Because Pennsylvania is considered the home of the best high school wrestling in the country, winning a PIAA individual title in that sport is quite an accomplishment.
Garett Hammond liked winning a state championship so much in 2012 that he did it again in 2013, giving Chambersburg its only two-time PIAA champion in wrestling.
Although Hammond lived in Chambersburg, he began his high school wrestling career at Wyoming Seminary, a top private school in Kingston, Pa., where he fashioned a 38-16 record as a freshman. He decided to come back home after that one year and he made history for the Trojans.
He finished his Chambersburg career with a record of 125-14 (fourth on the all-time Trojan list for wins), and was 163-30 overall.
As a sophomore, Hammond reached the District 3 final, where he lost to Dan Neff of Solanco. They met again in the PIAA championship match at 135 pounds and Neff earned an 11-3 victory.
The next postseason, the rivalry began between Hammond and T.C. Warner of Cumberland Valley at 145 pounds. The two faced off in the Section I final, the District 3 final and again in the PIAA championship match. Hammond won all three. In the state tournament that year, Hammond rolled up three major decisions (13-2, 11-0 and 11-2) before meeting Warner in the final, where he posted a 12-9 victory.
In Hammond’s senior year, things got a little tougher. Now at 152 pounds, Warner seemed to have figured out Hammond and he scored victories over the Trojan star in the Section I and District 3 tournaments. But when the PIAA tournament came around, Hammond hit a hot streak, racking up three technical falls (16-1, 16-0 and 20-5) before the final. In his last high school match, Hammond fell behind 4-0 against Warner, but battled back to tie it 4-4. He gave Warner an escape in the third period to go behind 5-4, but made the strategy work with a key takedown and nearfall points to post an 8-5 victory.
In 3 years of competing in the PIAA tournament, Hammond’s record at Giant Center was 11-1 – outscoring his opponents 130-37 – with one silver medal and two golds.
In addition, his talent helped Chambersburg to its best seasons as a team. The Trojans reached the District 3 Team Championship final for the first time and also qualified for the PIAA Team Championships for the first time. In his junior year, Chambersburg finished third in the team standings at the individual state tourney.
Hammond said his best memories included training with his brother Ian, making trips to Giant Center, beating Cumberland Valley and achieving many team goals.
In college, Hammond wrestled with the NCAA champion Penn State program for two years, including starting for one season, then transferred to Drexel, where he qualified one year for the NCAA Championships.
By Ed Gotwals
