BETHLEHEM - Survive and advance.

On the opening night of the Southeast Regional Tournament, Lehighton’s Aidan Gruber and Northwestern’s Lucas Miller did that and then some.

The pair moved on to the semifinals Friday and punched their ticket to next week’s state tournament in the process.

Gruber delivered a 10-4 decision over Conwell-Egan’s Kevin Bagnell in their 113-pound quarterfinal match, while Miller posted an 8-4 victory over Northern Lebabon’s Clayton Erb at 172 pounds.

“I had the mentality that I was going to win, nobody’s going to block me from going (to states),” Gruber said afterward. “This is what I want, and I got it. I worked hard for it.”

The same was true for Miller.

“I think everyone has nerves coming into this one,” he said. “I was pretty nervous, but I knew if I wrestled my best I would be where I am right now.”

In addition to Gruber and Miller, eight other Times News area wrestlers are still alive in the consolation rounds, including Northwestern’s Dalton Clymer and Northern Lehigh’s Matt Frame, who suffered losses in the quarterfinal round Friday.

Gruber, a district runner-up last week, turned in two stellar matches to advance to the semis.

Bagnell got the first takedown with 1:39 left in the first period to go up 2-0. Gruber got an escape with 0:40 left to make it 2-1.

“I was just feeling him out in neutral to see what he was like,” said Gruber. “He was a little tougher, a little stronger, but I knew I could get my shots in on him.”

Gruber picked up two takedowns in the second period, and led 5-4 heading to the final period.

At the start of the third, Gruber elected to take bottom.

The sophomore made it stick getting a reversal with 1:14 remaining before securing three back points with 0:22 left.

“I was up one, and I was thinking that maybe taking bottom I would not get turned or anything, just stay on bottom, keep working and not get stalling calls,” said Gruber. “I ended up getting a reversal and two points.”

In the first round, Gruber trailed Bishop McDevitt’s Michael Beutler 5-0 in the first period before cutting it to 3-2 with an escape and a takedown in the final 30 seconds.

Gruber scored a reversal and three back points in the second period to go ahead 6-3. In the third period, Gruber got a takedown and three back points on two occasions to seal it.

The performances were clutch.

“That was one of the better matches he has wrestled all year,” Indians’ head coach Floyd Brown said of Gruber’s performance in the quarters. “He got taken down, but he stayed on his game plan and just kept going after the kid and it worked out for him.

“He is a very good wrestler. Coming in here, I felt he could get to the semis and win those first two, and punch his ticket tonight, which is nice. But I think he gained a lot of confidence from that last match. That was a really nice win for him.”

Miller built a 5-0 advantage in against Erb in the quarters, getting a takedown and two back points in the first period before an escape early in the second.

But Erb came back, getting a point for a technical violation when Miller was hit for locked hands 10 seconds into the third period. Erb got an escape and then a takedown with 0:54 left in the third to cut the deficit to 5-4.

Miller settled in, getting an escape with 0:49 left and another takedown in the final 10 seconds to seal it.

“I felt good going in,” said Miller. “I was able to get that lead, then I just got a little sloppy on top and almost gave it up. I was kind of gassed, but I pulled it out. That’s all that matters to me.

“I came into the year, and I wasn’t really sure where I was at in the league, and it just feels great to know that I’m a state qualifier.”

In the first round, Miller and Berks Catholic’s Gabriel Davis were tied 3-3 after the first two periods.

Miller went ahead 4-3 with an escape off the whistle in the third period, and pushed his advantage to three points with a takedown with 1:28 left. Davis got an escape with 0:48 left.

“It’s awesome,” said Tigers’ coach Jim Moll. “I told him before he wrestled, and I think every coach probably told him the same thing, which is that he works harder than anybody we have. No one outworks him in the room. And it pays off.

“He put a lot of time in the offseason, he busts his butt, he does extra stuff after practice – and a lot of our guys do – but he deserves that. He worked his butt off all year for that.”

Clymer and Frame both fell by major decision in the quarterfinals.

Clymer suffered a 13-4 margin to Michael Duggan of Boiling Springs at 152 pounds, while Frame fell 10-0 to Brad Morrison of West Perry at 215.

In the first round, Clymer built a 9-0 lead late into the second period when Biglersville’s Gage Bishop got two points for a reversal and three back points as time expired in the period to cut the deficit to 9-5.

Those were the only points Bishop would get as Clymer picked up and escape followed by a takedown and two back points to finish off the match.

In the first round, Frame got the initial takedown within the first 30 seconds to grab an early 2-0 lead against Biglerville’s Mason Keiper. Frame added another takedown in the first 10 seconds of the second period and got a point when Kepier was hit for stalling to make it 5-0 headed to the third period.

Frame’s lead went to 8-0 with another escape and takedown in the first 10 seconds of the third period.

STILL ALIVE

... In addition to Frame and Clymer, Tamaqua’s Gabe Erbe (113), Jim Thorpe’s Gabe Heaney (152), Ridge Snyder (126) and Caleb McDermott (189), Northwestern’s Mason Brensinger (160) and Palmerton’s Daniel Lucykanish are still alive in the second round of consolations.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

... Action resumes with second round consolations at 9:30 a.m., followed by semifinals and third round consolations at 11 a.m. The fourth round consolations will take place at 1:30 p.m. The Parade of Champions will take place at 4:50 p.m., followed by the consolation and championship finals at 5 p.m. In Class 2A, the top six wrestlers advance to states,

UP NEXT

... Gruber will wrestle District 3 champion Deven Jackson of West Perry in the semifinals. Miller will face District 11 champion Jake Jones of Saucon Valley in the semis.

Class 2A Southeast Regional Wrestling

FIRST ROUND

113

- Aidan Gruber (Lehighton) maj. dec. Michael Beutler (Bishop McDevitt), 16-5; Julian Zaragoza (Northern Lebanon) tech. fall Gabe Erbe (Tamaqua), 18-2 (5:19)

126

- Cameron Mingee (Littlestown) pinned Ridge Snyder (Jim Thorpe) in 1:31

152

- Dalton Clymer (Northwestern) maj. dec. Gage Bishop (Biglersville), 14-5; Justice Hockenberry-Folk (West Perry) maj. dec. Gabe Heaney (Jim Thorpe), 9-0

160

- Cooper Gill (Northern Lebanon) pinned Mason Brensinger (Northwestern) in 2:41; James Brady (Columbia) dec. Daniel Lucykanish (Palmerton), 6-1 (SV)

172

- Lucas Miller (Northwestern) dec. Gabriel Davis (Berks Catholic), 6-4

189

- Tucker Paytner (Trinity) pinned Caleb McDermott (Jim Thorpe) in 1:47;

215

- Matthew Frame (Northern Lehigh) dec. Mason Keiper (Biglerville), 8-4

QUARTERFINALS

113

- Aidan Gruber (Lehighton) dec. Kevin Bagnell (Conwell-Egan), 10-4

152

- Michael Duggan (Boiling Springs) maj. dec. Dalton Clymer (Northwestern), 13-4

172

- Lucas Miller (Northwestern) dec. Clayton Erb (Northern Lebanon), 8-4

215

- Brad Morrison (West Perry) maj. dec. Matt Frame (Northern Lehigh), 10-0

FIRST ROUND CONSOLATIONS

160

- Mason Brensinger (Northwestern) dec. Josh Kauffman (Susquenita), 8-4; Daniel Lucykanish (Palmerton) pinned Carter Nace (West Perry) in 0:21

189

- Caleb McDermott (Jim Thorpe) dec. Caleb Sine (Faith Christian Academy), 9-8 (TB2)