PIAA wrestling finals capped by thriller
HERSHEY — Austin DeSanto wanted to end his high school wrestling career by beating Spencer Lee and Lee didn't want his to end in a doctor's office.
They both got their wishes, but in bittersweet fashion.
DeSanto, of Exeter, stopped Lee's quest for a fourth PIAA Class AAA wrestling championship and handed the Franklin Regional star his first PIAA loss via 6-5 decision inside Giant Center on Saturday night.
A packed crowd exalted as DeSanto circled a wounded Lee and slipped around him for the winning takedown at the buzzer.
Lee, who was trying to become just the 13th four-time PIAA champion, tried to survive the final three minutes of a match he led 3-0 midway through the second period. But his right knee, covered in a large, black brace protecting a torn right ACL, wouldn't let him fend off a hard-charging DeSanto who won his 53rd straight match since his last loss — a 15-0 drubbing by Lee in last year's 120-pound finale.
"I'm excited but at the same time I wrestled a hurt Spencer Lee," DeSanto said. "You could see his knee, he was favoring it the whole time. I just kind of feel bad for him. But at the same time, I'm excited for myself. I worked every day after that tech fall to beat him and I got my dream, I guess."
DeSanto snagged Lee's Injured leg for a takedown that tied it 4-4 with 29 seconds left, then bet on himself to finish it off rather than head into overtime. He let Lee regain the lead by letting him up in order to try for the winning takedown, which he got following a brief scramble.
Lee's coaches argued there was no time left on the clock when DeSanto gained control but referees disagreed.
DeSanto was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after becoming the first wrestler in tournament history to beat a three-time champion in the finals.
Although Lee declined to speak with reporters after the match, his father Larry confirmed the Iowa Hawkeye suffered the injury "about a month ago."
"He didn't want his career to end in a doctor's office," Larry Lee said. "I'm proud of him for making that call. We have an appointment next week to see what type of damage was done to (his knee) the last three weeks and just to see what the answer is. But no excuses, he wrestled the best he could on this day."
Penn-Trafford 152-pounder Cameron Coy's best was good enough for his third PIAA title. He beat Cathedral Prep's Carter Starocci 5-2.
"Unfortunately, I can't say that was No. 4 but having three state titles in the state of Pennsylvania is nothing to complain about by any means," Coy said. "It's not about the amount of times you win, it's about being able to finish each year the way you want to."
Northampton's Julian Chlebove (120 pounds), Bethlehem Catholic's Mike Labriola (170) and North Allegheny's Jake Woodley (195) won their second titles.
Labriola and Woodley defended their championships with 17-9 and 3-1 wins over Clearfield's Luke McGonigal and General McLane's Ethan Laird, respectively. Chlebove, who won at 113 pounds last season, beat Liberty's Luke Werner 13-3.
Downingtown West's Doug Zapf (106), North Hills' Sam Hillegas (113), Council Rock South's Zack Trampe (132), Nazareth's Sammy Sasso (138), Hempfield Area's Jared Verkleeren (145), Mifflin County's Trent Hidlay (160), Nazareth's Travis Stefanik (182), Upper Darby's Brian Kennerly (220) and Canon McMillan's Brenden Furman (285) won their first titles.
Zapf edged Shaler Area's Ryan Sullivan 5-3 before Hillegas pulled away from Seneca Valley's Louis Newell 5-2. Sasso shut out Northampton's Dan Moran 8-0 and Verkleeren beat Bellefonte's Brock Port 16-5. Hidlay edged Pennridge's Josh Stillings 5-3 and Stefanik followed with a 4-3 win over Bethel Park's Nino Bonaccorsi. Kennerly picked up a penalty point to beat Laurel Highlands' Ian Edenfield 3-2 and Furman capped the finals with a 5-3 win over Kiski Area's Isaac Reid.
Nazareth won the team championship with 111.5 points to Bethlehem Catholic's 96. Northampton was third with 73.