Indians' Tillett 7th, Pesarchick 4th

by chuck souders (sports writer chuck_s@newsitem.com)

Published: March 14, 2010

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Shamokin Area's Wes Tillett, left, battles with Milton Hershey's Cris Ramirez during the 285-pound 7th-place match Saturday at Hershey. Tillett won 7-6.

HERSHEY - Wes Tillett got some payback.

Brandon Pesarchick didn't, but both he and Tillett got something something else - medals for placing at the PIAA Class AA state wrestling championships.

Tillett got a takedown and two back points with 14 seconds left to take a 7-6 win over Milton Hershey's Chris Ramirez, the wrestler who beat him with a pin in the first round on Thursday, to take seventh place at 285 pounds.

Pesarchick was on the opposite end of that scenario. Wrestling Pen Argyl's Mikey Racciato, who beat him in the quarterfinals, for third place at 130 pounds, Pesarchick was taken down and pinned in overtime to settle for fourth place, after a sixth-place finish last season.

Pesarchick finished the season 39-7 but had nothing to feel ashamed about. He initiated the action against Racciato (45-5), getting in several times for deep single leg shots. But Racciato is an excellent counter wrestler and was able to turn one of those shots into a takedown of his own, and fight off the others.

Pesarchick cut a 3-0 deficit with a reversal in the second period, then took a 4-3 lead with a reversal in the third period, which he started in the down position.

But Racciato escaped, then fought off Pesarchick's shots to force the overtime.

"I did everything I could do," Pesarchick said. "I was this close. I thought I had the last (shot). It was so close, I looked at the ref and said, 'Come on, give me two points.' But he didn't, and then he just caught me in overtime."

Pesarchick said he thought he had an advantage on their feet from the first match.

"From the first one I knew I could get in on shots," he said. "But in the first match I wrestled on the mat with him. I took bottom and got ridden out."

Despite ending with a loss for the third straight season, Pesarchick climbed two spots on the podium from his sixth-place finish in 2009, in what was arguably one of the two or three best weight classes.

"I think I can wrestle with anybody on the podium," he said. "I think I wrestled great, except I had two losses to the same kid. What can I do? He's tough."

Tillett walked into two big throws from Ramirez in their Thursday match, the second resulting in a pin, and almost did the same again.

Tillett tried to throw a headlock on Ramirez in the first but Ramirez slipped out of it and got his own takedown, then added another in the second period for a 5-2 lead.

But Tillett got a neutral point to start the third period, then hooked Ramirez's foot, took him down and to his back for four points and a 7-5 lead with 14 seconds left. Ramirez escaped but couldn't get a final shot.

"I knew he gassed and I knew he would when we got to the third period, and I knew I could get him," said Tillett, who finished his junior season 37-6. "I'm not good on body locks and upper body stuff, and that's what you mostly see down here. But (on the final takedown) I felt him going down and my pressure getting on top of him.

"My coaches said he was a defensive wrestler, and he was just waiting for me to make a mistake, so I had to be patient."

This was Tillett's first trip to states, and he said he was just taking things as they came.

"I really didn't have any expectations," he said. "I was really disappointed when I didn't make it last year, and I knew I didn't want to end this season with a loss. It feels a lot better to go out with a win than a loss."

Ramirez finished the season with a 26-12 record.

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