Tyler Griffiths came up short in his quest for PIAA gold Saturday when he was pinned in the 138-pound finals. Griffiths won the silver medal and can return next year as a senior in his quest to reach the top of the medal stand.

After a scoreless first period for Griffiths and opponent Brian Courtney of Athens, things heated up as the second period started, but Griffiths would come up short of a state title.

As the first period started, both wrestlers showed their competitiveness by not letting up or allowing any set ups for shots. The wrestlers stayed neutral without getting any take downs for the first two minutes. Time expired leaving Griffiths to take bottom position at the start of the second period.

Right off the opening whistle, Griffiths escaped Courtney’s hold rewarding him the point for an escape. Seconds later, Griffiths got a takedown to take a 3-1 lead. However, Courtney got the escape to follow with a takedown to get Griffiths on the mat. After a brief struggle, Courtney got Griffiths on his back to pin him in a final time of 3:20.

Griffiths adds his silver medal to the 8th place medal he won two years ago as a freshman. He was hoping to match Jake Beistel’s state gold medal performance of a year ago.