But despite the disadvantages that came with the change, coupled with the fact that he hadn’t officially competed in three weeks, the Red Raider overcame that adversity to put together a strong run.

With a first-period tech fall against Mifflin County’s Alonso Torres, he’d lock in his spot at regionals, placing himself in the final alongside Altoona’s Michael Colyer. Then, he’d fall one back point short of extending his shot at gold, falling to Colyer by 12-11 decision after an exceptional third-period effort.

“I went into it as kind of an underdog in my head because I weighed about 35 pounds lighter than everyone else. But I felt like I could give a good effort with what I had and use my skill sets to the best of my ability to beat the other guys,” said McHail on his mindset entering the event.

“I felt like I had a good shot at placing how I did, but I still exceeded my expectations a little bit.”

TIM WEIGHT/For The Express Bellefonte’s Jack McHail fights from the bottom during the District 6 Class AA tournament on Saturday in Altoona at 215 pounds. McHail adjusted on the fly during Saturday’s tournament to secure his first regional bid of his career.

Despite facing a tough hill to climb in his finals bout, falling behind 12-6 with just over a minute to go, McHail showed poise, patiently working to put himself in a position to come back. With the clock winding down, he’d work his way out of bottom, standing up and wrapping his arms around Colyer before using downward momentum to get his opponent back down to the mat for a reversal.

From there, he’d immediately begin working a pin. As the waning seconds of the match ran out, the ref gave him a two-count, then a three-count – signifying a potential rally amidst McHail’s last hoorah.

But with an adjustment or two needed to secure a pin or fourth back point, the final whistle blew just before either was called. Ultimately, the move would grant him five points, an effort that head coach Michael Maney commended despite the loss.

“He was giving up some weight going up to 215 and wrestled very hard to the end,” said Maney. “Gave up some points early but kept wrestling hard. So, that’s a positive, that he didn’t give up. He wasn’t a starter but found a way to get in the lineup, make the finals and wrestle well.”

Though McHail displayed considerable improvements between his freshman and sophomore seasons, upping his win total by 11 and finishing with a winning record and District 6 medal, it’s been tough for the junior to find opportunities to compete outside of tournaments and exhibitions throughout the current campaign.

That wasn’t due to a lack of strong suits or improvements, however. It’s just a byproduct of Bellefonte’s depth, particularly throughout the mid to upper-mid weights. Prior to his junior year, McHail had just spent much of his first two seasons wrestling between 145 and 160, moving up to 172 to kick things off in December.

If he were to move down, he’d be tasked with beating out Ezra Swisher or Noah Weaver at 152 and 160, two wrestlers that had recently surpassed 100 career wins to go along with considerable postseason success throughout their careers. Stay, and state-ranked junior Jackson Long stood in his way. And up at 189, it was the same story with rising underclassman Ed Hockenberry.

“The two guys we have at 172 and 189 are pretty solid, got to give it to them. I’m always one to (not give up) so I decided to go 215,” said McHail on the decision.

Even with the way his run wrapped up, McHail heads into his first regional stint harboring a confident boost, with added belief in what he’s capable of at 215 and two weeks to build on what he learned throughout his first event at his newly acquired class. He’ll be joined by six teammates in what should be a memorable event for the program overall.

“Placing in District 6 is really tough and there’s a lot of good kids, so I feel like it elevates my expectations for this upcoming tournament,” said McHail. “Hoping it’ll be good.”