The PIAA Wrestling Championships got underway this morning inside the Giant Center in Hershey.

Northwestern’s Luke Fugazzotto (172) and Nolan Koehler (152), Palmerton’s Dillon Lombardi (172) and Mahanoy Area’s Rory Dixon (160) will be competing in the Class 2A boys tournament, while Pleasant Valley’s Juliette Trout (112) and Panther Valley’s Alisa Williams (170) and Brenda Banks (235) will be in action in the girls event.

Banks will be out to defend her PIAA title and win her third state championship overall after capturing district and regional titles during the postseason.

Fugazzotto captured his second career district title two weeks ago and placed second at regionals this past Saturday. He advanced to the final at last year’s state tournament.

Trout won her first regional title two weeks ago and will be making her second appearance in Hershey.

Lombardi, a senior, and Dixon, a sophomore who attends Marian and wrestles for Mahanoy through a co-op between the schools, are making their first trip to states, after placing fourth at regionals. Koehler, a freshman, was fifth at regionals.

A junior, Williams will also be making her first appearance in Hershey for the Panthers after placing fourth at regionals.

Action began this morning with the boys Class 2A preliminaries and first round matches, which were followed by first round consolations at 12:30 p.m. The girls first round will take place today at 2 p.m., with first round consolations at 3:30 p.m.

Below were the opening matchups for Times News area wrestlers.

BOYS

Class 2A

Preliminaries

152 - Nolan Koehler (Northwestern)-Calio Zanella (Burrell)

160 - Rory Dixon (Mahanoy)-Ben Catullo (Burrell)

172 - Dillon Lombardi (Palmerton)-Ezra Masood (Tussey Mountain)

First Round

172 - Luke Fugazzotto (Northwestern)-Kohen Shingara (Line Mountain)

GIRLS

First Round

112 - Juliette Trout (Pleasant Valley)-Emma Renninger (Athens)

170 - Alisa Williams (Panther Valley)-Angela Imorhoa (York Suburban)

235 - Brenda Banks (Panther Valley)-Emily Dolan (Boiling Springs)