High School Wrestling2005

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	Medal Bout Results PIAA AAA Championships PIAA AA Championships PIAA Southwest AA Regional WPIAL AAA Championships WPIAL AAA Sections WPIAL AA Championships WPIAL AA Sections
2005 PIAA AA Championships! (Update Link) Championship Finals (WPIAL wrestlers) 112 Troy Dolan, Derry dec. Justin Blumer, West Greene, 7-4 119 Adam Whetstone, Clay-Kim. dec. Jason Weslager, Belle Vernon, 5-4 145 Donnie Ament, Mt. Pleasant dec. Addison Nuding, Schuyl. Vall., 2-1 171 A.J. Graves, Jeannette dec. Logan Downes, Valley, 8-1 275 Terry Tate, Tyrone dec. Elliott Bates, Chartiers-Houston, 3-1 112--Dolan (Derry) dec. Blumer (West Greene), 7-4 Troy Dolan (Derry) scored two takedowns in the first to lead Justin Blumer (West Greene) 4-1 after one. A switch in the middle of the second brought Blumer to within 4-3 heading to the third. Blumer was cautioned for stalling while riding halfway through the third. Then, gave Dolan an escape with 35 seconds remaining. The Derry sophomore worked a takedown ten seconds later in the bout to seal the win, making him just the second Derry PIAA champion, joining Mike May (1999). 119--Whetstone (Clay-Kim) dec. Weslager (BVA), 5-4 Adam Whetstone (Claysburg-Kimmel) twice worked a double-leg takedown in the first period to lead Jason Weslager (Belle Vernon), 4-2 after one. A Whetstone escape put him up 5-2 after two. Weslager got an escape, then a penalty point for stalling in the third, but couldn't get a tying takedown. 145--Ament (Mt. Pl.) dec. Nuding (Schuyl. Vall.), 2-1 Donnie Ament (Mt. Pleasant) opened the scoring late in the first period, using a short drag to set up a side-by-side headlock for a takedown as time ran out to lead Addison Nuding (Schuylkill Valley), 2-0. Nuding chose down for the second and escaped early in the period to make it 2-1, but Ament avoided being taken down. Then in the third, Ament was able to keep from being turned over and won the title, the Vikings' fourth all-time. 171--Graves (Jean.) dec. Downes (Valley), 8-1 A.J. Graves (Jeannette) completed a perfect season (41-0) with two periods of nearly perfect wrestling in the state finals, beating Logan Downes (Valley), 8-1. Scoreless after one, Graves chose bottom, quickly escaped and led 1-0 in the final minute of the second. The now three-time PIAA medalist hit a quick duck-under to get to Downes' legs and boost the lead to 3-1 after two. Two nearfall situations in the third led to the final. Graves is the Jayhawks' fifth PIAA wrestling champion. 275--Tate (Tyr.) dec. Bates (Char-Hous.), 3-1 Terry Tate (Tyrone) used a double-leg takedown against Elliott Bates (Chartiers-Houston) to take a 2-1 lead on the way to the 275-pound championship. Bates fought out of a front tie-up for an escape with 55 seconds left in the second to lead 1-0. Tate followed 25 seconds later with the leg attempt. Bates bounced and hopped toward the boundary, but Tate kept his right foot in, and his left foot up in the air as he brought Bates to the mat. Consolation Finals 3rd-place bouts: 160 Corey Checkan, South Side Beaver dec. Brice Mertiff, Tyrone, 8-6 189 David Mendoza, Wyomissing fall Rich Froats, Burgettstown, 4:44 5th-place bouts: 112 Taylor Cummings, Central Columbia fall Zach Holt, Mt. Pleasant, 4:19 119 Jeff Kusich, Avella forfeit Ricky Tedesco, Loyalsock 125 Tony Lascari, North Star dec. Lee Vanella, Mt. Pleasant, 7-2 140 Damian Rose, Freedom maj. dec. Chad Sindoni, Athens, 10-2 160 Todd Cessna, Elderton dec. Brian Thomason, Schuylkill Valley, 2-1 7th-place bouts: 215 Nathan Tomporoski, Highlands dec. Joe Niklaus, So.Williamsport, 4-3 Seven to the AA Finals! Five different weightclasses have WPIAL AA wrestlers in the championship pairings, including two weights where District VII wrestlers will face each other. Troy Dolan (Derry) meets former Oklahoma champion Justin Blumer (West Greene) for the 112 pound title. Dolan beat Blumer, 4-1, last week in the Regional finals. At 171 pounds, A.J. Graves (Jeannette) returns to the PIAA finals where he'll face Logan Downes (Valley) for the fourth time this year. The Jeannette senior won all