It was foreign territory for Liberty’s Andrew Gunning at the PIAA AAA wrestling championships in Hershey last week and we’re not talking about the eventual gold medal he took home following his 2-1 decision over Boyertown’s Tommy Killoran in the heavyweight finals Saturday night.

Gunning’s state title ended a 31-year drought for Liberty’s program of traveling to Hershey every March and coming away empty-handed without a champion and Gunning nearly fell to the same fate in last Thursday’s first round bout with Montour’s Zach Jablonski.

Gunning, the top-ranked heavyweight in the state, found himself on his back in the first period against Jablonski, falling victim to a lateral drop, a five-point move and a 6-2 deficit after one period of action.

It had the Giant Center in a roar and it had Gunning battling for his wrestling life as he fought off a near pin.

“When I was on my back I kept telling myself, ‘I’m not getting freaking pinned in my first round of states’,” said Gunning. “I knew I could come back and win and that match just made me wrestle a lot smarter the rest of the tournament because I would just push a lot and it almost cost me in the first bout.”

Gunning would go on to squeak by Jablonski, who had lost all of his energy by the third period, 9-8, scoring the decisive takedown with 13 seconds left in the bout to keep his state title dream alive.

That dream continued throughout the tournament with the rabid support of family and friends, as he posted a pair of 4-2 victories over Josh Frye of Bald Eagle and Isaac Reid of Kiski in the quarter and semifinals respectively.

That led to the eventual showdown with Killoran, where both wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods to battle to a 1-1 stalemate. The difference was, like in every match Gunning (42-0) had in Hershey, was that he pushed the pace.

That aggressiveness paid off every time, none more important than in the finals, when Killoran was hit with his second stall call, giving Gunning the go-ahead point with 24 seconds left in the match.

As the final buzzer rang, a clamor of boos, led by the Boyertown faithful, enveloped the arena, but the only thing Gunning could think about was having his dream become a reality.

“I’ve played this moment in my mind a lot over the past year,” Gunning said after topping Killoran. “Coach [Jody] Karam deserves a state champ and I’m glad I’m his first.”

While the wait for Gunning to achieve his goal was roughly the past year, Karam had waited 23 years as a veteran coach to crown his first champion. The moment was equally satisfying for himself, as Liberty was finally able to place a wrestler atop the PIAA podium.

“This is definitely a top 10 on the bucket list,” said Karam. “I can’t find the words to describe it. It meant the world to me because I know how hard we all work. It’s huge and Andrew is the poster boy for Liberty wrestling. He bought into the program and you see the fruits of his labor.”

And with all the traits that Liberty wrestlers have attained under Karam under his years of tutelage, he knew that after Gunning came back to top Jablonski, that the 31-year drought would be over.

“When he won that match, I knew he was going to be a state champ,” said Karam. “To fight back from that deficit and to show that kind of heart, conditioning and strength, only a state champ would have that.”

Liberty finished sixth in the team standings in Hershey with 56 points and medaled all three participants, as KJ Fenstermacher (120) took third and Luke Werner (113) came in fifth.

Nearly all three Bethlehem high schools were represented in the finals, but Freedom’s Evan Callahan (220) fell victim to cruel fate during a 5-3 overtime loss to Michael McAleavey of Peters Township in the 220-pound semifinals.

Callahan (30-6) led 3-2 with three seconds left in the third period before a controversial stalling point was awarded to McAleavey to even the score.

The Patriot junior would bounce back into the third place consolation bout, but had to settle for fourth place following an 8-3 defeat to Greensburg Salem’s Derek Berberick.

“I’m not happy with how the tournament ended, but I’m glad how I performed at states,” said Callahan. “I was just working toward the highest goal possible and it was hard after losing in the semifinals, but I bounced back from that.

“I’ve never been so close to the top and now that I’ve got a taste of it, I’m ready to get back here next year.”