A punch to the mat, a few fist pumps in the air, and an enthusiastic embrace for his head coach said everything Bishop McDevitt’s Braiden Lotier was feeling as he secured his first PIAA state wrestling championship after a 7-1 victory in the 107-pound weight class.
“I couldn’t be happier right now. It’s a little intimidating coming out to your match under the spotlight, and there’s a lot going on throughout the tournament, but I just wrestled my match and came away with the gold,” Lotier told The Witness after stepping off the medals stand at the Giant Center in Hershey on March 8.
The state wrestling tournament is a gauntlet for wrestlers who must successfully navigate a four-round bracket featuring the best of the best from across the Commonwealth to make it to the top of the podium.
Earning two major decisions (a margin of victory between 8 and 14 points) and pin in the first three rounds, Lotier met Saucon Valley’s Carter Chunko in the finals – an opponent he had faced and beaten, 13-11, to win the AA regional tournament a week earlier.
“I didn’t think I had wrestled my strongest match when I beat him at regionals. Coming into the finals, I knew I wanted to go on the offensive first and often. My goal was take shots, and that’s what I did,” said Lotier, who finished his sophomore season with a record of 49-4.
Lotier was the first of four Bishop McDevitt wrestlers in the prestigious AA finals, as his fellow Crusaders Camden Baum at 139, Ryan Lawler at 152 and Lucas Lawler at 215 also made appearances in the finals.
Baum, a junior commit to Purdue and a returning state runner-up, fell in the finals in a tight 1-0 loss against Brandt Harer of Montgomery, the same opponent who bested him for gold last year. Baum finished his season at 48-5.
In the 152-pound match, Ryan Lawler lost 10-0 to Devon Magro of Bishop McCort, and his brother, Lucas, gave up a late takedown at 215 in a 5-2 loss to four-time finalist Austin Johnson of Muncy. The Lawlers, who are Bucknell commits, expressed gratitude and glory to God as they were surrounded by family members and friends following their matches. Ryan finishes his high school career at 159-32 and Lucas concludes with an overall record of 155-32.
“Stepping out there in the Parade of Champions tonight and being under the spotlight with three of my teammates was a dream come true,” Lotier said. “We work hard and practice together, and really are brothers.”
At the end of the night, McDevitt head coach Mike Nauman beamed with pride for his wrestlers.
“They work really hard, and we do this all year round,” he said. “I’m very proud of them. While I make it fun, I also make it so they’d want to run through a brick wall for me. I consider them my kids, and I love them.”
He had one message for his four finalists before they walked out onto the Giant Center mat: “You don’t get this back. You’ve made it to the big show, so let it all hang out,” he said.
The night capped a strong season for the Crusaders, who captured third in the state team tournament last month, after hanging with but losing to recent powerhouse Faith Christian and then bouncing in the consolations to take the bronze.
“I’m blessed to have this group, and I think we’ll have a shot at a team championship next year,” Nauman said. “AA wrestling is so tough right now, with a lot of strong competition. We went to states as a team this year and took third, and we had Faith Christian on the ropes. I think our time is coming for a title.”
Delone Wrestler Makes History in Girls’ Bracket
Last season, girls’ wrestling got underway as an officially sanctioned PIAA sport, and this year’s wrestling championships featured the first female from a Diocesan high school.
Faith Gladfelter, a freshman from Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, entered the PIAA championships as the number two seed at 118 pounds from the south central region.
She is 33-5 on the season – with an impressive 25 pins over her competition, including 17 consecutive wins by fall.
The Squirette is the first female from a Diocesan high school to make the PIAA tournament, and she muscled her way to a fifth-place finish in breathtaking fashion after getting knocked out of the championship round in the quarterfinals.
Trailing 6-1 in the waning moments of the fifth-place match against Braylee Ireland of Knock, Gladfelter was in danger of falling to her opponent for the third time, as Knock had pinned her twice in earlier competition.
But with less than 30 seconds left in the match, Gladfelter saw an opening and took her shot, converting a takedown into a headlock to turn Ireland on her back and score a pin with 12 ticks remaining.
“I knew time was running out and I had to make a move. She opened the door for me to put it on her – which for me is my strongest move – and I was able to get the pin,” said Gladfelter, who has been wrestling for three years.
“It was a really good experience, being out here for the first time,” Gladfelter said of the state tournament. “I didn’t know what to expect going into it because it’s my first time, and it was a little overwhelming.
In all, she wrestled six matches in the tournament, going 4-2 with three pins.
“I feel good about what I did, but I know I have to get more confident,” she said.
A total of 12 Diocesan wrestlers placed in the state tournament:
- Bishop McDevitt’s Braiden Lotier, first at 107; Camden Baum, second at 139; Ryan Lawler, second at 152; Lucas Lawler, second at 215; Greyson Music, third at 127; Liam Lawler, seventh at 121; Easton Comp, seventh at 145; and Nicky Negron, seventh at 160
- Trinity’s Camron Smith, fifth at 107, and Will Detar, third at 121
- Delone Catholic’s Faith Gladfelter, fifth at 118, and Gavin Green, fifth at 133
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
