By Lynn Saternow

Herald Sports Editor



HERSHEY — There’s a fine line between joy and pain in the state finals and now Reynolds’ Mason Beckman and Sharon’s Jordan Moss have experienced both.

Beckman (119) won a state crown, while Moss (140) finished 2nd Saturday afternoon in the PIAA State AA Wrestling Championships at Hershey Giant Center. It was a reversal of 2008, when Moss took the gold, while Beckman finished runner-up.

But while the veteran statesmen swapped roles, Commodore Perry junior Stephen Ceremuga saw his first trip to the finals end in glory as he won the 189 title. He and Beckman have already set their sights on repeating in 2011.

Beckman, who recently committed to Lehigh University, has had his eyes on the top of the medal stand since losing in the finals at 103 in overtime two years ago. After finishing 2nd and 3rd, the Raider junior finally reached his goal of No. 1.

But it wasn’t easy for the wrestler who had picked up bonus points in every previous match on the tournament trail. He won a tough 2-0 victory over Benton’s Michael Rhone, scoring an escape and penalty point when Rhone grabbed the side of the mat to avoid a takedown. Beckman then rode out Rhone for the final period.

“He’s tough to score on,” said Beckman, normally a takedown machine. “He’s a good counter wrestler.”

“He’s our 22nd state champ and it’s a real credit to him and his family,” said coach Brian Hills. “His dad (assistant coach Ron Beckman) and brother Lawrence have done a lot of the work with him and we kind of supply the avenue.

“This caps what is probably the finest season of any wrestler in Reynolds history. He went undefeated (49-0) and won the Ironman, King of the Mountain, Manheim and now the PIAA state tournaments. We’ve had undefeated wrestlers before, but none that wrestled this kind of schedule.”

While his older brother Lawrence placed 4 times at state, he never brought home the gold. “I won this for my brother, my dad and everyone,” said a happy Beckman, who raised his career mark to 147-12. “I really look up to Lawrence and I love him so much. I admire him for everything he’s done.”

You can bet the feeling is mutual!

Moss dropped a hard-fought 6-3 decision to junior Nick Carr of South Fayette, seeing his title hopes and unbeaten season end.

Moss led 2-1 after the first period, but fell behind 4-2 after two. He escaped in the third and had several close takedown attempts, when Carr went off the mat. Carr scored a takedown on a desperate shot by Moss near the end.

“He’s had an unbelievable career,” said Sharon coach Dave Ciafre of his senior ace. “I know he’s crushed right now. But he’s our winningest all-time wrestler. We didn’t come down here to finish second so it hurts.”

Moss, already signed to wrestle at Pitt next season, finished his senior season with a 45-1 mark and a career record of 166-9. He is only the 6th 4-time state place winner in Mercer County history, winning medals for 4th, 1st, 3rd and 2nd.

Ceremuga in the finals defeated Towanda’s Travis Chesla, notching a pair of key takedowns in a 5-4 victory. He led 5-2 with only seconds remaining and gave up a takedown to prevent any big moves.

The CP junior finished only 1-2 in his trip to Hershey last year and it drove him all year since. “I came down here to win last year and when I didn’t it made me work to get back,” Ceremuga said. “I really worked this summer, 3 or 4 times a week and doing extra running. Every time I did something I asked myself if it would help me with wrestling.”

CP coach Kevin Drew pointed out that same hard work, which helped Ceremuga develop the leg shot that gained him the win.

“He only shot twice but he got them both,” said the elated Drew, a former state runner-up. “We knew if he got that leg he could get the takedown. I preach to my kids you don’t need to take 18 shots, but if you only take two good ones you can win.

“I can’t be prouder for our community, fans and the school. But I always tell the kids that when you win a state medal you need to thank the kids in the wrestling room that helped. He wouldn’t be where he is if it weren’t for the Brian Hookses and Brandon Collinses and others.

“Stephen is a special kid. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a wrestler that is so confident, but so humble. I’m very proud of him.”

