Exeter junior Austin DeSanto had just competed in the 120-pound final of the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships and lost the first match of his season – after winning the first 50 consecutively – to Franklin Regional junior Spencer Lee.
After a first loss, let alone a second-period technical fall, DeSanto’s emotions could have been anywhere. But more than anything, he wanted to get back to work.
“It’s exciting to wrestle the best, and he’s the best. I need to get out to the (wrestling) room and work on stuff,” DeSanto said after the final.
DeSanto settled for a state silver medal on March 12 at the Giant Center in Hershey, unable to stop Lee from staying unbeaten in his prolific career and won his third consecutive PIAA gold medal and the Outstanding Wrestler award, backing up his status as UWW Junior World champion in 2015.
DeSanto led the Eagles’ and Berks County charge at the three-day tournament in Hershey.
Exeter senior Brett Kulp capped his scholastic career with fourth place at 132, rallying back from defeat in the first round.
Also medaling were Governor Mifflin senior Dylan Harr, sixth place at 195, and Daniel Boone junior Jesse Enck, seventh place at 220.
Exeter’s Denny Karas and Oscar Daniels missed out on medals at 195 and 285, respectively, each winning one match.
Twin Valley senior Aaron Wildonger reached the third round of consolations, edging Boyertown’s Lucas Miller 5-4 before falling to Downingtown East’s Wade Cummings to go 2-2 for the tournament and finish his season 36-6.
Oley Valley junior Charles Wildermuth was a qualifier at 195 and went 0-2.
Bethlehem Catholic won the team championship with three gold medalists and six total medalists, a follow-up to Beca winning the PIAA Class AAA Team Duals championship in February. Exeter placed 14th.
DeSanto and Lee were dominant in the lead up to their highly-anticipated match, Lee scoring first-period pins in his first three matches while DeSanto, the South Central Regional champion, logged two tech falls and a major decision of bronze medalist K.J. Fenstermacher 13-5 in the quarters.
Yet Lee, who improved to 109-0 in his scholastic career, wouldn’t be denied with a clinical technical fall of DeSanto in 3:43.
DeSanto, who bettered his fifth place medal from 2015, left Hershey even more determined.
“There was stuff I could have done on my feet, but I was too excited. My bottom moves need work, too,” he said.
“My setups from the neutral position and the bottom need work. There’s so much stuff to work on. I know what I need to work on.”
Teammate Kulp’s setback came Thursday in a first-round loss to eventual finalist James Hoffman of Hazleton Area, 1-0.
“Losing in the first round hurt,” Kulp said. “I wanted to place. I came on strong after that.”
Kulp then gutted out four consecutive wins in dramatic fashion, including a 5-4 win over Council Rock South’s Zack Trampe, who entered states 45-1 and the Southeast region champ.
“That was huge. He was ranked number one in the state,” Kulp said.
His scholastic career concluded with a 2-0 defeat to Hempfield Area’s Luke Kemerer, for a second straight fourth place at states and a 48-6 record as a senior.
“I think it was a great season, and a great career,” Kulp said. “I improved each year.”
Harr, the South Central AAA Regional third place finisher, finished year with a 32-8 record with his sixth at 195.
Harr reached the championship semifinals with a pin of Miles Lee, of South Philadelphia, in 2:23 and a 4-3 decision of Mifflin County’s Trey Hartsock.
Harr was sent to consolations through a 5-1 defeat to Norwin’s Drew Phipps. A narrow 3-2 loss to La Salle’s Anthony Piscopo in the consolation semifinals placed Harr in the fifth-place match. Hartsock got a dose of revenge, 3-0, to give the Mustangs senior sixth.
Boone’s Enck finished his year with a 40-5 record. He reached the medal round with a dramatic 5-4 decision on Shippensburg’s Cameron Tinner in the third round of consolations – he was pinned by eventual 220 champion Jacob Robb of Armstrong in the championship first round – and earned seventh place by topping Quakertown’s Gavin Caroff 6-2 in the seventh-place match.
Karas, a sophomore, finished his season 42-11 while Daniels, a junior, ended up 44-9.
Wilson’s top finisher was senior Isaac Schaunnauer, who went 2-2 at 285 and missed a medal. The Bulldogs’ Brandon Connor, a freshman 106-pounder, and Tom O’Brien, a junior 160-pounder, each went 0-2.
Jeff Stover contributed to this report