The PIAA State Wrestling tournament is scheduled for March 5-7 in Hershey, and as always, Penn State is well-represented.
PSU will have representatives at four weight classes following this past weekend’s regional championships.
Here’s a breakdown of each representative
121: Landon Sidun, Norwin
Sidun is the No. 2 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country from his class per FloWrestling, but he’ll be coming into this tournament with a chip on his shoulder. In the regional finals, Sidun had his 82-match winning streak snapped by Dubois’ Mateo Gallegos, with a last-second reversal being the difference. Gallegos is the No. 28 pound-for-pound wrestler in the 2028 class, so this is a matchup we could well see again at states.
133: Braiden Weaver, Altoona
Weaver, a Class of 2026 product from Altoona, has come close to winning a state championship before, finishing fifth as a freshman in 2023 and third last year. This season, he comes into the state tourney with a 35-6 record, with 24 of those wins being of the bonus point variety and all six losses being by decision.
Weaver will have an uphill battle thanks to the presence of Keanu Dillard. Dillard, wrestling out of Bethleham Catholic and committed to Lehigh, is looking to become a four-time state champ.
152: James Whitbred, State College
Whitbred finished sixth at states last year and is currently having his best season, coming in with a 45-5 record for State College. He’s the No. 4 wrestler in the state per PA Power Wrestling. The favorite in the bracket, Northampton’s Gabriel Ballard (2027), happens to be on Whitbred’s side.
215: Elijah Brown, Belle Vernon
Brown, wbo committed to Penn State wrestling in November, was a state champ last year, and is in the middle of his best season, coming in with a 42-1 record. He didn’t meet all his goals: Brown wanted to go undefeated, but fell to Dubois’ Kendahl Hoare in 10-8 in early December. But Brown avenged that loss this past weekend at the PIAA Class 3A West Regional with a 7-1 win in the finals over Hoare. Brown wanted all of his wins to be bonus point triumphs, and although he fell short, 39 of his 42 wins have been of the bonus point variety, which isn’t too shabby.
Here’s a full schedule for this year’s PIAA Boys and Girls Wrestling Championships.
Thursday
9 a.m. ET — Class 2A boys preliminaries/first round
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.12:30 p.m. ET — Class 2A boys first round consolations
4:30 p.m. ET — Class 3A boys preliminaries/first round
8 p.m. ET — Class 3A boys first round consolations
Friday
8 a.m. ET — Class 2A boys quarterfinals/second round consolations
10:30 a.m. ET — Class 2A boys third round consolations
2:15 p.m. ET — Class 3A boys quarterfinals/second round consolations
4:45 p.m. ET — Class 3A boys third round consolations
7 p.m. ET — Class 2A/3A boys semifinals
9 p.m. ET — Class 2A/3A boys fourth round consolations,
Saturday
9:30 a.m. ET — Class 2A/3A boys fifth round consolations
11:30 a.m. ET — Class 2A/3A boys third-/fifth-/ seventh place medal matches
4 p.m. ET — Class 2A/3A boys championship finals
