Colin Johnston, a Canon-McMillan senior, became the 13th wrestler in the 41-year history of the Powerade tournament to claim three or more titles with a 5-2 win last night against Burrell's Shane Welsh for the 135-pound title, highlighting the final day of one of the country's most prestigious tournaments.

"It's great to be part of such an elite group," said Johnston, who also claimed titles in 2004 and 2005.

Johnston had hoped to join North Allegheny's Ty Moore as the only four-time champion, but fell short after last year's 2-0 loss against Derry's Troy Dolan in the 125-pound final.

"It's a big advantage to be wrestling at home," said Johnston. "But it's also a disadvantage, because you don't want to lose in front of so many fans."

The finals began with four WPIAL wrestlers claiming titles. Penn-Trafford's Shane Young and Hempfield's Nico Cortese each captured a second consecutive title, while Franklin Regional's Nico Megaludis and Shady Side Academy's Dane Johnson claimed their first.

Young, last year's champion at 103, won the 112-pound weight class by pinning Central Dauphin's Simon Rice at 5:23. Young broke a 2-2 tie when he caught Rice in a cradle with 40 seconds left and pinned him.

Cortese claimed a second consecutive title at 119 pounds with a 6-5 victory against Michael Garafalo of Virginia's Colonial Forge. Cortese jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held on for the victory.

"I was a little surprised to be up 5-0 late in the second period," Cortese said. "I relaxed a little and he took me down before the period ended. At that point, I switched into a defensive mode. I knew I had one more takedown to give up. This title is just as good as the first."

Megaludis, a freshman, opened the finals with a 6-3 win against Devin Carter of Virginia's Christiansburg High at 103 pounds.

"This was the first time at Powerade for our school," said Megaludis, who entered the 39-man bracket unseeded. "It was nice to be the underdog. Nobody expected me to win."

Shady Side Academy was also making its first Powerade appearance and Johnson claimed the 125-pound title with a 5-4 come-from-behind victory against Ian Squires of Colonial Forge. Squires won the 103-pound title in 2005, then finished seventh at 119 last year. Johnson scored the winning takedown with a takedown at the buzzer.

"The same thing happened at the state tournament," said Johnson, referring to the comeback he made in the PIAA Class AA championship match at 112 in March. "I don't like waiting that long. It just worked out that way."

Albert Gallatin's Lance Bryson and Mount Pleasant's Paul Snyder made a second consecutive appearance in the finals and claimed their first title. Bryson captured the 171-pound crown with a 9-4 win against Peter Huntley of Colonial Forge.

Nick Cook of Virginia's Fauquier High won at 285 pounds with a 3-1 overtime victory against Paul Snyder of Mount Pleasant.

The WPIAL had 53 wrestlers earn place-winner status by finishing among the top eight. Shady Side Academy had the most place-winners of any team in the tournament with eight. Canon-McMillan and Hempfield each had five place-winners, while Burrell and Connellsville each had four.