1/30/2009

Individual rankings

Class AAA Individuals
103–1. James Goulibon, Derry, 26-1; 2. Chace Small, Latrobe, 21-5; 3. Dario Dobbin, Canon-McMillan, 20-6; 4. Makenzie McGuire, Upper St. Clair, 14-0; 5. Rob Heuler, Bethel Park, 26-3;
112–1. Nico Megaludis, Franklin Regional, 27-0; 2. Alex Dunaway, McGuffey, 18-5; 3. Dylan Mogan, Bethel Park, 27-2; 4. Zach McGinnis, Waynesburg, 24-3; 5. Cary Lydic, Latrobe, 10-2
119–1. Shane Young, Penn-Trafford, 22-1; 2. John Pezze, Norwin, 17-3; 3. Dante DeCaro, Derry, 11-7; 4. Ty Lydic, Latrobe, 18-6; 5. Ron Schram, Canon-McMillan, 23-5
125–1. Nathan Pennesi, Latrobe, 22-0; 2. Cory Bonura, Plum, 22-2; 3. Mike McGuire, Upper St. Clair, 13-2; 4. Brandon Grainy, Penn-Trafford, 26-8; 5. Anthony Bonaccorsi, Bethel Park, 25-4
130–1. Joe Waltko, North Allegheny, 29-1; 2. Sam Sherlock, West Mifflin, 22-3; 3. Lorenzo Thomas, Pittsburgh CC 24-1; 4. Nick Catalano, Canon-McMillan, 25-5; 5. Jesse Riley, Hempfield, 23-6
135–1. Travis Shaffer, Derry, 23-2; 2. Jesse Swink, Connellsville, 23-6; 3. Andy Candiello, North Allegheny, 28-5; 4. Stewart Owens, Penn-Trafford, 22-11; 5. Dom Pietropoal, Plum, 21-4
140–1. Jack Bachman, Hempfield, 27-1; 2. Joe Walters, Latrobe, 19-4; 3. Buddy Blotzer, South Allegheny, 14-2; 4. Tom Caldwell, Fox Chapel, 26-5; 5. Nate Cully, Seneca Valley, 16-3
145–1. Dave Cawley, North Allegheny, 9-0; 2. Ken Downing, Pittsburgh CC, 22-2; 3. Craig Chelednik, Hempfield, 26-3; 4. Aaron McKinney, West Allegheny, 20-6; 5. Cole Baxter, Butler, 18-0
152–1. James Fleming, West Mifflin, 25-2; 2. Matt Hundenski, Hopewell, 28-1; 3. Devan Jones, Penn-Trafford, 22-5; 4. Dan Karpency, Albert Gallatin, 22-2; 5. Travis Watt, Derry, 21-6
160–1. Nick Letters, Fox Chapel, 29-1; 2. Nick Bonnacorsi, Bethel Park, 26-5; 3. Ben Amhrein, North Hills, 25-5; 4. Perry Hills, Pittsburgh CC, 20-6; 5. Brian Foy, Hopewell, 25-3
171–1. Jake Kemerer, Hempfield, 28-0; 2. P.J. Tasser, Belle Vernon, 18-3; 3. Troy Reaghard, West Allegheny, 30-4; 4. Tyler Wilps, Chartiers Valley, 20-3; 5. Aaron Barker, Fox Chapel, 28-3
189–1. Jake Leninsky, West Allegheny, 31-6; 2. Zack Benzio, Connellsville, 21-6; 3. Jay Whittaker, Derry, 22-6; 4. Petros Georgialis, Montour, 19-2; 5. Fred Garcia, Ringgold, 19-3
215–1. Adam Lazenga, Bethel Park, 19-3; 2. Nathan Gaffney, Connellsville, 24-5; 3. Todd Miller, Ringgold, 20-3; 4. Jeremiah Karpency, Albert Gallatin, 21-4; 5. Bryan Cook, Hopewell, 19-2
Hvy–1. Adam Harvey, Avonworth, 12-0; 2. Sam Brownlee, Canon-McMillan, 22-2; 3. Eric Minerd, Laurel Highlands, 17-4; 4. Jamal Conroy, Shaler, 14-1, 5. Don Rhodes, Norwin, 15-4

Class AA
103–1. Mike Henderson, Highlands, 25-1; 2. Nick Greco, Keystone Oaks, 11-3; 3. Andrew Lucarini, Fort Cherry 16-4
112–1. Geoff Alexander, SS Academy, 30-5; 2. Ian Thom, Jeannette, 17-3; 3. Josh Kwasny, Charleroi, 20-4
119–1. Anthony Zanetta, Keystone Oaks, 25-0; 2. Jeremy Landowski, Burrell, 19-9; 3. Caleb Porter, Yough, 19-3
125–1. Dave Makara, Burrell, 20-7; 2. Ben Fratangeli, Center, 15-2; 3. Anthony Eias, SS Academy, 18-8
130–1. John Prezzia, SS Beaver, 21-2; 2. Frank Martellotti, SS Academy, 16-5; 3. Colin Sheridan, Mt. Pleasant, 16-5
135–1. Mitch Spencer, Avella, 21-1; 2. Zack Sheridan, Mt. Pleasant, 17-4; 3. Travis McKillop, Burrell, 19-8
140–1. Dane Johnson, SS Academy, 33-2; 2. Michael Innes, Chartiers-Houston, 23-2; 3. Rich Bass, Highlands, 22-2
145–1. Colin Checkan, SS Beaver, 22-4; 2. Jared Magon, Avella, 18-4; 3. Nick Kaczka, South Park, 18-8
152–1. Kyle Appleby, Avella, 21-2; 2. Dom Moore, Beth-Center, 18-5; 3. Jordan Toth, Highlands, 18-5
160–1. Matt Cunningham, SS Academy, 25-2; 2. Cody Brown, Kittanning, 11-3; 3. Mike Kuhns, Valley, 13-5
171–1. Sam Guidi, Fort Cherry, 17-2; 2. Cody Catalina, Beth-Center, 24-6; 3. Josh Durbin, West Greene, 17-6
189–1. Roman Sandoval, SS Academy, 31-4; 2. Kyle Dudley, Valley, 16-3; 3. Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry, 17-4
215–1. Ryan Watson, Burgettstown, 20-4; 2. Corey Garry, Fort Cherry, 19-4; 3. Brian Beattie, Burrell, 17-8
Hvy–1. Jordan Roussos, Carlynton, 21-1; 2. Marty Kisla, Chartiers-Houston, 18-1; 3. Zach Doman, Jefferson-Morgan, 17-3

