It was another ring in the hat for Freedom’s CJ Horvath at last week’s Northeast Regional 3A wrestling tournament. The senior 121-pounder made it back-to-back weeks of gold medals, as he held off Northampton’s Trey Wagner 4-3 in Saturday’s finals at Liberty’s Memorial Gymnasium.

Horvath was one of two Patriots that advanced to this week’s PIAA tournament at Hershey’s Giant Center, as he’ll be joined by teammate Jared Karabinus, who finished fourth at 172.

Horvath was able to score takedowns in the first and second period to hold on for the second victory in as many weeks over Wagner, giving him continued momentum going to Hershey.

“CJ winning regionals was a huge milestone for him,” said Freedom head coach CJ Horvath. “He kept his cool and continued to look to attack and score points the entire match. I think it is a continued confidence booster for him. He believes he is the best at the weight class and we as coaches agree. I think going into the state tournament with that win will keep him on his roll.”

Karabinus reached the semifinal round, but got pinned by Nazareth’s Dominic Wheatley in 2:17 before bouncing back in the consolation round to reach the third place.

Unfortunately, he wound up facing Bethlehem Catholic’s Luke Thomas and suffered a 7-1 defeat in the medal round to settle for fourth place.

Despite the finish, Marino is always optimistic about what Karabinus can bring to any match, as he heads to the state tournament.

“Jared is a gamer and I love that about him,” Marino said. “He goes into every match wanting to win and he has a unique style of his own. Jared could be down 14-0 and he will still continue to compete and with the style he has, he could throw someone to their back and pin them. I think the goal for him this weekend is to get a medal, but like I said, I never count him out on pinning guys that on paper might look better than him.”

While Freedom advanced both of their regional qualifiers to Hershey, Liberty will only be sending one of their two regional wrestlers to the state tournament.

Senior 145-pounder Ryan Santiago improved from his fourth place finish at districts to take second at regionals, losing to Nazareth’s Jake Doone by fall in 1:44 during the finals.

It was an impressive run by Santiago, who came through the round of 16 and recorded falls in his first two bouts before knocking off Becahi’s Charlie Scanlan 5-2 in the semifinals.

“Ryan just went out there right away and wrestled hard,” said Liberty head coach Brandon Hall. “He just believed in himself and was aggressive all weekend and wrestled with a lot of confidence. He went out there with nothing to lose and all the stuff he wants to accomplish is still on the table with Hershey this week.”

Liberty’s Kam Abboud (133) saw his season end on Saturday, as he lost to Bethlehem Catholic’s Cael McIntyre by a 14-6 major decision in the consolation semifinals. After losing in the quarterfinals to Wallenpaupack’s Gunnar Myers by a 7-1 margin, Abboud won his next two wrestle backs before ultimately facing McIntyre.

With only one wrestler competing this week for the Hurricanes, Hall is hoping Santiago can make the most of their stay.

“He’ll get out there and feel the environment and I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s all your mental approach. Ryan has done a great job transforming himself since his freshman year and I think that shines through.”

On the flip side, Marino knows the goal for Horvath this week is completing the trifecta with a gold medal this weekend.

“I’ve always thought CJ was one of the best wrestlers in the state, but this year is different,” said Marino. “He has controlled every match he’s been in as well as been the aggressor. I don’t believe anyone is better than CJ on his feet and he is so solid in the other two positions. I know he will come up against a few tough kids this weekend but he has been in big matches before and this year he has come out of those matches on top. I think he has finally turned that corner we have been waiting for and truly believe he is going to win a state title.”