Upper Darby's Cronin wrestles closer to state title

HERSHEY - The lights inside Hershey's Giant Center often shine brightest on those who have seen them before.

With six mats, hundreds of wrestlers and thousands of fans, the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships present a daunting challenge for any first-time qualifier looking to make a mark in the country's most competitive state wrestling tournament.

Last year, Upper Darby junior Colin Cronin was fresh meat, and he knew it.

After failing to place at districts as a freshman, Cronin posted a 36-3 sophomore record while placing first at sectionals, districts and regionals before going 0-2 in his first state tournament appearance.

"I was really new to it, so I kind of felt like a rookie last year, just getting the feeling of it, and I just wrestled really bad, and I didn't keep my head in it at all," Cronin said. "But that kind of put a fire in my engine.

"It made me want to definitely place the next year . . . because I know I have to place this year if I want to wrestle D-I in college."

Two matches into this year's state tournament, Cronin (40-1) isn't just in position to place, an honor reserved for the top eight finishers in each weight class.

Off to a 2-0 start, the 138-pound junior is one win from his first state finals appearance.

"I tell the kids when we come up here, 'The money is already in the bank. We're spending the bank's money now. So just relax, wrestle hard and whatever turns out, turns out,' " 35-year Upper Darby head coach Bob Martin said. "The hardest thing is to get here. Once you get here, now it's all fun."

Despite his hot start, it hasn't been all fun for Cronin through his first two days in Hershey.

After dispatching Northern York sophomore Micah Hoffman, 8-6, on Thursday, Cronin came away from Friday's quarterfinal match - a 5-2 victory over Erie Cathedral Prep freshman Carter Starocci - with hand and shoulder pain that required attention from trainers.

Cronin bent, but he didn't break.

"My hands got really tired because he was putting in an arm bar, and he was running it past my shoulder," Cronin said of Starocci. "I was just pushing off with my hands as hard as I could, and my arms just almost went dead."

Upper Darby arrived in Hershey with three state qualifiers: Cronin, senior Peter Augustin and junior Brian Kennerly. With Augustin going winless in the 285-pound bracket and Kennerly losing his 195-pound quarterfinal bout, Cronin is his school's last hope to win a state title on Saturday.

Cronin's semifinal match will undoubtedly be his toughest match of the season - and maybe his career.

He'll face off with Greater Latrobe senior Luke Pletcher, a three-time state finalist and two-time state champion.

"Upper Darby hasn't had a state champ since 2001, and I kind of want to be the first one since then," Cronin said. "So that's really what I'm going for now, to win a state title by my senior year, maybe even this year."