WPIAL Holds 2A Individual Wrestling Championships at Canon-McMillian

Monday, February 21, 2022

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) hosted its individual wrestling championships in the 2A classification at Canon-McMillian High School this past weekend, with 13 champions crowned from nine different schools.

Burgettstown led the way with three individual champions, followed by Laurel and Quaker Valley with two each. Bentworth, Burrell Central Valley, Elizabeth Forward, Frazier, and Mt. Pleasant produced one champion apiece.

Five different student-athletes claimed their second WPIAL 2A individual championship: Bentworth’s Chris Vargo (120), Laurel’s Grant Mackay (160), Frazier’s Rune Lawrence (172), Quaker Valley’s Patrick Cutchember (189), and Mt. Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer (215). Lawrence, Cutchember, and Pitzer all were repeat champions at their respective weight classes.

The top eight wrestlers in each weight class qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Southwest 2A Regional Championships, which are set to be held on March 4-5 at Peters Township High School.

LINK: 2022 WPIAL 2A Individual Wrestling Championship Final Brackets
LINK: 2022 WPIAL 2A Individual Wrestling Championship Final Results

106 POUNDS
Burgettstown sophomore Parker Sentipal was the first of three Blue Devils to capture WPIAL gold, pinning Fort Cherry freshman Shawn Robertson in 1:53 to secure the 106 title. Sentipal advanced to the championship match with two pinfalls and an injury default, while Robertson met him at the end of the bracket with three consecutive pinfalls – two coming under a minute.

Following Sentipal and Robertson was Quaker Valley sophomore Issac Maccaglia, who claimed bronze with a pinfall victory over Derry junior Kylan Klim. The remaining four place winners were: South Side sophomore Killian Turek (5th), Valley junior Donovan Thomas (6th), Ellwood City freshman Derek Allen (7th), and Keystone Oaks freshman Quinn Garda (8th).

113 POUNDS
Laurel junior Colin Bartley earned the gold medal in 113, topping West Greene sophomore Seth Burns by a 5-2 decision in the championship match. Bartley reached the final with a 25-8 technical fall and 5-2 decision, while Burns used scores of 7-5 and 3-2 to set up the title tilt.

Derry freshman Giovanni Beatrice won the bronze medal, defeating Quaker Valley sophomore Jack Kazalas by injury default in the third-place match. The remaining four place winners were: Burrell freshman Calio Zanella (5th), Montour senior James Walzer (6th), Knoch junior Matthew Frank (7th), and McGuffey freshman Troy Wagner (8th).

120 POUNDS
Bentworth sophomore Chris Vargo became a two-time WPIAL individual champion, claiming the gold medal at 120 with a 5-0 decision over Burrell sophomore Cooper Hornack. Vargo, the 2021 2A champion at 113, won his first three matches by pinfall, with two of them coming under two minutes. Hornack, a WPIAL 2A winner himself at 106 last year, scored two pinfall victories before working a 6-1 decision win to advance to the final.

Burgettstown sophomore Dylan Slovick took bronze with an injury default win over Quaker Valley junior Logan Richey. The remaining four place winners were: Frazier sophomore Tyler Clark (5th), Montour sophomore Anthony Orlandini (6th), Mt. Pleasant junior Sean Cain (7th), and Elizabeth Forward sophomore Emanuel Gardner (8th).

126 POUNDS
Elizabeth Forward senior Dylan Bruce collected a 7-3 decision win over South Side senior Timmy Cafrelli to earn the gold medal at 126. Bruce won with a pair of pinfalls to start his tournament, then posted a 12-4 major decision before moving onto the final via injury default. Cafrelli advanced to the championship match with two pins under a minute, and narrow decision wins of 2-1 and 9-7 in sudden-victory.

Quaker Valley junior Brandon Krul snagged the bronze medal with a pinfall in 0:26 over Bethlehem-Center senior Davis Stepp. The remaining four place winners were: Carlynton sophomore Bryce Rodriguez (5th), Burgettstown sophomore Gaven Suica (6th), Freedom Area freshman Gavyn McCray (7th), and Ligonier Valley senior James Brown (8th).

132 POUNDS
Burgettstown junior Joey Sentipal won the gold medal at 132, thanks to a 6-2 decision victory over Bethlehem-Center senior Kyle McCollum. Sentipal began his tournament with two pins, then collected a 14-3 major decision and 6-0 decision to earn his championship spot. McCollum also started with two pins, then tacked on a pair of major decisions (14-6, 11-2) to set up the final match.

Montour junior Peter Chacon defeated Mt. Pleasant sophomore Greg Shaulis by a 10-5 decision to earn the bronze medal. The remaining four place winners were: Burrell junior Nicholas Ferra (5th), Freedom Area junior Tanner Millward (6th), South Side freshman Ryder Goe (7th), and Valley senior Micah Hughes (8th).

138 POUNDS
Central Valley senior Ambrose Boni captured the 138 title, thanks to a pinfall victory in 5:41 over Elizabeth Forward sophomore Damon Michaels. Boni started the weekend with two pins followed by a 16-0 technical fall, then earned a 5-2 decision to advance to the championship. Michaels also pinned his first two opponents, then edged his quarterfinal and semifinal opponents by 1-0 and 3-2 decisions, respectively.

Mt. Pleasant sophomore Jamison Poklembo, who won the 2A title at 132 last year, finished third with a 4-3 decision over Southmoreland senior Andrew Johnson. The remaining four place winners were: Burrell freshman Issac Lacinski (5th), Burgettstown sophomore Rudy Brown (6th), Ligonier Valley senior Ryan Harbert (7th), and Freedom Area junior Matt Schultheis (8th).

