It will be a five-horse race for the team title at the 56th annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association tournament that begins Friday at Greensburg Salem High School.

"I've talked with some of the other coaches and we all agree that it could be the closest and tightest race [for the team title] in the history of the tournament," Derry Area coach Mike Wood said. "There are five teams that have a legitimate shot of winning. All five have an equal chance of winning, and all five could be unfortunate enough to finish fifth. It's that close. I wouldn't be surprised to see any combination of the five teams."

Wood is referring to Burrell, Derry Area, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford and Hempfield. Burrell is the defending WCCA champion. The Buccaneers are ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL in Class AA by the Post-Gazette.

Derry Area is No. 2 in the Post-Gazette's Class AAA rankings, followed by Latrobe at No. 3, Penn-Trafford at No. 4 and Hempfield at No. 5.

"Westmoreland County is the strongest county in the state, maybe the country," Hempfield coach Vince DeAugustine said. "Westmoreland County wrestling fans are in for a treat with this year's tournament."

Penn-Trafford's Shane Young will be out to win the trifecta as he enters the 119-pound weight class as a two-time WCCA champion. Young won WCCA, WPIAL and PIAA titles as a 103-pound freshman, then claimed three more titles last year at 112.

"I was a three-time WCCA champion, so I know how tough it is to win three titles at this tournament," said DeAugustine, a 1997 Hempfield graduate. "Shane Young has worked his butt off to get to this point. Now he has a chance to become a three-time county champion."

Young is one of five returning champions. Hempfield's Jake Kemerer is a two-time WCCA finalist. Kemerer, a 171-pound senior, won the 160-pound title last year after placing second at 145 as a sophomore.

Franklin Regional's Nico Megaludis, Derry Area's Travis Shaffer and Belle Vernon's P.J. Tasser are also returning champions.

Megaludis and Shaffer won titles at 103 and 125 as freshmen last season. The two are competing at 112 and 135, respectively. Tasser is the defending champion at 171 and is the favorite. Kemerer, a PIAA champion, is also entered at 171 and will no doubt be seeded No. 1.

"Jake's loss in the 2007 county final was to Donnie Tasser," said DeAugustine, referring to P.J.'s older brother. "It would be a good match if Jake and P.J. meet in the finals."

Shady Side Academy made a second consecutive top-three finish at the Powerade Christmas tournament Dec. 29-30 at Canon-McMillan High School. The Indians placed second in the 42-team field after finishing third in 2007.

"I'm very pleased with our performance, especially since we didn't have a full lineup," Shady Side Academy coach Tim Giel said. "We had two starters out with injuries and two others were out with the flu. We only entered 11 kids and seven placed. I'm very pleased with our effort."

Central Dauphin claimed its second consecutive team title by accumulating 206.5 points. Shady Side had 172.

"I don't know if we could have won the team title if we had a full lineup, but I know it would have been a much closer race," Giel said. "The four kids we were missing would have scored some points."

Shady Side did have the most champions. Three of its wrestlers -- Frank Martolletti (125), Dane Johnson (140) and Matthew Cunningham (160) -- won titles, while teammate Roman SanDoval (189) placed second.

Bermudian Springs claimed the team title for a fourth consecutive season at the Steve DeAugustino Holiday Classic Dec. 29-30 at West Mifflin High School. The Eagles accumulated 280.5 points and 13 of their 14 entries placed in the top six in their weight classes. Derek Schmelyun (145) claimed his third title for Bermudian Springs, while teammates Tanner Coyle (112) and Devin O'Brien (152) won their second.

West Mifflin's duo of Sam Sherlock and James Fleming also won titles for a third year. Sherlock claimed the 130-pound title, while Fleming won at 160. Keystone Oaks' Anthony Zanetta (119) and Carlisle's Jayshon Wilson (140) were also repeat champions.

Norwin and Avella each had two individual champions at the Southmoreland Christmas tournament Dec. 29-30. Josh Freidhof (103) and John Pezze (119) won titles for the Knights, while Mitch Spencer (135) and Kyle Appleby (152) were champions for Avella. Other Soutmoreland champions from the WPIAL were South Fayette's Nick Carr (145), Gateway's Elliot Stewart (160) and Avonworth's Adam Harvey (285).