Christian Sequete and Alex Hornfeck are seniors set to compete in the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships for the first time.

Their coaches believe they will experience nervousness — and success — at the Giant Center in Hershey. The tournament begins Thursday evening.

“When you step out on that mat for the first time in such a big arena, and all the wrestlers in the state you've heard about are all there ... It can be a bit overwhelming,” Butler coach Scott Stoner said.

Sequete, the Golden Tornado's 182-pound WPIAL champion, is 33-3 this season and 101-26 in his career. Hornfeck, Mars' 145-pounder who placed third in the WPIAL tourney, has 126 career wins.

“It's that first match, the first few seconds of it, where the nerves may be there,” Planets coach Jason Wilk said. “But once you get into that first match ... It's wrestling.”

Sequete and Hornfeck have wrestled in big events before.

Both have competed at FloNationals at Indiana (Pa.) University. Sequete placed in that event and was an All-American last year. Hornfeck has also wrestled in the Super 32, a 30-mat event in North Carolina.

“Christian is riding a lot of momentum into this week,” Stoner said. 'I do think he's wrestling at his best right now.

“We'll go one match at a time and see how it turns out. They seed the five regional champions and Christian is seeded fifth because he's the only one of the five champs (at 182) who hasn't been to states before. But that doesn't mean anything right now.”

Wilk likes Hornfeck's draw at the state meet — and the fact he'll be facing opponents who don't know him.

“Alex wrestles really well against opponents he doesn't know and has no history with,” Wilk said. “I don't know if that's a mental thing or what, but it plays to his advantage.

“I love how the bracket worked out for him. If he wrestles like he's capable, he can definitely get to the semifinals.”

Seneca Valley has a senior and a freshman in the PIAA tourney in 120-pound Louis Newell and 106-pound Alejandro Herrera. Both were WPIAL runner-ups last weekend.

Newell (154-24) is looking for his first state title. He placed second at 113 last year, second at 106 as a sophomore and eighth at 106 as a freshman.

Herrera is 42-8 this season and hopes for an eventual rematch with unbeaten Kurtis Phipps of Norwin. Phipps is the No. 1 seed in the PIAA bracket at 106.

Two local wrestlers will be in action in PIAA Class AA at the Giant Center. Slippery Rock senior Michael Doerflinger, 28-7 this year and 95-22 in his career, will compete at 145 pounds. He placed sixth at 138 last year.

Doerflinger made the state tournament as a fourth-place qualifier in the Southwest region. He placed second in the region last year.

“He made it tougher on himself this year and he knows that,” Slippery Rock coach Bob Becker said. “Michael wanted to move up to 145 this year since Cole Matthews of Reynolds, who beat him three times last year and will probably win the state title, is back at 138.

“But Michael is a small 145-pounder and some of these guys he's facing are a little too big for him. He's finding that out.”

If Doerflinger wins his first match Thursday, he will face Southwest region champion Joe Demor (41-1) of South Side Beaver.

Summit Academy's Tyler Stine (20-5) will compete at 195 pounds.

PIAA Wrestling

First Round

Class AAA

106 pounds: Alejandro Herrera (Seneca Valley) 42-8 vs. Adam Jacob (East Pennsboro) 30-8

120: Louis Newell (Seneca Valley) 38-4 vs. Paniro Johnson (Cathedral Prep) 24-6

145: Alex Hornfeck (Mars) 34-3 vs. Cole Handlovic (Bethlehem Catholic) 33-9

182: Christian Sequete (Butler) 33-3 vs. Josh Krieger (Shikellamy) 29-6

Class AA

145: Michael Doerflinger (Slippery Rock) 28-7 vs. Michael Capozzoli (Newport) 31-10

195: Tyler Stine (Summit Academy) 20-5 vs. Donny Gelnett (Upper Dauphin) 39-10