With the nerves of his first two appearances out the way and his well-travelled team cheering him on from the front row, Kunes put together a controlled, dominant win to open his third appearance at the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships on top.

On top of cementing his first PIAA quarterfinal appearance, his eventual 18-2, third-period tech fall over No. 9 Dominic Ramos (Souderton) also marked his first bonus-point victory at states, coming against a top ten opponent in the state no less.

“Definitely wasn’t as nervous as I was the first two years,” said Kunes. “First match, that’s when your nerves are the highest. But I felt calmer, felt more relaxed and focused, and that played a big part in that match.”

By the end of the first period, Kunes had already racked up 12 points, working a quick takedown, turning Ramos twice out of top before working one final takedown as the first period’s time hit triple zeros. He came out of the gate swinging before dialing it back a tad, with his remaining points coming in patient, calculated fashion.

DAVE KENNEDY/For the Express Patrick Tarantella of Central Mountain tries to take down Charlie Griffin of Wilson during the PIAA State Wreslting Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

After having a single-legged shot absorbed at the start of the second, Kunes gathered himself, steadily worked his way into a standing position and fired another, landing it and carrying it into his third takedown of his match. From there, one last takedown would be all it took, which he secured 20 seconds into the third to seal it.

“I was getting my leg attacks in pretty well, finishing well and rode him pretty well on top,” said Kunes when discussing what worked for him in the bout.

With the win, Kunes – ranked No. 3 in the state at 145 – sets up one of the more anticipated quarterfinal bouts of the entire bout, a top three matchup against No. 2 Jack Campbell (Nazareth), who’s coming off a tech fall of his own. It’s a matchup Kunes is confident he can win, with the mindset remaining the same amidst the competition uptick.

“It’s the same mindset every match. Just go out there, try to score points and have fun,” said Kunes. “There’s nothing to lose or win, just go have fun and be relaxed.”

Though Kunes was the lone area wrestler to advance to championship quarters, three other local athletes are set to keep fighting in consolations on Friday. Central Mountain’s Patrick Tarantella (133) and Bellefonte’s Ezra Swisher (152) and Jackson Long (189) each picked up wins to extend their runs to Day 2.

DAVE KENNEDY/For the Express Jackson Long controls the action against Tamir Griffin of Lower Marion during the PIAA State Wreslting Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Tarantella and Long each opened their stints with victories in preliminaries before falling short of 2-0 days in the first round.

After trailing for much of the second period against No. 20 Charlie Griffin (Wilson), Tarantella steadily worked his way back from a 4-0 deficit. Not only was he able to secure an escape late in the second to get started, but he was also able to transition it into a match-tying takedown just before the period ended.

From there, he’d officially earn his first PIAA win thanks to a reversal with 30 seconds to go, winning by 6-5 decision.

Ultimately, his winner’s run would end at the hands of No. 8 Brayden Sigle (Downingtown West) despite a strong start to the match. After netting a six-point move to start, Sigle turned the tide on him in one fell swoop, responding with a reversal that he was able to convert into a pin.

He’ll face No. 16 Pierce Kane (Council Rock North) in second-round consolations to open his Day Two.

DAVE KENNEDY/For the Express Jackson Long wins his match against Tamir Griffin of Lower Marion during the PIAA State Wreslting Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

“I just think I got unlucky,” said Tarantella on the loss. “I think I could’ve had him pinned, but he was super tall. And then once I was on my back, there wasn’t really much I could do to get him off. Was just in a bad position.”

“I’m excited. I’m happy to be here and ready to keep wrestling, getting after it,” he added on the experience competing at the Giant Center.

Similarly, Long’s first day competing at states was a tale of two matches.

His prelim match against No. 18 Tamir Griffin (Lower Merion) went flawlessly, as he racked up takedowns in all three periods in route to a third-period, 15-0 tech fall. But that momentum didn’t carry over to his next against No. 9 Noah Templin, who shut out the Red Raider, 10-0, to send him to consolations.

It was a rough conclusion to the day but for now, the senior remains alive in the 189-pound bracket. On Friday, he’ll face No. 14 David Clayton (Quakertown) to open his Day Two.

DAVE KENNEDY/For the Express Coltan Jones of Central Bucks East and Louden Spotts of Jersey Shore tie up during the PIAA State Wreslting Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

“Even though I got the tech the first match, it still felt kind of slow, and I did not look good that last match,” said Long. “The (shortened) warm up today threw me off a little bit. So, I’ve got to figure out some stuff tomorrow and get to my offense, figure out how to wrestle my match.”

Swisher took the reverse route to his teammate on his way to second-round consolations.

After succumbing to a tough opening draw against No. 3 Cade Campbell (Nazareth) by 5-0 decision, the senior would bounce back with a 12-0 major decision over No. 17 Blake Haines (Gettysburg). In extending his run, he’ll face No. 11 Luke Lilley (Connellsville) to open his Day Two.

For Jersey Shore, sophomore Louden Spotts went 0-2 to cap off is states debut, falling to No. 7 Michael Ruane (Franklin Regional) by tech fall before closing out his run with tight, 4-1 loss to No. 20 Colton Jones (Central Bucks East). It was a tough conclusion, but he heads into the second half of his strong career with two chances to build on it.