When Sports Were Played: Kolat flips over fourth PIAA title
In today’s “When Sports Were Played,” we go back to March of 1992 and the Hersheypark Arena, where Jefferson-Morgan’s Cary Kolat capped a 137-0 career with his fourth PIAA Class AA wrestling championship.
HERSHEY – The anticipation had been building for three years, since that March day in 1989 when a freshman from Jefferson-Morgan won the PIAA 119-pound wrestling title.
On Saturday afternoon, at about 20 minutes after three, the standing-room only-crowd of 8,476 packed into Hersheypark arena erupted into unbridled admiration as Cary Kolat raced from the mat, leaped over the barrier and into the stands to embrace his mother after winning his fourth consecutive PIAA Class AA wrestling championship.
Seated on press row was another four-time PIAA champion, Jerry Maury, who won his last title in the Washington High School gymnasium in 1950. Maury was the man who handed Kolat the 135-pound Class AA gold medal Saturday.
The other wrestler who won gold Saturday was Burgettstown’s Jeff Abbott, who defeated Kevin Drew of Reynolds, 3-1, in overtime in the 189-pound class.
Beth-Center’s Tio Paci (119) placed second; Jefferson-Morgan’s Bill White (125) was third; Beth-Center’s Chad Kime (103) and Fort Cherry’s Jay Allen (130) each finished fourth and Washington’s Chris Tarr (112) placed fifth.
Kolat became the seventh four-time state champion in Pennsylvania wrestling history when Chris Bohn of Boiling Springs was unable to continue after sustaining an elbow injury 48 seconds into the third period. The default victory was an anti-climactic finish to a career that encompassed 137 wins and no losses.
“I was hoping for a close match or fall,” Kolat said. “I didn’t get either.”
While this high school finale may have been a bit of a letdown for him, one moment of the match brought the crowd to its feet. With a minute left in the second period, Bohn got in for a single leg shot and Kolat was ready. As soon as Bohn lifted his leg, Kolat flipped backwards landing on his head at Bohn’s feet. He then slipped between Bohn’s legs and twisted him to the floor for a takedown. Kolat calls the move, “the flipper.”
Bohn was injured on another takedown move by Kolat in the third period. The doctor who attended Bohn said the Boiling Springs senior felt his elbow pop.
“We think it’s either a partial dislocation or a torn ligament,” said Philadelphia orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Gottschalk. “Bohn had only 15 seconds of injury time left and we had to make a quick decision.”
Bohn was taken to Hershey Medical Center for treatment. The decision to stop the match was a disappointment to the crowd, to Kolat, and to his coach, Ron Headlee.
“Cary has never had an injury default victory. We wanted to go on. I wanted to see Cary finish it,” Headlee said.
Bohn had been quoted as saying he thought he had a good shot at beating Kolat. Headlee said that “really got a fire burning for Cary. He wanted to go out and do well.”
Kolat held a 6-2 to lead when the bout was stopped and he came close to getting at least four more points on takedowns. Just 47 seconds into the match, Kolat appeared to have a takedown on the edge, and when the wrestlers were whistled back to center mat, Bohn took the down position. Referee Jerry Nowakowski signaled them to the neutral position.
“There are a couple of takedowns I thought I should’ve had,” Kolat said. “But you have to acccept his calls.”
Maury had anticipated a wide-open match, which he thought Kolat would enjoy.
“If a guy doesn’t open up,” Maury said, “a good wrestler can lose, 8-5. But I think Bohn is going to go after Cary.”
Bohn might’ve tried, but he didn’t succeed.
“I try to do things to open it up, but he hardly ever came at me,” Kolat said.
There is a young wrestler who might be coming after Kolat from a different direction, and that is as a four-time state champ. Warrior Run freshman Jason Betz won Saturday in the 103-pound class.
“I hope that freshman goes for years,” Kolat told the media. “But I’d advise him to stay away from you.”
Kolat achieved yet another state tournament record when he was named Outstanding Wrestler for an unprecedented fourth time.
Kolat was characteristically shy as he stood atop the winners’ podium to receive his medal from Maury.
“I’m relieved it’s all over,” he said, “but I know I’m going to miss it.”