Marshall Peppelman attended the 2008 Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic to watch his brother Walter. In three weeks, Marshall will get his chance to compete for the Pennsylvania All-Stars.

"I am extremely honored to have been be selected to be a part of the Dapper Dan Classic," said Peppelman, a senior at Central Dauphin High School near Harrisburg. "I am excited to be afforded the opportunity to compete in what I consider to be the nation's ultimate high school wrestling event."

Peppelman is a three-time PIAA Class AAA finalist and two-time champion. He will be the 160-pound entry on the Pennsylvania team.

"I grew up following the Dapper Dan results in wrestling magazines and debating the match-ups with my brothers," Peppelman said. "When I was in fifth grade, my father was working as a physician at the PIAA tournament, so my brother Walter and I were allowed to skip school to come and watch.

"Walter and I got to drill on the center mat in the old Hersheypark Arena. After we drilled, we met the gentleman who was attending states to select the Dapper Dan team. I was so impressed with the wrestlers and the concept of Pa. vs. USA's best. From that day forward, it has been one of my goals to participate in the Dapper Dan Classic."

Peppelman will be joined on the Pennsylvania team by Central Mountain senior Dylan Alton, who also received an early invitation.

"Marshall and Dylan have both won two PIAA titles," said Frank Vulcano Jr., co-chairman of the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic Committee. "It's not often that we choose Pennsylvania team members before the PIAA tournament, but the committee felt both deserved an early invitation."

Walter Peppelman wrestled in the 140-pound weight class in the 2008 Classic and was defeated, 11-4, by Utah's Jason Chamberlain.

"Being pre-selected was a great honor," Marshall Peppelman said. "It takes some of the pressure off of the [PIAA] tournament and allows me to enjoy the competition, in much the same way as my early verbal commitment to Cornell has allowed me to enjoy my last wrestling season."

Alton is a three-time PIAA placewinner and two-time champion who is competing at 152.

"I have been wrestling since the age of 6," Alton said. "My father introduced my brother [Andrew] and myself to wrestling, and took us to many competitions when we were young.

"We were fortunate to have guys like Cary Kolat, Sanshiro Abe, Mike Rogers and the Hughes Brothers, John and Russ, to teach us throughout our youth wrestling. They all had a huge influence on me, but Cary Kolat was the biggest. Being around those guys just made me want to train harder and get better. I knew from watching them train what it takes to be the best."

Dylan and Andrew Alton have accepted scholarship offers from Penn State University.

The Wrestling Classic will be March 20 at the University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House. The United States All-Stars will face the Pennsylvania All-Stars at 8 p.m. in the feature match. The WPIAL All-Stars will take on a New York All-Star squad at 6 p.m. in the preliminary match.

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