Mar 6, 2020 3 min read

HERSHEY – It was the longest two minutes in Garrett Boone’s wrestling career.

Holding a 5-1 lead, Boone tweaked his knee on the mat and cried out in pain. After running his injury time down to the nub, the senior from McGuffey gutted out a 9-1 decision over Jason Sine of Notre Dame GP in the third round of consolations, also known as Blood Round, at the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey Friday.

The win assured him a medal in this tournament. Joining Boone as winners in the Blood Round were Shane Kemper (152) and Riley Kemper (Hvy) of Burgettstown.

Boone has been shoveling through the consolation round since losing in the first round to Garrett Storchf Canton, a Northeast runner-up. He pinned Adam Reinhart of Catasaqua, a sixth-place finisher in the Southeast, in 3:22. Then, he won a 5-1 decision over Braydyn Lugardo of Saucon Valley, a fourth-place finisher in the Southeast.

Boone secured his medal by defeating Sine, a third-place finisher in the Southeast.

“After the first day, I was upset,” said Boone. “I got my head together and it’s really exciting that I’ve come this far.”

Giving up is just not in Boone’s DNA.

“This has been a dream of mine since I was little,” Boone said. “You don’t need to get all upset because you lost. Just go back out there and wrestle.”

Shane Kemper opened the day with an 8-2 decision over Bryce Enders of Halifax, a third-place finisher in the Southeast. He reached the 152-pound medal round when he received a forfeit from Sully Allen of Sharon, a Northwest champion and the No. 2 seed in the weight class.

After 4-2 win over Owen Jefferson of Seneca in a consolation bout, Shane Kemper had an ice bag on his neck and was trying to stop a cut on his nose from bleeding.

“It’s tough when (you lose) early,” said Shane Kemper. “When you lose in that first round, you are fighting that thought of giving up. You really have to bounce back.”

Riley Kemper lost an 8-0 major decision to undefeated and top-seeded Colby Whitehall of Brookville but battled back in the consolation round. He pinned Jordan Schell of Girard, a Northwest runner-up, in 2:18.

“You just have to adjust (after a loss),” said Riley Kemper. “You go back into the locker room and rethink, then go back for third because it’s the next best thing.”