close

Lawrence wins Frazier’s first state wrestling gold

By Jonathan Guth jguth@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
1 / 2

Edward K.Thompson

Frazier’s Thayne Lawrence celebrates after defeating Chestnut Ridge’s Justin McCoy in the finals at 152 pounds on March 10 in the PIAA Class AA Individual Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. Lawrence won 8-1 for Frazier’s first individual state wrestling championship.

2 / 2

Edward K.Thompson

Frazier’s Thayne Lawrence is in control against Chestnut Ridge’s Justin McCoy in the 152-pound championship bout Saturday afternon in the PIAA Class AA Individual Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. Lawrence defeated McCoy, 8-1, to win Frazier’s first state title in wrestling.

HERSHEY — Frazier’s Thayne Lawrence made history on Saturday afternoon at the PIAA Class AA Individual Wrestling Championships by winning the first state title in school history.

Southmoreland’s Tyler Griffiths (3rd at 145) and Jaden Datz (5th at 170), and Bentworth’s Manny Dovshek (7th at 120) and Jon Vargo (5th at 182) also reached the podium.

Lawrence (30-2, 67-8) avenged a 10-1 major decision setback to Chestnut Ridge senior and defending state champion Justin McCoy (45-2, 167-18) with an 8-1 decision in the finals at 152 pounds.

The Commodore sophomore didn’t win the Outstanding Wrestler Award, mainly because Jefferson-Morgan’s Gavin Teasdale won his fourth state title, but provided the biggest surprise in the finals.

“I have great coaches,” Lawrence said. “They watch my matches over and over, and they take pieces out every time and show me what I need to do.”

Lawrence and McCoy set up their shots for most of the first period before Lawrence got in deep on a single leg, fought off McCoy’s whizzer attempt and finished the takedown for a 2-0 lead with nine seconds remaining. He allowed an escape in the second period before picking up another takedown and earning two near-fall points to take a 6-1 advantage heading into the third. Lawrence scored a reversal in the third.

“I think getting that first takedown really helped with my confidence,” Lawrence said. “It seemed like the last match I had I was trying to catch up to him, and in this match, I was ahead, and he was trying to catch up to me. As the match went on, I really dominated on top.”

Lawrence wrestles 12 months a year, and plans to get back into the wrestling room after taking a week off.

“I plan on going to some tournaments in the summer and continuing to wrestle and improve,” Lawrence said. “In this sport you have to wrestle year round if you want to be the best.”

Lawrence is excited to get back to school on Monday.

“I am really excited to see everybody at school,” Lawrence said. “It is something that never can be taken away from me. It is great to be the first one in Frazier’s history, and I hope this helps build the program up. I am also glad to eat lunch and not watch everybody else eat and not be able to.”

Griffiths (26-7) finished his high school career with an injury-default victory over Brookville’s Caleb Hetrick (35-7) in the bronze medal match. He had a 2-0 lead when Hetrick went down 2:33 into the match. Griffiths has qualified for states four times, and was eighth as a freshman and runner-up last year.

“He got hurt first, then we started to wrestle again, he got hurt and ran out of injury time,” Griffiths said. “It was a close match. It is great to be able to wrestle here all four years in high school. I have had great coaches. It has gone by so fast. It seems like I was a freshman yesterday.”

Griffiths is unsure of his college decision, but plans to wrestle at the next level.

“I definitely want to wrestle in college, but it is a tough process and I want to wait to make my decision,” Griffiths said. “I want to stay involved in the sport in some way even after my career as a competitor is over. I may get into coaching or something. I just love the sport.”

Datz (33-7) earned a 5-2 decision over Penn Cambria’s Derek Brown (36-8) in the fifth-place bout.

The senior qualified for the state tournament for the first time this season, and is glad to walk away with a medal. Datz, who also plays baseball and football, will wait to make his college choice after baseball season.

“I was just happy to get a win in my last high school match,” Datz said. “It is a bittersweet experience, but I have had great coaches and teammates. I lost to the eventual state champion, Edmond Ruth, in the quarterfinals but I am glad to be fifth in the state in a tough bracket.”

Vargo (34-8) avenged his 4-2 setback in the quarterfinals to Mahanoy’s Matt Lewandowski (34-6) with a fall in 2:33. The junior was wrestling in his first state tournament, and is eager for his senior season. He also runs track and plays football.

“It was a great experience this weekend,” Vargo said. “I reached my goal of placing at states. I have had a good run in the postseason, and it was nice to get some redemption against him (Lewandowski). I know that I need to get stronger in the offseaon.”

Dovshek (29-10) finished his high school career with a fall in 3:30 over Westmont-Hilltop’s Derrick Christie (31-12). The three-time state qualifier was glad to place in his last high school competition. He is unsure of his college plans, but would like to continue wrestling.

“It feels good to place during my final high school state tournament, and I was glad to win that last match and not finish my career with a loss,” Dovshek said. “My parents, family, coaches and teammates over the years have helped me a great deal, and I am grateful for them. I am going to wrestle in college, but I am not sure where at this time.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today