HERSHEY — Athens senior Karter Rude saw his high school career come to an end Friday morning with a setback in the second round of wrestlebacks here at the PIAA Class AA Championships at the Giant Center.

Rude, who finishes his season with a 33-9 record, dropped a 7-5 decision to Northwest Region champion Kane Kettering of Reynolds, who was upset in the round-of-16.

Rude struggled to finish his takedown attempts on the lanky 6-3 Kettering throughout the match.

“It was tough, that kid was super-long … Karter needed to finish a little bit quicker,” said Athens coach Shawn Bradley.

“That one hurts,” noted Bradley. “(Karter) gave one away yesterday, I would have like to have seen what he could have done if he won that one yesterday, but (wrestling) is a very unforgiving sport.

“Karter kept wrestling and had a chance to win, and that’s a testament to his development over the last few years,” added Bradley. “He actually came a long way in one year. I think he wrestled with more of a purpose this year.”

After a scoreless 60-second first period, Rude cut Kettering loose to start the second period.

About 30 seconds later, Rude got in on a leg, but Kettering was able to stuff the attempt and score a takedown for a 3-0 lead.

After a Rude escape, he once again got in on Kettering, only to have the Reynolds senior counter for the takedown and a 5-1 lead.

Rude scored a quick takedown in the third period, but Kettering registered a reversal moments later to take a 7-3 lead.

Rude recorded an escape with 34 seconds remaining, and Kettering was banged for stalling with 5 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.

“This loss stinks, but (Karter) is going to do great things in life,” said Bradley. “He is a class act. I wish I had 20 more of him.

“He’s a leader on our team without a doubt, and he led by example,” added Bradley. “He’s a great kid.”

Rude finishes his four-year varsity career with a 96-42 record.

HERSHEY — Athens senior Gavin Bradley executed his game plan and pulled out a 4-1 decision over Faith Academy Christian freshman ace Gauge Botero Friday night to advance to the 113-pound finals of the PIAA, Class AA Wrestling Championships here at The Giant Center.

“We had a game plan, and Gavin stuck to it,” said Athens coach Shawn Bradley. “He did what he needed to do.

“(Botero) is good,” noted Shawn Bradley. “We went back in between sessions and watched 10 or 15 matches and that kid was wrestling hammers the whole time. He had a great schedule, and he was ready to go.

“Gavin did what he to do,” added Shawn Bradley. “It was a great performance.”

Bradley got in on a single-leg about 10 seconds into the match. With 24 seconds remaining, following a 86-second scramble, the match was re-started due to a stalemate call.

“That was one of the best scrambles I’ve seen from Gavin,” said assistant coach Jay White.

“That was great because in the quarterfinals, the coach behind us was yelling ‘he can’t scramble, make him scramble.’ Well, I guess he can scramble after that one,” laughed Shawn Bradley.

After the re-start, Bradley got in on another single-leg, and finished this one to take a 2-0 lead after the first two minutes.

Botero chose bottom to start the second period, but Bradley, who is very strong on top, chose to cut him, closing the gap to 2-1.

Bradley scored another takedown with 21 seconds remaining in the second period to take a 4-1 lead heading into the final two minutes.

Bradley chose neutral to start the third period, instead of taking top.

“That kid scores a bunch of his points from bottom,” said Shawn Bradley. “He almost beat the No. 1 kid in the country from the bottom … turned the kid, scored five and almost beat him.

He’s dangerous on bottom.

“We had two takedowns and were up 4-1, we didn’t need to prove anything,” he noted. “We just needed be smart and get another takedown.”

Midway through the third period, Bradley was in on a single-leg, but the official whistled for blood time for Botero before he could finish it off.

“When we had the blood time, I told Gavin ‘don’t shut down, get another takedown,’” said Shawn Bradley. “He didn’t get one, but he wrestled hard. They both wrestled hard … there weren’t any takedowns in the final minute, but it was action-packed.”

Bradley, who recorded his 150th career win in the quarterfinals, is 38-1 on the season.

Prior to the season, many pundits expected Bradley to win a state title, or at least reach the state finals.

Shawn Bradley said those same thoughts were on the mind of Gavin Bradley prior to the quarterfinals and semifinals.

“That’s what I spent the last two hours (before the match) trying to do, was simplify that.

“I told Gavin, ‘it’s not about the state finals. It’s a wrestling match.’ If that match is in the summer, I expect the same outcome,” he said.

“I told Gavin ‘just wrestle six minutes,’” noted Shawn Bradley. “In the quarterfinals, he’s thinking ‘what happens if I lose?’ … you can’t do that, this is too big of a stage, and these kids are too good.

“You just have to score points, and if you score points, good things will happen,” he continued. “If not, you could leave it up to the referee, or a freak takedown. 

“You’ve seen him wrestle 100 times, he goes a millions miles an hour — it’s all go, no brakes,” added Shawn Bradley. “That’s the way he wrestles, if he stays that way, it’s going to take a really great effort to beat him.”

Bradley will wrestle a familiar adversary in the finals in Montoursville junior Brandon Wentzel, who is 41-3 on the season.

Wentzel, who has a first- and third-place finish at States, topped Bradley, 5-3 in the finals of the District 4 Championships, while Bradley, who has finishes sixth, seventh, and second at States, won 11-8 last week in the finals at the Northeast Regionals.

Wentzel advanced to the finals with a 3-2 win in ultimate rideout over West Perry senior Deven Jackson.

