For the third instance this season, No. 1 Faith Christian Academy has triumphed over No. 2 Bishop McCort in a wrestling tournament or dual meet.
On Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the Lions outperformed McCort in the overall standings, securing a score of 232.5 to 218.5, thus clinching a complete sweep of the PIAA AA state titles. Faith Christian claimed the Ironman championship against the Crushers and also edged them out with a 34-25 victory in the AA state dual finals.
Both of these powerhouse teams showcased their superiority within the AA ranks, collectively winning eight championships, with each team earning four. The Lions stood out with six finalists, and that slight edge in finalists played a crucial role in the team competition, leading Faith Christian to position ten wrestlers on the podium compared to Bishop McCort’s nine.
All four champions from the Lions were favored in their final matches, highlighted by the Bachmann Brothers who secured two of the titles: No. 1 Freddy at 114 and No. 12 Joe at 127. Other champions included No. 15 Nick Singer (172) and No. 2 Adam Waters (189).
Freddy narrowly defeated No. 19 Sam Wolford of Northern Lebanon by a score of 4-3 to earn his first title. Joe, who earned his second championship, showcased dominance by defeating Central Valley’s Antonio Boni with a final score of 7-0; Joe had previously claimed his first title last year as a freshman 107-pounder.
Singer, a sophomore who did not compete at states during his freshman year, achieved a 12-3 major decision against No. 20 Gage Wentzel (Montoursville). Meanwhile, Waters, a junior, marked his place in history as a three-time state champion after securing an 11-1 major decision victory over Bald Eagle Area’s Caleb Close.
Unfortunately for Faith Christian, both of their runners-up faced unexpected defeats as No. 10 Gauge Botero (121) and No. 7 Mark Effendian (285) missed out on the top podium spot.
In the South West Region finals, No. 25 Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge) was caught off guard by the then-unranked No. 24 Tanner Guenot (Bald Eagle Area), which led to a dip in his ranking. Deputy previously won an overtime tiebreaker against No. 9 Will Detar (Trinity) in the quarters and carried that momentum into the finals, defeating Botero 4-2 after having lost to Detar in the South East Region Finals.
There were no prior direct confrontations between Effendian and No. 11 Rowan Holmes of Somerset. Effendian’s rankings were boosted by his national credentials, which included two victories over the National Prep Champion, No. 6 Jacob Levy (Lake Highland Prep, FL). In a closely contested match, Holmes edged past Effendian, winning 4-3.
Three Lions brought home bronze medals for their efforts: Mason Wagner (145), No. 14 Max Stein (152), and Honorable Mention Chase Hontz (160). Additionally, No. 27 Jason Singer finished fifth at 215.
Three champions from Bishop McCort were repeat winners, consisting of juniors Jax Forrest (133) and Bo Bassett (145), both of whom rank among the top athletes in the nation, along with sophomore No. 2 Melvin Miller (160). Due to sanctions against the McCort program by the PIAA, both Bassett and Forrest were unable to compete at states during their freshman years.
Forrest reignited his rivalry with No. 2 Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon), having bested him 11-4 in the Mid-Winter Mayhem finals. The latest encounter ended with another victory for Forrest, this time by a count of 7-1.
As for Bassett, he continued his impressive performance, dominating his rivals, including a first-period fall in the finals against Grove City’s Fargo All-American, Hudson Hohman, at 1:52. On his journey to the finals, Bassett achieved three technical falls, with his longest match extending just 2:23.
Miller has a tendency to compete closely against opponents in high-stakes matches, often resulting in narrow margins, but this weekend, he showcased his skills with an 11-2 major decision over No. 23 Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run), positioning himself to potentially become a four-time state champion.
The fourth champion, Devon Magro (152), a senior, ascended to the top after placing third last year by defeating No. 13 Ryan Lawler (Bishop McDevitt) with a score of 10-0.
Bishop McCort’s podium placers included third-place finishes by No. 9 Sam Herring (139) and Caleb Rodriguez (285). The Crushers also claimed fourth-place finishes from No. 10 Keegan Bassett (107) and Jayden O’Farrill (172). Notably, No. 21 Eli Herring placed fifth at 114 pounds.
