Lions showing strong again in Hershey

    Prior to tonight's state semifinal against Southern Columbia, I posted a warmup photo of Chestnut Ridge on social media along with writing that the Lions would need their best effort of the season (to pull off the upset).
   And did the Lions ever come close. In the end, the second-ranked Tigers had a couple more guns than the sixth-ranked Lions did and were able to escape with a 34-31 victory. On paper, I had Southern as probably a 10-12 point favorite at worst.
   That said, what Chestnut Ridge is doing this weekend is impressive.
   But in reality, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised. After all, this is what the Lions do when they come to Hershey. Now in their seventh appearance in the Class AA state duals, Chestnut Ridge has an overall record of 20-11. And they have three medals - fourth in 2013, second in 2015, and third last year.
   The impressive part to me is what we're seeing out of the newcomers and younger wrestlers on the team. While they've had almost a full season of hard competition, this tournament is still a different animal sometimes. I wouldn't have said it was a rebuilding year for Chestnut Ridge, but I viewed it as perhaps a transition year, with four freshmen starters and having to replace a state champion (Justin McCoy) and several other key contributors.
   And you could have understood if the pressure of a state semifinal got to them. But it didn't. The Lions were right there, and they had the Tigers on their heels for awhile.
   That's a testament to Jared McGill and the other leaders on the team, as well as Greg Lazor and the rest of his coaching staff for staying focused and wrestling well inside the circle. I'm not sure I've seen Lazor as animated, all in a positive way, as much as he has been this weekend in quite some time.
   So on we go to tomorrow, where Chestnut Ridge can win a team medal for the second straight season, which would be another first for the program.
   And it should be no surprise if the Lions finish that job again.