Canon-McMillan wrestling coach Chris Mary couldn't have written a better script.

The Big Macs held a two-point lead with one bout remaining in Tuesday's WPIAL Class AAA title match against Kiski Area at Fox Chapel. That is when Michael Hull, a Penn State football recruit, made his appearance, despite a separated shoulder.

"We were ignited when Michael's father cleared him to wrestle at 3 p.m.," said Mary, referring to the starting time of the match. "It was just the spark we needed. The presence of a Michael Hull in a singlet is huge for the rest of the team."

Hull, despite a 60-pound weight disadvantage, posted a 3-2 victory in the 285-pound weight class to cap the Big Macs' 32-27 victory. It was the sixth team tournament title for Canon-McMillan, but the first since 1995.

Hull wrestled as a sophomore but sat out last season while recovering from a back injury. He returned this season to help the Big Macs during the dual-meet season by winning all eight of his matches.

"I'm glad the match was postponed twice," said Hull, who sustained the injury while playing in a football all-star game Jan. 30. "I wouldn't have been able to wrestle if the match was Saturday. The extra time really helped."

Canon-McMillan jumped out to an 18-0 lead with four consecutive victories. Colton Shorts began the rally with a pin at 103. Connor Schram and Dario Dobbin followed with narrow decisions at 112 and 119, respectively. William Pihiou capped the rally with a pin at 125.

"The last thing we wanted was for the match to start at 103," Kiski Area coach Chuck Tursky said. "If the match would have started somewhere in the middle weight classes, Canon-McMillan may not have used Hull."

Beau Grzybek gave Kiski Area its first win with a decision at 130, but Canon-McMillan followed with victories by Nick Catalano and Sam Lombardo at 135 and 140, respectively, to take a 25-3 lead at the midway point.

Kiski Area then rallied by winning five consecutive bouts, including pins by Justin Harold and Matt McCutcheon at 145 and 171, respectively. Bill Emerick's technical fall at 189 gave Kiski Area its only lead before Canon-McMillan regained the advantage with a major decision by Cody Klempay at 215. That set the stage for Hull's heroics.

In the Class AA title match, Burrell claimed its fourth consecutive WPIAL title with a 41-30 victory against Shady Side Academy. It was the third consecutive year the Buccaneers and Indians met in the title match.

The match opened with four consecutive pins. Dan Shepherd and Dave Makara had falls at 103 and 125 for Burrell, while Phillip Elias and Geoff Alexander had pins at 112 and 119 for Shady Side Academy.

The two teams also split the next four bouts, leaving the match tied at 21-21.

Burrell capped its victory with wins in four of the final six bouts. Hayden Greenwald's pin at 152 gave the Buccaneers the lead for good, and Brian Beattie clinched the title with a pin at 215.

Canon-McMillan, Kiski Area, Connellsville, Burrell and Shady Side Academy qualify for the PIAA tournament, which begins today.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.