Wentzel (172) and Branden Eisenhour (107) both won to get into the quarterfinals, while teammates Kaden Kleinman (139) and Hayden Harvey (189) both fell into the consolations.

Wentzel pinned Penns Valley’s Brayden Liswoski in 3:24 to get to the quarters.

“It’s back where you always want to be: at the Hershey Center,” remarked Wentzel.

Wentzel got the single leg, then picked Lisowski up and put him to his back for the takedown, then added two back points for a 5-0 lead after the first period.

Kaden Kleinman of Montoursville tries to spin away from the attack by Carter Katus of Burgettstown during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

He got another takedown to start the second, then after Lisowski got an escape, Wentzel went with the double to take him to his back for the fall.

“I was just feeling myself out there,” Wentzel said about opening things up. “As the match goes on I get better, and just being out there, and having fun, and realizing this is all supposed to be fun. When you realize that mid-match, it goes off.”

Wentzel will get Johnsonburg’s Rocco Allegretto in the quarters Friday morning.

“Just having fun,” Wentzel said about his focus. “Laughing with my teammates, smiling, because when I’m smiling, that’s when I’m dangerous.”

Eisenhour had a bit tougher match, edging out Faith Christian’s Riley Crandall 5-3 in his first round bout.

Gage Wentzel of Montoursville takes down Brayden Lisowski of Penns Valley during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“It feels great,” he said about the win. “Coming into this with a tough opponent – the seeding didn’t exactly play out in my favor – but it was good to get that one.”

It was a scoreless first with Eisenhour getting a reversal to start the second. He then snuck out two back points late for a 4-0 lead going into the third.

“Going up for, that was nice,” he said. “I was looking to get that quick set with seven seconds left.”

Crandall got a takedown in the third to make it a 1-point match, with Eisenhour getting the escape.

“I wasn’t worried,” Eisenhour said about giving up the takedown. “I knew it was my fault. I’ve been working on my ducks, and sat to by butt again. I kind of thought I was going to get it – I tried to fight toff my back not to get cross-faced there.”

Hayden Harvey of Montoursville tries to drag C.J. Pensiero of Bishop McCourt back onto the mat during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

He then fended Crandall off the rest of the way.

“His shots, I was really close on the re-attacks,” said Eisenhour. “I knew I could get to his leg, that set the tone for me.”

He gets Chestnut Ridge’s Kooper Deputy in the quarterfinals.

It was an exciting day for Kleinman, who opened up the preliminaries with a 10-7 win over Burgettstown’s Carter Katus.

“It feels pretty good,” Kleinman said about the win. “From not doing too well in the beginning of the season, it feels good to come down here, and compete with better kids, and get wins.”

He fought off a first period single leg to keep things scoreless after two, then got up quickly in the second for a 1-0 lead.

That’s when the craziness started, as Kleinman got in on a single leg, but Katus back by getting his far leg, then putting him Kleinman in a headlock off the scramble for a quick seven points.

“I got in my underhook, and stepped too close with my left foot, and he saw it, and picked it,” said Kleinman. “It was a big relief but I was pretty close to getting pinned.”

Kleinman, though, would roll through and get Katus caught in a headlock of his own for the reversal, and back points to knot things up at 7-7 going into the third.

“I was able to roll him out, and was able to stay in,” he explained.

Kleinman rode him out in the third to get to sudden victory, where he got the takedown for the win.

“I felt like I could get a good takedown,” he said. “And if not I knew I could get out, and I knew I could hold him down.”

Kleinman nearly got him on an ankle pick, but when that didn’t work he went for the single leg.

“He thought the ankle pick was coming again, so he stepped back with that let, and left his other leg open,” he said.

Kleinman lost 16-1 to Bishop McDevitt’s Camden Baum in the first round, and gets Hickory’s Brody Bishop in the second round of consolations.

Harvey lost a tough 2-0 match to Bishop McCort’s CJ Pensiero in the first round. Harvey got in several times on a single leg, then elevated it for the trip but Pensiero was able to slide out each time. Pensiero’s points came on a second period reversal right off the whistle, and he rode Harvey out.

Harvey gets Reynold’s Emery Johnson in the second round of consolations.