Does wrestling the same opponent three weeks in a row play to Bradley’s favor?

“I think it works both ways,” said Shawn Bradley.

“Hopefully, Gavin doesn’t care who he wrestling tomorrow. He was waiting to see who won, I told him ‘it doesn’t matter, just go out and wrestle.’

“He’s wrestled both those kids and they are both super-tough,” noted Shawn Bradley. “It’s the PIAA state tournament, you’re going to wrestle a hammer in the state finals.

“(Wentzel) has one loss at Hershey in his career,” added Shawn Bradley. “Gavin has to go out tomorrow and wrestle his match, and not let Brandon control the tempo or the positions. If he wrestles his match and his positions, it will come out the way he wants.”

The finals are set for Saturday at 2 p.m.

HERSHEY — Athens senior Gavin Bradley, a state runner-up last year, may not have wrestled his best, but he still advanced to the quarterfinals with a 16-5 major decision in the opening round of the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships here Thursday morning at The Giant Center.

“(Gavin) didn’t wrestle very well,” said Athens assistant coach Jay White. “He did what he had to do, but he didn’t wrestle very well.

“The kid knew what was coming, and he’s real funky,” added White. “We just wanted to stay away from him as much as possible, along the lines of getting ourselves in trouble.

“Gavin was a little leery of the big moves that kid has,” added White. “He’s thrower and a roller, and hits a lot of big five-point moves. In his mind, Gavin was a little leery of him … if he just wrestles, he techs him.”

Bradley, now 36-1 and the top seed in the 113-pound bracket, squared off with junior Mason McLendon of Susquenita, and scored the initial takedown about 30 seconds into the bout.

Bradley cut McLendon twice, and twice scored two takedowns to take a 6-2 lead at the end of the first period.

Bradley extended his lead to 10-4 with a pair of takedowns in the second period, and cut McLendon with 20 seconds remaining, but couldn’t manage another takedown.

“The only thing we had a problem with is we told (Gavin) to cut him with 20 seconds left, and take him back down, and Gavin chose to not take him back down,” said White. “He has to get those points.”

McLendon spent the majority of the third period riding top, but never got close to turning Bradley, who was penalized a point for stalling to make it 10-5.

With 18 seconds remaining, McLendon was warned for stalling, and the match was re-started in the center.

Bradley scored a quick escape and takedown, then turned McLendon to his back for three near-fall points as the horn sounded.

“In the third period, (Gavin) just didn’t get out quickly and (McLendon) is good on rides,“ said White. “He rode double boots with one-on-one to both sides for just about the whole period. It’s hard to get out if you don’t do it quickly.”

Bradley will face Jack Kazalas (39-5) of Quakertown in the quarterfinals.

“We’ll work with (Gavin) on that last 20 seconds of the second period, and the first 20 seconds of the third, that’s where we had our problems,” said White. “We’ll fix those 20 seconds, and he’ll be all right.”

HERSHEY — Athens senior Karter Rude wrestled a strong four minutes, but got caught in a scramble early in the third period, and dropped a 5-2 decision in the opening round of the PIAA, Class AA wrestling championships here Thursday morning.

Rude, now 32-8, squared off against West Perry junior Justice Hockenberry-Folk, and scored a takedown with 24 seconds remaining in the first period.

Leading 2-0 in their 152-pound bout, Rude rode top for the entire second period, but wasn’t able to turn Hockenberry-Folk.

Early in the third period, Hockenberry-Folk got in on a leg, and caught Rude coming over the top, and turned him to his back. He held him there for the final 1:44.

“He got caught in a scramble, and sometimes you just come out on the bad end, and that’s what happened to him,” said Athens assistant coach Jay White. “I feel really bad for him.

“(Hockenberry-Folk) is really good on top, and Karter’s best on his feet, so we figured he was going to win or lose it on his feet. It didn’t work out.

“He’s better than that kid,” he added. “He just got caught.”

Rude will face Mount Pleasant senior Conor Johnson (19-22) in the first round of wrestlebacks this afternoon.

“It’s a hard one to swallow,” said White. “He was winning that bout, it was a big one for him to get through. He would have been done for the day.

“Now, we’re going to have to come back and wrestle again (this afternoon,” he added. “It’s a long road from here.”

HERSHEY — Athens senior Karter Rude bounced back from an opening-round loss with a second-period fall to advance in the 152-pound consolation bracket here Thursday afternoon at the PIAA, Class AA Wrestling Championships at The Giant Center.

Rude, now 33-8, decked Mount Pleasant senior Conor Johnson (19-23) in 2:39.

Athens coach Shawn Bradley was pleased to see Rude’s “mental toughness” shine through after losing a 5-2 decision in the opening round.

“It’s not easy to bounce back from a loss like that, especially when you’re a senior and it’s your first time here.

“He knows he kind of gave one away in the first match, but that’s the way to bounce back,” said Bradley.

Rude scored a takedown 22 seconds into the bout, and led 2-0 after the 60-second first period.

Rude scored a takedown to start the second period, then cut Johnson loose and registered another takedown for a 6-1 lead with 41 seconds left.

Johnson was working toward a cement drop, but Rude caught a leg for a cradle. He finished off the fall with a headlock.

“He’s been winning hard recently. You win hard, don’t go big, but he just lost in the first round at States, so go for it,” said Bradley. “If that’s what it takes to get his mind going, and get him going, I’m all for it. Just get after it and win matches, whatever it takes.

