg, sr.
The 215-pounder make huge strides as a senior and won a District 3 Class 3A title after previously never finishing top six at the tournament. He won a seventh-place state medal and won two of his three state victories by major decision — showing off his dominant capabilities. He also won his district title by major decision. Rodriguez finished the season 38-4 and earned bonus points in 36 of those wins, including 24 pins.
Trevor Gallagher, Gettysburg, sr.
The senior heavyweight went 41-8 and won sectional and District 3 Class 3A titles. Gallagher then finished his career with an eighth-place state medal. He avenged a loss to Central Dauphin's Ben Stewart in the District 3 team title match by beating him for the individual crown. He earned bonus points in 31 victories, including 27 pins. He finished his career with a 92-32 record.
Ethan Miller, Central York, sr.
The senior bumped up from 215 to 285 despite being undersized for a heavyweight. He improved from 15-7 to 35-10 his final season and took fifth at the District 3 Class 3A tournament. He qualified for states when another heavyweight dropped out and won a match. He pinned 18 of his opponents.
Wrestler of the Year
Mason Leiphart, Dover, sr.
The senior 120-pounder didn't lose a match until the Class 3A state final. In the process, he became the first Dover wrestler to reach the state title bout since 1987. Leiphart finished 37-1 and won a District 3 Class 3A title — the first Dover wrestler to win a district crown since 1989. He earned bonus points in 32 of his 37 wins. That included all four of his wins in the District 3 tournament and his first win of the state tournament. Against top opponents in the state tournament, he was methodical and strong from every position. He became Dover's all-time winningest wrestler with a career record of 130-12. He'll wrestle in college for Franklin & Marshall.
More on Leiphart York County wrestler has 'bigger and better' goal after bittersweet District 3 title
Coach of the Year: Chris Haines, Gettysburg
There are 58 schools that compete in District 3 Class 3A for wrestling. 38 of them have a higher official male enrollments than Gettysburg. Yet Haines has molded the Adams County school into a regional powerhouse. The Warriors made the District 3 team championship match for the third year in a row and won for the second time during that stretch — knocking off Central Dauphin, 32-30. What made the accomplishment even more impressive was that Gettysburg graduated six starters from last year's team. The Warriors went undefeated and didn't lose a dual until the team state tournament. In their last year in the YAIAA, the Warriors dominated Division II opponents (Haines publicly made clear his program belonged in Division I) but also beat bigger schools at dual tournaments. On an individual basis, Gettysburg produced four state qualifiers and two medalists despite not having any Division I recruits in the lineup.
Honorable mention
Dallastown: Isaiah Feeney, so.; Hunter Bisking, sr.
Gettysburg: Logan Newell, sr.; Tyler Withers, jr.; Jaxson Townsend, so.
Northeastern: Elijah Hewitt, so.
Red Lion: Mason Harvey, fr.; Kyle Deisley, so.
Spring Grove: Teague Conover, jr.
York Suburban: Tyler Adams, so.; Jamal Lewis, sr.
Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.