HERSHEY — With victory complete, Zach Beitz couldn’t hide his glee. He ran across the mat to hug his coaches as soon the referee raised his hand to signify the win over a state champion.

After two relatively ho-hum, upset-free early sessions, wrestling aficionados were treated to a rousing evening session Friday at the PIAA championships.

The competition in Class AA got stiffer with the Friday night bouts determining who would move on to the finals.

It’s a familiar spot for Shady Side Academy’s Dane Johnson, the athletic senior who moved on to the final match Saturday at 140 pounds after an easy 18-5 win over Pen Argyl’s Philip Racciato. Johnson already has titles at 112 and 125.

Johnson and Penn-Trafford’s Shane Young, who won his Class AAA quarterfinal bout at 119 pounds earlier Friday, are vying to join the exclusive three-title club. Only 32 other wrestlers have accomplished such a feat in the 72-year history of the tournament.

Beitz, though, provided one of the night’s big highlights at 112, overcoming a 1-0 deficit in the third period against Montoursville’s Luke Frey with four points on a takedown plus back points en route to a thrilling 4-2 victory.

“I did a little shrug-type thing and then I shot,” Beitz said in describing his takedown.

And the back points?

“It wasn’t a move or anything, just good luck,” he said.

Frey, a previously undefeated sophomore, had won the 103-pound crown in 2008. Beitz couldn’t stop smiling 15 minutes after the bout — he said he didn’t think he would make it this far in the tournament with such a tough draw.

Later, Wyomissing sophomore Nick Hodgkins scored a takedown at the buzzer in overtime to defeat Shady Side’s Frank Martelloti at 130. Martelloti had won at 103 in 2007.

Schuylkill Valley’s Colin Shober continued the upset trend at 135 by defeating defending champion Jordan Moss, 3-1.

Reporters looking to talk to Shober immediately after the bout couldn’t find the giddy junior because he was in the arena concourse celebrating with his family.

One of the most anticipated bouts of the evening ended with undefeated Jon Fausey of Line Mountain beating Roman SanDoval at 189 pounds, 5-2. Sandoval is the defending champ at that weight, while Fausey came into this year’s tourney at 40-0.

Down 3-1, SanDoval appeared to be close to getting a takedown to tie when Fausey grabbed his opponent’s heel, giving him enough traction to quickly flip SanDoval over for a decisive takedown.

Fausey, a senior, said he came into previous PIAA finals with too serious an attitude. This year, he concentrated on having fun — though he’s still brimming with confidence.

“I got into the first period, and I said, ‘I ain’t losing this match,” said Fausey, still out of breath. “I was out there, I was having fun, I was relaxed.”

The AAA wrestlers held court Friday afternoon on the mats laid over the hockey rink at the Giant Center.

Save for meal breaks in between sessions, the arena is filled with the nonstop cacophony of parents and coaches screaming encouragement from the stands, and referees blowing on whistles to create a seemingly endless string of high-pitch screeches.

Potential upsets make bouts stand out from the sea of flailing arms and legs, especially if a champ like Jake Kemerer is in trouble. The undefeated senior from Hempfield in District 7 is hoping to defend his AAA title at 160 pounds.

Northampton’s James Sheptock gave Kemerer a scare, leading 2-0 going into the third period before Kemerer got an escape, then a takedown with 1:21 left to secure a 3-2 win.

Kemerer said he still gets nervous even though he’s off to his third straight state semifinals. He’s a big target for opponents because his previous success.

“I think everyone is coming after me,” he said. “It motivates me because I know they want to come out and beat me. I pick it up a little bit.”

Canon McMillan sophomore Nick Catalano knows how it feels to notch an upset after defeating Blue Mountain’s Cortland Choate in early round action Thursday at 130 pounds. Choate had won the 125-pound title in 2008.

On Friday, Catalano scored a 5-3 decision over Unionville’s Mason Popham to continue his stellar tournament.

“I don’t take anyone lightly, whether it’s the first round or the finals,” the soft-spoken Catalano said. “That first round boosted my confidence a little bit, but I got to treat everyone as if they’re the same person.”