“The Karter of the past might have got hit with that cement drop,” noted Bradley. “(Johnson) was loading it up, but (Karter) was smart about it … he took it outside, ran around it, put him on his back and pinned him as a result.

“That kid was looking big, too,” added Bradley. “That’s a plus.”

Rude will face Northwest Region champion Kane Kettering, a senior from Reynolds, who has a 31-9 record in the second round of wrestlebacks.

“Now, he has to get on a run and keep it going,” said Bradley. “He has the type of ability, and the motor, he could win five in a row (to finish third).

“He just has to keep it going,” added Bradley. “In these five-minute matches, it’s gonna be a track meet, and I’ll take him every time.”

Action resumes Friday morning at 9 a.m.

WILLIAMSPORT — Senior Gavin Bradley became the second wrestler in Athens program history to qualify for the PIAA Championships four times here Saturday, while senior Karter Rude punched his ticket to Hershey for the first time.

Bradley avenged his only loss of the season — a 5-3 setback in the District 4 finals last week — with a wild 11-8 win over top-seeded Branden Wentzel of Montoursville in the 113-pound finale to win his third consecutive Regional title.

“Gavin is going to wrestle hard for six minutes, or however long the match is no matter what,” said Athens coach Shawn Bradley.

“I think he fixed some stuff tonight,” he noted. “He stayed in position, and position is huge in wrestling. Last week, he gave up position a couple of times, and Wentzel is a tough kid — he capitalized on it.

“He stayed in position a lot better, got to his offense, and gutted it out when he had to,” Bradley added.

Bradley scored a takedown with 1:11 remaining in the first period to take a 2-0 lead, but Wentzel recorded a reversal with 21 seconds left to tie it at 2-2.

Wentzel registered an escape off the second-period whistle for a 3-2 lead, but Bradley answered with a pair of takedowns for a 6-4 lead with 41 seconds remaining.

Wentzel scored an escape late in the second period, then hit for a takedown early in the third period for a 7-6 lead.

Bradley escaped with 1:25 left in the third period to tie the bout at 7-7, then connected on a pair of takedowns, including one with 12 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Previously, Gavin Bradley, who pinned Wyoming Area’s Garret Pocceschi in 74 seconds in the quarterfinals Friday, sewed up his trip to Hershey with a pin of South Williamsport’s Kayvan Shams in 2:38 in the semifinals.

Rude, the third seed at 152 pounds, opened the tournament Friday night with a 5-2 win over Honesdale’s Joey Gianetti, 5-2.

Rude punched his ticket to States in the semifinals with a 5-0 win over second-seeded Cooper Price, who was 28-1 entering the bout.

“Coming into this year, Karter (Rude) had never even placed at Districts,” said Bradley. “This year, he takes second at Regionals, and he beats a kid who is undefeated in the semis. That’s cool.”

Rude’s quest for a Regional title came up short with a 9-1 loss to top-seeded Devon Deem of Montgomery in the finals.

“He closed the gap on Deem, and Deem is tough,” said Bradley.

“Karter has wrestled some really good kids in that weight class this year, the top three, four, five kids in the state.”

Bradley believes Rude is primed for good things in Hersehy.

“Karter is peaking just at the right time,” he said. “He’s right where he needs to be right now.

“Karter is a great athlete,” noted Bradley. “The keys for him are head position, his hands are super-heavy, and he’s got great attacks.

“And, his gas tank this year is really good this year,” added Bradley. “In the past that was the biggest issue, how do we get him to push through hard situations? We don’t have to ask that anymore, he’s pushed through hard situations every day.”

Junior Jake Courtney and sophomore Josh Nittinger, who both lost pigtail-round matches, were eliminated with losses in their first wrestleback matches Saturday morning.

“They both had great seasons,” said Bradley. “When you come down here, you have to fight through some tough kids to advance. They both battled, came up a little bit short in both matches, but they battled.

“I think both kids will take a big step forward next year, and they’re going to have to because they’re going to be our leaders,” he added.

Nittinger dropped a 4-1 decision to Meadowbrook Christian’s Gunner Treibley.

“I think Josh wrestled more matches than anyone in this tournament,” said Bradley. “He wrestled almost 50 matches, which is awesome. He showed me a lot this year as far as working hard, and wanting to learn.”

Courtney dropped a 6-5 decision to Line Mountain’s Lane Schadel.

“Jake has to take that next step, he’s right there,” said Bradley. “He beat some really good kids this year. He has to take that next step, know he’s good enough, and just prove it.”

Action at the PIAA Class AA Championships begins Thursday morning at the Giant Center in Hershey.

WILLIAMSPORT — Athens advanced two wrestlers — seniors Gavin Bradley and Karter Rude — to Saturday morning’s semifinals, while two Wildcats fell into the consolation bracket here Friday night at the District 4, Class AA Wrestling Championships.

At 113 pounds, Bradley decked Wyoming Area’s Garret Pocceschi in 1:14 in the quarterfinals.

Bradley will face South Williamsport’s Kayvan Shams in the semifinals. Shams topped District 2 champion Cole Henry of Lackawanna Trail, 7-5, in the quarterfinals.

At 152 pounds, Rude forged a 5-2 win over Honesdale’s Joey Giannetti in the quarterfinals.

Rude will face District 2 champ Cooper Price of Wyoming Area in the semifinals. Price edged Southern Columbia’s Louden Murphy, 5-3, in the quarterfinals.