Rematch

Canon-McMillan will wrestle Connellsville in the WPIAL Team Tournament for the second consecutive season. Last year's dual meet was marred by a controversial disqualification of a Big Macs wrestler. That led to a swing of 12 points and allowed the Falcons to advance to the finals.

The disqualification caused an uproar because the incident appeared to be accidental, rather than intentional, even though the Connellsville wrestler was unable to continue because his head hit the gym floor. A rule, stupid as it is, allows for a coach to refuse to take the disqualification and allow the other team to get the points. C-M head coach Chris Mary felt that was the right thing for Connellsviile to do because he felt the hit that led to the DQ was an accident. But Connellsville coach Tom Dolde Jr. did not see it that way, took the DQ points and won the dual meet.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the two teams wrestle Saturday (1 p.m.) at Ringgold. If nothing else, that has added some flavor the dual meet.

1/27/2009

Tuesday, Wednesday ppd.

The WPIAL Team Tournament schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday have been moved to Thursday. Here is the link:

www.wpial.org

Missing in action

Suppose they had a team tournament event and no one showed up? That's what seemed to happen at Jefferson-Morgan High School Monday night for the preliminary round in Class AA.

Kittanning arrived with seven wrestlers, Burgettstown had four wrestlers out of the lineup, Jefferson-Morgan had a wrestler sleep past weigh-ins, and Fort Cherry forfeited two weight classes as it has done all season.

The Fort Cherry-Kittanning match lasted 26 minutes. The team tournament should be a display of the best teams in the WPIAL. But from this round, it is apparent that the number of teams qualifying for the Class AA team tournament should be reduced.

Team rankings

Class AAA

1. Bethel Park 16-0
2. Penn-Trafford 6-2
3. Derry 10-2
4. Canon-McMillan 12-0
5. Hempfield 19-1

Class AA

1. Burrell 7-5
2. SS Academy 15-2
3. Chartiers-Houston 8-3
4. Bentworth 7-0
5. Fort Cherry 9-3

1/26/2009

Weather problems

The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday is not good. Weathermen and women are calling for 3 to 6 inches of snow. Who knows if they are right? They aren't normally on the mark. If the WPIAL changes the schedule for the team tournament, I will try to get it posted on this blog as soon as possible.

1/24/2009

Kemerer over Fleming

Jake Kemerer of Hempfield decisioned James Fleming of West Mifflin, 4-2, at 171 pounds Saturday night in a dual meet. Kemerer and Flemings, the ranked 1-2 at 160 pounds, weighed in at 160 but ended up wrestling at 171. Kemerer took a 2-0 lead in the first periord before Fleming cut it to 2-1 in the second. Kemerer sewed up the match with a takedown with eight seconds to go and Fleming escaped right before the buzzer.

Kemerer is now 27-0 and Fleming 25-2, losing to Kyle Lang of Brecksville, Dec. 20.

Thanks to Paul Schofield for the info.

No Hull for C-M

Michael Hull, a state qualifier from Canon-McMillan last season, will not wrestle for the Big Macs this season. Hull suffered back problems, limiting him throughout the football season. Head coach Chris Mary held out some hope Hull could return near the end of the season but those plans were scrapped because Hull's back has not improved as much as hoped. Hull accepted a full scholarship to play football at Penn State University.

1/22/2009

WPIAl Team Tournament

WPIAL Wrestling
Team Tournament
Class AAA
Monday, Jan. 26
Preliminary Round
(All times 7 p.m.)
At West Allegheny
West Allegheny vs. North Hills; Franklin Regional vs. Mt. Lebanon
At Elizabeth Forward
Butler vs. South Allegheny; Ringgold vs. Elizabeth Forward

Tuesday, Jan. 27
First Round
(All times 6 p.m.)
At Bethel Park
West Allegheny/North Hills winner vs. Bethel Park; North Allegheny vs.
Albert Galatin
At Hempfield
Derry vs. Waynesburg; Franklin Regional/Mt. Lebanon winner vs. Hempfield
At Penn-Trafford
Butler/South Allegheny winner vs. Penn-Trafford; Connellsville vs.
Hopewell
At Canon-McMillan
Kiski vs. Hopewell; Canon-McMillan vs. Ringgold/Elizabeth Forward winner
Quarterfinals
(All times 7:30 p.m.)
At Bethel Park
West Allegheny/North Hills vs. Bethel Park winner vs. North
Allegheny/Albert Galatin winner
At Hempfield
Derry/Waynesburg winner vs. Franklin Regional/Mt. Lebanon vs. Hempfield
winner
At Penn-Trafford
Penn Trafford vs. Butler/South Allegheny winner vs.
Connellsville/Hopewell winner
At Canon-McMillan
Kiski/Fox Chapel winner vs. Canon-McMillan vs. Ringgold/Elizabeth
Forward winner

