Solid start: West Greene鈥檚 Whyte moves one step closer to state medal
HERSHEY 鈥� Colin Whyte has never been one of those heavyweights that looks for headlocks, cement mixers or other upper-body throws.
The West Greene junior prefers to shoot single and double legs, which was the case on Thursday morning in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A Individual Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Whyte finished a single-leg attempt early in the first period, escaped in the second period and used two minutes of strong top wrestling in the third for a 4-1 decision over Williamson鈥檚 Luke Sottolano in the first round at 285 pounds.
鈥淚 pretty much have always focused on shooting,鈥� Whyte said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like to go throws a lot because it can go either way, and if it goes the wrong way, the match is over.鈥�
Whyte will compete in the quarterfinals this morning against Brookville鈥檚 Gavin Hannah.
The winner will not only advance to the semifinals, but guarantee no less than sixth place and a spot on the podium, which would be a first for Whyte after he was one win shy of placing last year in the state tournament.
鈥淚 think I wrestled well,鈥� Whyte said. 鈥淥bviously, any win in the state tournament is a good win. I was a little nervous before my match, but I was more confident than last year.
鈥淚 knew if I went out and wrestled my match, I would be fine, and once I got that first takedown, my confidence grew even more. I am looking forward to tomorrow, but I need to just focus on my quarterfinal match first.鈥�
Frazier鈥檚 Ryan Celaschi (160) and Jackson Angelo (172) had solid matches in advancing to the quarterfinals.
Celaschi earned a 15-0 technical fall in 4:27 of Saucon Valley鈥檚 Cole Hubert, while Angelo recorded a 7-0 decision over Corry鈥檚 Mason Savitz.
Celaschi wrestles Warrior Run鈥檚 Reagan Milhelm in the quarterfinals and Angelo battles Faith Christian鈥檚 Nick Singer.
The Commodores鈥� Jonah Erdely (152) lost in the first round but earned an 11-0 major decision in the first round of consolations to remain in contention for a medal.
Beth-Center鈥檚 Mason Wright rallied for a win by fall in the preliminary round at 133, but lost by fall in the first round. The Bulldog junior who attends California Area High School will compete in the second round of consolations today.
Southmoreland鈥檚 Landon Dalara (172) won his preliminary-round match, 6-3, which was also his 100th-career victory before losing in the first round. Dalara will wrestle in the second round of consolations this morning.