At 138 pounds, Athens junior Jack Courtney dropped a 9-0 major decision to Benton’s Caden Temple in the pigtail round.

Courtney will face Line Mountain’s Lane Schadel Saturday morning in the consolation bracket.

At 285 pounds, Athens sophomore Josh Nittinger lost via fall in 2:44 to Milton’s Nathan Rauch in the pigtail round.

Nittinger will face Meadowbrook Christian’s Gunner Treibley in the first round of wrestlebacks Saturday morning.

Action begins Saturday at 9 a.m., with the semifinals and consolation quarterfinals set to begin at 10:30 a.m.

WILLIAMSPORT — It was a good day for Athens wrestling, but it could have been better. Four wrestlers made it through to regionals — the highest number of any team from the NTL, but none of them won their medal-round match.

Seniors Gavin Bradley (113) and Karter Rude (152) were both runners-up, while junior Jacob Courtney (138) was fourth, and sophomore Josh Nittinger (285) came in sixth.

“That’s a rough last round,” said Athens coach Shawn Bradley.

They also lost Kaden Setzer to an injury. If he was healthy, there’s a good chance he would be have joined them.

“He did the best he could, but came up a little bit short,” said Bradley. “We had Josh step up as a sophomore, and he’d lost to that boy two or three times this year.”

Gavin Bradley lost to Montoursville’s Branden Wentzel, 5-3, on a late third-period takedown on a scramble with 30 seconds left in the match. Gavin Bradley took a 3-2 lead on a takedown during a scramble in the second, but after riding Wentzel much of the third he had to let him up.

Gavin Bradley pushed the pace on Wentzel, and nearly had him for takedowns several times, but Wentzel was able to wrestle on the edge of the mat, and get out whenever he was in trouble.

“We’ve got to survive or do better in the scrambles there,” said Bradley. “Finish a little bit quicker. We had to cut him there because Gavin had two cautions when he was riding him tough, but it is what it is, he’s got to learn from that and get better for next time.”

Rude was pinned by Montgomery’s Devon Deem in 3:01 after beating Lewisburg’s Chase Wenrich in the semifinals.

Deem used a strong single-leg attack to build a 6-2 lead in the first period. In the second, he kept at it, ultimately getting the fall.

“That kids a hammer,” said Bradley. “And Karter asked me, ‘what do I have to do?’ We just have to keep working. Karter’s got some good work out partners, Karter’s just got to pull the trigger. That kid took all the shots. Karter’s got to get after it, and take it to him. Karter’s got a good offense, but that kid is very good — Karter’s got to wrestle up to his level.”

Despite the setback, Rude is glad to be where he’s at.

“I’ve never had anything like this before, so I’m just trying to take it one step at a time,” he said. “Keep it nice.”

As for wrestling Deem, he plans on doing better next time.

“He was getting the single-leg on me, I need to work on defending that,” he said.

Courtney got a big win over Benton’s Caden Temple (3-1) to get to the third-place match, where he fell to Southern Columbia’s Kole Biscoe, 6-0. In the semifinals, Courtney lost to Warrior Run’s Cameron Milheim, 5-1.

Nittinger had an NTL kind of day, opening the elimination round with a 3-1 win over Towanda’s Jared Gunther, then pinning Canton’s Mason Nelson in 4:32 to get to the consolation semifinals.

Once there, he lost to Williamson’s Kade Sottolano 9-1, and then was pinned by Meadowbrook Christian’s Gunner Treibley in 1:42 in the fifth-place match.

Athens freshman 215-pounder Caleb Nason dropped a 6-4 decision to Montoursville’s Cole Yonkin in the first round of wrestlebacks Saturday morning.

WILLIAMSPORT — Athens advanced three wrestlers — seniors Karter Rude and Gavin Bradley, and junior Jake Courtney —  into the semifinals of Saturday’s District 4, Class AA Wrestling Championships.

The Wildcats also have three grapplers — senior Kaden Setzer, sophomore Josh Nittinger, and freshman Caleb Nason — in the consolation bracket.

Athens is in fifth place in the team standings with 28 points. Benton leads the team title chase with 49 points, with Montoursville second at 39, Canton third at 32.5 points, and Southern Columbia in fourth at 31 points.

Rude, the second seed at 152 pounds, forged a 13-3 decision over seventh-seeded Evan Brokenshire of Benton in the quarterfinals.

Rude will square off with third-seeded Chase Wenrich of Lewisburg in the semifinals.

At 113 pounds, second-seeded Gavin Bradley decked 10th-seeded Kris Kalbarchick of Mount Carmel in 1:22 to advance to the semifinals.

Bradley will square off with third-seeded Brady Struble of Mifflinburg in the semifinals.

At 138 pounds, Courtney, the fourth seed, pinned fifth-seeded Lane Schadel of Line Mountain in the quarterfinals.

Courtney will take on top-seeded Cameron Milheim in the semifinals.

Setzer, the fourth seed at 132 pounds, was knocked into the consolation bracket via pin by fifth-seeded Caiden Puderbach of Hughesville in the quarterfinals.

Setzer, who had right knee heavily protected after his injury default in last Saturday’s 132-pound finale, will take on 11th-seeded Sam Persun of South Williamsport in the first round of wrestlebacks.

Nittinger, the ninth seed at 285 pounds, pulled out a 4-2 decision over eighth-seeded Andrew Wolfe of Benton in the round-of-16.