Ceremuga finished his season undefeated (42-0) and has a career mark of 103-24.

People could be proud of all 20 state qualifiers from Mercer County this year. And eight other county matmen besides the finalists earned spots on the medal stand.

Winning 3rd-place medals were Reynolds’ Dylan D’Urso (125), Greenville’s Cody Copeland (140) and Grove City’s Wes Phipps (160), while Sharon’s Lewendo Teague (160) finished 4th.

Commodore Perry’s Brian Hooks (215) was 6th, while copping 7th was Hickory’s Tyler Gargano (160). Finishing 8th were Reynolds’ Austin Matthews (130) and Luke Taylor (145).

Following is a look at the place-winner performances:

3rd-Place Consolations

125 – Raider sophomore D’Urso added another medal to the 4th place he won last season. D’Urso faced Joe Lascari of North Star, who D’Urso decked earlier in the tourney. This time the Raider (42-7) had a tighter match, winning 4-2. D’Urso won section, district and region crowns this season. “Dylan wrestled probably the best he’s wrestled all year,” said a proud coach Hills. “The 10-5 loss in the semifinals was no indication of how close that match really was against probably the best kid in the weight. But to come back and wrestle like he did against two very good kids in the consolations, was great.”

140 – It was a long road back for Greenville sophomore Copeland, who lost his opening match Thursday. But the resilient Copeland rebounded for 4 straight wins to reach the consy finals. There he met Alex Stanton of Blue Ridge and Copeland rolled to a 7-0 triumph. Copeland finished the year at 42-2, winning section, district and region titles. “You win 5 straight matches down here, it shows a lot about your character,” said a happy Greenville mentor John Reynolds. “It’s a growing process. He has two more years and I’m excited.”

160 – Grove City sophomore Phipps battled his way to the consy finals in what may have been the toughest weight in the tourney. Two defending state champs met in the finals. In fact, the only losses Phipps had on the tourney trail were to those two wrestlers. Phipps, a 5th-place finisher last year, climbed higher on the medal stand to 3rd after beating Fort Cherry’s Sam Guidi, 4-2. Phipps (38-3) won section and district championships, finishing 2nd at regions. “He’s doing pretty well,” said Grove City coach Marty Ruley with a laugh. “I just wish that he wouldn’t have had to wrestle Gargano so early and they could have met for 3rd.” Phipps’ progression from 5th to 3rd would seemingly indicate a jump to the top of the medal stand next year. “That’s the plan,” said Ruley.

171 – Sharon senior Teague, a 3rd-place finisher last year bound for Clarion University, shook off the disappointment of a semis loss Friday and bounced back to reach the 3rd-place consy finals again. In that match Teague lost a heart-breaking 3-2 decision on ultimate tie-breaker in overtime against Shane Stark of Lake Lehman. He finished the year at 44-3, winning section, district and region crowns. “He’s done unbelievably well,” said coach Ciafre. “For a kid that didn’t start wrestling until the seventh grade, he’s been phenomenal. I firmly believe his best wrestling is still ahead of him. We’re really proud of him.”

5th-Place Consolations

215 – Commodore Perry’s Hooks closed out his career with a 6th-place medal. The Panther standout lost again to Curtis Garner of Catasauqua, 5-2, who defeated Hooks by the same score earlier in the tourney. Hooks closes out his senior year at 40-5, winning section and region titles. He is the all-time career wins leader with 139, edging out Jordan Powell (138). “His goal coming down here was to get a medal,” said coach Drew. “To reach the top 6 is a great accomplishment. He has been a huge asset to our program, both on and off the mat. He’s a credit to himself, his family and our program.”

7th-Place Consolations

130 – Raider freshman Matthews capped his first varsity season on the medal stand. In his consy match, he took on Burrell’s Jeremy Landowski, who Matthews beat 6-1 to open the tournament. Saturday Matthews and Landowski were tied 6-6, but Matthews suffered a defensive pin with 10 seconds to go to lose. Matthews finished the year at 42-9, winning all three previous tourney crowns. “Austin didn’t wrestle as well as he maybe could have in that last match,” said coach Hills. “But for a freshman to get down here and medal, we’re really proud of him.”

