Tyler Kasak had been steadfast throughout the entire offseason to not repeat the same fate that produced his anguish in Hershey his freshman year.

The dynamic Bethlehem Catholic sophomore honored that over the weekend, coming home with a gold medal following a 3-2 victory over Franklin Regional’s Carter Dibert in the 126-pound 3A championship at the Giant Center.

It was a victory that gave the sophomore a redeeming moment in Hershey after finishing fifth a year ago, as well as continuing the Hawks remarkable 10-year run of having an individual state champion.

“This was something that I thought about everyday this year,” said Kasak. “I remember being a little kid and watching Sammy Sasso atop the podium. I’ve imagined this moment my whole life.”

Kasak rebounded from Dibert’s second period reversal with a reversal of his own to even the bout up at 2-2. After choosing bottom to start the third period, Kasak finally broke free with 31 seconds left in the match to gain the decisive point. The victory for the sophomore was a monumental one, as Dibert was a 2019 state champion, was 35-0 this season before the bout and won his 150th career match in Hershey.

“The opponent really doesn’t matter to me.” he said. “He’s (Dibert) a great opponent, and he’s worthy and deserves everything, but it’s just a matter of hard work paying off. It doesn’t matter who’s in front of me. Just go rip their head off and have fun.”

After coasting through the first three weeks of the individual postseason, Kasak had battles in each of his three state bouts on Saturday, knocking off Matt Repos of Central Dauphin 2-1 in the quarters, before dispatching Luke Simcox of Central Mountain 7-2 in the semifinals.

Despite the close encounters in Hershey, taking home the gold medal always seemed like a foregone conclusion for Kasak.

“My mind was just focused, ready to go,” he said. “I never felt better. I knew I was going to win. I worked too hard and have too much confidence in myself not to.”

Kasak was one of six Golden Hawks to come away with a medal, as they finished third in the team standings with 54 points behind Waynesburg (100 points) and Hempfield (57 points). Waynesburg had five wrestlers in the finals and came away with three gold medalists.

Other Hawks to medal included Dante Frinzi (120, fourth), Evan Gleason (152, fifth), Cael McIntyre (113, sixth), Matt Mayer (132, sixth), Andrew Harmon (138, seventh) and Landon Muth (160, eighth).

Frinzi was hoping to join Kasak atop the podium, as the two are workout partners in the wrestling room, but it wasn’t meant to be. He lost to Karl Shindledecker of Chamberburg 7-2 in the semifinals. He bounced back with a 2-0 win over Keanu Manuel of Downingtown East in the consolation round, but dropped an 8-0 major decision to Mason Leiphart of Dover in the medal round.