The bright lights of Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center can be intimidating, but they didn’t faze a young group of area wrestlers who showcased their talents at last weekend’s Keystone State Championships.
Five wrestlers from the Local.News1 coverage area — Greencastle-Antrim’s Benjamin Jansen and Damien Johns, Waynesboro’s Aven Beltz, Chambersburg’s Mirra Harbaugh, and Fairfield’s Lainey Miller — all returned home with hardware.
Competing in the 13-14 age division, Jansen took fourth at 192 pounds, while Johns nailed down fifth at 167. The Blue Devil wrestlers represented the area’s only boys medalists.
Harbaugh took fourth at 150 pounds in the girls 13-14 age division, while the 7-8 division included medalist finishes from Waynesboro’s Aven Beltz (4th at 45) and Fairfield’s Lainey Miller (6th at 75).
One more state postseason tournament remains: This weekend’s PJW Youth State Championships in Harrisburg.
Below is a team-by-team, wrestler-by-wrestler look at how local grapplers performed at the Keystone State Championships:
Waynesboro
Keystone State Championships
Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, in State College
Boys 7-8
55: Noah Swope (2-2)
Round of 32: L, 5-1 to Ephram Kazar (Danville)
Cons. 1st Round: W, 3-2 over Gabe Reisch (Cedar Cliff)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, 8-3 over Sullivan Heleniak (Moon)
Cons. 3rd Round: L, by fall in 0:54 to Nico Baiano (Thomas Jefferson)
Girls 7-8
45: Aven Beltz (2-2, 4th place)
Quarterfinals: L, by fall in 0:55 to Joelle Sundo (Avonworth)
Cons. Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 0:13 over Makenna Wensel (Union)
Cons. Semifinals: W, 5-3 over Maeve Parnell (Quaker Valley)
3rd Place: L, 8-0 to Joelle Sundo (Avonworth)
Girls 9-10
63: Emma Swope (1-2)
Round of 32: L, 10-3 to Lennyx Fletcher (AC Valley)
Cons. 2nd Round: W, by fall in 0:58 over Jemi Popson (Marion Center)
Greencastle-Antrim
Keystone State Championships
Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, in State College
Boys 13-14
132: Silas Robertson (2-2)
Round of 32: W, 10-2 over Chase Clark (Dubois)
Round of 16: W, 7-0 over Ashton Falls (Keystone Central)
Quarterfinals: L, 9-1 to Landen Hassel (Sharpsville)
Cons. 5th Round: L, 8-5 to Trypp Smith (Connellsville)
167: Damien Johns (4-2, 5th place)
Round of 32: W, 13-1 over Brayden Walsh (Riverview)
Round of 16: W, 2-0 over Luke Boronyak (Mars)
Quarterfinals: W, by DQ in 4:25 over Stanley Boris (Mahanoy Area)
Semifinals: L, 1-0 to Cole Walker (Central Bucks)
Cons. Semifinals: L, 11-3 to Mason VanAllman (Tyrone)
5th Place: W, 10-4 over Asher Kolesar (Northeast Bradford)
192: Benjamin Jansen (3-2, 4th place)
Round of 16: W, by fall in 1:59 over Matthew Shartle (Saegertown)
Quarterfinals: W, 10-0 over Alejandro Aleman (Thomas Jefferson)
Semifinals: L, 4-1 to Gavin Purdy (Grove City)
Cons. Semifinals: W, 1-0 over Luke O’Korn (Peters Township)
3rd Place: L, 2-1 to Trace Kinzey (Armstrong)
Chambersburg
Keystone State Championships
Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, in State College
Boys 6U
52: Colt Bryan (1-2)
Round of 16: W, 16-0 (2:26) over Hudson Andrews (Cochranton)
Quarterfinals: L, 6-4 to Nico Astudillo (Hempfield)
Cons. 4th Round: L, 7-5 to Emir Tashtan (Chartiers Valley)
Boys 9-10
75: Frankie Bryan (1-2)
Round of 32: W, 4-0 over Michael Popson (Indiana)
Round of 16: L, 5-0 to Carter Temple (Seneca Valley)
Cons. 4th Round: L, 5-3 to Henry Heidenreich (Shaler)
120: Samuel Stoner (0-2)
Round of 32: L, by fall in 1:10 to Connor Waugh (Bald Eagle Area)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, 3-0 to Declan Ladd (Pleasant Valley)
Girls 13-14
150: Mirra Harbaugh (3-2, 4th place)
Round of 16: W, by fall in 1:22 over Avery Goutman (Pine-Richland)
Quarterfinals: W, 19-2 (4:30) over Lucia Montoya (Williamsport)
Semifinals: L, by fall in 1:00 to Camilla Hathaway (Mt. Lebanon)
Cons. Semifinals: W, by fall in 2:10 over Bailee Scott (Bellefonte)
3rd Place: L, 2-1 to Lucia Montoya (Williamsport)
Fairfield
Keystone State Championships
Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, in State College
Girls 6U
50: Carlee Miller (0-2)
Round of 16: L, by fall in 0:49 to Chelsa Antonelli (Methacton)
Cons. 2nd Round: L, by fall in 0:32 to Ruby Meyers (Jefferson-Morgan)
Girls 7-8
75: Lainey Miller (2-3, 6th place)
Round of 16: L, 15-1 to Laiken Hindinger (Chestnut Ridge)
Cons. 1st Round: W, by fall in 0:51 over Savannah Redzanic (West Allegheny)
Cons. Quarterfinals: W, by fall in 1:46 over Aria Miller (Conemaugh Township)
Cons. Semifinals: L, by fall in 2:14 to Rylee Brozik (Jefferson-Morgan)
5th Place: L, 8-3 to Laiken Hindinger (Chestnut Ridge)
