Two reach AA finals

Jake Temple of Avella and Jared Walker of South Fayette each reached the finals of their respective weight classes with victories Friday night in the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Temple stopped Andrew Dunn of Bethlehem Catholic 4-2 in ultimate tiebreaker to reach the finals of the 220-pound weight class in the PIAA Class AA Championships in Hershey. He is the first wrestler from Avella to make the state finals since Ryan Sella won the school’s last state title in 1988.

Walker defeated Ryan Preisch of Milton in an eerily similar match as Temple’s and by the same score, 4-2, in ultimate tiebreaker.

John Demaske of Jefferson-Morgan entered his 126-pound semifinal bout against Bethlehem Catholic’s Zeke Moisey with a 42-0 record and left with his first loss after a 5-1 decision for Moisey.

Four other Double-A wrestlers who made it to the quarters Friday morning fell into consolations: Austin McDermitt of Burgettstown lost, 7-1, to Luke Karam of Bethlehem Catholic at 113 pounds; Mike Carr of South Fayette suffered his first loss of the season, 6-1, to Kyle Shoop of Boiling Springs at 132, Jason Miller of Jefferson-Morgan fell 4-2 to Josh Evans of Palmerton at 138, and Bill Bowlen of J-M was edged by Garrett Hoffman of Montoursville, 5-4, at 170. Each will come away with a medal.