Seidel drops first postseason bout in varsity career
HERSHEY — When the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in the nation go at it, there’s plenty of anticipation — and the Giant Center sure felt the energy Saturday night during the final day of the PIAA wrestling tournament.
In a spectacle for the 133-pound championship, Northern Lebanon’s Aaron Seidel matched up against Bishop McCort’s Jax Forrest in a rematch from just a few months ago. At January’s Mid-Winter Mayhem event, Forrest handed Seidel his only loss of the season with a 11-4 victory by decision.
At the PIAA event, Forrest overcame Seidel once again with strong defense and constant scrambling. After a 7-1 decision in Forrest’s favor, Seidel said he’s learned from his prior matchup against Forrest and that scrambling to finish was the deciding factor.
“I was too slow on my feet last time we wrestled, and (Forrest) scored right away. I wasn’t trying to give him two takedowns in 30 seconds like I did last time, I was trying to score right away,” Seidel said. “I think I did a really good job of that. I didn’t finish and he ended up getting three, but I definitely eliminated more takedowns from him.”
“That’s my last match probably ever — I don’t think there’s anything to be sad about, I’m going to wrestle him in college and I’ll beat him next time.”
With Seidel’s second loss this campaign, it became the first time in the Vikings’ varsity career where he didn’t place first at a postseason event.
In the earlier PIAA action, Forrest grabbed three sub-two minute wins to make the finale while Seidel outscored his opponents 39-10 through his opening trio of bouts. Both competitors were on a mission to win, and each put on a show for the crowd.
Northern Lebanon’s senior said he was set on pushing the pace all weekend, and he came out with that mentality against Forrest.
“I kind of came into this match as an underdog. No one thought I was gonna win, so just trying to prove everybody wrong — I like being the underdog, and that gives me a lot of confidence,” Seidel said.
“I could’ve done better by not tying up with (Forrest), I know he’s been practicing it so (I’ll) just keep practicing not getting in that spot and just keep getting better going into college.”
After winning his third PIAA title at 121 last season, Seidel moved up two weight classes to wrestle this year. He’s been mentioning a possible Forrest rematch all season, and it was a factor in his decision to compete at 133 this year.
“I didn’t want to win at 127 or 139, I knew I could — I knew that wasn’t gonna be the hardest route,” Seidel said. “I wanted to take the hardest route and beat the best guy in the country, it sucks it didn’t happen, but I wouldn’t want to go out at 127 or 139.”
Once the finale was rolling, Bishop McCort’s junior made sure to step it up on defense and riding top positioning. After “digging deep” into his bag against Seidel, Forrest said he focused on stopping leg attacks and credited his improvement in scrambling from years past.
“It’s just staying calm. Five years ago, even two years ago, I would have been a little bit more crazy and it would’ve gotten me taken down there,” Forrest said. “I think having patience and knowing when to roll, when to grab an ankle and when to do different things is big — that’s what I had to do to win.”
PIAA wrestling: Jax Forrest preps for title bout with Aaron Seidel
Bishop McCort’s Jax Forrest and Northern Lebanon’s Aaron Seidel, ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the country, are on course to meet in a PIAA title bout.
Forrest added that his goals of becoming “the best he can” hold true through being crowned champ, and he said tight matchups with Seidel have helped him to ramp up his game.
“I’m disappointed in myself — I would have liked to wrestle better and score some of those scrambles, but I did what I had to do,” Forrest said. “On a day like today, that’s what I’ll have to do if it’s in the NCAA finals — I’m gonna have to dig deep, and that’s what I had to do (today.)”
While Seidel’s varsity career comes near a close with a 206-4 record, Forrest still has another year of PIAA wrestling in his cards. Forrest, an Oklahoma State commit for 2026, spoke about his experience in Hershey after winning his first state title last year — and said he’s not done growing on the mats.
“The crowd obviously is cheering for (Seidel). I’m a Catholic school guy, I’m from out of state and I’m not the fan favorite, but it just goes to show I’m here to wrestle. I’m not gonna let the crowd get to me like it did last year at regionals,” Forrest said.
“(That) was good practice for times like today where people don’t want me to win, but I’ve got to dig deep and that’s what I mean to do in college — Everything’s a stepping stone for that, and that’s when I want to win, so it’s all practice.”
