By Harold Raker
HERSHEY — Two Valley wrestlers won gold medals in the state wrestling tournament Saturday, one in his first opportunity, the other in his last.
Line Mountain freshman Zain Retherford earned his crown with a 6-2 win over sophomore Brad Farley of Bermudian Springs in the 103-pound Class AA bout.
Selinsgrove senior Spencer Myers topped East Pennsboro junior Zach Nye 5-2 in the 215-pound Class AAA championship and finished his season at 44-0. Myers lost in the title bout in 2009 when he tore ligaments in his leg.
Myers has won a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association gold medal in two sports in three months. He was a defensive end on the Selinsgrove football team that finished the season 16-0 and won the Class AAA title.
In all, nine of 14 Valley grapplers who competed in the tournament won medals at the Giant Center in Hershey.
One year after Line Mountain senior Jon Fausey took the Class AA gold medal at 171 pounds and headed off to the University of Virginia on a wrestling scholarship, along came Retherford.
Retherford on Friday knocked off the title favorite — sophomore Nick Roberts of North Star, the defending champ who was ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania and the United States. The freshman finished his rookie season 40-1, his only loss coming to Hempfield’s Austin Miller, who was a Class AAA silver medalist Saturday night.
“It was amazing,” he said of hearing his name announced as the state champion. “I’ve dreamed about it ever since I was a kid and came to watch the finals.”
Lewisburg’s Nathaniel Brown, a junior 171-pounder, also reached Saturday’s finals, but lost 2-1 in Class AA to senior Matthew Cunningham of Shady Side Academy, who was a silver medalist last year. Brown finished his season at 40-1.
Warrior Run senior Elias Biddle and Shamokin junior Brandon Pesarchick placed fourth in their Class AA weight classes. Milton freshman Ryan Solomon placed sixth, Mifflinburg sophomore David Sheesley and Shamokin junior Wes Tillett finished seventh in their weight classes, and Warrior Run senior Tyler Hain, who forfeited his final bout because of injury, took eighth.
