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WEST LAWN - Lemony Snicket apparently wrote the script for Juniata in the semifinals of the Southeast AA Regional wrestling tournament.

The Indians suffered a series of unfortunate matches in the guaranteed advancement round, as three of five survivors from the first day of action at Wilson High School failed to make it to the finals.

To add insult to injury, the last semi, a heavyweight match between Dan Fultz and Williams Valley's Ben Ancheff was looking like a win for Fultz until the final seconds, when Ancheff squeezed under for a reversal and a trip to the finals - and Fultz dropped into the consolation bracket only to see old friend Cris Ramirez, who beat Fultz in the section and district finals.

Neither Fultz nor teammates Zac and Seth Beitz were going to be denied. All three earned a trip to states along with region champ Arty Walsh (119 pounds) and runner up Dylan Treaster (160), as the team qualified all five of its first-day survivors.

Treaster had to work a bit harder than his teammate just to reach the finals, putting up a 4-1 lead on Notre Dame's John Blank in the first period, but seeing it quickly tied as Blank scored a reversal before the first ended, then chose the bottom and Treaster let him back up as the second began.

But in the third, Treaster flipped on Blank and later scored a takedown, showing almost all the offense against the District 11 champ.

"I knew the kid was strong," Treaster said, but after it ended, realized he made it to the state event.

"It's pretty overwhelming. It's pretty exciting," he said. "You have a lot of support with Juniata wrestling. That helps a lot."

But he lost the gold medal to Schuylkill Valley's Ryan Maurer, who defaulted a week ago in the District 3 third-place match. Maurer won a 6-5 decision.

Walsh wrestled his closest match of the postseason against Pete Renda, of Brandywine Heights, in the semis. The Indian took a 4-3 decision against an opponent he pinned in 38 seconds for a title a week ago.

"Every time you wrestle the same guy, they get a chance to know your style a little better," Juniata coach Mike Robinson said. "It's always a concern. We just have to take care of business."

Walsh's workmanlike approach in the semifinals was a reminder to Pine Grove's Kody Rittenbaugh that it's no fun to take on a defending state champion looking to clinch a return trip. Walsh accumulated three takedowns and a pair of tilts in the first period of their semifinal, chose neutral to start the second and put Rittenbaugh on the mat twice more, ending it with a technical fall halfway through when he tilted the Cardinal for three a second time.

Walsh's confidence, along with his depth of research into his targets, is what makes him successful, he said.

"You can't go out on the mat expecting to lose because that's exactly what's going to happen. You have to have some confidence or you won't stand a chance against anybody," he said. "I do a lot of homework, watch a lot of tape at home. I talk to other guys and get to know kids before I wrestle them."

The fact that he rarely surrenders offensive points also helps.

"It's all about your stance and your position. You keep your head low and block shots," he explained.

A pair of late takedowns doomed Zac Beitz in the semis, where he faced Biglerville's Laike Gardner, whom he decisioned in the district semifinal a week earlier. Gardner scored with 14 seconds left in the second, and gained the lead when Beitz cut him midway through the third. But Gardner got the final score, with just 10 seconds on the clock. Beitz rebounded with a 5-1 victory over Richard Cruz, of Bethlehem Catholic, in the consolation semis to clinch a state appearance for the second year in a row.

Brother Seth, trying to get to Hershey for the second time on his final try, was unable to get a late score in regulation against Annville-Cleona's Dylan Killian, who got the advancement on a takedown with 11.6 seconds left in sudden-death overtime. Beitz clinched his way out of a bracket full of familiar faces when he earned a 4-2 decision over Elisha Gaylor, of Wyomissing, his victim in the consy final a week ago.

Fultz took no chances - and for that matter, no prisoners - in his fourth bout against Ramirez this season, evening the overall score when he pinned the Spartan grappler in 3:18 for a sure trip to states.

"I would say (after the semifinals) we had some tough losses. The kids lost matches in the last 20 seconds, the last minute and a half that were in their reach," Robinson said. "The good thing about it is, they continued to battle."

Seth Beitz traded outcomes from last week in the third-place match, falling in a major decision to Dalton Anthony, of Bermudian Springs. Beitz went to a tiebreaker against him in the district meet. Zac Beitz hung a technical fall on Justin Mazza, of Pius X, to end the tournament. Fultz won a 3-2 match against Lehighton' Briar Stern, who had beaten Fultz in the championship match here a year ago.

"It's a good feeling. I feel great for the kids. These young men worked hard through the season," Robinson said. "The time that they put in, the heart they put into it - to live for another week ... that says something. They didn't want to be denied - that's all there is to it."