HERSHEY — Thirty seconds was all that was standing between Alejando Herrera-Rondon and a state championship.

Thirty seconds. A half-minute. That's the amount of time the Seneca Valley 106-pound freshman needed to keep undefeated Norwin wrestler Kurtis Phipps from escaping his grasp.

“It was the longest 30 second of my life,” Herrera-Rondon said.

But he was able to hold on for a 1-0 ultimate tiebreaker win and an improbable title at the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships Saturday at the GIANT Center.

“The whole match felt like it was a war,” Herrera-Rondon said. “I kept saying to myself, 'Just 30 seconds. Just 30 seconds and I'll be a state champion.'”

Herrera-Rondon became the first Seneca Valley wrestler to win a state title since Rich Barron in 1982.

And few saw it coming.

Herrera-Rondon tread water early in the season, but peaked at the right time, nearly winning a WPIAL title — losing to Phipps in the final — and slicing through the competition at the PIAA championships nearly unscored upon.

Herrera-Rondon won three matches by shutout. The only point he gave up was on an escape by Kyle Waterman of Council Rock South in the semifinals.

Herrera-Rondon went on to win that bout 4-1 to set up dramatic match against Phipps.

“I've always been stubborn when it comes to giving up points,” Herrera-Rondon said. “I never want anyone to score points on me at all. I'm stubborn on the bottom and I'm best on my feet, but I like scrambling, too. I don't let people get good shots at my legs. I've always been like that.”

After six grueling, scoreless periods, Herrera-Rondon won the flip and chose to be on top, figuring he had a better chance to ride out Phipps than get an escape.

The strategy worked.

“It was a great match,” said Seneca Valley coach Kevin Wildrick. “Neither one of them could take the other down. It's not easy to keep a hold of a kid who's going all out to get an escape. But he did it.”

His win over Phipps, who entered the championship bout with a 29-0 record, avenged two previous losses this season to the Norwin sophomore.

Phipps beat Herrera-Rondon 4-0 and then 1-0 in the WPIAL final. Phipps earned that point when Herrera-Rondon was called for an illegal move.

Herrera-Rondon said those two losses to Phipps motivated him when it came time to face him for a third time.

“Oh, yeah, it definitely drove me,” he said. “When I lost to him because of an illegal slam, it let me know I could wrestle with him and beat him.”

Herrera-Rondon finished his freshman season with a 46-8 record, but he got much stronger as the season went on.

“He peaked at the right time, that's for sure,” Wildrick said. “He just got used to what high school wrestling was all about and went for it.”

Even Herrera-Rondon had to admit winning the state title was a surprise.

“A little bit,” he said. “Some of my losses this year came against kids who didn't even place here.

“I kind of felt like I could do it at (WPIALs) when I beat Carter Dibert (of Franklin Regional),” Herrera-Rondon added.

Herrera-Rondon is one of the smallest 106-pounders in the state. He weighed in at 105.2 pounds before his semifinal match Saturday morning.

He said being an undersized 106-pounder also motivated him to get stronger.

“I think, honestly, I had to adjust to the bigger kids,” Herrera-Rondon said. “I had to do more pushups and more pullups and do more reps in the weight room. I had to get into the gym a little bit more.”

But being a small 106-pounder also had its advantages.

While most of his competition in that weight class had to watch every calorie and cut weight, Herrera-Rondon could endulge a little.

“I know a lot of these kids were cutting a lot of weight,” Herrera-Rondon said. “I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries (Friday night). I was living large.”

So were a number of other Butler County wrestlers.

Herrera-Rondon's teammate, senior Louis Newell, battled back from a disappointing loss Friday in the quarterfinals at 120 pounds to finish seventh.

Newell will graduate with four state medals, including two second-place finishes.

Butler's Christian Sequete also had a strong showing after a shocking first-round loss. He fought all the way back at 182 pounds to place fourth, including beating Josh Krieger of Shikellamy 8-0 after losing to him in the first match of the tournament.

Mars' Alex Hornfeck (145) was eighth and Slippery Rock's Mike Doerfinger (145) was eighth in the Class AA championships.