As if it came with much question.

On Friday, Harer carried the dominance he displayed in his opening bout into Day Two’s tougher slate, tech falling his way to his fourth straight state final against wrestlers ranked No. 4 and 8 in the state. Ultimately, his first-period tech fall trend only carried through one of those matches, but the PA wins leader is still proud of what he put out on the mat on Friday and looks forward to his fourth final appearance.

“I have nothing to lose. I’m going out there to try to prove myself, to prove that I’m the best,” said Harer.

“To me, I already know that I’m the best, but I want to prove it to the fans that I belong out on the mat and none of this is just a fluke. I work really hard for moments like this coming up, and I’m ready for it.”

Brandt Harer of Montgomery and Caden Judice of Bald Eagle Area exchange words after their semi-final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Against two-time PIAA medalist Josef Garshnick (United) in quarters, Harer wasted little time establishing his offense, working an early takedown before dominating the rest of the match from top. With three solid turns, he’d make it two straight first-period tech falls to kick off his closing states run.

From there, it was just a matter of keeping that momentum going in semis. Though No. 4 Caden Judice (Bald Eagle) was able to extend the match to a third period, the first Harer has experienced in exactly a month, Harer was still dominant throughout the match, racking up three takedowns and a six-point move in route to a third-period tech fall.

“That’s the first time I’ve made the third period in a while and that’s a good thing,” said Harer on that semifinal bout. “I felt great out there. I kept my composure, did the moves that I’m best at and trusted the offense that I’m known for.”

Moving forward, Harer faces the most daunting task of his prolific high school career, going toe-to-toe with the top-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in the country, a wrestler that has never lost a high school match.

With the Montgomery senior being ranked No. 3 nationally at 144, it figures to be a spectacle, one many people are greatly excited to watch.

Brandt Harer of Montgomery escapes the grasp of Caden Judice of Bald Eagle Area during their semi-final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“This is a match that everybody wants to see, I want to see for myself and he probably wants to see too,” said Harer. “So, I want to put on a show for the fans, have a good match and score a bunch of points.”

The game plan heading into the bout is simply trusting what he’s been putting out on the mat all these years. He isn’t one to study film but has watched some of Bassett’s bouts and feels mentally and physically prepared for the challenge.

“I feel like when I wrestle my style, it’s really hard to beat me,” said Harer. “I’m just gonna go back, recover and stick to what I’m good at. I’m sure Bo know what he wants to do, and I know what I want to do. So, I’m just ready for the match and excited for the finals.”

Outside of Harer, Muncy freshman Chase Boozer also competed in Friday’s semifinals, clinching his first career state medal in the first two state bouts of his career. Ultimately, he’d finally see his winner’s run end, but that loss came to the heavy state-title favorite at 139.

Facing nationally ranked, two-time state finalist Camden Baum (Bishop McDevitt), Boozer gave the prolific talent all he could handle, posting two escapes to diminish the impact of an early takedown from Baum. His efforts to secure that coveted, match-stealing takedown would fall short, but what an effort it was.

Brandt Harer of Montgomery takes a shot on Caden Judice of Bald Eagle Area during their semi-final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“Coming in here as a freshman, losing 4-3 is pretty cool,” said Boozer on the match. “It does suck to have a loss like that, but Baum’s a tough competitor, nationally ranked and everything.”

Though the loss stings, his run isn’t over yet. On Saturday, Boozer – ranked No. 7 in the state – faces No. 4 Drake McClure (Bentworth) for a shot at a top four finish. In pursuing his highest placement possible, he’ll look to put the previous match behind him.

“Just want to wrestle my best and get that match off my mind,” said Boozer. “Just wrestling, forgetting about it and having fun.”

Saturday’s action kicks off at 9:30 a.m. with finals set for 4 p.m.

Brandt Harer of Montgomery tries to take down Caden Judice of Bald Eagle Area during their semi-final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Chase Boozer of Muncy is taken down by Camden Baum of Bishop McDevitt during their semi final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette