HERSHEY - Tri-Valley's Sammy Hepler has been coming to the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships for years.
As a fan.
At 9 Thursday morning, Hepler stepped onto Mat 2 at the Giant Center - this time as a competitor.
By 9:09 a.m., his work day was done.
The Dawgs' freshman 106-pounder rallied past South Park's Dallas Bulsak 8-4 to become the first of four local wrestlers to advance to the quarterfinals as the three-day grappling marathon got under way on a frigid March morning.
North Schuylkill senior Auston Hummel (170), Hamburg senior Cody Miller (182) and Panther Valley senior Richard Nase (195) also won their preliminary bouts.
They advance to this morning's quarterfinals, set for 9 a.m. The second round of consolations will follow. The evening session, begin-
ning at 6:30 p.m., will feature the semifinals and two rounds of consolations.
A lot of newcomers to the state tournament can't handle their nerves on the big stage, in the cavernous arena, in front of the big crowd and amid the importance of the circumstances. None of that bothered Hepler.
"No. I was ready to go, cut the weight good, feeling great,'' Hepler said.
"The atmosphere is great, and I love it here,'' he added. "I've been watching since sixth grade. In elementary school I'd take days off to come watch it, and now I'm here.''
Hepler scored the first takedown, but Bulsak clawed back and took a 4-2 lead on a takedown at the edge with one second left in the second period. Choosing down, Hepler escaped, then converted the go-ahead takedown with 50 seconds left in the match. He chopped away Bulsak's chances at victory with three back points in the closing seconds.
"I had a guillotine there and was able to take it really nice and slow back over, and that's how I got the points there,'' Hepler said. "Sigh of relief right there. I knew it was over if I could hold him there.''
Hepler (31-5) advances to meet Bethlehem Catholic's Jake Riegel (26-7), who posted a 7-1 decision over previously unbeaten Brian Courtney (30-1) of Athens. Hepler pinned Riegel in overtime of the finals at the District 11 Tournament.
Nase, another state rookie, scored a late takedown for a 3-1 win over Southwest Region champ James Bennett (36-2) of Hyndman. Nase (32-7) will take on Boiling Springs' Kyle Taylor (36-8) in the quarterfinals.
Hummel, who lost his first bout at Hershey last season, came out strong against Lake-Lehman's Derek Dragon, countering Dragon's leg attack and building a 5-0 lead. Hitting a headlock and winning a scramble, he went back to the headlock and pinned Dragon at 2:58.
"He was tugging down the whole time, and I felt the headlock there the whole time,'' Hummel explained. "I was just waiting for the perfect time to hit it. He rolled me through. I countered that and hit him with the same thing and put him on his back.''
Hummel (39-3) will take on Penns Valley's Corey Hazel (35-3) in the quarterfinals. Hazel topped Fairfield's Nick Mort 10-5.
"A lot better than coming here and losing my first one like last year,'' Hummel said after his victory. "Now I can rest and get ready for tomorrow.
"Last year helped. I was pretty nervous last year coming in here, but now I'm used to it. I know what to expect.''
So does Miller, who got to compete for three days in February in the Giant Center at the PIAA Class AA Team Championships. He showed no jitters in a 13-1 demolition of Jamestown's Mohamed Messai.
"That helped a lot," he said. "That helped take the nerves out a little bit knowing I was here before.''
Miller was scheduled to wrestle Cranberry's Zachery Bruce (33-1), who had to withdraw before the tournament, creating some shuffling of the bracket. Against Messai, he scored two takedowns, two three-point tilts, a reversal and an escape to steadily pull away.
Next up for Miller (46-5) is Montgomery's Isaiah Bobotas (26-3). The Northeast Region champ topped Chestnut Ridge's Conner Buttry 10-6 in the preliminaries.
Cody is the third of the wrestling Miller brothers. Glenn was a sixth-place finisher at states, while Hank Miller also wrestled for Hamburg.
"All I want is a state medal, and that's what I'm going to fight for,'' Cody Miller said.