145 – Taylor of Reynolds is headed for the Coast Guard Academy to wrestle and play baseball. He’ll take with him a 8th-place medal after falling 7-3 to Garrett Russell of Athens. Taylor finished his senior year with a 40-15 mark. “Luke came down here probably ranked in the bottom half of his weight class, but came away with a medal,” said coach Hills. “He had a great career at Reynolds and he supplied a lot of senior leadership for the younger guys this year.”

160 – Hickory’s junior Gargano set a Hickory single-season record for wins, posting a 49-5 mark. He closed out the season with a 2-1 triumph against Bryn Bowman of Tri-Valley. “He had a great season for a junior and I think we’ll be in the hunt next year downs here,” said Hickory coach Carl Wombacker. “He had an up-and-down tournament, but he’s coming away with a medal. We’re looking forward to next year.”

Notes: The AAA semifinals, like the AA semis the night before, suffered through a short power outage, with generator power supplying a dimly lit arena. … Russ Hughes, coach of Benton, the AA team champions, was named the state “Coach of the Year.” … Reynolds finished 4th in the team race, but returns some strong young talent to make another run at the crown. … District 10 wrestlers other than countians to earn state places were: Union City’s Shane Rankin (112), 6th, and Jared Burger (215), 3rd; Cochranton’s Matt Bryer (125), 8th; Northwestern’s Ian Chiesa (140), 5th; Fort LeBoeuf’s Jeremy King (152), 4th; and Seneca’s Matt Mongera (215), 2nd.

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Team Scoring

1. Benton 93, 2. (tie) Shady Side Academy 64, Schuylkill Valley 64, 4. Reynolds 53.5, 5. Ridgway 47.5, 6. Athens 47, 7. Montoursville 44.5, 8. Burrell 43, 9. Westmont-Hilltop 42, 10. Juniata 41.

Championship matches

103 - Zain Retherford, Line Mountain dec. Brad Farley, Bermudian Springs, 6-2.

112 - David White, Athens dec. Randy Cruz, Bethlehem Catholic, 5-3.

119 - Mason Beckman, Reynolds dec. Michael Rhone, Benton, 2-0.

125 - Tyler Small, Delone Catholic dec. Coltin Fought, Benton, 10-4.

130 - Joe Spisak, Boiling Springs dec. Frank Martellotti, Shady Side Academy, 4-3.

135 - A.J. Schopp, Tyrone dec. Luke Frey, Montoursville, 4-2.

140 - Colin Shober, Schuylkill Valley dec. Seth Beitz, Juniata, 11-4.

145 - Nick Carr, South Fayette dec. Jordan Moss, Sharon, 6-3.

152 - Cody Wiercioch, Charleroi dec. Kyle Dehaut, Bethlehem Catholic, 8-3.

160 - Eric Hess, Benton dec. Dirk Cowburn, Coudersport, 1-0.

171 - Matthew Cunningham, Shady Side Academy dec. Nathaniel Brown, Lewisburg, 2-1.

189 - Stephan Ceremuga, Commodore Perry dec. Travis Chesla, Towanda, 5-4.

215 - Eric Laytos, Lackawanna Trail pinned Matt Mongera, Seneca, 3:16.

285 - John Rizzo, Richland dec. Joe Chittester, Ridgway, 3-2.

Third Place Consolations

103 - Nick Roberts, North Star major dec. Corey Bush, Ridgway, 12-3.

112 - Cody Wheeler, Towanda dec. Josh Polacek, Westmont-Hilltop, 5-4.

119 - Geoff Alexander, Shady Side Academy dec. Tanner Hough, Westmont Hilltop, 7-4.

125 - Dylan D’Urso, Reynolds dec. Joe Lascari, North Star, 4-2.

