But while last year’s returning cast contained more mystery when it came to who’d be the next contender, presenting a few dark-horse contenders here and there, this year’s paints a much different picture.

Central Mountain junior Aiden Kunes, Bald Eagle junior Tanner Guenot and Penns Valley sophomore Max Dinges each made state finals in 2026 with at least one more shot at returing in in their futures. What they do with those opportunities is up to them, but they’ve put themselves in a great position to earn the area’s first state championship since Simcox’s in 2024.

“Obviously, I didn’t win, so I’m not satisfied with it. But at the end of the day, I finished as a state finalist, so just some things to improve on,” said Guenot when discussing his state final loss on Saturday. “One good attack or good score would have won me the match, and I wasn’t able to do it, so I’m going to work on that.”

When it comes to weight classes, a lot can change between now and December. But there are two immediate obstacles that come up in next year’s title hopes, with two of the three opposing champions set to return.

DAVE KENNEDY/For the Express Aiden Kunes of Central Mountain runs off the arena floor as he smiles and pumps his fist after defeating Myles Grossman of Gettysburg in their semi-final match during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Of Kunes’s three losses on the season, including his latest in Saturday’s 145-pound final, all three were suffered at the hands of Connellsville’s Kai Vielma, with two coming by a takedown and the latest by 4-0 decision. With Vielma also being a junior, Kunes hopes to get a shot to avenge the loss.

“Yeah, it would be nice to face him at least one more time so I can come out on top,” said Kunes when asked if he’s looking for a chance to avenge next season. “There’s always room for improvement, so I’m going to use this as motivation to get better.”

It’s the same story as Dinges, who experienced three losses to the same wrestler – Bishop McCort sophomore Keegan Bassett – throughout the individual postseason at 121.

Based on weight-class trajectories, it could be theorized that Bassett ends up landing a weight class above Dinges for the 2026-27 season, having moved up two classes to Dinges’s one following his freshman postseason. But were they to find themselves in the same class, a focus on breaking through Bassett’s defenses would be at the top of the list of priorities for Dinges, a similar story to Kunes’s matchup against Vielma.

For Guenot, his biggest obstacle may not be an opponent he’s faced, with 133-pound champion Will Detar (Trinity) set to graduate following Saturday’s final.

DAVE KENNEDY/For the Express Max Dinges of Penns Valley wins his match against Dakota Santamaria of Tussey Mountain during their semi-final match at 121 pounds at the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

It certainly could be, with 133-pound bronze medalist Bradley Wagner (Mifflinburg) – who he defeated in Friday’s semifinal – also being a junior. But it could also come from a separate weight class, most notably 127-pounder Freddy Bachmann (Faith Christian), a sophomore coming off his second straight state championship.

As it stands, it’s been three years since Central Mountain had a state champion, six for Bald Eagle, 16 for Bellefonte, 20 for Jersey Shore, 30 for Sugar Valley and 63 for Penns Valley. Three of those streaks were one win away from ending on Saturday and can obviously be challenged again next season.

Ultimately, it’s going to be a very long time before any questions are answered or any non-title streaks are ended, as just under 365 days stand between this rendition of states and the next. But the fact that these conversations can be had should produce excitement for what lies ahead, with the area state finalists just being the tip of the iceberg.

This year’s state tournament featured 17 area qualifiers, six more than the previous despite a particularly brutal batch of regional tournaments. Of those qualifiers, ten are set to return next season and four having multiple seasons to go.

Apart from medalists, juniors Patrick Tarantella (Central Mountain), Dawson Lomison (Bald Eagle) and Erik Carlile (Penns Valley) all made it to the blood round, needing to surpass one additional step as seniors to wrap up their careers as PIAA medalists. Considering Kunes fell in the blood round as a sophomore, the sky is the limit for that group, though tremendous work is obviously required for that kind of jump.

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.

Alongside Tarantella, junior Tripp Watson (Penns Valley) and sophomores Louden Spotts (Jersey Shore), Evan Lisowski (Penns Valley) and Bailee Scott (Bellefonte) each experienced their first state tournaments, with Lisowski earning a win in his PIAA debut. Shore’s Isabelle Gottschall and Central Mountain’s Gavin Heverly and Austynn Falls have also proven capable of making it and will look to return to the grand stage as seniors.

Additional excitement can be found from regionals as well. Jersey Shore’s Gabe Fisher, Bellefonte’s Collin Harter and Sugar Valley’s Pyper Lane each qualified as freshmen, with Fisher taking sixth to fall one win short of states. And Bellefonte junior Luke Hockenberry and Central Mountain sophomores Hayes Donley, Todd Caris and Hayes Henry all made large jumps to qualify.

Every season is bound to produce excitement, especially given the storied nature of the area’s programs. But with how much success the area’s returning cast had this campaign, the 2026-27 season has the potential to stand out for years to come.

WRESTLING’S DALLAS COWBOYS

Straying pretty far off topic here, but my opinion towards the pushed for, private-public split has changed a tad.

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.

It remains the same for duals, with Faith Christian and Bishop McCort’s stranglehold on the AA division being borderline impossible for public schools to break through, warranting a split. But individually, I like what some of them bring to the state tournament, particularly Bishop McCort.

The Crushers bring a Dallas Cowboys-esque aura to the PIAA Wrestling Championships, harboring high school wrestling’s largest fanbase while the rest of the Giant Center roots against them. Really, it just isn’t something you see every day in high school sports and makes for great entertainment, filling the venue with constant cheers and jeers.

The biggest example of that, apart from Bo Bassett’s closing pin, came in Friday’s 121-pound AA semifinals. While Max Dinges was facing Tussey Mountain’s Dakota Santamaria on one mat, Keegan Bassett was facing Line Mountain’s Brock Rothermel on the one right next to it, with Dinges’s match beginning as Bassett’s came to a particularly loud conclusion.

The perceived winner of that match changed multiple times. Both wrestlers scored amidst a last-minute scramble, and Bassett ultimately came out on top despite the initial final score going Rothermel’s way.

Ultimately, those post-match score changes resulted in the loudest moment of the night, with the venue filling with boos after Bassett was coined the winner. All the while, Dinges and Santamaria were competing on the other side, unable to hear a thing.

“It’s hard not to (peek). Dakota and I were just smiling at each other, like we can’t hear anything,” said Dinges when discussing that moment. “I genuinely thought I was going to step out and call a timeout, and they were going to give us a break, like we can’t hear our coaches. It was crazy.”

There’s certainly a conversation to be had when it comes to splitting private and public schools in the future, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t positives that come from them being together. That all presumes refs are calling a fair match unimpacted by the crowds, of course, but it’s still fun to witness firsthand.