Cornell, McGill earn third-place medals

   Garret Cornell and Jared McGill closed out the state tournament this weekend with a lot in common.
   Both of them placed third in their respective Class AA brackets, each doing so with strong finishes after disappointing losses. And both have next year to improve their position on the podium.
   Everett's Cornell won his first medal in three trips to the Giant Center in Hershey. The junior 126-pounder won four straight consolation bouts after dropping a 5-2 quarterfinal decision against Saucon Valley's Josh Jones. Included in that run were a pair of overtime wins, the latter of which a 5-3 victory over Cambridge Springs' Tye Varndell to place third at the weight.
   Cornell is the highest Everett placewinner at the PIAA Tournament since Paul Clark won the program's lone state title to date in 1983. He also is the first Warrior to finish in the top four since Travis Karns in 1989.
   "It feels really good to finally get on the podium this year," said Cornell, who went 39-4 for the season. "A lot of hard work has paid off. I feel that I improved this year both mentally and on my feet. My coaching staff and practice partners were a big help to me."
   While Cornell was in the same weight class as eventual four-time champion Gavin Teasdale, McGill was labeled as one of the pre-tournament favorites at 160.
   And the Chestnut Ridge junior served notice early in the event why that was the case. Unbeaten heading into the tournament, McGill knocked off returning state champion Creighton Edsell, 4-2, in Friday's quarterfinals. But an early deficit against Port Allegany's Jacob Kallenborn was too much to overcome in the semifinals, which ended 8-7 and dashed the local's dream of gold this time around.
   Still, McGill persevered by winning by major decision in the consolation semifinals, and then pinning Wyalusing's Edsell in the third-place bout. Kallenborn lost to Northwestern Lehigh's Caleb Clymer in the finals.
   McGill will go into his senior season with three state medals (6th, 4th, 3rd) and posted a record this year of 46-1. Should he reach the medal stand again, he'll join teammate Justin McCoy as Chestnut Ridge's only four-time state placewinners.
   "It feels good to come back and finish third," he said. "It's not what I was working for all year, but sometimes things don't go how you want them to. It was important to me to finish strong because I wanted to prove to everyone that I was the best in the bracket."
   Cornell and McGill are also both looking forward to what lies ahead.
   "I just need to work on relaxing if I'm losing a match," said McGill. "The semifinal was the first time I was losing all year. It stinks that I got caught on my back, but things happen, and I want to work on coming back if that happens."
   "My goals for next year are to finish higher on the podium, and break my school's win record," said Cornell, who also eclipsed the 100-win mark in the state tournament.