When you have the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country in your weight class and you want to be a state champion, you have two choices.
You either find a new weight class to compete in or accept the challenge of trying to beat the best.
Norwin junior Landon Sidun is that top wrestler at 121 pounds in the WPIAL Class 3A championships at Canon-McMillan High School this weekend.
Hempfield senior Nico Kapusta, Connellsville junior Tommy Gretz and Franklin Regional junior Titus Colangelo were the wrestlers to stay at 121 and compete against Sidun. All four advanced to the semifinals.
“I wrestled him tough last week, and I hope to close the gap this week,” Kapusta said after advancing to the semifinals with two wins. “Any time you wrestle the best, you get to measure yourself against him.
“I hope competing against him makes me a better wrestler and gives me confidence.”
Sidun defeated Kapusta, 5-1, in the Eastern Qualifier finals last week. He also defeated Gretz in the semifinals 8-0.
The Penn State commit has won 77 consecutive matches mainly by either pin, technical fall or by forfeit. Sidun is 113-2, and his two losses came in 2024.
The last person to beat him was Butler senior Santino Sloboda in the WPIAL semifinals.
The previous time he went the distance before last week was in the finals Dec. 30 at Powerade.
So how would Sidun wrestle Sidun?
“Good question,” Sidun said. “I like a challenge, so I would want to wrestle him. I want to have tough competition because it makes you better.
“I do not care who is in my weight class or who has left. I just want to be ready whoever I face.”
Connellsville coach Bill Swink and Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe said they left it up to the wrestler to decide.
“Tommy has been preparing to compete at 121 all season,” Swink said. “Landon is an outstanding wrestler. When you face a wrestler like him, you hope to close the gap. I felt Tommy wrestled him well last week.”
Lebe said: “You just want to continue to improve against him. Landon is so good, and wrestling him can make you better.”
Penn-Trafford senior Dylan Barrett wrestled at 121 most of the season.
He decided to drop to 114 to give himself a chance to win a PIAA title.
“Landon is a stud, and I knew that,” Barrett said. “But my goal in to win a state title.”
Action resumes 10 a.m. on Saturday with the second round of consolations. The semifinals are at 11:30 a.m. and the finals at 3 p.m.
Norwin, the Class 3A WPIAL and PIAA runner-up, has six wrestlers in the semifinals.
All semifinalists have qualified for the West Regional on Feb. 27-28, at Canon-McMillan.
The top seven in each weight class advance.
Joining Sidun from Norwin in the semifinals are Coleton Klipa (127), Brooks Blasko (139), Nathan Klingensmith (145), Noah Curran (152) and Jack White (160).
WPIAL and PIAA champion Franklin Regional has five in the semifinals. They are Titus Colangelo (121), Chase Smith (139), Michael Ruane (152) Ethan Cartwright (172) and John Montgomery (285).
Connellsville, which finished third in the WPIAL, and fourth-place finish Canon-McMillan advanced four each.
Still alive for gold medals for the Falcons are Gretz, Nolan Rice (127), Landon Lynn (133) and Kai Vielma (145). The Big Macs have Lee Dreshman (107), Jon Emma (133), Collier Hartman (139) and Bryce Collins (189).
Sloboda (133), Peters Township junior Nicholas McGarrity (114) and Belle Vernon senior Elijah Brown (215) are each hoping to win their third titles.
Others looking for their second titles include Kapusta, Vielma and Kiski Area senior Cooper Roscosky.
Roscosky (215) and Cavaliers teammate Mario Hutcherson (189) advanced to Saturday’s semifinals.
There were four wrestlers who scratched from the tournament. They were Shaler junior Anthony Jones (114), Mars freshman Ben Goehring (127), Butler sophomore Ace McElravy (215) and Armstrong senior heavyweight Philup Rearick, who injured his knee in the North qualifier.