Kyner leads Shippensburg trio to Hershey

Shippensburg senior 130-pound wrestler Hunter Kyner, right, had a good feeling about Saturday’s District 3 Class AAA Section I tournament.

“I was thinking I could win it,” said Kyner, who came into Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School as a No. 4 seed. “I knew I had to beat those two kids so it was going to be tough.”

The two wrestlers Kyner spoke of were top-seeded Ian Hammond of Chambersburg and sixth-seeded Chad Wickard of Big Spring.

To qualify for the sectional final, Kyner pinned West Perry senior Robbie Webber in 3:03 in the quarterfinals and then surprised Hammond, 2-0, in the semifinals.

After holding Hammond down in the third period, Kyner jumped to his feet and pumped his fists in celebration.

“I knew I had to beat (Hammond) on my feet,” Kyner said. “I didn’t take him down but it worked out my way.

“I didn’t stop and just went 110 percent the whole time. I knew I had to wear him down.”

In the final against Wickard, Kyner could manage only two escapes in a 4-2 defeat.

Wickard and Kyner battled through a scoreless first period before Wickard hit a reversal early in the second for a 2-0 lead.

Kyner escaped but Wickard answered with a takedown for a 4-1 lead after two.

The only scoring in the third period was an escape by Kyner.

“I was expecting to win it,” said Kyner, who will make his third appearance in the District 3 Class AAA/Southcentral Region tournament on Friday at Hersheypark Arena. “I’ll have to get them (this) weekend. I’m just going to stay focused and work hard.”

Kyner will be joined in Hershey by teammates Jared Furry and Cary Hess, who finished second at 112 and 215, respectively.

Note: This story appeared in Wednesday's edition of The Shippensburg Sentinel.