Cranberry's Dalton Wenner defeated Aiden Herndon of Cedar Cliff, 3-1, Saturday to win the PIAA 3A state wrestling title at 139 pounds.

Wenner won on a reversal with 16 seconds left in OT to become the third state mat champion in Cranberry history. The two wrestlers traded escapes in regulation.

Ray Frantz won back-to-back titles in 1973 and 1974 at 98 and 105 pounds and Jack Rice captured the 2A 135-pound crown in 1996.

Wenner, a four-time state place-winner -- the only one in Venango County history -- topped Reef Dillard of Bethlehem Catholic, 6-3, in the semifinals Friday night while Herndon set up another rematch with Wenner by sending Patrick Woloshyn of Cedar Cliff to consolations, 4-1.

And then Wenner, who lost to Herndon in three previous meetings, turned the tables Saturday. The triumph over Herndon, a junior, was his 46th of the season and gave him a 161-25 record for his career and, by far, his best finish ever in the state tourney. He previously took a pair of sevenths as a freshman and junior and a sixth as a sophomore.

Wenner withstood some stalling calls to beat Dillard in the semis. He was warned or called for stalling three times, but made two takedowns stand up for his victory. Dillard was awarded two stalling points.

Herndon was coming off a 4-0 decision over Collier Hartman of Canon-Mac in the quarterfinals after pinning his opponent in the round of 32, where Wenner received a bye.

One of Wenner's losses to Herndon this season was by injury default. Scores of the other matches were 4-3 and 4-2, so they were close -- as with the state tournament outcome. Two of the meetings came in the Powerade Dec. 29-30 at Canon-Mac. Wenner's other loss to Herndon was in the Midwinter Mayhem at IUP on Jan. 10.

Earlier Friday, in the quarterfinals, Wenner scored a major decision -- his second of the tourney -- 14-1, over Isaiah Jackson of Gettysburg. Dillard upset Southeast region champion Blake Boyer in the quarters, avenging a 4-0 lost to Boyer earlier this season.

Herndon, the South Central regional champ, had three easy victories over Jackson this season. And he earlier took out Hartman who Wenner has beaten twice in three tries. 

Wenner measured Kiovanny Hamlin of Allentown Dieruff, 11-1, on Thursday for his first major. Other place-winners at 139: 3. Patrick Woloshyn, Council Rock South, 4. Collier Hartman, Canon-Mac, 5. Reef Dillard, Beth Catholic, 6. Blake Boyer, Kennett; 7. Trey Wagner, Northampton, 8. Isaiah Jackson, Gettysburg.

​Wenner, a Clarion recruit, is a four-time district champion and a three-time regional winner with one second-place finish. 

The last Venango County wrestler to win a state title was Franklin's Dakota Geer, a three-time place-winner who won a 182-pound championship in 2015.​