Northern Bedford's Raegan Snider, top, holds down Chestnut Ridge's Juliet Alt during the second period of their 155-pound state finals match Saturday in Hershey. Alt pinned Snider with a second left while leading 1-0 to claim the title.

By Todd Irwin

sports@altoonamirror.com

HERSHEY — Northern Bedford senior Raegan Snider got the rematch with Chestnut Ridge rival Juliet Alt she wanted in the championship finals of the girls PIAA Championships on Saturday at the Giant Center.

It just wasn’t the ending she wanted.

Snider was losing, 1-0, late in the third period of the 155-pound finals when she made a move to finally escape from the Ridge freshman, who had ridden her the entire final period.

Alt caught Snider in a precarious position, put the Northern senior on her back and got the fall with 1 second left on the clock.

“I don’t really care about the end.” Snider said after wiping away tears. “I was just trying to get a point and try to tie it up or score a reversal to win it. I tried all I could. She just got me this time.”

“That was kind of desperation at the end,” Northern Bedford coach Zach Clark said. “Raegan was trying to get a point at the end or try to get a reversal and that’s just the result.”

Alt (30-2) had the lead after escaping from Snider in the second period. In the third period, Alt used her highly effective arm-bar and tough ride to keep Snider from escaping.

“I was a little scared because I actually injured my shoulder earlier this year when she barred me,” Snider said. “I was trying not to get in that. I was trying to get anywhere but that.”

“We knew it was going to be tight,” Ridge coach Jason Kendall said. “Raegan is a fierce competitor for sure. Every match they wrestled was tight, other than Mid-Winter Mayhem (8-1 win for Alt). It’s just a game of inches. Juliet had a good ride in the third period. Raegan had to create space to roll out and Juliet stepped in, was able to catch her inevitably with the fall. That’s sort of the cherry on top.”

Snider and Alt wrestled five times this season, including in the finals of the District 5-6-9 Tournament, the Central Regional and the state tournament.

Alt held a 4-1 edge, with Snider winning the district title by riding Alt out in the ultimate tiebreaker. Snider had to injury default at the regional because of stomach sickness.

“It definitely helped me in a lot of aspects in my life,” Snider said of the battles, “in just having motivation to do things like other people can. If I try my best, that’s all I can do.”

“We knew that was going to be a battle with both of them,” Clark said. “They’re very equal whenever it comes to competing. They’ve had back-and-forth battles, so we knew it was going to come down to the wire.”

Snider, who finished third in last year’s tournament, went 3-1 in the tournament with three decisions to finish with a 30-6 record.

“I think I wrestled pretty good,” Snider said. “There are definitely some things I could have fixed. I was a little nervous, but overall I’m not mad about it.”

“I definitely didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve, but overall I had a really good season. I’m just excited for the freestyle season and then I never have to wrestle folkstyle ever again.”

Snider has verbally committed to wrestle at Lock Haven University.

“I’m sad to see Raegan go out this way with her high school career coming to an end,” Clark said, “but I know she’s got bigger and brighter things as she’s looking forward to competing at the college level.

“She’s spent so much of her time and so much of her life dedicating it to the sport, I know how much she loves it. She’s going to go and reach her goals in college.”

Ridge sisters win

Alt’s sister Violette Lasure, a sophomore at Chestnut Ridge, captured her second state title at 148 pounds.

Lasure, a sophomore who went 31-0, rolled to a 15-0 technical fall over Sun Valley’s Jameson Strickland to repeat as a state champ. Lasure was 31-0 with 29 pins this season

“It feels awesome to be able to have my sister by my side, and for both of us to win the state championship together,” Lasure said.

“It feels great to be here with my sister, who won the state title last year when I was still in junior high,” Alt said. “I got to support her last year. I got to support her the whole way on the other side of the gym and then go and wrestle my match on the same mat.”

Ridge finished in second place in the team standings by 4.5 points, 63-58.5, to Central Regional champ Montgomery.

Bedford sophomore Mylah Steinbuch finished in eighth place at 235 for her second state medal.