MECHANICSBURG — Three Franklin County wrestlers came home with gold medals from the District 3 Section III Wrestling Tournament.

Chambersburg’s Luke Mentzer won at 127 pounds, Shippensburg’s Dominic Frontino was the 160 champion and the Trojans’ Zach Evans held off the Greyhounds’ Diesel Koser to win at 215.

Luke Mentzer

The tournament qualified wrestlers for next weekend’s District 3 Championships at Spring Grove — Chambersburg advanced eight, Shippensburg had four qualify and one wrestler from James Buchanan will compete.

The Trojans ended up in third place in the team race with 181.5 points, behind winner Boiling Springs (192.5) and Cumberland Valley (185). Ship was sixth with 111.

Chambersburg coach Matt Mentzer said, “Coming off last week (PIAA Team Championships), I wasn’t sure how the kids would bounce back. But I thought they acquitted themselves well.”

The Evans-Koser match turned on a takedown at the edge of the mat by Evans with 16 seconds left in the first period that gave him the lead. He got another in the second to lead 4-2, but Koser remained in the bout with three escapes.

A final desperate shot by Koser was countered by Evans for a final takedown in a 6-3 win.

“That’s the first I’ve wrestled him, but I knew he was strong and good on defense,” Evans said. “He has that head buried in there the whole time. I’ve been sick and am still rebuilding my cardio and had some trouble breathing.”

Mentzer said, “Diesel wrestled him tough. We tried to make it a one-move match because we knew Zach wasn’t 100%. He was just fighting to get through it.”

Luke Mentzer won a rematch with Alex Tennis of Cumberland Valley. Tennis won the dual meet match 9-5, but Mentzer turned it around with four takedowns in a 10-5 victory at 127.

Zach Evans

“I wasn’t feeling great in that first match and it was bad,” Mentzer said. “But I had a different mind set this time — I was trying to win and just went out and wrestled.”

Mentzer won the majority of a host of scramble situations.

“I’m a real scrambly kind of wrestler,” he said. “That’s how I wrestle, so the more of those situations I get into the better chance I have to win.”

Coach Mentzer said, “It took about a month, but he’s finally wrestling healthy. It was a fun match to wrestle; both he and Tennis didn’t hold back — they just go.”

Frontino blazed through the 160-pound brackets, with pins in 1:38, 0:18 and 2:55 in the final vs. Mitchell Adams of Carlisle.

Chambersburg had four other wrestlers reach the final, but were defeated.

Rylan Carter fell 3-2 to Cael Rossi of Lower Dauphin at 121, just running out of time on a last-second double-leg attack.

At 145, Tyler Frye was majored 11-0 by Ean Wilson of Boiling Springs. Aiden Hight ran into a stud in Cole Bartram of Northern at 189 and was defeated, 8-3. And Avery Kuhns lost by pin to Layton Schmick of Carlisle in a wild bout.

Kuhns came out firing, taking No. 1seed Schmick down. Schmick reversed, but Kuhns reversed him to his back. After an escape, Kuhns had another takedown to lead 8-3.

But Schmick reversed Kuhns to his back for five points and an 8-7 deficit after one. To open the second, Schmick took Kuhns down to his back and pinned him in 2:18.

Mentzer said, “Avery had him on the ropes. He almost got a pin at the edge of the mat and might have if he another couple of feet to work with. Sometimes you get them, and sometimes they get you.

“Carter had a one-takedown match and he didn’t get it. He waited too long for the last shot. Frye was an eighth seed when we did the numbers so to get second was really good.”

Shippensburg’s other district qualifiers were Eddie Alcantara at 145 and John Gleason at 172.

For James Buchanan, one wrestler made it through to districts, Nathan Brake at 160 pounds, who placed third. He lost in the quarterfinals, but won four straight bouts, including a 7-4 win for third place over Shamar Proctor of Harrisburg. Trailing 4-2, Brake hit a reversal and nearfall in the final 20 seconds.

