Paul Dunn places 3rd in state wrestling championships

Michael Musciano, Staff Writer

March 13, 2014

Podium shot of the top 8 152 lb place winners in the 2014 PIAA AAA Championships.

Junior Paul Dunn placed 3rd in the 152 lb weight class in the PIAA wrestling championships in Hershey, PA. Dunn was the only wrestler from Bethel who placed high enough in WPIALs to go to states, placing in an impressive 3rd place.

Dunn had high expectations going into states. Dunn said, “I’m just planing on getting a podium spot, anything less would be a disappointment.”

In Dunn’s first match, he wrestled Elijah Brown of Easton. It was a tough match for Dunn as he was down 8-4 in the third period but managed to score some back points and pull out the 9-8 win.

Dunn then moved on to wrestle TC Warner from Cumberland Valley. Dunn ended up losing this match when he got pinned by Warner with 2:47 left on the clock.

But Paul was not “Dunn” yet as he pinned Will Finkey from Garden Spot in the third period with 3:48 left of his first consolation match.

After that, Dunn beat familiar foe Jake Shaffer of Latrobe 3-1 and made it to the consy finals.

In the finals, Dunn had to wrestle David Hollingshead of Altoona. Dunn once again managed to pull out a great win with a final score of 5-3, and he took home the third place trophy and the title of youngest Bethel Park wrestler to ever place 3rd in the PIAA wrestling championships.

Dunn said: “Placing 3rd in states meant a lot to me. It was the best I’ve ever done in a tournament. It made all the hard work I put in pay off.”

Other PIAA place winners from Bethel include:

Mark Bredl (5th place at 135 lbs in 1999)
Mike Ganley (6th place at 145 lbs in 2008)
Nick Bonaccorsi (8th place at 152 lbs in 2008, 8th place at 160 lbs in 2010, 3rd place at 171 lbs in 2011)
Adam Lazenga (7th place at 215 lbs in 2009, 3rd place at 285 lbs in 2010)
Dylan Mogan (8th place at 125 lbs in 2010, 6th place at 135 lbs in 2011)

Click here to see Paul’s bracket.

About the Contributor

Michael Musciano, Staff Writer

Michael Musciano is a 9th grader at BPHS, has a goal to be the best of the best when it comes to writing atricles for Hawk Eye. Mike has a passion for Hockey, and hanging out with friends. He also enjoys spending his free time on the computer, mountain biking, and hunting. Mike, or somtimes referred to as "Moose" joined Hawk Eye for the educational experience. "It would look good on my college resume, and it would help me with my writing skills" he said. Joining Hawkeye was simple decision for Mike. "I knew Mr. Allemang long before I knew he teached this class, and I knew he would be a great teacher.", Mike said. Michael's plans post for High-School include going on to be a Veterinary Surgeon. Considering Mikes so called "Steady Hands" as he said, will help him in his articles in the journalism field. Mike hopes to continue his Journalism at the University of Pittsburgh, where he will major in the medical field. Taking quality pictures and writing well-written articles are just some of the "Moose's" plans for Hawk Eye . He plans to give it his all as he stated "Im going to write some great articles and take some qualitity pictures I'll tell you that," he said. Mike clarified on what giving it his "all" meant; he said, "Im going to give it 100% and be the face of Hawk Eye news." Mike hopes to write about sporting events, due to his passion for hockey. Other than sports news, Mike hopes to write about controversial troubles throughout the world. Mike"The Moose"Musicano has some big goals and plans set for Hawk Eye news.

Written By: Nino Bonaccorsi/Staff Writer