130 - Mikey Racciato, Pen Argyl pinned Brandon Pesarchick, Shamokin, 5:42.

135 - Nick Hodgkins, Wyomissing dec. Garet Pisani, Ridgway, 2-0.

140 - Cody Copeland, Greenville dec. Alex Stanton, Blue Ridge, 7-0.

145 - Shawn Perich, Portage dec. Elias Biddle, Warrior Run, 3-0.

152 - Mike Testen, Athens dec. Jeremy King, Fort LeBoeuf, 5-3.

160 - Wes Phipps, Grove City dec. Sam Guidi, Fort Cherry, 4-2.

171 - Shane Stark, Lake Lehman dec. Lewendo Teague, Sharon, 3-2 UTB.

189 - Dylan Scheidt, Schuylkill Valley dec. Garth Lakitsky, Tamaqua, 7-1.

215 - Jared Burger, Union City pinned Josh Rogers, St. Pius X, 0:46.

285 - Jeff Tarley, Beth-Center dec. Tyler DeMott, Benton, 12-7.

Fifth Place Consolations

103 - Anthony Bilotta, Pius X by forfeit over Matt Williams, Pen Argyl.

112 - Colt Cotton, Benton pinned Shane Rankin, Union City, 1:45.

119 - Ben Carey, Montoursville dec. Cory Thomas, Bedford, 5-4.

125 - Zac Beitz, Juniata by forfeit over Dave Makara, Burrell.

130 - Ronnie Garbinsky, Tyrone tech. fall Michael DePalma, Jeannette, 17-2, 4:59.

135 - Mike Giorgio, Schuylkill Valley dec. Nikko Stevens, Northern Lehigh, 9-5.

140 - Ian Chiesa, Northwestern dec. Richard Baker, North Star, 7-5.

145 - Aaron Fry, Muncy dec. Philip Racciato, Pen Argyl, 9-8.

152 - Travis McKillop, Burrell dec. Craemer Hedash, Northern Lehigh, 9-2.

160 - Caleb Lomax, Montoursville major dec. Ryan Maurer, Schuylkill Valley, 9-0.

171 - Colin Hedash, Northern Lehigh dec. Dakota DesLauriers, Burrell, 3-1 OT.

189 - Zak Newton, Penn Cambria dec. Ryan Solomon, Milton, 6-1.

215 - Curtis Gardner, Catasauqua dec. Brian Hooks, Commodore Perry, 5-2.

285 - Josh Duplin, Westmont Hilltop pinned Dan Fultz, Juniata, 2:23.

Seventh Place Consolations

103 - David Sheesley, Mifflinburg dec. Nate Schwab, Smethport, 11-6.

112 - Evan Link, Penn Cambria major dec. Jamie Welsh, Pen Argyl, 10-2.

119 - Pete Renda, Brandywine Heights by forfeit over Brandon Arnsberger, Octorara.

125 - Laike Gardner, Biglerville dec. Matt Bryer, Cochranton, 6-4.

130 - Jeremy Landowski, Burrell pinned Austin Matthews, Reynolds, 4:50.

135 - Trey Easter, Bedford dec. Garth Mahosky, Canton, 8-7.

140 - Alec Eggerton, Loyalsock dec. Phillip Steinberg, Central Cambria, 4-3.

145 - Garrett Russell, Athens dec. Luke Taylor, Reynolds, 7-3.

152 - Montana Trombetta, Carlynton by forfeit over Tyler Hain, Warrior Run.

160 - Tyler Gargano, Hickory dec. Bryn Bowman, Tri-Valley, 2-1.

171 - Zack Zelcs, Ridgway pinned Luke DeLuise, Pius X, 4:03.

189 - Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry by forfeit over Kyle Dudley, Valley.

215 - Nick Dawson, Montoursville dec. Brian Beattie, Burrell, 3-1 OT.

285 - Wes Tillett, Shamokin dec. Cris Ramirez, Milton Hershey, 7-6.