Thursday, Jan. 29
Semifinals
At Ringgold
Winner of Bethel Park quarterfinals vs. winner of Hempfield
quarterfinals, 7:30 p.m.
Winner of Penn-Trafford quarterfinals vs. winner of Canon-McMillan
quarterfinals
Saturday, Jan. 31
Side to be determined
Consolation
Semifinal losers, 1:30 p.m.
Championship
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

Class AA
Monday, Jan. 26
First round
All times 7 p.m.
At Jefferson-Morgan
Jefferson-Morgan vs. Burgettstown; Fort Cherry vs. Kittanning
At Mt. Pleasant
Mt. Pleasant vs. Valley; Keystone Oaks vs. Yough

Wednesday, Jan. 28
Quarterfinals
(All times 6 p.m.)
At Burrell
Jefferson-Morgan/Burgettstown winner vs. Burrell; Fort
Cherry/Kittanning winner vs. Bentworth
At Shady Side Academy
Mt. Pleasant/Valley winner vs. Chartiers-Houston; Keystone Oaks/Yough
winner vs. Shady Side Academy
Semifinals
(All times 7:30 p.m.)
At Burrell
Jefferson-Morgan/Burgettstown vs. Burrell winner vs. Bentworth vs. Fort
Cherry/Kittanning winner
At Shady Side Academy
Chartiers-Houston vs. Mt. Pleasant/Valley winner vs. Shady Side Academy
vs. Keyston Oaks/Yough winner

Saturday, Jan. 31
At a site to be determined
Winner of Burrell semifinals vs. winner of Shady Side Academy
semifinals winner, 4 p.m.

Thoughts on the Section Team Tournament

1. From most reports, the section team tournaments were a success, drawing good crowds and, more important, providing some exciting matches. At Fort Cherry, the two matches the Rangers competed in were nail-biters and each had a dramatic finish. Sam Guidi's pin in the final bout pushed the Rangers past Keystone Oaks on a tiebreaker. A pin by Chartiers-Houston's Colton Miller in the final bout of the finals, stopped Fort Cherry from winning and gave the Bucs a thrilling win.

2. How many fans would have thought that at the beginning of the season, Bentworth would be the Section 2 champion? The two of you go to the head of the class. The Bearcats' resurgence has been spectacular. Albert Thomas, in his first year as head coach, has done a great job and shows that a program can turn around if the athletes are dedicated, hard-working, and plentiful.

3. Burrell beating Shady Side Academy by 12 in Section 3-AA, Penn-Trafford knocking off Derry by 15 in Section 1-AAA, and Bethel Park drubbing Waynesburg by 36 in the Section 4-AAA final were surprising not because of which team won but by the margin of victory.

4. Congratulations to Canon-McMillan for extending its consecutive streak of section titles to nine seasons with the 30th section title in the program's history. The Big Macs have not lost a section match in eight years. Impressive.

Individual rankings

Class AAA
103–1. James Goulibon, Derry, 24-1; 2. Chace Small, Latrobe, 21-5; 3. Dario Dobbin, Canon-McMillan, 15-6; 4. Tanner Wiltrout, Connellsville, 15-7; 5. Rob Heuler, Bethel Park, 20-2;
112–1. Nico Megaludis, Franklin Regional, 25-0; 2. Alex Dunaway, McGuffey, 18-5; 3. Dylan Morgan, Bethel Park, 20-2; 4. Zach McGinnis, Waynesburg, 23-2; 5. Cary Lydic, Latrobe, 10-2
119–1. Shane Young, Penn-Trafford, 21-1; 2. John Pezze, Norwin, 16-3; 3. Dante DeCaro, Derry, 11-7; 4. Ty Lydic, Latrobe, 13-4; 5. Ron Schram, Canon-McMillan, 16-5
125–1. Nathan Pennesi, Latrobe, 20-0; 2. Mike McGuire, Upper St. Clair, 8-1; 3. Brandon Grainy, Penn-Trafford, 20-8; 4. Anthony Bonaccorsi, Bethel Park, 19-3; 5. Jake Swink, Connellsville, 16-5
130–1. Joe Waltko, North Allegheny, 22-1; 2. Lorenzo Thomas, Pittsburgh CC 22-0; 3. Sam Sherlock, West Mifflin, 22-2; 4. Cory Bonura, Plum, 13-1; 5. Nick Catalano, Canon-McMillan, 20-5;
135–1. Travis Shaffer, Derry, 21-2; 2. Jesse Swink, Connellsville, 21-6; 3. Stewart Owens, Penn-Trafford, 19-8; 4. Dom Pietropoal, Plum, 21-4; 5. Conrad Branchen, Avonworth, 11-2
140–1. Jack Bachman, Hempfield, 22-1; 2. Joe Walters, Latrobe, 18-4; 3. Andy Candiello, North Allegheny, 21-5; 4. Tom Caldwell, Fox Chapel, 24-4; 5. Nate Cully, Seneca Valley, 12-3
145–1. Dave Cawley, North Allegheny, 1-0; 2. Ken Downing, Pittsburgh CC, 18-2; 3. Buddy Blotzer, South Allegheny, 10-1; 4. Aaron McKinney, West Allegheny, 20-6; 5. Jake Mathews, Penn-Trafford, 22-8
152–1. James Fleming, West Mifflin, 21-1; 2. Matt Hundenski, Hopewell, 26-1; 3. Craig Chelednik, Hempfield, 22-2; 4. Devan Jones, Penn-Trafford, 21-5; 5. Travis Watt, Derry, 21-4
160–1. Nick Letters, Fox Chapel, 27-1; 2. Nick Bonnacorsi, Bethel Park, 21-4; 3. Ben Amhrein, North Hills, 23-4; 4. Perry Hills, Pittsburgh CC, 17-5; 5. Brian Foy, Hopewell, 23-3
171–1. Jake Kemerer, Hempfield, 23-0; 2. P.J. Tasser, Belle Vernon, 14-3; 3. Troy Reaghard, West Allegheny, 23-4; 4. Tyler Wilps, Chartiers Valley, 20-3; 5. Aaron Barker, Fox Chapel, 26-3
189–1. Jake Leninsky, West Allegheny, 26-5; 2. Zack Benzio, Connellsville, 21-6; 3. Jay Whittaker, Derry, 20-6; 5. Petros Georgialis, Montour, 14-1; 5. Fred Garcia, Ringgold, 14-3
215–1. Adam Lazenga, Bethel Park, 13-3; 2. Jeremiah Karpency, Albert Gallatin, 17-2; 3. Todd Miller, Ringgold, 16-1; 4. Nathan Gaffney, Connellsville, 24-5; 5. Bryan Cook, Hopewell, 17-2
Hvy–1. Adam Harvey, Avonworth, 12-0; 2. Sam Brownlee, Canon-McMillan, 19-2; 2. 3. Eric Minerd, Laurel Highlands, 11-3; 4. Jamal Conroy, Shaler, 14-1, 5. Don Rhodes, Norwin, 15-4

