High School Wrestling: Franklin Regional wrestler wins big
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A four-time individual champion and a first-time team champion highlighted the 44th Annual Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament, which concluded Thursday at Canon-McMillan High School.
Franklin Regional's Nico Megaludis became the third four-time champion in the history of the tournament with a convincing 8-1 win against Shady Side Academy's Geoff Alexander in the 125-pound title.
"This is one of the three toughest tournaments in the country," Megaludis said. "It's a great accomplishment to win a tournament of this magnitude four times."
Megaludis was presented with the tournaments' Outstanding Wrestler Award.
Canon-McMillan became the first WPIAL team since 1999 to claim the team title. It was the first team title for the Big Macs, who had four wrestlers advance to the finals.
Colt Shorts, Connor Schram, and Cody Klempay won titles for the Big Macs, while Solomon Chishko had to settle for second place.
Shorts claimed a 5-3 victory against Central Dauphin's Jeremy Schwartz in the 103-pound final. Schram made his second title appearance and claimed his first title with a 1-0 victory against J.R. Wert of Christiansburg, Va. in the 112-pound final.
"It was a big win for me and the team, especially since it came against a Central Dauphin wrestler," said Shorts, referring to the fact that his victory ended Central Dauphin's three-year run and allowed the Big Macs to clinch the team title.
Klempay defeated Westmont's Josh Duplin 2-0 in the heavyweight final. Chishko dropped a 5-0 decision to Johnni DiJulius of Ohio's Walsh Jesuit at 130.
Megaludis was one of six returning champions in the 44-team field, and one of only two who were able to claim another title. Derry's Jimmy Gulibon claimed his third Powerade title with a 2-1 win in a 119-pound bout that went to the ultimate tiebreaker. Gulibon escaped five seconds in to the rideout period.
Charleroi's Cody Wiercioch, Derry's Travis Shaffer and Central Dauphin's Tyson Dippery came up short in their attempt to win another title. Wiercioch dropped a 4-3 decision to Burrell's Travis McKillop at 160, which was considered the strongest of the 14 weight classes.
"This title means even more since I beat two wrestlers I had lost to," said McKillop, referring to last year's Southwest Region final loss to Wiercioch. "I stepped it up and did my thing."
Shaffer, last year's 135-pound champion, and Dippery, last year's 103-pound champion, lost in the semifinals.
Other WPIAL wrestlers who won titles were: Bethel Park's Nick Bonaccorsi and Burrell's Brian Beattie.
Bonaccorsi claimed the 171-pound title with a 5-1 win against Burrell's Dakota DesLauriers. Beattie won the 215-pound crown with a 13-4 major decision win against Hempfield's Dante Nania.
Central Catholic had two finalists - Eric Nutter and Lorenzo Thomas - but both were defeated. Nutter lost 1-0 to Pete Baldwin of Florida's Kissimmee Osceola at 145. Thomas lost 8-3 to Kennard-Dale freshman Chance Marsteller at 152.
First Published December 31, 2010 12:00 am
