By John Grupp
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
HERSHEY — One of the most anticipated championship matches in PIAA wrestling history ended with a whimper.
Somebody finally found a way to keep up with the Joneses.
Joey Ecklof of Northampton thumped Donnie Jones of Greensburg Salem, 10-3, for the 152-pound title in a showdown of two-time defending champions in front of 8,685 fans at the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Giant Center.
“Today was his day, and it wasn’t mine, “Jones said. “He has three state titles, and I have two.”
It was the first-ever finals meeting between two multiple-state champions since the Pennsylvania high school wrestling tournament began in 1938.
It also marked a clash between two of the nation’s top wrestling regions — the WPIAL and District 11 — and a pair of recruits headed for rival colleges, West Virginia (Jones) and Pitt (Ecklof).
Jones lost his chance at a third title, but senior Connellsville teammates Steve Bell and Ashtin Primus, senior Dan Burkholder of Trinity and senior Corbin Semple of Waynesburg won their first championships.
Bell (47-4) took down Plum senior Sean Clair 17 seconds into overtime to win a 7-5 decision and avenged an earlier loss in the WPIAL 125-pound finals.
Primus (45-6) used his most-feared weapon, the cradle, to pin Josh Barrick of Big Spring in the second period of the 135-pound finals.
Burkholder (24-1), who missed half the season with a knee injury, capped his dominant postseason run with a 10-2 decision over previously undefeated Clint Collins of Upper Merion in the 140-pound finals.
Semple (43-4), who finished eighth in the state last year, beat defending champion Nick Guida of Parkland, 4-3, in the 171-pound finals.
North Allegheny sophomore Rob Waltko (38-4) also reached the finals, staying with undefeated Austin Carter (45-0) of Council Rock South into the third period, before being pinned at 5:02.
Jones won the 130-pound title as a sophomore and 140 last year. The heavier Ecklof took the 135-pound crown as a sophomore and 145 last year.
The final was the highlight of the three-day event. Jones scored a 20-5 technical fall against Ryan Uber of
Warren in the semifinals yesterday morning. Ecklof upheld his part of the bargain with a 5-2 decision over Brent Fiorito of Upper Perkiomen, setting the stage for the unprecedented final.
Ecklof, who was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler, stunned Jones, taking him down for a 2-0 lead less than 10 seconds into the match.
“I think he wasn’t expecting that, “Ecklof said. “He came out leaning too hard. It was right there, so I hit it.”
Ecklof (31-3) scored another takedown late in the first period for a 4-2 lead. Jones (37-2) escaped in the second to cut the deficit to 3-2, but Ecklof caught the Greensburg Salem star for a five-point move and led 9-3 after two periods. Jones finished with no takedowns, scoring on three escapes.
“He just got his butt beat, “Greensburg Salem coach Randy Parsley said. “I’d rather have him get beat than lose.”
Bell and Clair were tied at 5 after regulation, but Bell used a leg-trip on the attacking Clair for the winning takedown.
“He was standing real close with his legs and he was open for it, “said Bell, a Maryland recruit who joins his cousin, Jarrod King, as a state champion from Connellsville.
The loss concluded a run of PIAA frustrations for Clair (40-2). The Eastern Michigan recruit had reached the finals – and avoided a third consecutive PIAA semifinal loss — with a stirring third-period comeback against State College junior Kyle Fluke, where he erased a 5-1 deficit for a 6-5 decision.
But Clair, who will leave Plum with a 151-13 career record, became the first wrestler in WPIAL history to claim four PIAA medals without winning a gold.
“I choked, “he said. “I lost. I’m just angry.”
Primus, the WPIAL champion, capped his unchallenged run to his first state title by pinning Barrack of Big Spring at 3:15 in the 135-pound final.
Overall, 24 WPIAL wrestlers won top-eight medals.
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