Class AA
103–1. Mike Henderson, Highlands, 25-1; 2. Nick Greco, Keystone Oaks, 11-3; 3. Andrew Lucarini, Fort Cherry 13-3
112–1. Geoff Alexander, SS Academy, 22-4; 2. Ian Thom, Jeannette, 13-2; 3. Josh Kwasny, Charleroi, 20-4
119–1. Anthony Zanetta, Keystone Oaks, 18-0; 2. Jeremy Landowski, Burrell, 18-8; 3. Caleb Porter, Yough, 16-3
125–1. Dave Makara, Burrell, 18-7; 2. Ben Fratangeli, Center, 12-2; 3. Phillip Elias, SS Academy, 23-5
130–1. John Prezzia, SS Beaver, 21-2; 2. Frank Martellotti, SS Academy, 16-5; 3. Tyler Berger, Mt. Pleasant, 12-4
135–1. Mitch Spencer, Avella, 21-1; 2. Zack Sheridan, Mt. Pleasant, 16-4; 3. Travis McKillop, Burrell, 16-8
140–1. Dane Johnson, SS Academy, 31-2; 2. Michael Innes, Chartiers-Houston, 20-2; 3. Rich Bass, Highlands, 15-2
145–1. Colin Checkan, SS Beaver, 22-4; 2. Jared Magon, Avella, 21-5; 3. Nick Kaczka, 15-8
152–1. Kyle Appleby, Avella, 21-2; 2. Dom Moore, Beth-Center, 15-3; 3. Jordan Toth, Highlands, 17-4
160–1. Matt Cunningham, SS Academy, 24-3; 2. Cody Brown, Kittanning, 11-1; 3. Mike Kuhns, Valley, 11-5
171–1. Sam Guidi, Fort Cherry, 16-2; 2. Cody Catalina, Beth-Center, 20-6; 3. Josh Durbin, West Greene, 17-6
189–1. Roman Sandoval, SS Academy, 29-4; 2. Kyle Dudley, Valley, 16-2; 3. Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry, 17-3
215–1. Ryan Watson, Burgettstown, 18-3; 2. Corey Garry, Fort Cherry, 17-4; 3. Brian Beattie, Burrell, 15-8
Hvy–1. Kordan Roussos, Carlynton, 21-1; 2. Marty Kisla, Chartiers-Houston, 16-1; 3. Zach Doman, Jefferson-Morgan, 18-5

1/19/2009

Team rankings

Class AAA

1. Bethel Park 14-0
2. Derry 9-1
3. Penn-Trafford 4-2
4. Canon-McMillan 10-0
5. Latrobe 6-3

Class AA

1. SS Academy 15-2
2. Burrell 4-5
3. Burgettstown 5-5
4. Mt. Pleasant 3-0
5. Chartiers-Houston 6-3

1/18/2009

Final thoughts on Tri-County tournament

1. Sam Brownlee has the talent to be a state champion but talent is not the only thing a wrestler needs. After losing to Marty Kisla of Chartiers-Houston in the semifinals, the senior heavyweight from Canon-McMillan defaulted out of the tournament. It appeared he was suffering from a bad case of bruised ego.

2. Sam Guidi of Fort Cherry is a bear. His 6-4 loss to P.J. Tasser of Belle Vernon at 171 was a fun match to watch. A little more offense could make Guidi unstoppable in the postseason.

3. Dario Dobbin's move to 103 makes Canon-McMillan a stronger team. And it gives him a better chance to thrive in the postseason.

4. Avella's Kyle Appleby has great skills but wrestled too conservatively against Dan Karpency of Albert Gallatin in the 152-pound finals. It's OK to take more chances in regular season tournaments.

5. Finally: Here's a name to remember: Josh Kwasny. The 112-pound freshman from Charleroi has the look of a special wrestler. He took fifth in the tournament but more important did not look overmatched by the older wrestlers in the weight class.

