Bachmann, Waters win gold, lead Faith Christian to another team title at 2A PIAA Championships

HERSHEY >> The brilliance of Faith Christian Academy’s Joey Bachmann and Adam Waters was no secret even prior to the start of the Class 2A PIAA Championships.

The weighty expectations and assumed outcomes did not by any means lessen the enjoyment when the pair made projections reality.

Not even a little bit.

Bachmann comfortably won his first state championship, Waters pinned in the finals for a second straight year and once again the Lions ran away with the team title at the Giant Center in Hershey, Saturday.

“That is a quality of a champion,” Faith coach Ben Clymer said of his two champs. “When no one is watching they are still grinding, they are still finding new ways to discipline themselves, so that’s what they do. In most of their settings they’re expected to win but that doesn’t define how their week goes or offseason goes. They’re constantly surrounding themselves with new partners and new coaches with different opinions and stuff that keeps elevating them.”

Faith had nine total medal-winners, matching last season’s total.

Bachmann set the tone, taking a page out of Waters’ playbook from the finals the year prior, hitting a headlock against Chestnut Ridge’s Dom Deputy for a five-point lead. He rode that to a 6-1 win.

“It feels really good,” Bachmann said. “Lot of pressure off my chest and can’t wait to do it again.”

Waters knows, that feeling, defending his title as a sophomore. He had three technical falls on his way to the finals, where he decked Northwestern Lehigh’s Luke Fugazzotto in the first period.

“I just wanted to score points on top,” Waters said. “I just wanted to score and win big matches and not let anyone be close to me. I don’t want anybody to be close to me. I want to be the best dude by a lot.”

Unlike last year, when all nine of the Lions won their placement bout, Faith felt some heartache on day three this season.

Max Stein was taken down by Bishop McCort’s Melvin Miller in the waning seconds of the 152-pound final in a 2-1 loss and Cael Weidemoyer (160) was a point short against Montgomery’s Conner Harer in the middle of Faith’s three straight finalists run.

“Last year was a party,” Clymer said. “We went 9-for-9 and it was just pompoms everywhere. Humility and some of that pain that comes with the sport, ultimately they are very important, defining moments for the kids to go through, as painful as they are. We just leave here really, really grateful. We have a teammate in Owin (Brunner) who’s battling leukemia and meanwhile we get to play a sport out here, so we’re eternally grateful.”

Weidemoyer was down 4-1 to start the third but scored a reversal eight seconds in. He was unable to produce anything on top and heads into his junior year with third and second-place state finishes.

“There’s small victories from the whole weekend,” Weidemoyer said. “I’m blessed with a great life. I have a healthy family. Definitely a good weekend. I’ll wake up (Sunday) morning and my identity is not found in wrestling.”

Mark Effendian (285) was the next-highest placer for the Lions, taking third. Chase Hontz (145) and Jason Singer (215) were fourth. Hontz won five straight after losing his opener to reach the consolation final.

Gauge Botero (121) re-aggravated an ankle injury in a quarterfinal loss to Reynolds’ Louie Gill, Friday, and eventually sat out his last match, settling for sixth after winning gold as a sophomore.

Cody Wagner (189), the lone senior on Faith’s roster, secured his trip to the podium with an eighth-place finish.