HERSHEY — Cole Baxter isn't happy.

But becoming Butler's first WPIAL wrestling champion and state tournament placer while turning in a school-record 45-2 won-loss record?

The Golden Tornado's sophomore 145-pounder will just have to live with it.

"I know it's an important accomplishment for the program and I'm proud of it and all that ... I just wanted more," Baxter said.

Baxter wound up placing fifth at the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships Saturday at the Giant Center.

Caleb Kolb of Grove City won the 171-pound Class AA state championship. The Eagles' Wesley Phipps placed fifth at 160 pounds.

"I love Cole's attitude," Butler coach Scott Stoner said. "He's hungry. He's not satisfied with fifth place. I love that."

Baxter began Saturday with a semifinal match against fellow unbeaten and defending 145-pound state champion Joey Napoli (44-0) of Cumberland Valley.

Baxter had a 2-1 lead on Napoli after the first period.

"Cole got a lot of people's attention in this place when he got the first takedown," Stoner said. "Here's a sophomore who just took down a senior defending state champ. That put a lot of eyes on that match."

Baxter got taken down twice himself — only the second and third times he'd been taken down all season — and trailed 8-4 after two periods.

Baxter got a reversal midway through the final period, but got no closer in dropping an 8-6 decision.

"He tried to turn him, but just couldn't," Stoner said after the reversal.

"The kid was tall like me and I got caught underneath him when I tried shooting," Baxter said of the second period, when he fell behind. "I had to be aggressive against him."

In the consolation semifinals, Baxter dropped a 4-0 decision to Bo Candelaria of Middletown. The match was scoreless through two periods before Candelaria scored three points with a near-fall.

Baxter's nose was bloodied during the match, but he bounced back to decision Brandon Loro of Springfield Delco 11-7 in the fifth-place match.

"The Candelaria kid had been in the consolation bracket and Cole had to wrestle him shortly after his semifinal loss," Stoner said. "Emotionally, he just wasn't into that match."

Baxter had a 9-7 lead in the third period against Loro and sealed the victory with a reversal.

Through two seasons, Baxter is 78-10 as a varsity wrestler.

"This was a great atmosphere to wrestle in," he said. "There were so many people here into the sport like I am. The atmosphere didn't bother me at all."

If anything, he thrived on it.

"We got 12 kids to the WPIALs this year," Stoner said. " We don't want to stop there. We want to get those kids out here in position to succeed."

Kolb (39-0) polished off a perfect season on the mats for Grove City with a 3-2 decision of Octorara's Josh Smith in the 171-pound Class AA championship match.

"The (Smith) kid was stalling the whole time," Grove City coach Marty Ruley said. "He was wrestling a tactical match, that's all."

Kolb took Smith down in the first period and allowed an escape. Both wrestlers got hit for stalling points in the second period.

Trailing 3-2 entering the third, Smith chose to start on top.

"He was trying to get another stalling point out of Caleb," Ruley said. "Caleb tried escaping, but just couldn't get out from underneath the kid.

"Caleb went out there with his eyes set on the gold medal. He went after it and he got it."

A third-place finisher in the state tourney last year and headed to Nebraska on a wrestling scholarship, Kolb was 111-19 in his final three high school seasons.

Kolb is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Jon Kolb.

Phipps (34-8), a freshman, earned fifth place at 160 pounds by pinning Eric Hummel of Lewisburg in 3:56.