ASSOCIATED PRESS

HERSHEY — With a victory milestone within reach, Shane Young stayed calm and focused. A much bigger prize awaits the Penn-Trafford senior at the PIAA Wrestling Championships.

The two-time state champion displayed little emotion after pinning Unionville’s Joe Bonaduce at 3:28 at 119 pounds for his 150th career victory — a rare feat in scholastic wrestling.

“I knew I was going for it, but I forgot about it,” Young said Thursday, the first day of the three-day tournament. He’s the only Class AAA wrestler searching for a third title this year.
“I’m more focused on winning states again,” said Young, who had a 100-bout win streak snapped by Bellefonte’s Mitchell Port. “I’m coming in as two-time defending champion. People are expecting me to win again, so there's more pressure.”

One returning champ lost in a tight bout.

Blue Mountain senior Cortland Choate, last year’s champion at 125, dropped a 4-2 overtime tiebreaker decision to Canon-McMillan sophomore Nick Catalano at 130. Catalano and Choate were tied at 1 going into the first tiebreaker.

Catalano chose bottom and received a point for a locked hands call before reversing Choate. The bout went into overtime after Choate was called for stalling with 19 seconds remaining in regulation.

“It’s the biggest win of my high school career,” said Catalano, who lost to Choate 1-0 last December.

Returning champions Dylan Alton of Central Mountain and Joey Napoli of Cumberland Valley moved closer to arranging a highly anticipated 145-pound final.

Alton, last year’s champion at 135, pinned Springfield Delco’s Brandon Loro in 45 seconds. Napoli, who is trying to defend his 145-pound title, recorded a 19-4 technical fall over Parkland’s Ian Heist.

Central Dauphin’s Marshall Peppelman, Hempfield’s Jake Kemerer and Clearfield's Sean Owen also moved closer to winning their second titles by winning preliminary bouts. Owen recorded the day’s quickest fall, pinning La Salle College High’s Kyle DiGiacobbe in nine seconds.

All eight returning Class AA champions prevailed Thursday morning, including Keystone Oaks senior Anthony Zanetta, who will meet a familiar opponent in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Zanetta, last year’s champ at 112, defeated Wyalusing Zane McClaskey by technical 21-5. He will wrestle Boiling Springs junior Joe Spisak, who hammered Burrell’s Jeremy Landowski 15-0. Zanetta defeated Spisak on a buzzer-beating takedown during last year's state finals.

“I’m glad we get to wrestle again,” Zanetta said. “Wrestling somebody you wrestled in the state finals in the quarterfinals is going to be tough.”

Dane Johnson opened his quest to become Shady Side’s first three-time champion by defeating Jim Thorpe’s Dillon Smith, 7-3 at 140. Johnson, who has crowns at 125 and 112, is the only Class AA wrestler pursuing a third title.