HARRISBURG - Lehighton senior Richard Fronheiser’s day at the PIAA Class 2A South East Regional at Central Dauphin East High School ended rather quickly and quietly Saturday afternoon.

Tamaqua senior Nate Wickersham’s afternoon was longer and nosier, as he was the only local grappler to advance to the Super Regionals in Pottsville this coming weekend.

Even though he lost in both the quarterfinals and first-round consolation, Fronheiser - a late addition to the 172-pound bracket because of an injury - felt a familiar deceased presence around him.

“It feels great because I know he had something to do with me getting the call,” said Fronheiser in reference to his father Lamar, who passed away in September 2020. “I can feel that.

“Everyone said that he worked some kind of magic to get me here.”

Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown was appreciative of Fronheiser’s presence, as well as his 126-pound junior Lukas Ferguson, whose season also ended with a 7-2 loss in the fifth-place bout.

“He (Fronheiser) wrestled pretty good, and it was good for him to get in here,” said Brown. “He had a really good district tournament and it was a tough weight class.

“Lukas had a nice season for us. He ran into (Evan) Maag from Notre Dame in the first round of the consolation, and another tough kid in the fifth-place bout.”

On the other hand, Wickersham captured a 9-5 battle over Faith Christian’s Leo Muzicka in the 215-pound championship bout to record the first postseason title of his career. Freshman teammate 126-pounder Gabe Erbe suffered a fall in the fifth-place match, and he failed to advance.

After he lost in the district final the previous week, Wickersham decided to implement more of an offensive attack. He avoided a cradle from Muzika and pounced on him for a two-point reversal and consequent two-point near fall that turned the match in his favor.

“I felt ready for it,” said Wickersham about Muzika’s attempted move. “Last week, I needed to finish and I didn’t.

“I have worked on being more of an offensive-minded wrestler this year. I knew I had to put the pressure on the other guy, and it worked. It’s nice to head into next week strong, and I am looking forward to getting to Hershey.”

Northwestern freshman 145-pounder Dalton Clymer couldn’t extend his magical ride after he won the district title last week.

Clymer dropped a 5-0 decision to Bishop McDevitt’s Andrew Christie, the runner-up in the weight class, and a 7-3 setback to Conwell Egan’s Hayden Mann. He also faced a reality check.

“I felt really good and ready to go,” said Clymer. “The first guy I wrestled was a really defensive wrestler, and I like to be more offensive. I went for a take down, but he avoided it. He was strong, and I knew I had a battle.

“Going into the second match, I felt more confident. But I got down 4-0, and it was hard to come back. I realized after it was over that this was a big step up from junior high. I have a lot of work to do.”

Jim Thorpe’s 285-pound senior Derek Hunter had his season end when he was the victim of a fall in a fifth-place bout. Northern Lehigh senior Brenden Smay, at 113, also fell short for advancement when he lost a hard-fought 9-7 fifth-place bout.

CRUSADER CRUNCH ... Notre Dame took the team title as they crowned four individual champions and sent all eight of its wrestlers to the Super Regional next weekend. The Crusaders dominated the event with 151 points, distancing themselves from second-place Saucon Valley, who accrued 62 points and one runner-up to advance.

BROTHERLY LOVE ... Clymer spent some time with older brother Ben, a former state champion, and received some favorable advice from the current Faith Christian head coach. “He always has been a positive influence in my life and a role model,” said the younger Clymer. “He told me to keep my head up and keep working.”

FOR THE RECORD ... Tamaqua finished 14th (31 points) in the 36-team field. Lehighton and Jim Thorpe finished tied for 28th with seven points apiece, and Northern Lehigh was 31st with four points. Northwestern was tied for 34th.