In Friday’s rendition of the PIAA Class AAA third-round consolations, the brutal nature of the round fell squarely on the shoulders of the Express area and its athletes.

Central Mountain junior Patrick Tarantella and Bellefonte senior Ezra Swisher each suffered blood-round losses to fall short of milestones, with Tarantella chasing his first medal and Swisher falling a win short of the program record for career wins. It isn’t how they wanted their runs to end, but all they can do now is look forward to what lies ahead.

For Tarantella, the loss comes off the heels of another step forward for the junior.

After falling short of states in back-to-back regional stints, the Wildcat weathered a tough West Regional bracket to punch his first ticket before going on to win two more of those matches. It was a run that Tarantella was proud of despite how close he came to a medaling, a goal he can still obtain entering his senior season.

Patrick Tarantella of Central Mountain wins his match against Pierce Kane of Council Rock North during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“I did better than I projected myself,” said Tarantella. “My mentality was way better in this tournament than anyone I’ve wrestled in. I continued to improve each match. It just didn’t work out how I wanted it.”

“For his first trip, it was a good outing for him,” emphasized Central Mountain wrestling head coach Biff Walizer. “He wasn’t awestruck by the atmosphere, went out and got a couple wins against tough guys. Hopefully, coming up a little short this year lights that fire and motivates him to get on the podium going into his senior year.”

One that those wins came on Saturday against No. 16 Pierce Kane (Council Rock North), a victory which propelled him into a chance at hardware. There, the Central Mountain junior controlled the narrative earlier before enduring a tense third period, avoiding a pin before working a six-point move in response to clinch the 12-8 decision.

While that match featured offensive fireworks from Tarantella, he just couldn’t maintain it in the one that followed. Facing No. 12 Sean Murray (Upper Perkiomen), he’d be shut out while his opponent matched his previous point total.

“My offense was lacking in the first period of that last match, whereas in my first match of the day, I was getting right to it and scoring points,” said Tarantella. “Just lacked a little bit in that last match, and it cost me.”

Considering where he fell, the goal moving forward is obvious.

“Senior year, I’m looking to be on that podium, looking to win that blood-round match or win that quarterfinal match,” said Tarantella.