1/17/2009

Tri-County Tournament thoughts

The first night of this tournament is normally uneventful. No great upsets because many of the top seeds don't wrestle until today. But there were some things that popped up.

1. Canon-McMillan is nursing some injuries and brought only nine wrestlers. Each one advanced and the Big Macs have a good shot at winning a fourth straight team title.

2. Two females - one from Burgettstown and one from Uniontown - are in the 112-pound consolations.

3. Rumor has it that Zach Benzio quit Connellsville's team. The 189-pound senior wasn't at the tournament.

4. The first day of the tournament had some organizational problems. The computer program malfunctioned and results were not available until the end of the night. Also, 27 wrestlers scratched from the tournament.

The former problem, well, what can you do about it? Computers are not reliable, but there was more than one coach who questioned whether the tournament should continue next year, not only because of organization problems but because of how close the event is to the team tournament. I felt bad for the radio broadcasters, who were trying to report scores from bouts on the four mats in the gym.

The high number of scratches is inexcusable. Coaches should know who is and who is not wrestling in the event well before it happens. They should contact the host school ahead of time. I understand some can get sick or injured right before the tournament, but 27? That shouldn't happen.

5. Finally, I was hoping to blog from the finals but the school's firewall would not let me access certain pages. This was one of the them. I will try again tonight. But if you don't see a post, then you will know why.

1/15/2009

Sad times

Anyone who made their way to Trinity High School's gymnasium Wednesday night saw one of the most lopsided and disappointing dual meets in the Hillers long rivalry with Canon-McMillan. Trinity forfeited four weight classes and were spanked 51-15. The program is struggling and you can't help but feel sorry for head coach Jeff Bricker and his staff. They are finding it hard to win when athletes don't come out. And last night's snow storm can't be totally blamed for the poor crowd of about 200. They know what's going on.

It's not just Trinity. McGuffey was not competitive against Waynesburg, losing 62-9 in one of the most lopsided battles between these two teams. The Highlanders also forfeited four weight classes. One of the area's Class AA powers – West Greene – forfeited five weight classes in a 49-15 loss to Bentworth.

The lone bright spot was in McDonald, where Fort Cherry pulled out a remarkable win over Burgettstown to qualify for the section tournament and knock South Side Beaver out.

Wrestling in this area might be at an all-time low, mainly because these traditionally strong teams are suffering so badly. Each year, it seems to get a little worse. One spectator at the Trinity-Canon-McMillan match told me he felt that wrestling could be a club sport in 10 years.

As hard as that is to believe, he might just be right.

1/14/2009

Individual rankings

Class AAA Individuals
103–1. James Goulibon, Derry, 19-1; 2. Chace Small, Latrobe, 17-4; 3. Tanner Wiltrout, Connellsville, 7-5; 4. Rob Heuler, Bethel Park, 13-2; 5. Josh Friedhof, Norwin, 14-3
112–1. Nico Megaludis, Franklin Regional, 21-0; 2. Alex Dunaway, McGuffey, 14-4; 3. Dylan Morgan, Bethel Park, 19-2; 4. Zach McGinnis, Waynesburg, 16-2; 5. Cary Lydic, Latrobe, 9-2
119–1. Shane Young, Penn-Trafford, 16-1; 2. John Pezze, Norwin, 16-3; 3. Dante DeCaro, Derry, 11-7; 4. Ty Lydic, Latrobe, 13-4; 5. Ron Schram, Canon-McMillan, 16-5
125–1. Nathan Pennesi, Latrobe, 20-0; 2. Mike McGuire, Upper St. Clair, 7-0; 3. Brandon Grainy, Penn-Trafford, 19-7; 4. Anthony Bonaccorsi, Bethel Park, 19-3; 5. Jake Swink, Connellsville, 15-5
130–1. Joe Waltko, North Allegheny, 21-1; 2. Lorenzo Thomas, Pittsburgh CC 18-0; 3. Sam Sherlock, West Mifflin, 11-2; 4. Cory Bonura, Plum, 13-1; 5. Nick Catalano, Canon-McMillan, 15-3;
135–1. Travis Shaffer, Latrobe, 20-2; 2. Dom Pietropoal, Plum, 16-0; 3. Jesse Swink, Connellsville, 12-5; 4. Stewart Owens, Penn-Trafford, 12-6; 5. Conrad Branchen, Avonworth, 10-2
140–1. Jack Bachman, Hempfield, 21-1; 2. Joe Walters, Latrobe, 15-4; 3. Andy Candiello, North Allegheny, 20-5; 4. Tom Caldwell, Fox Chapel, 19-2; 5. Ethan Saylor, Connellsville, 8-6
145–1. Ken Downing, Pittsburgh CC, 16-0; 2. Nate Cully, Seneca Valley, 10-2; 3. Buddy Blotzer, South Allegheny, 9-1; 4. Aaron McKinney, West Allegheny, 11-6; 5. Jake Mathews, Penn-Trafford, 20-8
152–1. James Fleming, West Mifflin, 14-1; 2. Matt Hundenski, Hopewell, 18-1; 3. Craig Chelednik, Hempfield, 21-2; 4. Devan Jones, Penn-Trafford, 15-5; 5. Travis Watt, Derry, 17-3
160–1. Nick Letters, Fox Chapel, 22-0; 2. Nick Bonnacorsi, Bethel Park, 20-4; 3. Ben Amhrein, North Hills, 19-2; 4. Perry Hills, Pittsburgh CC, 14-4; 5. Brian Foy, Hopewell, 22-3
171–1. Jake Kemerer, Hempfield, 22-0; 2. P.J. Tasser, Belle Vernon, 10-2; 3. Troy Reaghard, West Allegheny, 14-4; 4. Tyler Wilps, Chartiers Valley, 14-2; 5. Aaron Barker, Fox Chapel, 21-1
189–1. Jake Leninsky, West Allegheny, 17-5; 2. Zack Benzio, Connellsville, 13-4; 3. Jay Whittaker, Derry, 17-5; 5. Petros Georgialis, Montour, 8-0; 5. Kyle McWreath, Trinity, 18-3
215–1. Adam Lazenga, Bethel Park, 12-3; 2. Jeremiah Karpency, Albert Gallatin, 12-1; 3. Todd Miller, Ringgold, 11-0; 4. Nathan Gaffney, Connellsville, 15-4; 5. Doug Rodgers, Shaler, 8-2
Hvy–1. Sam Brownlee, Canon-McMillan, 17-1; 2. Adam Harvey, Avonworth, 11-0; 3. Eric Minerd, Laurel Highlands, 11-3; 4. Jamal Conroy, Shaler, 9-1, 5. Don Rhodes, Norwin, 14-4

