Chartiers Valley wrestlers bring home PIAA medals
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dylan Evans
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dylan Evans poses with the gold medal he added to his collection in wrestling. The Chartiers Valley senior is the 49th WPIAL wrestler to earn four medals in the PIAAA tournament. He is a two-time state champion, having won the 160-pound weight class by ultimate tiebreaker in the finals held March 11 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Brady Joling finished fourth at the state championships, giving Chartiers Valley two PIAA medalist in one year for the first time.
Dylan Evans prepares to accept his gold medal after winning the 160-pound weight class at the PIAA Class AAA wrestling championships this past weekend.
Dylan Evans and Brady Joling received heroes welcomes when they returned to Chartiers Valley High School on March 12 after their successful showing at the PIAA Class AAA wrestling championships held at the Giant Center in Hershey.
During an escort home by emergency vehicles and fire trucks, the pair passed decorated houses with lawns signs congratulating them for their achievement.
“It was crazy,” said Bill Evans, who is not only Dylan’s dad but the CV coach as well. “It’s been a great year for CV.”
For the first time in school history, the Valley welcomed home a two-time state champion as well as a pair of state medalists. Evans repeated as a PIAA winner while Joling earned a spot on the podium with a fourth-place finish.
“We knew we had two hammers,” Coach Evans said. “Our kids flew under the radar and they tried to keep a matter-of-fact attitude as they worked toward their goals. They are both 17-year-old student athletes and all we wanted for them was to enjoy their sport and to enjoy the moment. We did not put targets on our kids back.”
The younger Evans clearly had a bulls-eye on his back. Even though he was seeded second because of a loss in the regional championships, Evans still was the defending champion. He captured the gold in 2022 at the 152-pound weight class.
“Though this year was different, there was a target on my back but I was okay with that because in a sense I have had them on my back before,” said Evans.
Evans embarked on his title defense with a technical fall over Josh Barlow from Kennett in the tournament opener. The senior decisioned Bethlehem Catholic’s Andrew Harmon, 8-3, in the quarterfinals and edged Shippensburg’s Dominic Frontino, 2-1, in the semifinals to set up a rematch with Shawn Taylor from West Allegheny.
The two rivals had met four times this winter. After a section dual meet loss, 4-2, Evans won the section crown with a 3-2 win. Taylor won the WPIAL/Southwest Regional, defeating Evans by ultimate tiebreaker, 3-2.
“I felt like losing the WPIAL title was one of the better things to happen to me,” Evans said. “Leading up to WPIALs, my mind was all messed up. I had things to clean up. The loss was the best thing to happen to me because I was able to clear my head and prepare better for the state tournament. I was laser focused to win states.”
The 160-pound state championship mirrored the regional final as the gold medal was also decided by an UTB decision. After a scoreless first period, Taylor escaped to take a 1-0 lead. Evans tied the bout with a third-period escape to force overtime. After a scoreless, one-minute period, each wrestler scored a point in the first of two, 30 seconds UTB frames. Evans ended up winning the match because Taylor was assessed a point-penalty for stalling.
“It’s not the way I wanted to end the match and I did not ask for the call,” Evans said. “I just wrestled and I felt like I did all I could correctly. It was the referee’s decision. It’s not the way I wanted to win. I’m very grateful but I did not plan on this.”
Of the controversial call, Coach Evans pointed out that officials could have overturned the decision but they stood by the call. He also noted that referees officiating in the state championships are seasoned veterans.
“They’re experienced,” he said. “It’s like any other sport. In baseball, umpires call balls and strikes. There are holding calls in football on touchdowns. It’s the nature of sports. Officials make calls. They are not always pretty but we have to accept it.”
”It important to note, when I look at it as a coach, I am proud of Dylan. He handled this with grace. The outcome was decided and he was kind and respectful and humble. He’s a champion and I told him and Brady that no matter what the sun would come up the next day and they could be pleased because they did a fantastic job. They competed hard and no matter what they are still amazing kids. It’s been a great journey.”
Joling’s journey could have ended before it started because he suffered a knee injury during the sectional. He was forced to finish fourth but earned a berth in the regional where he rebounded and scored second at 121, thus punching his ticket to Hershey.
Though he opened state tournament action with a 5-3 loss to Kennett’s Trey Wagner, Joling won five straight bouts in the consolation rounds to qualify for a spot on the podium. He finished fourth after an 8-2 loss to Hunter Johnson from Mifflin County in the third-place consolation match.
“In my first match, I was really nervous but after that lose, I just decided to enjoy myself. I was my calmest. I’m not sure why, but I was cool headed. My mental state was right and I felt like I had a good show,” Joling said.
Though neither showed up on the podium, two other area wrestlers competed well in the PIAA tournament and gained valuable experience for another shot in the future.
A junior from Mt. Lebanon, Ejiro Montoya won his first match against Meadville’s Ben Fuller, 6-1, but lost his next two bouts. He finished 1-2 in the tournament.
”Being able to compete at the PIAA tournament is incredibly valuable,” said Lebo skipper Marc Allemang. “Being in that environment and getting to be in the Giant Center with the best in the state gives Ejiro the confidence to know he belongs.
”While going 1-2 was not the outcome he wanted, he knows he can get back and he knows what he needs to work on to get on the podium.”
A junior from Peters Township, Chris Cibrone also went 1-2 in the PIAA tournament. He won his first match by major decision, 10-1, against Neshaminy’s Beknazar Baiyshbekov before losing his next two bouts.