7 day forecast
Ailing Canon-McMillan falls short of Tri-County title hopes
Share with others:
Canon-McMillan was short-handed at the Tri-County Wrestling Championships Friday and Saturday at Ringgold High School, and Peters Township took advantage.
The Big Macs, ranked No. 1 in Class AAA in the WPIAL, were heavy favorites in the 19-team field but had eight wrestlers sit out for various health concerns, including a trio of WPIAL champions: Connor Schram, Cody Wiercioch and Solomon Chishko.
"We had four kids out with a bad case of the flu, and the others were out with various injuries," Canon-McMillan coach Chris Mary said. "They needed rest this weekend so we can regroup for Wednesday's match with Trinity and the section tournament."
Canon-McMillan did participate in 10 of the 14 weight classes and had seven wrestlers finish among the top six in their weight class. The Big Macs finished third in the team standings with 147.5 points.
"It was a little strange [not having a full lineup]," said junior Dalton Macri, one of three Canon-McMillan wrestlers who won Tri-County titles. "But it didn't effect me."
Macri claimed the 120-pound title with a 21-6 win against Waynesburg's Shaun Wilson. He was joined on the winners platform by Big Mac teammates Brendan Price and Sammy Minor. Price won the 106-pound final with a 7-4 victory against Jefferson-Morgan's Brendan Howard. Minor won at 160 pounds with a 7-5 win against Ringgold's Devin Fallenstein.
Peters Township claimed the team title with 162.5 points, and Waynesburg was a close second with 157.5 points. The Indians had nine of 13 entries place, including five who finished among the top three in his weight class.
"This was our first Tri-County title," Peters Township coach Jason Carpetta said. "It was a total team effort. Everyone kept on digging and scoring points."
Ty Buckiso and Italo Merante won titles for Peters Township, and teammate Lukas Cervanak placed second.
Waynesburg's Shane Piper was named outstanding wrestler after recording a 6-4 overtime upset of Chartiers-Houston's Tanner Sutton, who fell short of becoming the first four-time champion in the five-year history of the tournament.
North Allegheny excels
North Allegheny became the first team in the 12-year history of the Allegheny County Championships to win three team titles. The Tigers had 10 wrestlers place among the top eight in his weight class, including three champions: Dom Forys, Jesse Rodgers and Alex DeCiantis.
Forys won his third county title by dominating Central Catholic's Vincenzo Joseph, 13-2, in the 120-pound final.
Rodgers won the 138-pound title with a 1-0 win against Central Catholic's Justin Alexander. DeCiantis won his second consecutive title with a 21-6 technical fall against Elizabeth Forward's Luke Fornier at 182 pounds.
North Hills also had three champions: Gage Curry, Tyler Walker, and Jonathan Avon.
Hampton had two champions: Jake Hart and Noah Shulman.
Host takes care of business
Franklin Regional was host to the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Tournament and claimed its first title. The Panthers had 10 wrestlers place among the top six in their weight class, including six finalists, and finished with 196 points.
Tyler Smith (132), Josh Maruca (138) and Josh Shields (145) each won a second title for Franklin Regional, and teammates Dom Giannangeli (126), Nate Painter (170) and Brett Zanotto (220) placed second.
First Published January 13, 2013 12:00 am
