The community of Tyrone lit up Saturday evening when four of the Golden Eagle grapplers were welcomed home after competing at the PIAA Class AA wrestling championships in Hershey over the weekend.
Tyrone best finisher, Thad Westley at 135 pounds, placed second, losing a tough, 4-3 overtime match to Freedom Area’s Damian Rose. Terry Tate, lost his third/fourth place match when he was pinned by Mike Chatburn of Towanda at 1:58 of the first period.
Freshman T.J. Albright finished eighth, and Brice Mertiff, lost both his matches on the first day of the competition.
The evening of celebration got underway when the local fire company, police station and dozens of fans met the wrestlers at Stultz and Brown and paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue and to the high school.
“There were really a lot of people out,” said Tyrone’s Virgie Werner, who met the caravan at the high school. “The fans really came out and showed their support for the wrestling team.”
At the high school, in front of more than 100 cheering fans, Master of Ceremonies John Harlow introduced all the coaches and wrestlers.
Golden Eagle coach Blair Packer spoke of his wreslers’ dedication and how the Tyrone wrestling program is “on its way back.”
After the coaches were introduced, each of the four wrestlers who spent the last few days in Hershey, offered a few comedic words to the crowd.
