HERSHEY, Pa. -- South Fayette wrestling coach Michael Ladick is a big man who carries a big stick.

Ladick, a former heavyweight for Penn-Trafford High School, carries a stick that measures approximately 2 feet.

"We call it the stick of South Fayette," Ladick said. "It's a piece of plywood that's covered with white tape I stole from our trainer. It's a symbol of everything you can't hold on to in wrestling. It's a symbol of all the hard work that nobody knows about."

South Fayette junior Nick Carr found something he could hold onto at the PIAA tournament, which took place last week at Hershey's Giant Center. Carr won a gold medal for his 6-3 victory against Sharon's Jordan Moss in the Class AA title match at 145 pounds.

"It's the greatest feeling I've ever had," Carr said. "It's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Carr (32-2), a two-time WPIAL champion, was making his second PIAA appearance. Last year, he placed fifth at 145 pounds. Moss was a four-time PIAA place-winner and two-time finalist.

"It's nice to get a kid like Nick because he's always willing to put in the extra time," Ladick said. "He's so much more of a complete wrestler than he was last year."

Carr opened the tournament with an 8-1 win against Cochranton's Mikel Boughner, then posted a 5-3 win in overtime against Muncy's Aaron Fry in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Carr dominated Pen Argyl's Philip Racciato, 11-4.

Senior Tyler Wilps became the seventh wrestler in Chartiers Valley history to place two or more times in the PIAA tournament.

Wilps placed fifth in the Class AAA 171-pound weight class after an 11-3 semifinal loss to Cumberland Valley's Tristan Warner, the eventual runner-up.

"I came here to win and I fell short, but I can't go home too disappointed," Wilps said. "I still placed at a tough tournament in a very strong weight class."

Wilps, a two-time WPIAL finalist and one-time champion, finished the season with a 40-2 record and capped his career with a 127-36 mark. He also placed eighth in the state last year at 171.

Wilps has also been chosen to compete on the WPIAL All-Star team at Saturday's Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, something he is "really looking forward to."

Bethel Park had three entries and all came home with a PIAA Class AAA medal.

Adam Lazenga (45-2) placed third at 285, while Dylan Mogan (25-4) and Nick Bonaccorsi (38-9) placed eighth at 125 and 160, respectively.

"Adam's only loss was to the champion in the quarterfinals," said Bethel Park coach Bob Stewart, referring to two-time state champion Evan Craig of Abington Heights. "They should have met in the finals."

Lazenga and Bonaccorsi earned place-winner status for the second time. Lazenga was seventh at 215 last year, while Bonaccorsi was eighth at 152 in 2008.

• Elizabeth Forward's Cameron Fine and Trinity's Kyle McWreath were also place-winners in the Class AAA tournament.

Fine concluded his senior season with a 39-6 record after placing sixth in the 152-pound weight class.

McWreath capped his junior season with a 32-8 record after a sixth-place finish at 189. He advanced to the semifinals before losing to Council Rock North's Jamie Callender, the eventual champion.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.