Nittinger was knocked into the consolation bracket by top-seeded Emmanuel Ulrich of Mifflinburg inn the quarterfinals.

Nittinger takes on 10th-seeded Jared Gunther of Towanda in wrestlebacks Saturday morning.

Freshman Caleb Nason, the 10th seed at 215 pounds, dropped an 8-2 decision to seventh-seeded Cale Bastian of Milton in the round-of-16.

Nason will take on eighth-seeded Cole Yonkin of Montoursville in the opening round of wretlebacks Saturday morning.

Actin begins at 9 a.m. Saturday.

ATHENS — Athens crowned two champs, and will advance six wrestlers to next weekend’s District 4 Championships after a third-place finish here Saturday at the North Section Tournament.

Canton won the team title with 187.5 points, while Towanda was second with 129.5, Athens tallied  107.5 points, Troy was fourth with 102 points, and Wyalusing was fifth with 94 points.

Seniors Gavin Bradley and Karter Rude were North Section champs, while senior Kaden Setzer was forced to injury default after taking a big lead early in his title bout, and junior Jake Courtney gave up a takedown with 1 second remaining in overtime in his championship bout.

“Two champions is good,” said Athens coach Shawn Bradley. “We probably should have had four, but stuff happens.

“The big goal now is to get through this week, get to next week, and just keep moving on,” added Bradley.  “All four of those guys have aspirations, plus the other two who fought their way back through.”

Sophomore Josh Nittinger finished third in his weight class, and freshman Caleb Nason was a fourth-place finisher.

Bradley, the top seed at 113 pounds, decked Sullivan County’s Rocky Finnegan in 66 seconds in the semifinals, then flattened second-seed Cohen Landis of Canton in 57 seconds in the finals.

Bradley, now 30-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state, will be tested at Districts, says coach Bradley. The 113-pound bracket will likely be topped by former state champion (106 pounds in 2020) Brandon Wentzel, who is 31-2 this season.

“We’ll see next week. (Brandon Wentzel) is a state champ, and has two state medals — Gavin has three,” said Coach Bradley.

“Wentzel will be the first seed, and Gavin will be the 2-seed … the two highest point totals in the whole district are in the same weight class.

“Gavin is looking forward to it, and he’s working hard,” added Coach Bradley.

Rude, the second seed at 152 pounds, was dominant on his way to a title.

He pinned Wellsboro’s Jacob Dean in 13 seconds in the quarterfinals, then flattened third-seeded Jayden Renzo of Troy in 1:15 in the semifinals.

In the finals, top-seeded Bailey Ferguson of Canton scored the first takedown, but Rude relied to win an 8-3 decision.

Bradley said Rude is at the top of his game right now.

“(Karter) is working hard in practice, and he’s wearing kids out.

“He’s doing i the right way,” said Bradley. “He’s wrestling  hard, and staying in great position.

“He’s peaking at the right time, he just needs to keep it going,” added Bradley.

Setzer, the top seed at 132 pounds, pinned Wyalusing’s Cade McMicken in 1:32 in the semifinals, then used two sets of near-fall points to build a 9-2 first-period lead on second-seeded Seth Seymour of Troy, when he “tweaked” his knee during a scramble.

He tried to continue, but Bradley stopped the match after Setzer was unable to defend against Seymour’s takedown attempts.

“He strained (his knee) a little bit,” said Bradley. “Hopefully, tomorrow it feels better.

“He got through this week. Now we work toward next weekend.

“That weight class is deep, so it may not matter one way or the other,” added Bradley. “He’s going to have to wrestle hard next weekend.”

Courtney, the top seed at 138 pounds, scored an 18-3 technical fall over Troy’s Ben Randall in 3:05 in the quarterfinals, then forged a 10-4 decision over Williamson’s Ayden Sprague in the semifinals.

In the finals, third-seeded Riley Vanderpool of Towanda built a 5-0 lead, but a reversal late in the second period closed the gap to 5-2.

After an escape late in the third period, Courtney scored a takedown with 8 seconds remaining to force overtime.

In the extra session, Courtney got in deep on a takedown, but was unable to finish it off, and Vanderpool came out on top in a scramble to secure a takedown with 1 second remaining in the extra session.

“It was a good scramble,” said Bradley. “Credit to (Riley Vanderpool), he fought through it, you can’t take that away from him. Jake just has to finish off that takedown in overtime.

“We were trying to push it too hard in overtime,” added Bradley. “He just needs to stay with his techniques.”

Nittinger, the third seed at 285 pounds, opened his day with a pin of NEB’s Kamden Ricci in 1:39 in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, NIttinger gave up back points late in the third period in a 5-3 loss to second-seeded Mason Nelson of Canton.

In the wrestlebacks, NIttinger forged a 15-1 major decision over Wellsboro’s Justice Harlan to advance to the third-place match, where he pinned Towanda’s Jared Gunther with 7 seconds remaining in the third period.

“Josh getting through (to Districts) for the first time is a big deal,” said Bradley. “And, it’s probably the best Josh has wrestled all year. We just need to keep building on that.”

Bradley lamented Nittinger’s loss in the semifinals.

“Josh is a knucklehead,” laughed Bradley. “He didn’t know the score. He said he thought he was losing, and that’s why he went for the big move. All he had to do was go to overtime.

“He was controlling the pace the entire match,” noted Bradley. “I thought we could have gotten a couple more stalling calls, but it is what it is.

