Photo for the Mirror by Paul Schofield Altoona’s Gavin Ciampoli beats Mount Lebanon’s Cole Gibbons.

CANONSBURG — Four members of the Altoona Area High School wrestling team are headed to Hershey on Thursday, including regional champ Gavin Ciampoli.

The four punched their tickets to the PIAA Class 3A Championship at the Giant Center by placing among the top five at the PIAA 3A West Regional on Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School.

The Mountain Lions finished fifth in the team standings with 82 points behind Canon-McMillan with 136, Franklin Regional 99, Connellsville 96 and State College 88.5.

Ciampoli, a junior, had a strong tournament, which resulted in winning the 160-pound title.

He took a 7-0 lead late in the first period with a takedown and four-point near fall against Mount Lebanon’s Cole Gibbons. He added takedowns in the second and third periods to complete the dominating performance.

“It was my first regional championship and that is always cool,” Ciampoli said. “I was glad that I could come here and put up a lot of points and get ready for next weekend at the state tournament.

“I have been thinking ahead since the beginning of the season. I will definitely think about what I did wrong and need to work on.”

Ciampoli is seeded second and will face the winner of the Governor Mifflin’s Anthony Montegari/Quakertown’s Logan Pfistner match.

Senior Braiden Weaver dropped a controversial 5-2 decision to Moon senior Cael Yanek in the 133 final. Weaver was the returning champion.

Weaver was protecting a 2-1 after a reversal in the second period.

He was working from the top positions and riding when he was penalized for locking hands with 24 seconds left to tie the score, 2-2.

Bothered by the call, Weaver was then called for his third caution giving Yanek another point and a 3-2 lead.

Weaver then had to change his attack. He let Yanek escape to make it 4-2. Needing a three-point takedown for the win, Yanek fought him off.

Weaver was penalized another point with two seconds left for another caution.

“I did not agree with the locking hands call,” Altoona coach Joel Gilbert said. “But that is what the official saw and you cannot argue with them.”

Weaver added that if he was going to lose, he would rather lose in the regional.

“If I win a state title, no one will remember that I lost here,” Weaver said. “I did not agree with the call, but it is wrestling and it is the way it works.

“I have to put my head down and get back to work and hope for the best at states.”

Weaver (35-6) will face Abington’s Mason Whitney at Hershey.

Joining Ciampoli and Weaver were Dom Picciotti (107) and Deklan Barr (127). Both finished fourth.

Picciotti and Barr fell in the first round but battled back in the consolation rounds to wrestle for third.

Picciotti (33-10) will face Central Bucks East’s Johnny Hunter in a pigtail-round match, while Barr (33-7) faces Boiling Springs’ Alex Mentzer in a pigtail match.

“It was a good weekend,” Gilbert said. “We have four going to the state tournament. We wrestled well. We are happy.

“Braiden wrestled well and is looking for the state tournament. Gavin looked tough. He is fun to watch. He put the pedal down. He’s happy to win this tough region.”

Gilbert said a tough schedule, competing against WPIAL teams during the season, helped.

“We have to beat the guys from the WPIAL to make it to Hershey,” Gilbert said.

Altoona’s Mike Coyler (215) and Hollidaysburg’s Keegan Hewitt (189) and heavyweight Scott Payne placed sixth.

Even though Hollidaysburg did not qualify a wrestler to the state tournament, coach Christian Harr was not disappointed with his wrestlers’ performances.

“We brought five here, and I want them to learn from this experience,” Harr said. “We had two guys come up short.

“Both are underclassmen and I want to take away the positives from here. They went out and competed and showed what they were working on, and it showed them where they need to be.”

Altoona

107–Freshman Dominic Picciotti finished fourth by going 4-2. He lost in the first round and then won four consecutive matches before falling in the third-place match; 127–Sophomore Deklan Barr finished fourth by going 4-2. He lost in the first round and then won four consecutive matches before falling in the third-place match; 133–Braiden Weaver placed second by going 3-1; 145–Junior Reese Hite went 0-2; 152–Senior Philip Sarbo went 1-2; 160–Gavin Ciampoli won the title by going 4-0; 215–Junior Mike Colyer placed sixth by going 3-3; 285–Senior Khamden Thomkins went 0-2.

Hollidaysburg

107–Sophomore Connor Sidney went 2-2; 114–Junior Landon Krupa went 2-2; 121–Senior Brayden Sidney went 1-2; 189–Freshman Keegan Hewitt went 3-3, losing to State College freshman Noah Williams, 7-2, in the fifth-place match; 285–Sophomore Scott Payne went 2-3, falling to Punxsutawney in the sixth-place match.