Those attending last weekend’s Escape The Rock escaped a day earlier than anticipated after tournament officials crammed the scheduled two-day event into one with an incoming storm bearing down on the Philadelphia suburbs. 

Those associated with the tournament were able to adapt, overcome and knock out an amazing event in less than 12 hours. Here’s a look at some of the top Pennsylvania performers at Escape The Rock. 

Arav Pandey (FR) — Trinity, 107 pounds

Trinity’s Arav Pandey had an incredible run Saturday to the 107-pound title. The 14th-ranked freshman entered the tournament as the top seed and rolled into the semifinals with two first-period falls and an 18-2 technical fall in the quarterfinals before taking out #17 Ace Chittum 6-2 in the semifinals. Chittum was coming off a 5-0 win in the quarters against #10 Max Quarry, a Beast of the East and Powerade finalist. Pandey cruised in the finals, notching a 10-2 major decision against #12 Jack Anello of Blair Academy. Pandey is now 22-2 on the season and looking like a serious contender for the 107-pound PIAA title in AA. 

Watch Pandey Dominate In The Escape The Rock Finals

Braiden Lotier (JR) — Bishop McDevitt, 114 pounds 

After a runner-up finish at Powerade, returning PIAA AA state champion Braiden Lotier won a deep 114-pound Escape The Rock bracket. After cruising to the semifinals with two falls and a technical fall, #18 Lotier won a 10-6 battle over #17 Killian Coluccio to reach the finals, where many thought he would be taking on #2 Justin Farnsworth. However, Charlie Esposito spoiled the party. Esposito picked up a late reversal in the semifinal against Farnsworth and rode Farnsworth out for the 2-1 win. In the finals, it was all Lotier as he picked up two takedowns to go on to win the 114-pound belt with an 8-3 decision. 

Watch Lotier Defeat Esposito In The Escape The Rock Finals

Nico Emili (SO) — Bethlehem Catholic, 121 pounds

Returning PIAA medalist Nico Emili got off to a bit of a slow start to his sophomore season. However, he picked up one of the biggest wins in dramatic fashion last weekend at Escape The Rock. Coming into the tournament as the #8 seed at 121 pounds, Emili earned a tech fall and a 5-2 decision to reach the quarterfinals, where he took on the top seed and fifth-ranked Johnathon McGinty of St. Joseph Regional. McGinty was rolling as he led 7-1 with a little over a minute to go in the third period before Emili got to a front headlock and hit his patented cement mixer. Emili took McGinty to his back with the mixer and picked up the fall in 5:05 for the huge upset win and to advance to the semifinals. Emili would go on to finish fourth at 121 pounds. Still, it was still a great win for Emili and good momentum for him as we draw closer to the postseason. 

Watch Emili’s Dramatic Quarterfinal WIn

Kai Vielma (JR) — Connellsville, 145 pounds

Returning PIAA third-place finisher Kai Vielma impressed, reaching the finals in a deep 145-pound Escape The Rock field. After picking up a tech fall and 10-0 major decision in the round of 16, Vielma picked up a huge win over #10 Greyson Music, defeating the past PIAA finalist 5-1 to advance to the semifinals. Vielma then downed a red-hot Anthony DePaul, who had just taken out #5 Matthew O’Neill in the quarterfinals with a buzzer-beater takedown. Vielma rode DePaul out in the first tiebreaker and then earned his escape and held DePaul off for the 2-1 tiebreaker win. Vielma battled hard in the finals but fell just short against #2 Tyler Dekraker, as Dekraker’s first-period takedown was the difference in a 4-2 win. 

Watch Vielma’s Quarterfinal Against Music

McKaden Speece (SR) — Wilson West Lawn, 172 pounds

Two-time PIAA medalist McKaden Speece continued his impressive senior run with an Escape The Rock championship at 172 pounds. Speece rolled into the semifinals with a technical fall, a fall, and an 8-2 decision. In the semifinals, Speece gave up the first takedown to second-seeded Chris Dennis and battled back to tie the match 5-5 with a second-period takedown before Dennis was ford to injury default after an apparent knee injury. Speece took on #18 Barry Norman of Blair Academy in the finals after Norman defeated #15 Lucas Boe 3-2 in ultimate tiebreaker in the semifinals. In the finals, Speece outlasted Norman, picking up an escape in the ultimate tiebreaker for the 3-2 win and the 172-pound Escape The Rock title. Speece is now 37-1 on the season and will look to end his career with a state championship before moving on to Navy next season. 

Watch Speece Defeat Norman In The Escape The Rock Finals

Elijah Brown (SR) — Belle Vernon, 215 pounds

Returning PIAA AAA champion Elijah Brown dominated the 215-pound Escape The Rock field. On his way to the finals, Brown picked up three first-period falls and a 16-0 tech fall in 1:48 in the semifinals, setting up his title matchup with Nicholas Gonzalez, who was fresh off of a 10-5 win over #17 Cash Colbert in the semifinals. Brown once again wasted no time getting to work, as he took an early 7-0 lead and picked up the first-period fall in just 46 seconds. For his performance, the Penn State commit received the Outstanding Wrestler award and he is looking to close out his career with his second state title. 

Watch Brown Waste No Time In the Escape The Rock Finals

Pennsylvania High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents, and overall historical performance patterns. 

The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining its season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.