Central Valley’s Boni takes 2nd in down year for WPIAL Class 2A

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, March 8, 2025 | 8:56 PM

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HERSHEY — Class 2A wrestlers from the WPIAL did not have a good weekend at the PIAA wrestling championships, which concluded Saturday.

Only 10 wrestlers, no champion, earned medals at the Giant Center on Saturday.

The WPIAL had one finalist, Central Valley junior Antonio Boni, who lost to Faith Christian Academy sophomore Joey Bachmann, 7-0, in the 127-pound final.

“I am pleased to make the finals but not satisfied with how I finished,” Boni said. “I wrestled well, but I should have opened up more in the finals.

“I must get better this summer and come back stronger next year. I want to be a state champion. I’m just going to work harder and hopefully get on top. I need to work on my attacks and different setups.”

Derry sophomore Mason Horwat (152) and Brady Brown (189) also won medals.

Horwat finished fourth, and Brown was fifth.

Both said they know what they have to work on next season if they want to climb the podium.

“I was a little better than last year,” Horwat said. “I need to keep adding more to my arsenal. I must be better on my on feet. Overall, it was a good experience.”

Brown, who left the arena Friday on a stretcher, came back to finish strong.

“It’s not really how I wanted to go,” Brown said. “I wanted to continue, but I did not have enough time to recover. That’s why I was taken to get checked.

“It’s nice to place. I am super happy, but there is still a lot of work to go. I have to improve off the bottom for sure. That is big for me. I struggled with that all year. I did better, but I also must work on my conditioning.”

The WPIAL wrestlers to earn medals:

Second place: Boni (127)

Third place: Fort Cherry senior Braedon Welsh (215)

Fourth place: Horwat (152) and West Greene junior Colin Whyte (285)

Fifth place: Brown (189)

Sixth place: Elizabeth Forward sophomore Lucas Boyer (145) and Laurel junior Casey Wilson (285)

Seventh place: Highlands junior Javeon Chambers (107)

Eighth place: Bentworth sophomore Drake McClure (133) and Frazier junior Jackson Angelo (172)

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.