Class AA
103–1. Nick Greco, Keystone Oaks, 9-3; 2. Dave Dedola, Carlynton, 9-5; 3. Brendon Frank, Mars, 15-5
112–1. Mike Henderson, Highlands, 18-0; 2. Geoff Alexander, SS Academy, 22-4; 3. Josh Kwasny, Charleroi, 10-1
119–1. Anthony Zanetta, Keystone Oaks, 10-0; 2. Jeremy Landowski, Burrell, 12-5; 3. Caleb Porter, Yough, 14-3
125–1. Dave Makara, Burrell, 16-5; 2. Ben Fratangeli, Center, 7-2; 3. Phillip Elias, SS Academy, 15-6
130–1. Frank Martellotti, SS Academy, 16-5; 2. John Prezzia, SS Beaver, 13-2; 3. Colin Sheridan, Mt. Pleasant, 9-4
135–1. Mitch Spencer, Avella, 16-0; 2. Zack Sheridan, Mt. Pleasant, 12-3; 3. Travis McKillop, Burrell, 10-5
140–1. Dane Johnson, SS Academy, 25-2; 2. Michael Innes, Chartiers-Houston, 16-2; 3. Ron Festa, Highlands, 10-3
145–1. Nick Carr, South Fayette, 16-1; 2. Colin Checkan, SS Beaver, 16-3; 3. Jared Magon, Avella, 13-4
152–1. Kyle Appleby, Avella, 15-1; 2. Dom Moore, Beth-Center, 8-1; 3. Mike Kazalas, Keystone Oaks, 8-5
160–1. Matt Cunningham, SS Academy, 23-2; 2. Jordan Toth, Highlands, 12-4; 3. Cody Brown, Kittanning, 9-1
171–1. Sam Guidi, Fort Cherry, 8-1; 2. Kalell McCord, Summit Academy, 4-0; 3. Josh Durbin, West Greene, 10-3
189–1. Roman Sandoval, SS Academy, 23-4; 2. Kyle Dudley, Valley, 11-2; 3. Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry, 8-2
215–1. Ryan Watson, Burgettstown, 14-2; 2. Corey Garry, Fort Cherry, 9-1; 3. Brian Beattie, Burrell, 8-6
Hvy–1. Kordan Roussos, Carlynton, 15-1; 2. Marty Kisla, Chartiers-Houston, 11-1; 3. Zach Doman, Jefferson-Morgan, 9-3

Team rankings

Class AAA

1. Latrobe, 6-1
2. Derry, 8-1
3. Bethel Park, 13-0
4. Penn Trafford, 2-2
5. Canon-McMillan 9-0


Class AA

1. Shady Side Academy, 13-2
2. Burrell, 3-2
3. Burgettstown, 5-5
4. Mt. Pleasant, 2-0
5. Chartiers-Houston, 5-3

1/13/2009

Way to go Channel 11

Video from the scuffle that broke out at Saturday's Trinity Duals wrestling tournament made it to Channel 11 news. (I told you to smile). One of the fans in the gym sent it in. As usual, Channel 11 got most of it wrong.

They teased the segment by saying a "brawl" broke out at a high school wrestling match. Wrong. It wasn't a brawl. During the 10-second clip, they said there were altercations between "students and fans." Wrong, only fans were involved in the altercations.

The station interviewed the person who submitted the tape - he or she wanted to remain anonymous so they filmed his-her stomach during the interview - and the voice said, " ... people were carried out." Wrong. No one was carried out. People were escorted to different parts of the gym but no one was "carried out."

This is why I quit watching local television news. They don't want to inform you, they want to scare you or shock you in any way possible so that you'll continue to watch. The problem is you come away not with the facts, but with a distorted view of what happened. In 10 seconds, the station got three facts wrong.

Just think what they could do with a 20-second piece.

1/10/2009

Night at the Fights

A fight broke out in the stands near the end of the Trinity Duals on Saturday and if it were not for the quick action of Trinity's security, it could have easily been worse than it was. When these things happen, everyone involved accuses everyone else of starting it. But this seemed to have ignited when two fans - one from Albert Gallatin and one from Chartiers-Houston - got into a shouting match about something. I was told, but couldn't verify, that this began when someone in the stands used some very foul language.

Albert Gallatin was in the finals against Bethel Park and their fans were acting up during that match, before the fight broke out. One woman, who was sitting matside with a camera, was sent back to the stands after yelling at the referee. Two or three other beligerent fans from AG were screaming from the stands. One was smacking his hand repeatedly on the bench. Another was escorted out a few minutes later. All this occurred before the fight.