“I bet he’ll remember the score of the match now,” added Bradley.

At 215 pounds, Nason’s day started in inauspicious fashion with a loss via second-period fall to Canton’s Connor Davis.

Nason decked Jamie Roman in 1:57, then won via injury default of NP-L’s Goerge Valentine to advance to the third-place match, where Davis again got the better of Nason — this time in a 12-7 decision.

“Caleb getting through as a freshman is a big deal,” said Bradley. “Caleb is as strong as a horse. He’s going to get better.

“He just needs to listen better during matches, and take advantage of opportunities,” added Bradley.

Senior Lucas Forbes, the fifth seed at 145 pounds, went 1-2 on the day.

He dropped a 5-1 decision to fourth-seeded Skyler Manahan in the quarterfinals, but bounced back with a pin of NP-L’s Ryan Roupp in 53 seconds.  Forbes was eliminated in the consolation semifinals in a 6-4 loss to Towanda’s Sawyer Robinson.

Sophomore Mason Vanderpool was 0-2 on the day at 126 pounds.

ATHENS — Athens lost the pre-match coin flip, a couple of “toss-up” matches, and eventually a 39-28 decision to South Williamsport here Wednesday night in the opening round of the District 4 Wrestling Duals.

Losing the coin toss, which determines who dictates the match-ups throughout the match, was a critical blow, said Athens coach Shawn Bradley.

“It was huge,” said Bradley. “Unfortunately, we have a team where it comes down to the flip.”

Losing the toss, led to a domino effect for the Wildcats

“(South Williamsport) gets to control the match-ups, so we have to wrestle Bobby Gardner, which is normally great,” said Bradley. “Any other time that’s a match you want, but with our team we need to control the match-ups.

“If we control the match-ups, I think we get two more falls, but it didn’t work out,” he added.

The match started with Athens senior Kaden Setzer, who entered the night at 26-3, squaring off against South’s Bobby Gardner, 24-2 and ranked No. 1 in the state at 126 pounds.

After a scoreless first period, Setzer was on top to start the second period, and twice returned Gardner to the mat directly to his back for two sets of swipes and a 5-0 lead.

Gardner registered an escape with 19 seconds remaining, then scored a takedown with 7 seconds left to close the gap to 5-3.

Gardner cut Setzer loose to start the third, extending the lead to 6-3, but the South standout scored three takedowns, including one with 8 seconds remaining to pull out a 9-8 decision to give the Mounties an early 3-0 lead.

“It wouldn’t have made difference in the match if (Setzer) pulls that out,” said Bradley. “Kaden gets the match-up with the No. 1 kid in the state at 126 … he’s controlling the match, he has to step up and win that damn match.

“If he wants to be a state medalist, he has to win that match,” added Bradley. “Hopefully, he learns from that match, and he gets the state medal.”

After a Wildcat forfeit at 138, junior Jake Courtney put Athens on the board with a third-period pin of Gabe Harvey.

After a scoreless first period, Harvey cut Courtney loose to start the second period. Courtney scored a pair of takedowns in the middle two minutes, and led 5-1 entering the final two minutes.

In the third period, Courtney scored a quick escape, and hit a double-leg for a 10-1 lead. He feigned cutting Harvey loose, then locked in a cradle, and scored the fall at 5:13 to close the gap to 9-6.

At 152 pounds, after a scoreless first period, Athens senior Lucas Forbes scored a pair of takedown to take a 4-1 lead with 53 seconds remaining in the second period, but Landyn Gephart tied the bout with an escape and a takedown in the closing moments.

Gerhart started on top in the third period, and stopped Forbes’ attempt at a Granby Roll for three near-fall points to secure a 7-4 decision to give South a 12-6 lead.

At 160, Athens senior Karter Rude turned a single-leg into a standing cradle and a 37-second fall over Garrett Cooley to tie the match at 12-12.

At 172 pounds, South’s Jonah White hit a four-point move with 22 seconds remaining in the second period, and held on to top senior Cameron Whitmarsh, 4-1.

Bradley said the matches at 152 and 172 were pivotal.

“No excuses,” said Bradley. “We are seniors there, we have to have heart and win those matches. It has to mean more to us than their kids, and it didn’t.”

South’s Landon Lorson and Ryan Casella followed with first-period pins at 189 and 215 pounds, respectively, to extend the Mounties’ lead to 27-12.

After a forfeit to sophomore Josh Nittinger at 285 pounds closed the gap to 27-18, South’s Kaden Shay locked up the win for the Mounties with a first-period pin at 106.

After the teams exchanged forfeits at 113 and 120 to make it 39-24, Athens sophomore Mason Vanderpool forged a 14-2 major decision over Jackson Swinehart at 126 pounds to close out the match.

Vanderpool scored a takedown and two sets of near-fall points for a 7-0 lead after the first period. He ran an arm bar for three near-fall points to take a 10-0 lead into the final two minutes.

After Swinehart recorded a takedown early in the third period, Vanderpool reversed Swinehart to his back for two near-fall points and a 14-2 major decision.

Athens finishes the dual season at 8-4, and returns to action Feb. 19 when it hosts the North Section Championships.

