As quest for 4th PIAA Class 2A title begins, Frazier’s Rune Lawrence records 100th pin

By: Paul Schofield
Thursday, March 7, 2024 | 10:37 PM

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HERSHEY — Frazier senior Rune Lawrence began his quest of being the next four-time PIAA champion by recording the 100th pin of his career.

The West Virginia commit (30-1) pinned Greenville junior Teague Calvin at 2:31 in the first round of the Class 2A tournament Thursday.

He will face Catasauqua senior Chad Beller in the 8 a.m. quarterfinals Friday at the Giant Center.

“He looked good,” Frazier coach Buck Watkins said. “It doesn’t get old with him. He goes out and does his job.”

Lawrence is one of 14 wrestlers from the WPIAL to advance.

Among those joining him are his junior teammate Jackson Angelo (189), Derry freshmen Mason Horwat (145) and Brady Brown (189) and Burrell sophomore Cam Baker (107) and senior Cooper Hornack (139).

Others to advance are Bentworth senior Chris Vargo (127), Burgettstown senior heavyweight Joey Baronick, Mt. Pleasant sophomore heavyweight Dylan Pitzer, Central Valley senior heavyweight Brenan Morgan, Indiana junior Nico Fanella (127), Quaker Valley senior Jack Kazalas (133), Chartiers-Houston senior Jorden Williams (114) and Hopewell senior Isaiah Pisano (160).

This is the first year that the PIAA has decided to sponsor a girls wrestling tournament.

But not every girl entered that tournament.

Northwestern junior Sierra Chiesa decided to give the boys tournament another try after going 2-2 last year. On Thursday, she lost to Baker at 107 pounds to begin the 2024 tournament.

Baker used two takedowns to defeat Chiesa, 4-2.

“She is really good, and there was no way I was taking her lightly,” Baker said. “She’s really good at scrambling and is fundamentally strong. I just kept my weight on her.

“She’s good on the bottom and she does funky stuff. I wanted to stay clear of that.”

Baker (44-4) reached the semifinals a year ago. In Friday’s quarterfinals, he’ll face Tussey Mountain sophomore Dakota Santamaria, who he defeated 11-3 at Bedford on Jan. 27. Santamaria pinned No. 2 seed Manny Stoltzfus of Montgomery on Thursday.

“He’s really tough,” Baker said of Santamaria. “I can’t look past him. You look past anybody.”

Hornack, a reigning state champ, was in a tight battle against Camp Hill junior Noah Doi at 139. Hornack actually fought off numerous takedown attempts by Doi before catching him and pinning him in the second period.

Hornack will face Midd-West junior Matthew Smith in the quarterfinals.

“It was a tough first match, a returning state placewinner,” Hornack said. “I knew he was good, quick on his feet. I had to scramble out of some situations and takedowns. I hit a whizzer and hipped him over and got the pin. I practice that a lot.”

Hornack said he is comfortable in scramble situations.

“I know most positions real well and where to be to not get scored on and I can score on them,” Hornack said. “For me, this is always the toughest match. You don’t have any warmup and you don’t have any matches. You have to stay confident. I’m excited.”

For those in the wrestling community who didn’t know anything about Derry freshmen Mason Horwat and Brady Brown before Thursday, they do now after the opening round.

One bystander told his buddy, “That’s a freshman,” after he watched Brown defeat second-seeded Lucas Lawler, a junior from Bishop McDevitt, 2-1, in the opening round at 189 pounds. Lawler was ranked No. 4 by PA Power Wrestling.

Brown (39-4) had to win a preliminary-round match against Fort LeBoeuf senior Conner McChesney, 7-6, to get there.

But maybe the bigger win was by Horwat (36-4). He surprised many when he knocked off Faith Christian junior Chase Hontz, 2-0, at 145. Hontz was ranked No. 2 by PA Power Wrestling.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Brown said. “He’s definitely a tough opponent. I did what I needed to get the win, so I’m happy.”

Brown got an escape and a penalty point in the second period to grab a 2-0 lead. He allowed Lawler to escape in the third period and then fended off numerous takedown attempts to secure the win.

The last came with 25 second left when it looked like Lawler would secure a takedown, but Brown used a funk counter and forced a stalemate with six seconds left.

“I was in danger, so I had to get my butt off the mat,” Brown said. “This win is incredible. Going into the match after watching my teammate get a win definitely helped me. I told myself I had to get the win.”

Horwat (36-4) used a tilt in the third period to secure a two-point nearfall for the win.

“I didn’t give him anything,” Horwat said. “I studied his matches, and I made sure I didn’t give him something he liked to get to.

“I was nervous at the beginning, but my coach got me ready for the match with hard work. It was awesome to watch Brady win. I just want to keep the momentum going here.”

The two dynamic freshmen have fed off each other all season. They were section champions and WPIAL champions.

Derry coach Troy Dolan Jr. couldn’t have been prouder of his trio of wrestlers. Even though junior Anthony Mucci went 1-1, he’s feels Mucci is in a good spot in the bracket.

“It would be nice for all three to place,” Dolan said. “This went a little better than we scripted. It was great to see Mason and Brady wrestle well here as freshmen. It was a big ask for them coming in and knocking off some good guys when they were underdogs.”

Dolan said both are hard workers, and they both proved that hard works pays off.

Horwat will face Brookville junior Cole Householder, the No. 3 seed, and Brown faces a familiar foe, Frazier junior Jackson Angelo. They are wrestling partners at All-American Wrestling Club.

Pitzer was the only Viking to advance to the quarterfinals at 8 a.m. Friday.

Pitzer survived a second-period scare, when he got put on his back, to defeat South Williamsport senior Ryan Casella, 15-6, in a 285-pound match. Pitzer (41-2) gets Berks Catholic senior Brody Kline in the next round.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.