It's a good idea to remember this little tidbit: If you are going to be an idiot, make sure you smile because you are probably on camera. Most high school gymnasiums have security cameras for just such reasons. The people involved in this fight might think nothing came of it because they left the gym without being handcuffed. But the security camereas will be reviewed and action could be taken later on.

Besides the legal problems you could face, their is the little issue of how you appear to your friends and family when you lose control. Watching the events unfold from across the gymnasium, I thought, "What a bunch of jackasses." I am sure the wrestlers you were there to cheer for thought the same thing.

1/09/2009

Section team title information

From the WPIAL Web page:

On Wednesday, January 21, a one-day section championship tournament doubleheader will be held prior to the WPIAL team championship tournament. At the section championship tournament, the first place finisher from each subsection will wrestle the second place team from the opposite subsection in the same section. The two winners will then wrestle for the section championship. The winner will be declared the section champion and will be presented the section plaque. The defeated team will be the 2nd place finisher in the section.

The two defeated teams in the preliminary match will wrestle for 3rd and 4th place in the section. The top four (4) place finishers will advance to the WPIAL Team Championship Tournament In the event of a two-way tie for first or second, head to head competition will prevail.

A tie of three or more teams will be broken by comparing the head-to-head competition between the tied teams that may result in one or more of the teams demonstrating a higher cumulative total of victories. If the three or more tied teams have identical records against each other, the NFHS tie breaking system (Rule 9-2-2) will be used to break the tie.

In 2008-09, the section championship tournament will be held at the site of the first place team in the “A” subsections and in 2009-10 in the “B” subsections. If the site designated site for the tournament is not available, the WPIAL will assign the site based on the League “Home Site Policy”.

Postseason dates

The following are the dates for the WPIAL postseason.

Section Tournaments
Saturday, Feb. 14
Class AA
Section 1 - South Side Beaver
Section 2 - Charleroi
Section 3 - Shady Side Academy

Saturday, Feb. 21
Class AAA
Section 1 - Indiana
Section 2 - Hempfield
Section 3 - Fox Chapel
Section 4 - Waynesburg
Section 5 - Mt. Lebnanon

WPIAL Championships
Feb. 20-21
Class AA - Chartiers Valley

Feb. 26-28
Class AAA - Canon-McMillan

Southwest Region
Feb. 27-28
Class AA - Johnstown

1/08/2009

Individual Ratings

Class AAA Individuals
103–1. James Goulibon, Derry, 13-1; 2. Mackenzie McGuire, Upper St. Clair, 6-0; 3. Tanner Wiltrout, Connellsville, 7-5; 4. Chace small, Latrobe, 15-4; 5. Rob Heuler, Bethel Park, 13-2
112–1. Nico Megaludis, Franklin Regional, 21-0; 2. Alex Dunaway, McGuffey, 5-2; 3. Dylan Morgan, Bethel Park, 14-2; 4. Zach McGinnis, Waynesburg, 15-2; 5. Cary Lydic, Latrobe, 9-2
119–1. Shane Young, Penn-Trafford, 16-1; 2. John Pezze, Norwin, 8-2; 3. Dante DeCaro, Derry, 11-6; 4. Ty Lydic, Latrobe, 12-4; 5. Ron Schram, Canon-McMillan, 10-2
125–1. Nathan Pennesi, Latrobe, 16-0; 2. Mike McGuire, Upper St. Clair, 7-0; 3. Brandon Grainy, Penn-Trafford, 14-6; 4. Anthony Bonaccorsi, Bethel Park, 12-3; 5. Jake Swink, Connellsville, 17-4
130–1. Joe Waltko, North Allegheny, 16-1; 2. Sam Sherlock, West Mifflin, 7-1; 3. Cory Bonura, Plum, 12-1; 4. Nick Catalano, Canon-McMillan, 11-3; 5. Lorenzo Thomas, Pittsburgh CC 17-0
135–1. Travis Shaffer, Latrobe, 11-1; 2. Dom Pietropoal, Plum, 14-0; 3. Jesse Swink, Connellsville, 12-5; 4. Stewart Owens, Penn-Trafford, 12-6; 5. Conrad Branchen, Avonworth, 6-2
140–1. Jack Bachman, Hempfield, 9-1; 2. Joe Walters, Latrobe, 14-2; 3. Andy Candiello, North Allegheny, 17-4; 4. Tom Caldwell, Fox Chapel, 18-2; 5. Ethan Saylor, Connellsville, 8-6
145–1. Ken Downing, Pittsburgh CC, 15-0; 2. Buddy Blotzer, South Allegheny, 7-1; 3. Aaron McKinney, West Allegheny, 10-6; 4. Jake Mathews, Penn-Trafford, 16-7; 5. Patrick Palmer, Allbert Gallatin, 10-3
152–1. James Fleming, West Mifflin, 9-1; 2. Matt Hundenski, Hopewell, 17-1; 3. Craig Chelednik, Hempfield, 9-2; 4. Devan Jones, Penn-Trafford, 15-5; 5. Travis Watt, Derry, 12-1
160–1. Nick Letters, Fox Chapel, 21-0; 2. Nick Bonnacorsi, Bethel Park, 15-3; 3. Ben Amhrein, North Hills, 18-2; 4. Perry Hills, Pittsburgh CC, 14-3; 5. Cody Mitchell, Albert Gallatin, 10-4
171–1. Jake Kemerer, Hempfield, 10-1; 2. P.J. Tasser, Belle Vernon, 5-0; 3. Troy Reaghard, West Allegheny, 13-4; 4. Tyler Wilps, Chartiers Valley, 13-2; 5. Dan Anderson, Gateway, 8-2
189–1. Jake Leninsky, West Allegheny, 16-5; 2. Fred Garcia, Ringgold, 9-1; 3. Zack Benzio, Connellsville, 13-4; 4. Jay Whittaker, Derry, 12-2; 5. Petros Georgialis, Montour, 7-0
215–1. Adam Lazenga, Bethel Park, 16-5; 2. Jeremiah Karpency, Albert Gallatin, 11-2; 3. Todd Miller, Ringgold, 8-0; 4. Nathan Gaffney, Connellsville, 15-4; 5. Tom McElwaine, North Hills, 17-3
Hvy–1. Sam Brownlee, Canon-McMillan, 11-1; 2. Adam Harvey, Avonworth, 7-0; 3. Don Rhodes, Norwin, 7-2; 4. Ben Hoover, Elizabeth Forward, 1-2; Eric Minerd, Laurel Highlands, 10-3

