WILLIAMSPORT - Lake-Lehman senior Austin Harry's greatest battle this season may have been his battle with the bulge.
Sure, bulge is a figurative term for a kid who started the season at 138 pounds. But when he first moved down to 132 on Jan. 22, something wasn't clicking.
He lost too much weight, too fast.
On Feb. 12, he dropped a convincing decision to Valley West's Travis Roper. Then, he recaptured his mojo.
Harry defeated Montoursville's Keith Batkowski via 4-2 decision Saturday to win his third consecutive Class AA Northeast Regional tournament title at Williamsport High School. Harry will make his fourth appearance at the PIAA Championships, which begin Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Four WVC wrestlers earned their way to Hershey, including GAR's Saul Wilkins, who won the 285-pound title.
Lake-Lehman 170-pounder Derek Dragon edged Danville's David Burke, 5-4, in a third-place match.
Wyoming Area's Charlie Johnson earned a 3-1 decision in a third-place match.
"It's a great feeling. I mean, coming down here is always challenge and I just felt real good today," Harry said. "I've been feeling good the last couple of weeks. I've been sharp and clean and have had a couple good matches."
Harry hit a single-leg takedown in the first period to take a 2-0 lead, but broke the match open with a reversal early in the second to make it 4-0.
“It’s tougher when you get a two, three, four-point lead because you don’t want to go on the defensive, but you tend to go a little more on the defensive,” Harry said. “And that’s when you can get hit with stalls and be caught on your heels and bad things can happen.”
Harry called Hershey “the best place in the world.” He failed to place as a freshman, took eighth as a sophomore and finished fourth last year.
“Right after (the Batkowski) match, I said to my coach (Tom Williams), ‘Four more. It’s one match at a time. Four more matches and the (PIAA) gold around my neck,’” Harry said.
GAR junior Saul Wilkins wanted to keep in shape during the winter. A football player by trade, he elected to give wrestling a try. That was three months ago. Now, the unassuming kid with the big smile is a regional champ.
Wilkins controlled Troy’s Dylan Brennan en route to a 7-3 decision in the 285-pound final.
“Now it’s getting pretty crazy,” said Wilkins, who also won the District 2 title last weekend. “I thought it was crazy before. It’s even crazier now. I just want to keep going.”
Wilkins (30-8) said making states was “a dream” when the season started. He had raw talent and size, but his early-season results did not foreshadow future success.
He was pinned three times in his first five matches, seemingly another big guy with limited fundamentals. He aimed to change that label. Assistant coach Josh Wasielewski, a former GAR wrestler, has been Wilkins’ primary workout partner.
“Since day one, he beat me up,” Wilkins said. “He didn’t take any chances, even though I was new. He beat me up. I learned my mistakes from there the hard way. He always helped me.”
Following Wilkins’ semifinal win, Wasielewski’s ear-to-ear grin never wavered. He made the 2006 regional tournament, but failed to qualify for states. The protégé had outdone the mentor.
“Words can’t describe how happy I am for him,” Wasielewski said. “I mean, just seeing him every single day come into the weight room, lift and jump rope for 15 minutes before and after practice every single day. And every single time something happens, he always says, ‘Coach, don’t take it easy on me.”
Wilkins said he learned from every loss, a novice slowly but surely unraveling the secrets of a new sport. More than anything, he views himself as a competitor.
“I hate losing at anything,” Wilkins said. “Chess, checkers, rock-paper-scissors. Anything.”
Wyoming Area sophomore Charlie Johnson and Warrior Run senior Brian LeBarron were tied at 1 late in the third period of their 126-pound third-place match. Johnson hooked LeBarron’s leg with 40 seconds left, received the takedown and rode him out for a 3-1 victory.
The ref’s call left LeBarron incredulous, but Johnson is off to Hershey.
“I had the leg hooked, and he had it locked in the crotch, but I personally think it was two because I had the leg hooked and I was around his body,” Johnson said. “But I’m not completely sure.”