Gavin Fehr has had his share of moments on the mat, but his latest may be at the top of his list.

The junior wrestler recently made his initial trip to the PIAA State Championships at the Giant Center, and he truly enjoyed the ambience.

“I thought states was a great experience,” he stated. “It was unlike any wrestling match or tournament I’ve ever competed in before.

“My dad and I have been going out to Hershey to watch the tournament over the years, but this one was special. It didn’t exactly go as I had planned, but being able to compete and get a win was a great feeling.”

The 138-pound Fehr defeated Mason Weyant of Chestnut Ridge, 4-3, in the preliminary round. Fehr then suffered a 7-0 defeat to Easton Toth of Forest Hills in the first championship round, and he later lost to Cody Hamilton of Grover City, 3-0, in the second round of consolations to end his trip.

For the season, Fehr compiled an overall 37-13 record with 16 falls and upped his career record to 72-29. He finished fourth in districts last year, and sixth in the same round as a freshman.

Despite the setbacks, Fehr left ChocolateTown with a good outlook about the season.

“I definitely feel that I accomplished what I wanted to do this season,” he stressed. “My goals since the beginning of the year was to make it to states, and I was able to do that.”

The Roughies will lose senior regional qualifiers Cole Brown and Jared Hartranft from their lineup. Brown finished his career with a 26-15 slate this season and an overall 56-40 mark. Hartranft had a 39-6 record with 23 falls this winter, and he topped the 100-career mark with a 109-25 line with 58 career falls.

Catty also will lose seniors Carlos Cruz, Luis DelRosario, Dominic Melendez, Stewart Oakley, and Juliza Rodriguez from their regular lineup.

They will bring back freshman Jon Cordon-Pinto, sophomores Mikhail Hartranft, Chad Beller, and Miles Melendez along with freshman Caroline Rodriguez.

Fehr is among a group of juniors that includes Trevor Rigits, Vinny Limandri, and Christian Fye. He already had some high expectations.

“I’m really looking forward to next year both individually and as a team,” said Fehr. “We have lost a lot of seniors, but I’m hoping we have some new wrestlers come out to fill the spots.”