145 POUNDS
Burrell senior Shawn Szymanski topped Jefferson-Morgan sophomore Chase Frameli by a 5-4 decision to collect the gold medal at 145. Szymanski started his tournament with a pinfall and 17-2 technical fall, adding a second pin in the quarterfinals before moving onto the final with a 10-4 decision. Frameli had a bye in the first round, then went pinfall, 14-3 major decision, and 8-2 decision to advance to the championship.

Frazier freshman Ryan Celaschi topped Burgettstown senior Anthony Lancos by a slight 1-0 margin to claim the bronze. The remaining four place winners were: Valley sophomore Charles Perkins (5th), Bethlehem-Center junior Tyler Debnar (6th), Laurel junior Charles Krepp (7th), and Carlynton junior Chase Brandebura (8th).

152 POUNDS
Quaker Valley senior Justin Richey outlasted Bethlehem-Center junior Tyler Berish in the 152 final, winning by a 3-2 decision in the second tiebreak period to capture the gold. Richey won his first three matches by pinfall – two coming under a minute – and won by a 9-3 decision in the semifinal. Berish started with a 16-1 technical fall before picking up a pair of pins, then earned a 8-7 decision to move onto the final.

Avonworth senior Joey Boughton won bronze with a 4-2 decision over Hopewell sophomore Isaiah Pisano. The remaining four place winners were: Burgettstown sophomore Eric Kovach (5th), Mt. Pleasant senior Conor Johnson (6th), Southmoreland junior Tristan Ice (7th), and Knoch senior Aaron Butler (8th).

160 POUNDS
Laurel senior Grant Mackay collected his second WPIAL individual title, earning a pinfall victory in 0:56 against Bethlehem-Center senior Trevor Pettit to top the 160 bracket. Mackay, who won the 2A crown at 152 in 2021, needed two pinfalls and an injury default win to advance to the championship match. Pettit scored four pinfalls in his run to the title tilt, winning three of them in 1:30 or under.

Derry senior Christian Hirak defeated Burrell senior Damian Barr in a 3-1 sudden-victory decision to finish in third place. The remaining four place winners were: Burgettstown senior D.J. Slovick (5th), Fort Cherry freshman Braedon Welsh (6th), Chartiers-Houston junior Jessie Orbin (7th), and McGuffey junior Kyle Brookman (8th).

172 POUNDS
Frazier sophomore Rune Lawrence made it 2-for-2 at 172, earning a pinfall victory in 1:56 over Quaker Valley senior Mason Diemert to capture his second straight WPIAL 2A championship. Lawrence was dominant on his trek to the title, winning each of his matches by pinfall – the first three under 13 seconds each. Diemert started the tournament with two pins, then earned a 6-2 decision to move onto the championship match.

Washington senior Mike Ewing claimed the bronze via injury default over Montour senior Aaron DeLuca. The remaining four place winners were: Bethlehem-Center sophomore Jacob Layhue (5th), Burgettstown junior Jacob Noyes (6th), Southmoreland senior Bryson Robinson (7th), and Jefferson-Morgan sophomore Adam McAnany (8th).

189 POUNDS
Quaker Valley senior Patrick Cutchember continued the run of repeat champions, earning his second consecutive title at 189 with a 6-3 decision victory over Mt. Pleasant senior Noah Gnibus. Cutchember won his first two matches by pinfall, then advanced by injury default to the championship match. Gnibus started with a pin in 0:53, then earned two decision wins by 7-0 and 3-1 to set up a meeting with Cutchember.

Burrell senior Cole Clark won the bronze medal over Central Valley sophomore Brenan Morgan by injury default. The remaining four place winners were: Fort Cherry sophomore Anthony Salvini (5th), Bethlehem-Center Alston Csutoros (6th), Laurel junior Chase Tinstman (7th), and West Greene sophomore John Lampe (8th).

215 POUNDS
Mt. Pleasant senior Dayton Pitzer joined the club of repeat winners, capturing his second straight championship at 215 with a pinfall of Bentworth sophomore Vitali Daniels in 1:12. Pitzer won all his matches via pinfall, claiming them in 0:15, 1:02, and 2:20. Daniels started the tournament with two pins under a minute, then scored a 19-4 technical fall to move onto the final.

Southmoreland senior Anthony Govern edged Freedom Area senior Landon Millward by a 9-8 decision to take home the bronze. The remaining four place winners were: Burrell freshman Luke Boylan (5th), Laurel junior Ryan DiMuccio (6th), Central Valley senior Alex Kuzma (7th), and McGuffey junior Logan Smith (8th).

285 POUNDS
Burgettstown sophomore Joseph Baronick captured the 285 title, topping Washington senior Cameron Carter-Green by a 4-1 decision. Baronick used four pinfall victories to punch his championship match ticket, scoring the first two under a minute. Carter-Green also moved onto the final with four straight pins, with his second and third both coming in 30 seconds or less.

Laurel junior Coltin Hill placed third with a pinfall of Southmoreland junior Mason Neiderhiser in 2:24. The remaining four place winners were: Keystone Oaks junior Christian Flaherty (5th), Bethlehem-Center senior Josh Deems (6th), Central Valley senior Lance Crawley (7th), Ellwood City senior Donovan Stiffler (8th).

Follow the WPIAL: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

#WPIAL