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SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT 39, ATHENS 28
132: Bobby Gardner (SW) dec. Kaden Setzer (A), 9-8;
138: Sam Persun (SW) by forfeit;
145: Jacob  Courtney (A) by fall over Gabe Harvey (SW), 5:12;
152: Landyn Gephart (SW) dec. Lucas Forbes (A), 7-4;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Garrett Cooley (SW), 0:37;
172: Jonah White (SW) dec. Cameron Whitmarsh (A), 4-1;
189: Landon Lorson (SW) by fall over Colin Rosh (A), 0:42;
215: Ryan Casella (SW) by fall over Caleb Nason (A), 1:30;
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) by forfeit;
106: Kaden Shay (SW) by fall over Keaton Sinsabaugh (A). 1:42;
113: Gavin Bradley (A) by forfeit;
120: Kayvan Shams (SW) by forfeit;
126: Mason Vanderpool (A) major dec. Jackson Swinehart (SW), 14-2.

BEDFORD, Pa. — Unbeaten senior Gavin Bradley bumped up a weight class this weekend, and still ran the table to win the 120-pound crown at the annual Thomas Chevrolet Tournament, while five of his teammates also placed to help the Wildcats to a third-place finish in the team standings.

Senior Karter Rude and junior Jake Courtney each brought home second-place medals, while senior Kaden Setzer placed third in his weight class, sophomore Josh Nittinger was sixth, and freshman Caleb Nason was seventh.

PIAA powerhouse ran away with the team title with 268 points, including five first-place finishes, while Burrell was second with 146 points, and Athens tallied 143.5 points. Beth-Center finished fourth with 138.5, and Northern Garrett was fifth with 118.5 points.

Bradley, the state’s top-ranked 113-pounder, won via default over Chestnut Ridge’s Ryan Dull in the 120-pound semifinals.

In the finals, Bradley, the second seed, squared off with top-seeded Cooper Hornack of Burrell, and forged a 9-1 major decision.

Bradley hit a five-point move with 29 seconds remaining in the fist period, and led 5-0 after the first two minutes.

Bradley sealed the 120-pound title with a pair of takedowns in the second period.

At 138 pounds, Courtney, the second seed, gave up a first-period takedown to third-seeded Chad Weist of Tussey Mountain, and trailed 2-0 at the end of the first two minutes.

Courtney started on the top in the second period, and rode Weist until turning him for a fall at 3:35.

In the finals, top-seeded Jacob Brenneman  of Northern Garrett used a big second period in a 7-1 decision over Courtney.

Brenneman recorded a takedown late in the first period and rode out the final 36 seconds to take a 2-0 lead into the second period, while he added an escape off the whistle, and two takedowns.

Brenneman rode out the final two minutes to preserve the win.

At 152 pounds, Rude, the third seed, upended second-seeded Jack Moyer of Chestnut Ridge in the semifinals.

Rude registered a pair of takedowns in the first period and led 4-1, but Moyer closed the gap to 4-2 with a quick takedown to start the second period.

Rude countered with an escape to start the third period, but Moyer closed the gap to 5-4 with a takedown with 24 seconds remaining.

After being cut loose, Rude scored a takedown with 13 seconds remaining to seal the 8-4 decision.

In the finals, top-seeded Tyler Berish of Beth-Center pulled out a hard-fought, 3-0, recision to win the 152-pound crown.

After a scoreless first period, Berish scored an escape just eight seconds into the second period, then added a takedown with 21 seconds left.

Bearish rode top for the entire third period to  preserve the win.

At 132 pounds, Setzer, the third seed, opened his day with a 5-3 overtime loss to second-seeded Kyle McCollum of Beth-Center.

After a scoreless first period, McCollum took a 1-0 lead with an escape midway through the second period. Setzer registered a takedown with 29 seconds remaining, but McCollum reversed him 10 seconds later to take a 3-2 lead into the third period.

Setzer tied it up midway through the third period, and the two grapplers spent the final 47 seconds on their feet.

McCollum’s sudden-victory takedown came with 1 seconds remaining in the extra session.

In the consolation semifinals, Setzer build an 8-2 lead before pinning Somerset’s Logan Baker in 2:50.

Setzer scored a takedown and led 2-1 after the first period, then hit a five-point move midway through the second period to take a 7-0 lead.

After a Baker escape, Setzer hit another big move, this time finishing off the fall with just 10 seconds remaining in the second period.

In the third-place match, Setzer fought off his back to pin fourth-seeded Jaxon Matthews of Central in 3:25.

After a scoreless first period, Matthews scored an escape with 1:33 remaining, then hit a five-point move, and had Setzer on his back at the buzzer.

Setzer took Matthews directly to his back, and finished off the fall just 25 seconds into the third period.

At 285 pounds, Nittinger, who was 3-1 Friday, scored a 4-1 decision over Milton’s Paul Rohland in the “blood round,” then lost via fall to sixth-seeded Cooper Lingenfelter in 3:42.

In the sixth-place match, NIttinger, the 13th seed, gave up a takedown with 12 seconds remaining in overtime in a 2-0 loss to fifth-seeded Karter Quick of Central Cambria.

At 215 pounds, Nason, the ninth seed, forged an 11-2 major decision over Chestnut Ridge’s Alex Crist in the “blood round,”  then lost via second-round fall to fifth-seeded Braxton Schwartz of Tri-Valley in the consolation quarterfinals.

In the seventh-place match, Nason fought off his back at the end of the second period, and scored a five-point move at the end of the third period for a 9-7 win over Southern Huntingdon’s Mitchell Hart.

At 189 pounds, senior Collin Rosh gave up a five-point move in the final nine seconds in an 8-5 setback against Chestnut Ridge’s Nick Presnell in the “blood round.”

BEDFORD, Pa. — Athens advanced four wrestlers to the semifinals, has three alive in wrestlebacks, and sits in fourth place after Day 1 at the rugged Thomas Chevrolet Tournament.

Powerhouse Chestnut Ridge leads the 31-team field with 132 points, well ahead of runner-up Bethlehem-Center, which has 82 points, and third-place Burrell, which has 81. Athens has 79.5 points, while Greenville is in fifth with 78.5 points, Northern Garrett is in sixth with 76.5 points, Penn Cambria is in seventh with 76, and Huntingdon is in eighth place with 75.5 points.

Seniors Gavin Bradley, Karter Rude, and Kaden Setzer, along with junior Jake Courtney are in the semifinals, while sophomore Josh NIttinger, freshman Caleb Nason, and senior Collin Rosh are alive in the consolation bracket.

Bradley, who is ranked No. 1 in the state at 113 pounds, is the second seed in the 120-pound bracket.

Bradley opened Friday with a 44-second fall over Greenville’s Liam Richardson, then, after building a 10-1 lead, decked Aaron Ickes of Chestnut Ridge in 2:00.

He will face third-seeded Ross Dull of Chestnut Ridge in the semifinals. Dull narrowly escaped the quarterfinals with a 6-4 overtime win over sixth-seeded Davis Stepp of Bethlehem-Center.

At 132 pounds, Setzer, the third seed, opened with a pin of North Star’s Braden Livingston in 2:37.

In the quarterfinals, Setzer scored a pair of third-period takedown to break a 2-2 tie in a 6-4 win over sixth-seeded Niko Ferra of Burrell.

Setzer will face second-seeded Kyle McCollum of Beth-Center in the semifinals.

At 138 pounds, Courtney, the second seed, opened with a 19-2 technical fall of Bedford’s Camryn Steinbuch in the pigtail round, then forged an 11-1 major decision, thanks in large part to a third-period takedown and two sets of swipes, over Chestnut Ridge’s Mason Weyant in the round-of-16.

In the quarterfinals, Courtney scored a takedown of 10th-seeded Ayden Sprague of Williamson in the middle of the first period, and turned him for a fall at 1:25.

Courtney will face third-seeded Chad Weist of Tussey Mountain in the semifinals.

At 152 pounds, Rude, the third seed, decked Milton’s Aidan Keiser in 25 seconds in the round-of-16.

In the quarterfinals, Rude scored a takedown of sixth-seeded Tanner Trybus of Cambria Heights in the first 30 seconds, then turned him three times to build a 10-0 lead after the first two minutes. Rude scored a quick takedown in the second period, and turned Trybus for a fall at 2:17.

Rude will face second-seeded Jack Moyer of Chestnut Ridge in the semifinals.

At 189 pounds, Rosh, the 11th seed, decked Trey Looney of Northern Garrett in 56 seconds in the pigtail round, but lost via second-period fall to sixth-seeded Austin Wagner of Penn Cambria in the round-of-16.

In the consolation bracket, Rosh pinned Southern Huntingdon’s Noah Rice in 2:47, then he scored an escape midway through the third period to take a 7-6 lead on West Greene’s Johnny Lampe, and finished off the 11-7 win with two takedowns in the final 54 seconds.

Rosh will face eighth-seeded Nick Presell of Chestnut Ridge in the “blood round.”

At 215 pounds, Nason, the ninth seed, scored a reversal midway through the first period, and turned into a fall in 1:17 against eighth-seeded Mason Raymond of Penn Cambria.

In the quarterfinals, top-seeded Mikey Sipps of Williamson scored a 15-0 technical fall of Nason in 4:00.

In the consolation bracket, Nason will face Chestnut Ridge’s Alex Crist in the “blood round.”

At 285 pounds, Nittinger, the 13th seed, decked Southern Huntingdon’s Jeremiah Barron in 60 seconds in the pigtail round, then lost via third-period fall to fourth-seeded Gunner Singleton of Huntingdon in the quarterfinals.

Nittinger bounced back in wrestlebacks with a pin of Chestnut Ridge’s Matt Davis in 2:18. He followed that up with a 6-1 decision of Beth-Center’s Josh Deems.

Nittinger will face Milton’s Paul Rohland in the “blood round.”

At 172 pounds, senior Cameron Whitmarsh went 2-2 on the day.

Whitmarsh won his pigtail-round match by fall in 18 seconds over Northeast Bradford’s Dominic Clark, but lost via first-period fall to second-seeded Aaron Bowers of Northern Bedford in the round-of-16.

In his first wrestleback bout, Whitmarsh scored takedowns late in the first and second periods to build a 4-0 lead of Central’s John Pulcine. Whitmarsh took Pulcine down again midway through the third period, then turned him for a fall at 4:48.

Whitmarsh’s day came to an end when Greenville’s Bennett Hayne took him directly to his back for a fall at 1:47.

At 145 pounds, freshman Keegan Congdon went 1-2 on the day. After losing by first-period fall in the pigtail round, Congdon decked Southern Huntingdon’s Aiden Hollibaugh in 2:03. He was eliminated via second-period fall in his next bout.

Also at 145 pounds, senior Lucas Forbes lost via fall in the pigtail round, then issued a medial forfeit in his first wrestleback bout.

Action begins Saturday at 10 a.m.