In the overall team rankings, No. 9 Bishop McDevitt took third place with 140.5 points, managing to secure one champion from the four wrestlers who reached the finals.
That title was clinched at 107 when Braiden Lotier defeated No. 15 Carter Chunko (Saucon Valley) by a score of 7-1. Both wrestlers produced upsets to reach the finals, with Chunko’s being particularly notable as he defeated No. 2 Chase Karenbauer (Grove City) with a commanding 10-1 victory in the semifinals, while Lotier overpowered McCort’s No. 10 Keegan Bassett, winning 15-5 in his semifinal.
Returning home with silver medals were No. 26 Camden Baum (139), No. 13 Ryan Lawler (152), and No. 11 Lucas Lawler (215). The Crusaders’ seventh-place finishers included Liam Lawler (121), Easton Comp (144), and Nicky Negron (160).
Baum pulled off a significant upset to qualify for the finals, winning his semifinal match 4-2 against McCort’s No. 9 Sam Herring, who had previously beaten Baum, 4-2, at PowerAde in December. Baum ultimately fell in the finals to No. 8 Brandt Harer of Montgomery with a narrow score of 1-0. For Harer, this victory marked his second consecutive state title after finishing as the runner-up his freshman year, and he completed the season undefeated at 57-0 (54-0 last year).
Last fall, Harer spent eight days in the hospital battling a bacterial infection called Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, which was initially misdiagnosed as a viral infection. It progressed to a severe reaction known as Reactive Infectious Mucosal Eruption that caused blistering on his body, including his mouth and throat; additionally, his eyes became swollen and bloodshot.
No. 8 Austin Johnson of Muncy successfully clinched a state championship as a sophomore before experiencing some losses the following year, ultimately finishing as the runner-up to Frazier’s Rune Lawrence, a four-time champion.
Johnson reclaimed his position at the top as a senior, clinching a 5-2 victory against Lucas Lawler. His only defeat this season was against No. 1 Jude Correa from Wyoming Seminary, where he lost 4-0 at PowerAde. Notably, Correa also bested Johnson in last year’s PowerAde championship, edging out a narrow 4-3 win.
Team Scores (Top 15)
1-Faith Christian Academy 232.5
2-Bishop McCort 218.5
3-Bishop McDevitt 140.5
4-Grove City 62
5-Chestnut Ridge 56.5
6-Montgomery 55
7-Bald Eagle Area 52
8-Warrior Run 50
9-Northern Lebanon 48
10-Derry 44.5
11-Saucon Valley 44.5
12-Berks Catholic 41
13-Trinity 37
14-Cathedral Prep 36
15-Port Allegany 35.5
107 lbs
- 1st Braiden Lotier (Bishop McDevitt) DEC Carter Chunko (Saucon Valley), 7-1
- 3rd Chase Karenbauer (Grove City) MD Keegan Bassett (Bishop McCort), 11-1
- 5th Dakota Santamaria (Tussey Mountain) DEC Camron Smith (Trinity*), 5-4
- 7th Javeon Chambers (Highlands) DEC Garrett Weyandt (Chestnut Ridge), 3-2
114 lbs
- 1st Freddy Bachmann (Faith Christian) DEC Sam Wolford (Northern Lebanon), 4-3
- 3rd Max Dinges (Penns Valley) DEC Thomas Boyce (Conwell Egan), 3-0 SV
- 5th Eli Herring (Bishop McCort) MD Cj Caines (Hanover Area), 13-1
- 7th Easton Mull (Chestnut Ridge) MD Ian Stearns (Grove City), 9-0
121 lbs
- 1st Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge) DEC Gauge Botero (Faith Christian), 4-2
- 3rd Will Detar (Trinity*) F Elijah Scriven (Hickory), 1:44
