Mar 6, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 5 min read

HERSHEY — Kai Vielma was literally hungry.

Not only is the Connellsville junior craving a state championship, but on Thursday evening in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A Individual Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey, the Stanford commit wanted to find something to eat after not having a meal prior to his bout in the 145-pound weight class.

Vielma pushed through hunger and a tough opponent to advance to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 decision over Elizabethtown’s Francis Burke.

“He is a good wrestler, and I definitely could have gotten bonus points, but when you are at the state tournament, it’s all about wins,” Vielma said. “I feel like I controlled the whole match, and, in my opinion, the score of the match isn’t always indicative of how you wrestled. I also forgot my food at the hotel, so that probably didn’t help, either.”

Vielma scored a takedown 35 seconds into the match, and nearly had a crossface cradle locked up, but Burke fought off the attempt. Vielma rode him out the rest of the period for a 3-0 lead. He escaped in the second for a four-point advantage, and neither scored in the third, as both wrestlers finished the match on their feet.

Burke shot several times in the third, but Vielma blocked those attempts without even needing to sprawl.

“I just stayed in good position for the rest of the match,” Vielma said. “I wasn’t really concerned he was going to take me down.”

Vielma, who is a three-time state qualifier, advanced to the semifinals in last year’s state tournament, but lost to eventual state champion Tahir Parkins of Nazareth. Vielma battled back to place third. He didn’t medal as a freshman.

Vielma (48-3, 137-15) wrestles Northern York’s Jackson Lininger (43-6, 97-28) in the quarterfinals, which are scheduled to begin on Friday at 2:15 p.m. The semifinals are scheduled for 7 p.m.

“Just one more match to place.”

Vielma’s teammate, Tommy Gretz, won his preliminary and first-round bouts to advance to the quarterfinals at 121.

Gretz (44-14, 103-31) used a reversal in the second period and a takedown in the third for a 5-0 decision in the preliminary round before he rallied to edge Wilson’s Abramm Schaffer in the first round.

Schaffer had a 3-1 lead after the first period before Gretz cut the deficit to one in the second with his second escape. Schaffer escaped in the third for a 4-2 advantage, but Gretz scored the winning takedown with 48 seconds remaining in the match.

“He was in on a shot, and I ended up scrambling out of it and taking him down,” Gretz said. “I had a pretty good ride on him, and I felt him breaking. I won a match last year in the first round against an opponent that was seeded higher than me.”

Gretz will wrestle Emmaus’ Teagan Caciolo (34-6, 99-30) for a spot in the semifinals. The junior is wrestling in his second straight state tournament. Gretz was sixth last year at 107.

“I want to get into the semifinals so I don’t have to worry about wrestling in the blood round,” Gretz said. “I was able to win after losing in the quarterfinals last year, but you always want to advance through the championship rounds.”

Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown (43-1, 170-20) took care of business in the first round with a fall in 34 seconds at 215. The Penn State commit, who is eyeing his second state title, tied Zach Hartman (2018 graduate) for the most victories in program history.

Brown can break the record today with a win in the quarterfinals over Sawyer Ermigiotti (43-4, 68-18) of Pennridge.

The Falcons’ Nolan Rice (127), Daniel Smith (139) and Luke Lilley (152) all went 1-1, but the trio can still reach the podium as the top eighth in the state.

In girls action on Day 1, Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy (24-2, 74-20) earned a 13-2 major decision at 235 to advance to the quarterfinals. Murphy, a senior who placed second in the state tournament last year, will meet Allen’s Karla Montes (20-6, 27-12) in the round of eight.

Albert Gallatin sophomore Jenna Chapman (19-7, 35-16) dropped her bout in the round of 16 at 235 by decision, 6-1, but she battled back in the first round of consolations for a 4-1 victory. Chapman will compete for a spot on the podium in her next match.

West Greene’s Josie Mason didn’t wrestle against girls until the WPIAL championships, as she had to compete on the boys team, but once the freshman started in the District 7 tournament, she has been one of the top wrestlers at 139.

Mason improved to 10-3 against girls competition this year with a 7-1 victory in her first-round consolation bout. She dropped a 7-5 decision in the round of 16. Mason can place in the top eight if she wins her next match.