“Job’s not done, we have one more,” Wentzel said after the match.

He got through by only by the hardest as Gunby took a short second period lead off a reversal, with Wentzel tying him up. After Wentzel got a third period escape neither guy was able to get to the other. They rode each other off through the tie-breakers, then Wentzel rode him out in the ultimate tie-breaker.

“You have to have a strong mind, and have to have faith in the Lord overcome in those situations. We practice those things in the mat room all the time. I couldn’t be more blessed to have Hayden Harvey as a practice partner. He’s amazing, and God definitely blessed me with him this year, and prepared me for that moment right there.”

Wentzel will get Derry Area’s Mason Horwat in a battle for state gold at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Gage Wentzel of Montoursville takes a shot on Emory Gunby of Bishop McCort in their semi-final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Neither wrestler was able to score in the first period as the two felt each other out.

“I know he likes to roll,” remarked Wentzel. “I don’t know why I kept cramping, so I was just trying to figure out why I was cramping, to be honest with you. It’s one of those things where you’re going to have to feel a guy out, no matter who it is – you’ve got to feel him out, but you also have to be the one on offense while doing this. I feel I had him backing up a bunch, circling down at the edge, and what not. It’s not my best performance, but it was a gritty performance.”

Gunby scored first off a reversal, but Wentzel rolled out of his hands for a reversal of his own. He let Gunby up to give him a 3-2 lead.

“I just had to keep wrestling,” Wentzel said after falling down. “What’s a reversal nowadays when a takedown is three points. I’ve been in those situations before.”

Wentzel got that point back in the third, then went to chasing Gunby’s leg, but it was just out of reach.

Gage Wentzel of Montoursville tries to get ahold of Emory Gunby of Bishop McCort in their semi-final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“It’s just staying calm out there,” he said. “I like telling myself so many times, just have Faith, smile, and whenever I went down, I was just smiling because I’m comfortable in this situation. You have to be – God blesses your hands, and how your works going to be is what you’re going to get from God. I truly believe that what you ask for in prayer you’re going to be able to get.”

Wentzel got in deep in a shot during sudden victory, but Gunby got out of bounds.

In the tie-breaker two both wrestlers held each other down, then Wentzel rode out Gunby in the final 30 seconds for the win.

“You rely on God,” said Wentzel. “You back to him. You ask him for the strength and the conditioning to get, you get it. You ask for things in Prayer, and you do the right things, you be a warrior for God, and you’re going to get good things.”

He won’t be getting the rematch he wanted with last year’s champion as Faith Christian’s Nick Singer lost to Horwat, 6-4, in the quarters.

But Wentzel is ready for anything.

“You’ve got to be prepared for everything,” he said. “It’s just one of those things where – this is why we go to Powerade, and we’re thankful to be in District IV because you have tough competition. People are going to push you, and if you see some new face you’ve never wrestled before he’s going to get my best.”

Brandon Eisenhour (107) won his fourth round consolation match, 15-1 over NPL’s Bodhi Nickerson, to advance to the consolation semifinals Saturday morning.

Eisenhour got a first period takedown, then scored another takedown in the second, plus four near fall to open things up. An escape and a takedown in the third gave him the 14 point win.

Eisenhour gets Honesdale’s Nathan Schuman in the fifth round of consolations.

Hayden Harvey (189) also won his fourth round consolation bout, beating Greenville’s Hunter Cox 7-3.

It was a scoreless first period, with Cox getting an escape in the second to go up 1-0.

Harvey went down in the third, and got a penalty point when Cox was called for a strike across the face.

Cox did ride Harvey out to force overtime.

Nobody was able to get a takedown in sudden victory, but in tie-breaker two Harvey was able to catch Cox for four back points.

For the final 30 seconds Harvey got called for stalling twice to make it 5-3, but then ended the match with a reversal for the four-point difference.

Harvey gets Northwestern Lehigh’s Luke Fugazzotto in the consolation semifinals.