District 3 Section III
Team Standings
1.Boiling Springs 192.5; 2.Cumberland Valley 185; 3.Chambersburg 181.5; 4.Lower Dauphin 132; 5.Carlisle 113.5; 6.Shippensburg 111; 7.Cedar Cliff 108; 8.Northern York 106; 13.James Buchanan 21
FIRST ROUND
114 — Justice Rivera (CDE) p Jeremy Minor (JB), 3:22
133 — Isaiah Alcantara (Ship) p Tyrone Norris (Harr), 1:48
139 — Sawyer Young (Boil) p Alex Brake (JB), 5:11; Logan Mickey (Chbg) d Ayden Estep (Ship), 10-6
145 –Evan Zeigler (CC) p Leland Hissong (JB), 1:20
152 — Kevin Foxworth (Ship) d Miko Ledebohm (Mech), 11-5; Jared Porter (Harr) p Judge Rieck (Chbg), 2:33; Joey Swartz (LD) p Drake Spoonhour (JB), 2:55
160 — Alaa Aly (CDE) d Noah Valentine (Chbg), 3-2
172 — Brayden Paul (CDE) p Austin Miller (JB), 4:44; John Gleason (Ship) p Zach Lamancusa (Mech), 4:00
215 — Deion White (Boil) tf Clayton Gearhart (JB), 17-2
285 — Jimmy McDowell (JB) p Javonn Lee (Harr), 1:40; Andrew Fry (Ship) p Reese Sanchez (NY), 1:01
QUARTERFINALS
107 — Ben Hoover (Chbg) p Ji Gould (Mech), 3:32
114 — Zach Sherman (Chbg) tf Corbin Hutchison (RL), 16-1, 5:36
121 — Rylan Carter (Chbg) p Granish Thapa (CDE), 0:54
127 — Ian Longenberger (Boil) p Finn Lorson (JB), 0:51; Luke Mentzer (Chbg) p Zach Cutchall (CC), 0:27
133 — Eli Bounds (Boil) p I.Alcantara (Ship), 1:00; Clayton Koser (LD) d Ashton Romberger (Chbg), 7-3
139 — Griffin Barilla (LD) p Mickey (Chbg), 1:01
145 — Parker Sample (Mech) d Eddie Alcantara (Ship), 6-2; Tyler Frye (Chbg) p Evan Zeigler (CC), 1:13
152 — Michael Duggan (Boil) p Foxworth (Ship), 0:46
160 — Dominic Frontino (Ship) p Ethyn Stonesifer (NY), 1:38
172 — Gleason (Ship) d Jaccob Stoner (Chbg), 7-5
189 — Aiden Hight (Chbg) p Demetri White (Boil), 3:03
215 — Zach Evans (Chbg) p Jayden Conners (Mech), 0:57; Diesel Koser (Ship) p Bradyn Jumper (Car), 0:33
285 — Layton Schmick (Car) p McDowell (JB), 0:53; Ethan Eisner (RL d Fry (Ship), 2-1; Avery Kuhns (Chbg) p Bryce Buetler (CV), 2:13
SEMIFINALS
107 — Phil Montes (CV) md Hoover, 10-2
114 — Keegan Zeigler (CC) d Sherman (Chbg), 8-7
121 — Carter (Chbg) d Logan Maurer (CV), 10-4
127 — Mentzer (Chbg) p Longenberger (Boil), 1:44
145 — Frye (Chbg) d Pete Petsinis (Car), 4-1
160 — Frontino (Ship) p Aly (CDE), 0:18
172 — Collin Neal (Boil) p Gleason (Ship), 5:12
189 — Hight (Chbg) d Anthony Bruscino (CV), 6-4
215 — Evans (Chbg) p Mikey Jones (CC), 4:14; Koser (Ship) d Bryce Phillips (RL), 8-2
285 — Kuhns (Chbg) p Gunar hiller (CC), 1:22
FINALS
121 — Cael Rossi (LD) d Carter (Chbg), 3-2
127 — Mentzer (Chbg) d Alex Tennis (CV), 10-5
145 — Ean WIlson (Boil) md Frye (Chbg), 11-0
160 — Frontino (Ship) p Mitchell Adams (Car), 2:55
189 — Cole Bartram (NY) d Hight, 8-3
215 — Evans (Chbg) d Koser (Ship), 6-3
285 — Layton Schmick (Car) p Kuhns (Chbg), 2:18

CONSOLATIONS
First Round
114 — Brandon Moritz (CV) p Minor (JB), 2:53
133 — I.Alcantara (Ship) d Edward Amaro (RL), 6-5
139 — Mickey (Chbg) p A.Brake (JB), 1:00; Estep (Ship) d Young (Boil), 6-4
145 — E.Alcantara (Ship) p Hissong (JB), 0:25
152 — Swartz (LD) p Rieck (Chbg), 3:19; Porter (Harr) p Spoonhour (JB), 2:57; Foxworth (Ship) p Wyatt Coover (Car), 1:59
160 — Proctor (Harr) d Valentine (Chbg), 9-2; N.Brake (JB) p Cayden Mabius (CC), 1:26
172 –Harley Dolly (NY) d Stoner (Chbg), 8-2
215 — Nathan Stuckey (LD) p Gearhart (JB), 0:20
285 — Fry (Ship) p Lonnie Shepherd (CDE), 3:53; Aaron Moyer (LD) p McDowell (JB), 2:34
Second Round
127 — Cutchall (CC) p Lorson (JB), 1:30
133 — Romberger (Chbg) p I.Alcantara (Ship), 1:44
139 — Carter Pedrick (Car) d Mickey (Chbg), 7-4; Josh Weaver (CC) p Estep (Ship), 2:47
145 — E.Alcantara (Ship) p Declan Basinger (NY), 1:50
152 — Foxworth (Ship) p Porter (CDE), 2:19
160 — N.Brake (JB) p Stonesifer (NY), 2:04
285 — Moyer (LD) p Fry (Ship), 0:27
Semifinals
107 — Hoover (Chbg) p Hayden Bohensky (LD), 1:29
114 — Sherman (Chbg) p Avi Gonzalez (Harr), 1:24
133 — Jake Mitchell (CV) d Romberger, 8-1
145 — E.Alcantara (Ship) d Petsinis (Car), 3-2
152 — Jesiah Sumpter (Harr) p Foxworth (Ship), 2:45
160 — N.Brake (JB) md Connor Stank (RL), 12-1
172 — Gleason (Ship) d Patrick (RL), 5-1
For Third Place
107 — Hoover (Chbg) d Sam Culp (RL), 3-0
114 — Sherman (Chbg) d Drew Scherer (Boil), 4-0
145 — E.Alcantara (Ship) p Ethan Whittaker (CV), 4:30
160 — N.Brake (JB) d Shamar Proctor (Harr), 7-4
172 — Gleason (Ship) d Dolly (NY), 5-1
For Fifth Place
133 — Jude Ayala (Mech) d Romberger, (Chbg), 9-7
152 — Foxworth (Ship) won by forfeit over Nikico Fratelli (NY)