The Warriors went the distance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gettysburg seniors Sam Rodriguez and Trevor Gallagher were among the last wrestlers to compete in the PIAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday night in Hershey. Their respective seventh-place matches helped bring the curtain down not only on the state tournament, but the 2021-2022 season itself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
And what a season it was for Gettysburg \u2013 arguably the finest in program history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gettysburg easily captured another YAIAA-2 championship before going on to reach the District 3 Class 3A Team Championship finals. The Warrior gutted out a heart-stopping 32-30 win over Central Dauphin to claim their second title in three years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Transitioning to the individual postseason, Gettysburg qualified four wrestlers for the state tournament for the first time, as Gabe Pecaitis (120) and Jake Cherry (160) joined the 1-2 punch. The winning continued at the Giant Center, where Rodriguez and Gallagher wrestled their way onto the podium, giving Gettysburg multiple state placewinners for the first time since 2000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
At the center of it all stood Rodriguez and Gallagher.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cLots of growth for those guys, they were a combined as freshman 0-6 and were not the most dedicated individuals in our program at that time,\u201d said Warrior head coach Chris Haines when asked about the development of the duo. \u201cThey\u2019ve continued to grow and blossom and evolve throughout their high school careers. Super proud that they were state medalists nine and ten for the Gettysburg program. They did great things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
By virtue of respective wins in the blood round on Friday afternoon, both Rodriguez (215) and Gallagher (285) secured coveted medals. Where they stood on the podium would depend upon their performance on Saturday. Neither fared well in the morning\u2019s consolation round as Rodriguez lost by 17-2 technical fall to Carl DiGiorgio (37-4), who eventually placed fourth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gallagher (41-8) ran into similar trouble as he was pinned in 1:18 by Quakertown\u2019s Frederick Retter (41-5), who later earned bronze.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
More than 10 hours later, the Warrior tandem was back on the mat to make their final scholastic appearance. Rodriguez saw a familiar face in Jose Garcia of McCaskey, who he edged 10-9 in the District 3 Championships. The rematch was a mismatch as Rodriguez had his way from the opening whistle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Leading 2-0 after the first period, Rodriguez hit two more takedowns to balloon the lead to 6-1 with two minutes remaining. A reversal made it 8-1, and Rodriguez was so relaxed that he was able to smile while talking to his coaches during a break in the action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Having admittedly battled nerves all weekend, wrestling with a clear mind was a welcomed change for Rodriguez, who cruised past Garcia, 12-3, to place seventh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been working for this for a long time, I\u2019ve always had it in my head but was never there mentally for it,\u201d said Rodriguez. \u201cThis year mentally I picked it up said \u2018I want to get that medal\u2019 and I got it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Rodriguez came to the varsity program as a bit of a project, with untapped raw ability. He went just 0-2 as a freshman before putting together a career that included an 82-19 overall record, 44 pins, two Section 1 titles and a District 3 championship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWrestling is a tool, especially in Sam\u2019s life, to guide him and get him going in the right direction,\u201d said Haines. \u201cWrestling will do more for you than you\u2019ll ever do for wrestling. Wrestling has changed Sam Rodriguez\u2019s life for the rest of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Rodriguez acknowledged what being a part of the Gettysburg program has done for him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cCoach Haines, he\u2019s a big inspiration to me and I love the guy to death,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to miss the team aspect of it. Going out there motivating each other, that mindset wrestling gives you is not comparable to anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Rodriguez likely wrestled for a final time on Saturday as he is exploring a possible career in the military.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gallagher ran into Waynesburg pinning machine Noah Tustin (43-15) in his seventh-place bout. Tustin, who recorded falls in 21 and 9 seconds in the consolations, ran out to a quick lead before stopping Gallagher in 1:32.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The loss did little to deter Gallagher\u2019s outlook on his season and what Gettysburg has accomplished during his career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cIt means everything,\u201d Gallagher said of leaving Hershey with a medal. \u201cAll of our hard work that we\u2019ve put in the past four years has paid off. Everything Coach Haines has taught us got us to where we are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gallagher finishes with a 92-32 record, two Section 1 titles, a District 3 crown and 57 career falls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gallagher is trading his headgear for shoulder pads and a helmet as he plans to continue his football career at Lebanon Valley College, where he\u2019ll play center while studying criminal justice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThey did an outstanding job, super proud of them,\u201d said Haines. \u201cThey\u2019re going to have bright futures in the things that they do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n