HIGH-SCHOOL

Lebanon County's unstoppable state champion wrestler adds national title to resume

York Daily Record

Aaron Seidel proved the past two years there's no wrestler his size Pennsylvania who can compete with him.

At least in the state's smaller 2A classification.

But the Northern Lebanon sophomore proved his dominance on the national level this past weekend. Seidel won a national title at 106 pounds at the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) National Championships at Virginia Beach. He pinned Ohio's Adam Mattin in the finals Sunday.

The NHSCA National Championships are broken down by grade — so Seidel was competing against sophomores throughout the weekend. However, Mattin went undefeated and won a a state championship in Ohio this winter. And he was no match for Seidel, who led 12-1 before finishing the match with a pin in the third period.

Northern Lebanon's Aaron Seidel has his hand raised after winning the 107-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Seidel defeated Chestnut Ridge's Dominic Deputy by decision, 6-1.

No sophomore at the lightest weight was any match for Seidel. The two-time PIAA state champ went 6-0 with two pins, two tech falls and two major decisions over the weekend.

He was the only wrestler from the GameTimePA area to win a national title, though a number of central Pa. wrestlers competed at the event. Central York junior Elias Long took seventh place at 138 pounds. Gettysburg's Tyler Withers took third at 170 pounds.

Over 5,200 wrestlers from all 50 states competed at the three-day tournament. Most weight classes had at least 128 competitors in them.

March has been a successful month for Seidel. The sophomore won his second straight state title on March 11 with a 6-1 win over Chesnut Ridge's Dominic Deputy. He didn't give up a takedown the entire postseason.

More on Seidel:Here's why this Lebanon County wrestler's repeat state title wasn't as easy as it looked

Northern Lebanon's Aaron Seidel (top) wrestles Chestnut Ridge's Dominic Deputy in the 107-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Seidel won by decision, 6-1.

He finished his sophomore year 48-0 and now has a career record of 97-1. He's the first wrestler in Lebanon County history to win multiple state titles.

While he's mastered the sport's lightest weight, he will likely get the challenge of facing heavier wrestlers moving forward. After the state final, he said he would be bumping up to either 113 or 120 next season.

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.