On March 9, State High wrestler Asher Cunningham won the 160-pound PIAA Class 3A Individual Wrestling Championship, the first state title of his career. Defeating Central Dauphins, Ryan Garvick by decision, 2-0. Throughout the entirety of the match, Cunningham successfully kept his opponent from scoring.
Later in the match, Cunningham finally earned his two points and eventually his state championship by doing what his opponent was unable to do — finishing a reversal to end the scoreless tie.
While Cunningham was able to ride out the win, that isn’t to say there weren’t ups and downs of the match. One of these downs is when Gavrick attempted to reverse Cunningham. But being an experienced wrestler, Cunningham was able to keep his opponent on the ground. At the time Cunningham might not have understood the importance of stopping the reversal, but preventing the reversal led Cunningham to becoming the next District Champion.
Only this match was so much more memorable compared to any other since Cunningham was accompanied by his father, Penn State’s Assistant coach, Casey Cunningham. To make this moment even more special, this past year Cunningham has been committed to Penn State, as a part of the class of 2029. Not to mention, when becoming a PIAA Wrestling Champion, Cunningham had also completed his 100th career win.
Like many other athletes at State High, Cunningham had dedicated his time, energy, and focus to his craft. “During the off-season and in the season I practice almost every day,” Cunningham said. While managing the everyday stress of everyday life and keeping up with academics, Cunningham surely has a packed schedule.
For young athletes to not only keep winning throughout the season but also keep improving as the season goes on, motivation is a key factor. For Cunningham, seeing the championship in sight was the only goal in sight. “To keep me motivated during the season I focused on improving my skills and the goal of getting a state title,” Cunningham said.
When viewing the entity of Cunningham’s seasons, it’s fair to say he experienced plenty of triumphs, but it was absent of any adversity.While most athletes battle their toughest competition on the mat against their opponent, Cunningham found adversity elsewhere.
“The biggest challenge I had to face during the season was to make weight for every tournament.” Cunningham said.
Any athletic program at State High is highly competitive considering the size of the school. But what makes wrestling at State High different than any other sport, is the amount of young talent eager to hit the mats, increasing the difficulty of becoming a state champion. “The hardest aspect of becoming a State Champion is to actually perform well when it matters,” Cunningham said.
For fans wondering where Cunningham will be doing in the near future, Cunningham will soon be returning to the mat, only next it will look a little different at Penn State.
