Breaking News
Local Sports

CM’s Perry cruises into state quarterfinals with first-period pin

By HENRY HUBER 3 min read

HERSHEY - In his fourth stint at the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships, Central Mountain senior Dalton Perry wasted little time getting his first win of the event on the board.

With the controlled, composed aggression we've grown accustomed to watching the Wildcat wrestle, he'd rack up three takedowns in under a minute, breaking down the defense of No. 19 Jose Gonzales (Notre Dame Green Pond) time and time again. And with the third takedown featuring a well-placed cradle, it wasn't long before Perry's day was over, as he secured the pin one second past the minute mark.

"I mean it's nothing different than what I've done the rest of the year," said Perry on the match. "Just go out with same intensity, excitement and just get after it."

"This is the best I've felt all year. This part of the postseason is when you want to feel your best," he added when discussing how his wrestling has felt so far in Hershey.

As one of the bracket favorites heading into the tournament at 145, some would let the pressure get to them. But having placed top three in the event's previous three renditions, the senior has grown accustomed to pulling off the mentality it takes to be successful at the event.

He faces a challenging bracket, featuring three-time bronze medalist Eren Sement (Council Rock North) and multiple returning state medalists, but that isn't a prospect that fazes him. When asked about the bracket, he expressed nothing but excitement.

"It's PA; it's the heart of wrestling. We're all on top and it's just exciting because you want to come out and wrestle the best competition," said Perry. "It's exciting for me to go into one of the toughest state brackets."

To kick off Friday, he'll face No. 8 Ian Longenberger (Boiling Springs) – a first-time state qualifier.

The team's lone other qualifier, sophomore Aiden Kunes, saw an up-and-down day, but still managed to kick things off by picking up his first career PIAA win. Against No. 14 Noah Fenner (Easton) in the 127 preliminaries, one early takedown was all it took as his defense and composure did the rest in the 3-0 decision.

He'd see a rough conclusion to his day in the first round, falling by second period pin to Southeast champion Quinn McBride (Pennridge) and appearing shaken up following the slam. But Perry believes Kunes has it in him to make a deep run, whether it’s here - while a bit banged up - or later.

"He's a really good wrestler, and he's going to do great things," said Perry. "It's a matter of when for him."

Kunes had a near-identical Day One to Bellefonte junior Ezra Swisher, who concluded his day 1-1 with a win in prelims and a loss in the first round.

Swisher started by winning his preliminary match at 152 by 9-3 decision, doing so against No. 18 Ivan Bonilla (Freedom) and with takedowns in the first and third. He'd put forth a strong, albeit mostly on bottom, effort against returning state medalist Gavin Carroll - ranked No. 2 in the state, falling by 5-0 decision.

Their runs resume at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, with Kunes set to face No. 10 Jackson Orrell (Red Lion) and Swisher facing No. 15 Wylan Damon (Red Lion). Though it’s been an up-and-down start for the pair, there's still time for each of them to put together strong runs.

Starting at /week.