Photo for the Mirror by Chris Wechtenhiser Glendale’s Daniel Williams rallies for a 5-4 win over Canton’s Mason Nelson.

HERSHEY — Penn Cambria’s Trent Hoover wasn’t happy about his performance in last year’s PIAA Class 2A Championships.

The District 6 and Southwest Regional champion won his first bout, but then lost his next two to be eliminated from the state tournament on Day 2.

A motivated Hoover was relentless in his opener on Thursday at Hershey’ Giant Center. The Panther junior dominated Biglerville’s Joey Ney in a 16-3 major decision to advance to today’s quarterfinals.

“I’m ready to go. I’m excited,” Hoover said. “I’m back to where we were last year. It’s what I’ve been working for. I want to wrestle hard. It’s all I can do.”

Hoover was one of four wrestlers from the Mirror coverage area who advanced to the 2A quarterfinals.

Glendale’s returning fourth-placer Zeke Dubler (160) and freshman Daniel Williams (285) won their first-round bouts. Dubler pinned West Perry’s Justice Hockenberry-Folk in 4:07, while Williams rallied for a 5-4 win over Canton’s Mason Nelson.

Tyrone’s Braden Ewing pinned Benton’s Andrew Wolfe in 3:25 at 285.

Tyrone freshman Kyle Scott (172) and Williamsburg/Huntingdon’s Andrew McMonagle (160) are still alive in the consolations.

Glendale’s Britton Spangle (189) was eliminated after going 0-2.

Friday is always the longest day of the 2A tournament. Wrestling begins with the Class 2A quarterfinals and second-round consolations at 9 a.m. Quarterfinal winners will wrestle in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. The consolation semifinals are scheduled for 9:30 p.m.

Hoover scored two takedowns in the first period on two low single-leg shots for a 4-1 lead over Ney.

“I’ve been working on a low-leg attack for awhile,” Hoover said. “I can attack both sides, but the one thing I was missing was being to go low. I’ve been developing that and making it work at the higher levels.”

Hoover added two more takedowns in the second for an 8-3 lead. He put Ney on his back for three nearfall points. Hoover was awarded three more back points, but the official reversed his decision and took the points off the board. Hoover led, 11-3, after two periods. Penn Cambria coach Todd Niebauer understood.

“We still had the leg hooked,” he said. “Technically on a turk, if you still have that leg hooked, even though he bellies out, you’ve got to give him a chance to get that leg out.”

In the third, Hoover added his fifth takedown and cradled Ney for three more back points.

“I thought he wrestled well,” Niebauer said. “He stayed aggressive, stayed busy on his feet, and had heavy hands. It’s the first match, and we’ll keep it in perspective. We know what we’ve got coming next.”

Hoover (39-2) will wrestle Meadowbrook Christian’s two-time state placewinner Cade Wirnsberger (39-3) in the quarterfinals.

Hockenberry-Folk came out aggressive against Dubler, and the Viking senior made him pay the price. On his second takedown in the first period, he took the West Perry wrestler down to his back for a four-point move and a 6-1 lead.

In the second, he reversed and tilted Hockenberry-Folk for two more points and a 10-1 lead. Dubler immediately reversed his opponent to his back to begin the third and got the fall in 4:07. Dubler has 30 pins this season and 83 for his career – both school records.

Dubler (40-4) will face Lackawanna Trail’s Deegan Ross (40-2) in the quarterfinals.

Ewing was in a scoreless bout with Wolfe when he chin-picked Wolfe from the top position, put him on his back and got the fall.

“I rode him for about a minute, and he sat out, so I chinned him back,” Ewing said. “He’s a good wrestler. We had a nice flurry in the first period, where I thought I had two a couple times. It’s a good warm-up for tomorrow.”

“He wrestled well,” Tyrone coach Quentin Wright said. “He went out there and did what he needed to do. He got the pin. It’s nice to win matches like that. When somebody makes a mistake and you’re able to capitalize on that, it’s fun.”

Ewing (33-8) has a huge challenge of ahead him in the quarters as he wrestles Bishop McDevitt’s returning state champion and two-time finalist Riley Robell (34-2).

“He’s a big dude,” Ewing said, “but I’m going to try to use my speed. I never count myself out of a match. I think I’m going to go out there and win a big upset.”

Williams had a 2-0 lead going into the third period thanks to a reversal and tough riding in the second period. But Nelson escaped and took Williams down to take a 3-2 lead.

A Williams escape tied the score, and the bout appeared to be headed to overtime. Williams, who took injury time with 22 seconds left, scored a takedown with 6 seconds left for the deciding points.

Williams (40-8), who is the youngest wrestler at 285, will wrestle the second youngest in Port Allegany sophomore and Northwest Regional champ Carson Neely (34-0) in the quarterfinals.

“I think he can wrestle with anybody,” Glendale coach Brian Storm said. “He just has to weather the storm. He’s the only freshman here at heavyweight. He just has to wrestle the way he has been, and we’ll see what happens.”

Scott suffered a 2-1 loss to Towanda’s Mason Higley, who scored a decisive takedown with 28 seconds remaining. Scott bounced back with a 4-3 win over Chartiers-Houston’s Jessie Orbin.

McMonagle had a 3-1 lead over Sugalski entering the third, but Sugalski escaped early and got a takedown with 34 seconds left for a 4-3 lead. McMonagle took injury time with 16 seconds left and yielded an escape and takedown in the final 6 seconds.

McMonagle was limping afterward, but he won by forfeit over Jefferson Morgan’s Chase Frameli, who was in the Giant Center but didn’t weigh in.

Notes: Chestnut Ridge’s Dominic Deputy (107) and Calan Bollman (145) made the quarters, but Southwest Regional team champ Ridge is in seventh place. … Northwestern’s Sierra Chiesa became the first girl to wrestle in Hershey. After losing her first bout at 107, she won her second, 8-5, over Oswayo Valley’s Andrew Coriaty. She’ll wrestle Philipsburg-Osceola’s Caleb Hummel next.