Third time the charm as Cassidy claims state gold

   Kaden Cassidy had already put together one of the most dominating individual wrestling seasons in Bedford County history, but those accomplishments could have rung a little hollow if the Bedford senior couldn't stand at the top of the podium on Saturday afternoon.
   That wouldn't be a problem though, as Cassidy closed his high school career in style with a 10-6 decision over Saegertown's Kenny Kiser for the Class AA 138-pound state championship at the Giant Center in Hershey.
   After finishing third as a freshman and again as a junior, Cassidy finally reached the finals and didn't squander that opportunity. Leading 8-6 late, he fended off a headlock attempt by Kiser for a takedown himself that sealed the victory.
   "It feels amazing (to win a state title) right now," said Cassidy. "It hasn't really hit me yet, but I'm sure it will feel better later."
   Cassidy is the fourth Bedford wrestler to win a state championship, joining John Heacock (1945), Ron Hamilton (1964), and Jonathan Gabriel (2015). Overall in the county, he becomes the ninth different PIAA wrestling champion.
   With his semifinal round win on Friday night, he also became just the third wrestler from the county to collect three state tournament finishes of third place or better. The others are Heacock, who was a three-time finalist, and Northern Bedford legend Jan Clark, who was a three-time champion and four-time finalist in the 1970's. Ironically, Clark is currently an assistant coach at Bedford.
   Cassidy's title also gave the county another first, with different champions in consecutive years for the first time, following Jared McGill's triumph for Chestnut Ridge last March at 170.
   The historical accomplishments don't end there. Cassidy finished the season a perfect 38-0 and won 24 of them by technical fall, which is believed to be a new state record in Class AA. That includes technical falls in 18 of his first 21 bouts. He began the state tournament with two technical falls as well.
   In the postseason, he had four technical falls and three pins, with his closest decision being the championship win against Kiser. Other than that and a 3-2 victory at the Thomas Tournament over Freedom's Kenny Duschek, who placed third in the state at the weight, Cassidy didn't have any win by less than six points.
   The George Mason University bound Cassidy finished his career with a record of 106-7.
   "I came in here with all the confidence in the world and got it done," he said. "My coaches, Jan and (Bedford head coach) Joel (Easter) have done so much for me. It feels awesome to be a state champion in my senior season, especially with all the injuries I've battled before."

State wrestling champions from Bedford County
1945 - John Heacock, Bedford
1964 - Ron Hamilton, Bedford
1975 - Jan Clark, Northern Bedford
1976 - Jan Clark, Northern Bedford
1977 - Jan Clark, Northern Bedford
1983 - Paul Clark, Everett
2008 - Gary Pfahler, Chestnut Ridge
2015 - Jonathan Gabriel, Bedford
2017 - Justin McCoy, Chestnut Ridge
2019 - Jared McGill, Chestnut Ridge
2020 - Kaden Cassidy, Bedford

Kaden Cassidy, seen here in control of Freedom's Kenny Duschek at the Thomas Chevolet Tournament in January, became Bedford's fourth-ever state champion on Saturday.