Class AA
103–1. Nick Greco, Keystone Oaks, 9-3; 2. Dave Dedola, Carlynton, 8-5; 3. Brendon Frank, Mars, 11-4
112–1. Mike Henderson, Highlands, 10-0; 2. Geoff Alexander, SS Academy, 19-4; 3. Josh Kwasny, Charleroi, 13-2
119–1. Anthony Zanetta, Keystone Oaks, 11-0; 2. Jeremy Landowski, Burrell, 11-5; 3. Caleb Porter, Yough, 10-1
125–1. Dave Makara, Burrell, 12-4; 2. Ben Fratangeli, Center, 6-2; 3. Phillip Elias, SS Academy, 15-3
130–1. Frank Martellotti, SS Academy, 16-6; 2. John Prezzia, SS Beaver, 12-2; 3. Colin Sheridan, Mt. Pleasant, 7-4
135–1. Mitch Spencer, Avella, 15-0; 2. Zack Sheridan, Mt. Pleasant, 10-3; 3. Travis McKillop, Burrell, 9-5
140–1. Dane Johnson, SS Academy, 21-1; 2. Michael Innes, Chartiers-Houston, 9-2; 3. Ron Festa, Highlands, 8-2
145–1. Nick Carr, South Fayette, 13-1; 2. Colin Checkan, SS Beaver, 15-3; 3. Jared Magon, Avella, 13-4
152–1. Kyle Appleby, Avella, 15-1; 2. Dom Moore, beth-Center, 6-1; 3. Mike Kazalas, Keystone Oaks, 13-5
160–1. Matt Cunningham, SS Academy, 19-3; 2. Jordan Toth, Highlands, 9-1; 3. Cody Brown, Kittanning, 8-1
171–1. Sam Guidi, Fort Cherry, 6-1; 2. Kalell McCord, Summit Academy, 3-0; 3. Josh Durbin, West Greene, 9-3
189–1. Roman Sandoval, SS Academy, 20-2; 2. Kyle Dudley, Valley, 10-2; 3. Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry, 7-2
215–1. Ryan Watson, Burgettstown, 12-2; 2. Corey Garry, Fort Cherry, 8-1; 3. Brian Beattie, Burrell, 8-6
Hvy–1. Kordan Roussos, Carlynton, 15-1; 2. Marty Kisla, Chartiers-Houston, 4-1; 3. Zach Doman, Jefferson-Morgan, 9-3

1/06/2009

Upcoming events

These following local tournaments are coming up:

Saturday, Jan. 9-10
Trinity Elite Duals - Albert Gallatin, Bethel Park, Burrell, Chartiers-Houston, North Allegheny, Plum, Ringgold, West Mifflin, Trinity.

Fort Cherry Duals - Avonworth, Beth-Center, Butler, Fort Cherry, Highlands, Jefferson-Morgan, Uniontown, West Greene.

Jan. 16-17
Tri-County Tournament (at Ringgold) - Albert Gallatin, Avella, Bentworth, Belle Vernon, Beth-Center, Burgettstown, Canon-McMillan, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, Connellsville, Fort Cherry, Jefferson-Morgan, Laurel Highlands, McGuffey, Peters Township, Ringgold, Trinity, Uniontown, Washington, Waynesburg, West Greene.

Jan. 23-24
Burgettstown Tournament - Blackhawk, Burgettstown, Center, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, Chartiers Valley, Freedom, Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Peters Township, Uniontown, Southmoreland, Steel Valley, Thomas Jefferson, Washington, Woodland Hills.

1/05/2009

The Top of the Mountain

There is a story in today's paper on Dale Murdock and friends making the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro this summer. I thought it was a pretty unique accomplishment. You can find it in the sports link of the Observer-Reporter's Web page.

1/04/2009

Dick Wilson dies

Dick Wilson, a graduate of Trinity High School who wrestled in three Olympics, died in Franklin, Tenn., recently from Alzheimer's disease. Wilson was a PIAA runner-up for the Hillers in his senior season and was inducted into the PIAA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1985. He was a former wrestling coach at the University of Toledo.

Here is the link to the obit that appeared in the Toledo Blade newspaper.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs...WS13/901030391

Team rankings

Class AAA

1. Latrobe, 4-1

2. Derry, 7-1

3. Bethel Park, 7-0

4. Penn Trafford, 1-2

5. Hempfield, 4-1


Class AA

1. Shady Side Academy, 10-1

2. Burrell, 3-1

3. Burgettstown, 3-5

4. Mt. Pleasant, 0-0

5. Chartiers-Houston, 1-0