Braden Todora wasn’t able to finish the PIAA wrestling championships because of a knee injury, but that didn’t stop him from coming away with his first state medal.

Todora was one of three Parkland wrestlers to compete at the PIAA championships in Hershey and came home with a sixth-place finish at 114-pounds after medically forfeiting his final two bouts.

The one win that counted the most was a 3-2 victory over Thunder Beard of Central Dauphin in the third round of consolations to guarantee a medal.

Todora scored the winning takedown with seconds left in the match to secure a spot on the podium and give the Parkland sophomore a glimpse of how far he can go in the sport.

“That win was definitely one of the better ones in my career,” said Todora. “Beating someone with 170 career wins and going to a Division-I school, getting gritty and getting a takedown at the end to get a state medal means a lot.”

Todora pushed things to the limit in his next consolation bout for another 3-2 victory, scoring the winning take down with 25 seconds left in the match to secure a top six finish.

His right knee swelled up on Friday night and he was ruled out of Saturday’s action, forfeiting his final two bouts to settle for sixth place.

“It’s tough to end this way because I wonder what if, because I know I could beat those kids to get a higher place,” he said. “But there’s nothing I can do about it. I just need to let my knee rest.”

Head coach Eddie Keichel was thrilled for his sophomore to bring home the program’s only medal from the tournament this year.

“Securing your first state medal at the 3A level is a massive accomplishment,” said Keichel. “It’s a lot of time, effort and energy from him to get there and a lot of people around him.”

Luis Moya (107) and Jorge Moya (160) both had their tournaments cut short before medaling, as Luis lost his first two bouts to be eliminated on day one.

Jorge pushed it to the brink, losing in the final blood round to Jack White of Norwin 11-4 to fall one win shy of securing a spot on the podium.

Getting a trio of wrestlers to Hershey is a sign that this may only be the beginning for the program moving forward.

“It kind of redefines the program and shows the level of success that can happen,” said Keichel. “It sets a standard where we go from here and keep getting multiple wrestlers out here each year. I personally think that’s where we’re heading. Our junior high program is very successful. We have a lot of talent coming and we return a lot of guys. So, I think this can be a moment we can look back on and say this is where it started.”

For Todora, this can also be a moment he can look back on and say this is where his Parkland career took off.

“Last year, I didn’t even get out of districts,” he said. “If I make those same jumps I did as last year, I think I can be a state champ one day.”