WEST LAWN - Jim Thorpe's Kevan Gentile savored the moment.

So, too, did Lehighton's Connor Frey.Both seniors, the duo reveled in their Class AA Southeast Regional championships Saturday night.The title was the second straight for Gentile, who also won the 106-pound crown last season."I know I have a target on my back," Gentile said afterward. "But I want to make every moment on that mat count because I know this will be my last time being here."The trip to the top of the podium was a first for Frey, who took second at 182 pounds last season and competed at 195 this year."I felt like I had a target on my back, knowing that this is my fourth year here and my fourth year placing," he said. "I had some nerves, knowing that people were going to be gunning for me. I had to be smart, wrestle on my toes and be perfect."I didn't make any mistakes and it feels good."The individual championships for Frey and Gentile capped two solid days of action at Wilson West Lawn High School, which saw a total of 13 Times News area wrestlers punch their tickets to this week's PIAA Wrestling Championships. Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Northern Lehigh, Northwestern, Palmerton, Panther Valley and Tamaqua will all have at least one representative in Hershey.In addition to Frey and Gentile, Northern Lehigh's Ryan Farber (160) and Cameron Kates (285) and Palmerton's Jared Mooney (182) also advanced to the championship finals in their respective weight classes.ON TOPGentile, who entered the tournament with a sparkling 32-1 record, was dominant in reaching the 106-pound final, recording two falls in under a minute and a 7-0 decision in his first three matches of the event.The senior once again displayed his ability to finish a match in the finals, pinning Wilson's John Consorti in 3:23. Gentile pinned Consorti in 3:51 in last week's final at the District 11 tournament."I just try to stay tough and wear down my opponent," Gentile said of working from the top position. "I just try to remain confident no matter where I am."They're not going to want to do much if you're going to stay tough on top."Frey was no less dominant in reaching the finals, earning a fall and a major decision after receiving a first-round bye.Like Gentile, Frey's opponent in the finals, North Schuylkill's CJ Steinhilber, was a familiar one. The two had squared off three times previously, with the most recent meeting coming in last week's district semifinals. Frey came out on top each time.The result Saturday was no different, as Frey, who entered the tournament with a remarkable 35-1 record, powered past Steinhilber again with a 7-0 decision."Usually he's not as offensive," Frey said of Steinhilber. "He opened up a little bit more here and took a couple of shots but I was able to get counter-shots off them and that's how I got two of my three takedowns."It felt good scoring points in all three periods. It felt good to score points and get takedowns when I needed to."NEAR MISSESWhile Frey and Gentile continued their dominance over their finals opponents, Kates came up just short in his 285-pound final against Salisbury's Alex Nicholas.After dropping a 6-4 decision to Nicholas in last week's district final, Kates lost a 1-0 decision Saturday."He rode me out. That's all it was," Kates said afterward.Before his match in the finals, Kates was virtually untouchable, getting a 3-0 decision and two first period pins in his previous three matches of the tournament.Despite being disappointed with the outcome, the senior took pride in reaching the regional final after losing in the second round of consolations last year."I'm proud of it," he said. "This has been my goal all along, to get to states. But I wanted the other goal, too."Farber reached the regional final for the second straight season, this time against Susquenita's Dalton Group. After losing by an 8-0 major decision to Biglerville's Nate Newberry in last year's 145-pound final, Farber closed the gap but still came up short, this time losing an 8-6 decision.Before the finals, Farber won two seven-point decisions after receiving a first-round bye.STEADY IMPROVEMENTThough Saturday didn't end with a regional championship for Mooney, the Palmerton junior continued his postseason upswing.Mooney improved on a fifth-place finish at last year's district tournament with an impressive 8-3 decision over Panther Valley's Dylan Moyer in last week's final.The trend continued in the regional tournament, as Mooney bettered last season's sixth-place finish with a runner-up result this year.After getting pinned by Northern Lebanon's Craig Spitler in the fifth place bout a year ago, Mooney again came up short to a Vikings wrestler, this time getting pinned by Luke Funck in the 182-pound final.Though disappointed with the loss, Mooney, who had two decisions after receiving a first-round bye, was optimistic about his prospects heading into his second straight state tournament."It was good to lose and not let your head get too big. That's the main thing," he said. "I just need to be more physical and he (Funck) was better in neutral."But I feel like I'll be back and more ready than ever next week."MILESTONE WINNorthern Lehigh senior CJ Young secured his first trip to the state tournament by advancing to the 170-pound fifth place bout against Mahanoy Area's Nolan Fegley.Young made sure that he would be going to Hershey in style, earning his 100th career victory by scoring a 4-3 decision over Fegley."It means a lot to me," Young said. "Knowing that I have 100 wins, there's a lot of pressure off now going into next week because regardless of what happens out there, I know I have my 100 wins. But I still want to do really good out there."PACK YOUR BAGSIn addition to Young and those that made the finals, the following wrestlers also advanced to this week's PIAA Championships: Lehighton's Tegan Durishin (3rd, 145) and Wyatt Clements (4th, 220); Northern Lehigh's Matt Schmall (4th, 138); Northwestern's Quentin Bernhard (5th, 126) and Caleb Clymer (6th, 145); Panther Valley's Ali Capobianco (6th, 152); and Tamaqua's Tanner McHugh (6th, 126).