HERSHEY — Coy Campbell waited 12 months for this moment.
During last year’s PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships, the Upper Dauphin senior led Jamestown’s Faris Messai 5-0 before getting caught and pinned. Messai earned a seventh-place medal; Campbell went home empty-handed.
So when they met again Friday morning in the 113-pound state quarterfinals, it was time to avenge that loss.
Scoring four takedowns and avoiding Messai’s big pinning combinations, Campbell pulled away for a 12-5 decision.
“I’m excited. I’ve been waiting since last year to get payback,’’ Campbell said. “It’s the furthest I’ve ever gotten in wrestling in my life. So it’s overwhelming, kind of.
“I knew he would try to hit something big if I was winning again,’’ Campbell added. “I stayed with the game plan, keep good position, don’t get thrown in anything stupid.’’
In the semifinals, Campbell couldn’t get his offense started and lost 8-1 to Central Cambria’s Max Murin. Murin (36-1) tallied two takedowns and a set of back points in the victory.
Campbell bounced right back in the consolations, rolling Brockway’s Ryan Carlson 8-2. Campbell (35-8) will face Line Mountain’s Cameron Newman (41-3) this afternoon for the bronze.
While Campbell was the only local wrestler to reach the semifinals, eight others battled through the consolations to earn places on the awards platform.
Jim Thorpe junior 106-pounder Kevan Gentile clinched his state medal with the 100th win of his career, a 6-2 decision over Bishop McDevitt’s Luke Pipa.
“It means a lot, just knowing that I got it here,’’ Gentile said. “It was nerve-wracking, but I was confident, too.’’
Gentile kept it rolling in the night session, defeating Fort LeBoeuf’s Abe Guariello 7-1 and Boiling Springs’ Jalin Hankerson 5-3. Gentile (44-2) will take on Benton’s Alan Diltz (39-6) today for third place.
Another junior, Lehighton’s Connor Frey (182) reached the century mark with a 5-0 victory over Juniata’s Taylor Foster. Frey then clinched his medal with a 4-2 decision over Greenville’s Gage Gladysz.
“It means the world to me,’’ Frey said. “It lets people know what Lehighton is. It means a lot to represent my town and all my friends. I got both of my goals accomplished today that I have written on my wall in my room and I look at every morning.’’
Frey lost 3-1 in sudden victory to Pope John Paul II’s Michael Collins during the night session. Montoursville’s Garrett Hoffman (44-2) will wrestle Frey (37-6) for seventh place.
North Schuylkill senior 195-pounder Alek Hummel had an up-and-down day. He got pinned by Benton’s Logan Womelsdorf during a scoreless bout in the quarterfinals, but rebounded with a 16-3 win over Clarion’s Zach Sintobin to become a medalist for the first time.
“It’s not what I was looking for, but I guess it will do,’’ Hummel said. “You’re battling with the best down here. It’s not like it’s easy to do.’’
In the evening, he led Chestnut Ridge’s Connor Buttry 3-1 late in the third period before getting caught and pinned in 4:56.
Panther Valley senior Rian Shubeck made the drop to 195 for the postseason, and the move paid off with a state medal. After getting pinned in the quarterfinals, Shubeck battled Canton’s Tyler Cole to a 1-1 tie deep into sudden victory. Shubeck, though, converted a deep, double-leg shot with seconds remaining to win 3-1.
“It was awesome. It was a great feeling that I finally got it,’’ Shubeck said. “I was shooting all match and didn’t get anything. I got (the takedown) when it counted.
“That was my goal this year,’’ he added about the state medal.
In the evening, Shubeck lost 3-1 to Eastern York’s Lucas Barshinger. That set up a seventh-place bout between Shubeck (31-6) and Hummel (44-3).
Williams Valley’s Willy Girard won back-to-back elimination bouts to clinch his medal at 113. In the day session, Girard pinned West Branch’s Joseph Couteret in 3:28 and decisioned Messai 8-6.
Girard dropped his first match of the night session, 3-1 to Saucon Valley’s Jack Hill. Girard (36-9) will take on Penn Cambria’s Nolan Link (35-7) for seventh place.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s something every wrestler looks forward to,’’ said Girard, one of several state qualifiers last season who took a step forward this March. “It’s not the goal, but it’s still a medal and something to ease yourself through the offseason.
“It gives me a lot of confidence to know I’m improving each year.’’
Tri-Valley’s Caleb Bordner (120), Hunter Harner (160) and Dan Scheib (220) battled through the consolations to clinch all-state medal status, too.
Tri-Valley’s Sammy Hepler (38-8) and Anthony Snyder (36-12) and North Schuylkill’s Nate Gadinski (42-6) suffered their second losses one bout short of medals status. Tri-Valley’s Chase Schaeffer (36-11), Tamaqua’s Dylan Rynkiewicz (40-7) and Hamburg’s Ignacion Reynoso (41-16) lost in the second round of consolations.
Just one session remains in Class AA. Bouts for first, third, fifth and seventh places will be held on four mats at 2 p.m. today at the Giant Center.