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Conner Harer wins first state wrestling championship for Montgomery since 1980

By Evan Wheaton 3 min read

HERSHEY -- Conner Harer had already notched a milestone by becoming Montgomery's first state finalist since his current coach and father, Denny, did so in 1993.

Harer took things a step further, however.

With a 3-0 decision over Faith Christian's Eric Alderfer, the top-ranked 145-pounder secured a gold medal in the PIAA Class AA championships at the Giant Center Saturday.

"I wouldn't be here without listening to my coaches, especially my dad," Harer said following his podium appearance. "My dad's my biggest mentor in my life, and my mom tells me to do the right things every day and it pays off. Do the right things, the outcome is all worth it."

The outcome didn't come easy. Against Alderfer -- ranked third in the state -- Harer entered the second period with neither wrestler on the board yet.

It didn't take long for Harer to pull off an escape to break things open in the second frame. On the heels of his score, Harer then followed up with a takedown to give himself some cushion in a tightly contested clash.

Known for his high-flying offense, Harer just kept things simple while putting up a solid defensive front to go the distance.

"The coaches always say you don't have to be all high-fashion," Harer said. "Just do the basics, that's all you need to win the tight matches, so that's what I did. I stayed calm on bottom, got to my escape, got to my ties on my feet, got a nice shot, took him down, riding him and gutted it out."

With his championship win, Harer is the first wrestler to win state gold for Montgomery since Ty Hall did so in 1980.

"I'm beyond blessed for this opportunity. To be on the wall with Ty Hall, it's a great feeling," Harer said. "Hopefully I can be on the wall not only once, but two more times."

Montgomery had another state placewinner in Devon Deem. The senior -- who holds the all-time wins record for the program -- mirrored Harer's 3-0 win against Quaker Valley's Justin Richey for his final high school bout.

Both Deem and Harer made the trip to the Giant Center the year prior. Deem placed fourth while Harer took fifth.

Outside of the individual tournament, Montgomery reached the team state tournament for the first time ever. Behind the hire of Montgomery alum Denny Harer as head coach, and back-to-back years of medaling, it's not just the program getting a lift.

"It's huge. We're a small town, not a lot of people know us," Harer said on Montgomery's trips to Hershey. "But with me and Devon starting the program back up again, it definitely intrigues a lot of people to know Montgomery's the real deal."

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