- 5th Brock Rothermel (Line Mountain) DEC Chase Homan (Hamburg), 7-0
- 7th Liam Lawler (Bishop McDevitt) FOR Tanner Guenot (Bald Eagle Area), 0-0
127 lbs
- 1st Joey Bachmann (Faith Christian) DEC Antonio Boni (Central Valley), 7-0
- 3rd Greyson Music (Bishop McDevitt) DEC Colton Wade (Sullivan County), 4-0
- 5th David Kennedy (Montoursville) FOR Bradley Wagner (Mifflinburg), 0-0
- 7th Logan Stewart (Reynolds) MD Matthew Santoro (Saucon Valley), 10-0
133 lbs
- 1st Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort) DEC Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon), 7-1
- 3rd Keagan Oler (Cathedral Prep) DEC Caden Judice (Bald Eagle Area), 11-8
- 5th Gavin Green (Delone Catholic) DEC Brayden Hartranft (Berks Catholic), 7-1
- 7th Ben Straub (Mifflinburg) DEC Drake Mcclure (Bentworth), 7-2
139 lbs
- 1st Brandt Harer (Montgomery) DEC Camden Baum (Bishop McDevitt), 1-0
- 3rd Sam Herring (Bishop McCort) TF Noah Doi (Camp Hill), 15-0 2:17
- 5th Gideon Bracken (United) TF Gunnar Maciejewski (Berks Catholic), 17-1 2:33
- 7th Colin Walther (Conwell Egan) MD Logan Powell (Central Clarion), 12-2
145 lbs
- 1st Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort) F Hudson Hohman (Grove City), 1:52
- 3rd Mason Wagner (Faith Christian) DEC Matthew Smith (Midd-West), 5-3
- 5th Hayden Yacoviello-andrus (Bermudian Springs) DEC Lucas Boyer (Elizabeth Forward), 3-1
- 7th Easton Comp (Bishop McDevitt) DEC Clay Kimmy (General McLane), 7-2
152 lbs
- 1st Devon Magro (Bishop McCort) MD Ryan Lawler (Bishop McDevitt), 10-0
- 3rd Max Stein (Faith Christian) DEC Mason Horwat (Derry), 1-0
- 5th Jordan Thompson (Bradford) DEC Cody Hamilton (Grove City), 8-3
- 7th Ian Vitalo (Schuylkill Valley) FOR Landen Wagner (Lewisburg), 0-0
160 lbs
- 1st Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort) MD Reagan Milheim (Warrior Run), 11-2
- 3rd Chase Hontz (Faith Christian) MD Brandon Byrd (Cathedral Prep), 9-0
- 5th Mason Gourley (Central Clarion) MD Samuel Almedina (Mid Valley), 9-1
- 7th Nicky Negron (Bishop McDevitt) DEC Jaden Wehler (St. Marys), 9-2
172 lbs
- 1st Nick Singer (Faith Christian) MD Gage Wentzel (Montoursville), 12-3
- 3rd Brady Collins (Clearfield) DEC Jayden Ofarrill (Bishop McCort), 7-2
- 5th Max Wirnsberger (Warrior Run) DEC Carmine Lenzi (Berks Catholic), 2-1
- 7th Luke Fugazotto (Northwestern) F Jackson Angelo (Frazier), 4:57
189 lbs
- 1st Adam Waters (Faith Christian) MD Caleb Close (Bald Eagle Area), 11-1
- 3rd Aiden Bliss (Port Allegany) DEC Kyle Scott (Tyrone), 11-5
- 5th Brady Brown (Derry) TF Easton Belfiore (Brookville), 19-3 4:50
- 7th Tyler Ulrich (Warrior Run) DEC Jared Rohn (Saucon Valley), 6-3 SV
215 lbs
- 1st Austin Johnson (Muncy) DEC Lucas Lawler (Bishop McDevitt), 5-2
- 3rd Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry) DEC Sawyer Robinson (Towanda), 7-3
- 5th Jason Singer (Faith Christian) DEC Juuso Young (Port Allegany), 4-1
- 7th Kael Albers (Corry) DEC Jude Bremigen (Southern Columbia), 7-6 UTB
285 lbs
- 1st Rowan Holmes (Somerset) DEC Mark Effendian (Faith Christian), 4-3
- 3rd Caleb Rodriguez (Bishop McCort) DEC Colin Whyte (West Greene), 4-3
- 5th Mason Higley (Towanda) DEC Casey Wilson (Laurel), 4-0
- 7th Gavin Hannah (Brookville) FOR Carson Neely (Port Allegany), 0-0
