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Raider trio aim to pin down titles

Seneca Valley wrestlers, from left, Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Tyler and Dylan Chappell, are headed to the PIAA Class AAA Wrest;ing Tournament Saturday as Western Regional champions.
Herrera-Rondon, Chappell brothers have shot at bringing home state wrestling gold

JACKSON TWP — Triple titles. State supremacy.

Seneca Valley's Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Dylan and Tyler Chappell are seeking both as they head to the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey.

“That would be a dream come true,” Herrera-Rondon said of all three claiming state titles. “That's the goal. But the biggest goal is having fun.”

These three have had plenty of that.

Herrera-Rondon is 36-0 this season as a senior at 152 pounds, 172-14 in his career, and has already laid claim to three WPIAL championships and a pair of state titles as he prepares to wrap up his high school career.

Dylan Chappell, a senior at 132, is also a three-time WPIAL champion. He has finished runner-up at the state tourney in each of the past two years.

Chappell is 35-2 this year, 162-25 in his career.

“I'm not putting any added pressure on myself to win the (state) title,” he said. “It's an accomplishment just to place there.

“There's a lot of great wrestlers. These are the best. I'll wrestle my best and see what happens.”

Tyler Chappell, a sophomore at 106 pounds, is where Herrera-Rondon and his older brother were a couple of years ago. He is 34-2 this year, 60-15 in his career, and winning a lot of low-scoring matches.

“Tyler is very tough to score on and he wrestles smart,” SV coach Kevin Wildrick said. “Once he gets a lead, he knows how to protect it.

“As he matures physically and as a wrestler, that aggressiveness and increased offense will come. It's a process. Alejandro and Dylan came along the same way.”

Tyler was 26-13 his freshman year.

“I was under-sized last year, even at 106 pounds,” he said. “I've gotten stronger and a little bigger, and that year's experience has helped me.

“I know I need to work on scoring more points. That will come. Right now, it's about winning matches.”

With this year's state tourney being reduced to one day — with only eight wrestlers per weight class — winning matches will be a challenge from the outset.

Herrera-Rondon faces Dom D'Agostino (15-4) of Interboro in his first state match. Dylan Chappell gets Domenic Wheatley (8-4) of Nazareth while Tyler Chappell draws Josh Jasionowicz (12-4) of Stroudsburg.

All three of their opponents are fourth-place qualifiers from the PIAA Super East Regional.

“No pig-tail matches, no round of 16 .... these are the quarterfinals,” Wildrick cautioned. “You have to be ready and dive right in.”

Herrera-Rondon has a chance to complete a perfect senior season. There is a fellow unbeaten wrestler — Evan Gleason (13-0) of Bethlehem Catholic — he could meet in the finals. Three other wrestlers in the 152-pound bracket have one or two losses all season.

“No doubt I'm going to have to earn it,” Herrera-Rondon said. “You can't slip. But these are the kinds of challenges I like.”

Wildrick said for a wrestler to go undefeated in Western Pa., especially at 152 pounds, is rare.

“Especially given the schedule we wrestle and the caliber of opponents he's already faced,” the coach said. “It shows how polished Alejandro is. He's unflappable.”

Dylan Chappell has been Herrera-Rondon's partner in the room for four years.

“That's been nothing but a blessing, really,” Chappell said. “Working against the best in the state, one of the best in the country, I can't describe the impact he's had on me.

“I'm very grateful for that.”

Two brothers have not won PIAA wrestling championships in Class AAA in the same year since 2010.

Tyler Chappell hopes he and Dylan end that drought.

“It would be really cool if all three of us won,” he said. “It's rare for two brothers to do it and for three wrestlers from the same school to do it.

“It'd be a great thing for us, a great thing for Seneca Valley wrestling, a great thing for our school.”

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