East Xtra: Despite a ton of attrition, Burrell wins a section title
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Bud Sines had an unenviable task when he took over as head coach of the Burrell High School wrestling team in August.
The Buccaneers had just won a sixth WPIAL Class AA title in eight years and fifth in a row, but sustained significant graduation attrition.
Burrell lost seven starters from last year's squad who combined for a 265-64 record.
Then came the news that a pair of returning starters who combined for 50 wins would not be back. Zach Kelly, a PIAA Class AA qualifier who had 29 wins as a freshman, transferred to Kiski School, and John Andrejcik was lost for the season after having shoulder surgery.
To make matters worse, the Buccaneers top returnee -- Dakota DesLauriers -- would miss the start of the season recovering from elbow surgery. DesLauriers is a two-time PIAA place-winner who finished third at 171 last season.
"I wasn't quite sure what I had, but I could see we had talent when I started conditioning workouts," said Sines, who came to Burrell after coaching from 1995 until 2009 at Wisconsin's Brookfield East High School. "It was just a question of getting everybody into the practice room at the same time."
Burrell's brutal schedule didn't make things any easier. The Buccaneers opened the season at Walsh Jesuit's Ironman Tournament in Ohio, considered one of the top two tournaments in the country. Seven of Burrell's nine entries were quickly eliminated after losing twice, and the other two combined for only three victories.
Then came the Franklin Regional Duals, a team tournament that featured numerous Class AAA teams. The Buccaneers dropped four matches to Class AAA teams, including losses to North Allegheny and Franklin Regional, but did salvage one victory against Keystone Oaks, a Class AA playoff team.
"Fortunately, Dakota [DesLauriers] came back sooner than expected, but we were missing a couple others," Sines said. "It was really tough in December and the first week or so of January. We just couldn't get everybody on the mat at the same time."
Burrell concluded December with an appearance at the Powerade Christmas Tournament, which is considered the third best tournament in the country. DesLauriers won a title at 182, but he was the Buccaneers only place-winner.
First Published February 2, 2012 12:00 am
