Reaching the PIAA wrestling tournament is one of the greatest thrills for a high school athlete, but the joy of being at the Giant Center also leaves plenty of bumps in the road.

Liberty and Freedom wrestlers experienced those hurdles in the opening days of the event, as they were able to enjoy some wins before ultimately bowing out of the tournament without any medalists from the four wrestlers that competed from both programs.

Freedom’s CJ Horvath (120) and Jared Karabinus (172) may have been disappointed not coming home with medals, but the two underclassmen will have more opportunities to reach the state championships again after their first trips.

The same can’t be said for Liberty’s Javien DeLeon (132) and Christian Reid (160), as both seniors saw their careers as Hurricanes come to an end.

The finality of DeLeon’s career was especially heartbreaking for the Liberty staff, as the senior lost to Pittston’s Julian Everitt 4-0 in the third round of consolations, leaving him one victory short of guaranteeing a medal in the tournament.

“I think the most disappointing thing is that I feel I let him down as a coach,” said Liberty coach Brandon Hall. “This was his third trip to Hershey and I feel like we didn’t do enough to help him get over that hump. It’s just a tough pill to swallow.”

After beating Everitt in the regional quarterfinals, DeLeon lost to him 7-4 in the regional consolation finals. In the third matchup, Everitt scored a first period takedown and cemented the win with a third period reversal.

“All these guys are so close at the end of the season that it can go either way,” Hall said. “It’s just tough not being able to coach him or Christian anymore because both of them have meant so much to the program. Their parents are doing something right because both of them are always smiling. I just wish we could have sent them off with a better ending.”

Reid went 0-2 in Hershey, getting eliminated by Exeter’s Nick Nettleton 7-2 in the second round of consolations.

Jared Karabinus suffered a similar fate, losing both of his opening bouts to get knocked after two matches. His final loss came at the hands of a familiar for in Bethlehem Catholic’s Luke Thomas by a 12-2 major decision.

Horvath, a junior, lost in the third round of consolations like DeLeon, coming one round short of medaling following a 10-1 major decision defeat to Father Judge’s Sean Logue.

While the exits weren’t what head coach Dante Terenzio wanted, he understood that they still have opportunities to return to Hershey.

“I think getting out here and getting experience is great for both of them,” said Terenzio. “Getting that mat time is important. I don’t think this was too big for CJ, as he’s been in big tournaments before. He got two quality wins and we know he can build off that.

“Jared is just a sophomore and his natural weight is 160, so if he can add some more muscle on the offseason, he’s going to be one of the top wrestlers in our district again. It was a good experience for us and I’m not disappointed in our guys because they wrestled tough all weekend.”