three previous bouts, including in the WPIAL Finals two weeks ago. Graves lost in the 160-pound final last year after a fifth-place finish in 2003. Downes finished third in AAA last year, winning five straight consolation bouts after losing his preliminary. Jason Weslager (Belle Vernon--119), Donnie Ament (Mt. Pleasant--145) and Elliott Bates (Chartiers-Houston--275) are the other finalists for the WPIAL. Weslager was a seventh-place AAA medalist last year. Ament was a fourth-place finisher a year ago. Hardware collection! In addition to the seven finalists, eight other WPIAL AA wrestlers will bring home medals. That's 44% of the WPIAL qualifiers. Corey Checkan (South Side Beaver--160) will wrestle for third place after losing in the semifinals. Checkan was the fourth place finisher a year ago at 160 pounds. Rich Froats (Burgettstown--189) goes for third place, battling back from a quarterfinal round loss. Froats finished sixth a year ago. Zach Holt (Mt. Pleasant--112), Jeff Kusich (Avella--119), Lee Vanella (Mt. Pleasant--125), Damian Rose (Freedom--140) and Todd Cessna (Elderton--160) will all wrestle for fifth place. Kusich was an 8th-place finisher last year. Rose was a returning PIAA champion. Cessna already has third-place and 8th-place medals to his credit. Nathan Tomporoski (Highlands--215) wrestles for seventh place. Some on the highway, Some off the exit! Mt. Pleasant won the WPIAL dual meet championship and leads the way for AA wrestlers from the southwest as the Vikings have three wrestlers in the PIAA semifinals. Zach Holt (112), Lee Vanella (125) and Donnie Ament (145) are three of the 12 WPIAL winners in the quarterfinals Friday morning. Holt faces Justin Blumer (West Greene) in the only semifinal featuring two WPIAL wrestlers. Holt beat Blumer in overtime in the WPIAL semifinals two weeks ago, 2-0. Troy Dolan, Derry is in the other 112-pound semifinal. Jeff Kusich (Avella) and Jason Weslager (Belle Vernon) are in separate semifinals at 119 pounds. Returning PIAA champion Damian Rose (Freedom) advanced to the 140-pound semifinals, while Corey Checkan (South Side Beaver) is in the final four at 160 pounds. Undefeated A.J. Graves (Jeannette) is in one semifinal at 171 pounds, while Logan Downes (Valley) is in the other. Elliott Bates (Chartiers-Houston) advanced to the 275-pound semifinals with a decision in the quarterfinals. Following the quarterfinals, 11 WPIAL wrestlers faced 2nd-round consolation bouts. Only three were able to clinch medals with victories, Todd Cessna (Elderton), Rich Froats (Burgettstown) and Nathan Tomporoski (Highlands). All three winners re-grouped after losing quarterfinal bouts. On to the Quarterfinals! Dual meet finalists Mt. Pleasant and Burrell led the charge as 19 WPIAL AA wrestlers have advanced to the PIAA Individual quarterfinals. Viking teammates Zach Holt, Lee Vanella and Donnie Ament all won first-round matches Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey. Shane Welsh, Josh Shields and Jason Makara were winners for Burrell. South Side Beaver teammates Corey Checkan and Tyler Patterson also moved to the second round. Other first-round winners for the WPIAL AA include 112-pounders Troy Dolan (Derry) and Justin Blumer (West Greene), 119-pound Jason Weslager (Belle Vernon) and Jeff Kusich (Avella), returning PIAA champion Damian Rose (Freedom, 140 pounds), two-time PIAA medallist Todd Cessna (Elderton, 160 pounds), 171-pounders A.J. Graves (Jeannette) and Logan Downes (Valley), undefeated Rich Froats (Burgettstown, 189 pounds), 215-pounder Nathan Tomporoski (Highlands) and Chartiers-Houston’s 275-pound Elliott Bates. Staying alive! Four WPIAL AA wrestlers won consolation bouts to keep their medal hopes alive, while 11 others saw their seasons come to a close. Derek Johnson (Charleroi), Jeff Havelka (Burgettstown), Phil Henderson (Chartiers-Houston) and Kevin Hartung (South Side Beaver) all lost their first-round bouts Thursday morning, but came back with afternoon victories in the consolations. Each needs to win their next consolation bout to clinch medals. Six champions repeat at Johnstown! PIAA Southwest Regional Championships (Brackets) Fourteen combined regional championships--that's what the six repeat winners have accomplished at the PIAA Southwest AA Regional Wrestling Championships. Undefeated A.J. Graves (Jeannette) won his third-straight title, as did Adam Whetstone (Claysburg-Kimmel). Both are two-time PIAA medalists. Garrett Scott (Juniata Valley), a two-time PIAA champion, leads the group winning a second regional championship. Shane Valko (Forest Hills), a two-time PIAA medalist won his second regional crown. Donnie Ament (Mt. Pleasant) and Terry Tate (Tyrone) both won their second regional titles after picking up their first PIAA medals a year ago. Damian Rose (Freedom), a returning PIAA champion, improved from runnerup to regional champion, knocking off previously unbeaten Matt Moore (Blairsville). Troy Dolan (Derry) also went from 2004 runnerup to 2005 champion. Jason Makara (Burrell) won his first regional title and second berth in the PIAA championships. Corey Checkan (South Side Beaver) is the Rams' first-ever Regional champion, and now a three-time PIAA qualifier. Rich Froats (Burgettstown) continued his undefeated season, winning the 189-pound title. Highland's Nathan Tomporoski won the 215-pound crown, his first regional crown. Freshman Tom McVicker (Forest Hills) and Claysburg-Kimmel senior Ryan McIntyre each won their first titles. McIntyre is now a three-time PIAA qualifier. Encore! Encore! WPIAL Champions Repeat Performance (Brackets) One of the largest groups in recent memory, there were NINE WPIAL AA champions from 2004 returning to the tournament this year, plus two 2003 champions who didn't repeat last year. Jason Makara, Burrell, lead the class, winning his third straight WPIAL AA crown. Makara placed 7th at the PIAA AA Championships last year. Damian Rose, Feedom, a defending PIAA champion, picked up his second straight WPIAL title. Donnie Ament, Mt. Pleasant, and A.J. Graves, Jeannette, returning PIAA medalists, also repeated as WPIAL champions. Troy Dolan, Derry, as a sophomore the youngest of the returnees, won his second WPIAL crown. Mt. Pleasant teammates Joe Geary and Lee Vanella both won titles last year as sophomores. Winning their first WPIAL crowns: Jordan Shields, a Burrell freshman, West Greene sophomore Kory Bissett, Highlands junior Nathan Tomporoski, and seniors Bryan Pleskovich (Fort Cherry), Corey Checkan (South Side Beaver), Rich Froats (Burgettstown) and Elliott Bates (Chartiers-Houston). Checkan's title is the first-ever for South Side Beaver. Adam Smetana, Mars, Todd Cessna, Elderton, along with 2003 WPIAL champions Zach Holt, Mt. Pleasant, and Nick Schepis, Carlyton failed in their attempts to win another WPIAL title. Smetana finished fifth at 119 pounds after winning the 2004 103-pound title. Cessna won last year at 152 pounds, but lost in the 160 pound final. Holt & Schepis both won as sophmores, but couldn't get back to the top of the awards platform. Holt lost in the finals to Dolan for the second straight year. Schepis settled for fifth place at 135 pounds. WPIAL AA Section Tournament Notes The top three wrestlers in each weightclass advanced from the Sections to the WPIAL AA Individual Championships, Feb. 25-26, at Charleroi. Here are some notes from each Section (click on Section for completed brackets): Section 1-AA (Highlands) The Burrell Bucs won nine individual titles, including the third championship for Jason Makara. Burrell teammates Devon Maloney, Gino Lanzino and Josh Shields each picked up their second titles. Logan Downes (Valley) won his fourth section title, the first in AA. Todd Cessna (Eldertona) scored his third gold medal while David Cunningham of Shady Side Academy picked up his second. Burrell advanced 12 wrestlers to the WPIAL Championships, 11 of them through the winners' brackets Saturday. Valley won two titles and has seven wrestlers advancing to Charleroi. Highlands and Elderton each won one championship and also advance seven. Shady Side Academy won the other crown, advancing three. Riverview (3), Summit Academy (2) and Union (1) each saw their wrestling seasons extended by one week. Section 2-AA (Yough) A.J. Graves (Jeannette) led the Section 2-AA parade of repeating champions, winning his third section title. Mt. Pleasant teammates Lee Vanella, Joe Geary and Donnie Ament each won their second titles, as did Troy Dolan (Derry) and Stephen Zubach (Southmoreland). Dual meet champion Mount Pleasant advanced all 14 of their entries to the WPIAL Individual Championships, 12 of them were in Saturday night's finals. Belle Vernon won three titles and moves four wrestlers on to next weekend. Derry won two titles and advanced five wrestlers. Charleroi also advanced five to the tournament at their house next weekend, winning one title. Yough has five qualifers. Southmoreland has four, two of them as section champions. Jeannette and South Allegheny each advanced two, while Brownsville has one wrestler still in action. Section 3-AA (Burgettstown) Damian Rose (Freedom) had a memorable day. The returning PIAA champion moved into second place all-time on the Beaver County wins list, passing former Bulldog Matt Hill. Then, for an encore, the senior 140-pounder won his fourth section title. Five other wrestlers picked up their second gold medals, while two more, both four-time section finalists, were denied repeat performances on the top of the awards platform. Winning second titles were Adam Smetana (Mars), Fort Cherry teammates Bryan Pleskovich and Ryan Cook, Burgettstown's Rich Froats and South Side Beaver's Corey Checkan. Pleskovich's win kept Nick Schepis (Carlynton) from a second title. Checkan's win prevented Jeff Havelka (Burgettstown) from winning his second crown in front of the home crowd. Section champion Fort Cherry advanced ten wrestlers to the WPIAL Championships, winning five titles. South Side Beaver also won five championships, the Rams qualifying nine wrestlers for the second step toward a PIAA championship. Freedom and Mars each won one title and picked up five other qualifiers. Carlynton has five wrestlers advancing Burgettstown won two titles and two other berths at Charleroi. Blackhawk, the newest member of the section due to realignment, advanced two wrestlers to the WPIAL tournament. Section 4-AA (Chartiers-Houston) Avella teammates Jeff Kusich and Greg Warnock had each won two in the old Section 2-AA tournament. Now, they've both added a third gold medal with wins in the Section 4-AA championships. Stew Guthrie (West Greene), Charlie Wonsettler (Bentworth) and Chartiers-Houston mates Phil Henderson and Elliott Bates all claimed their second section crowns Saturday night. West Greene led the way with nine qualifiers, three of them as section champions. Washington won four individual titles and picked up four other WPIAL qualifiers. The hosts from Chartiers-Houston also won four individual crowns. Bentworth and South Park have five wrestlers advancing. Jefferson-Morgan and Beth-Center have four qualifiers, while Avella won two titles and grabbed three total spots in the WPIAL Championships next weekend at Charleroi. Northern Lehigh wins PIAA AA Team Finals! Team Championships brackets (with links for box scores) Just moments after Connellsville took the AAA Team title out of District 11, Northern Lehigh returned the AA title to the Northeast corner of the state with a 35-22 win over District 10 champion Reynolds. Burrell avenged a WPIAL finals loss to Mt. Pleasant with a decisive 35-18 win in the AA third-place bout. The Bucs lost to Northern Lehigh Friday morning, then reeled off consecutive wins over Northwestern Lehigh, West Scranton, Brandywine Heighs and the Vikings to claim third place. Mt. Pleasant--WPIAL AA Dual Meet Champions! For the second time in three seasons, Mt. Pleasant rules the roost among WPIAL AA wrestling teams. The Vikings scored a 33-25 win over the Burrell Bucs to win the crown. Mt. Pleasant 33, Burrell 25 215 Paul Snyder (MP) pinned Joe Serluco, 1:26 275 Chris Taueetia (B) dec. Harlan Funk, 6-0 103 Jordan Shields (B) dec. Allen Park, 5-1 112 Zach Holt (MP) dec. Ron Barr, 3-2 119 Shane Welsh (B) pinned Ty Vanella, 2:52 125 Lee Vanella (MP) dec. Devon Maloney, 6-2 130 Stanley Young (MP) pinned Matt McKillop, 2:41 135 Joe Geary (MP) dec. Damian Majocha, 2-1 140 Gino Lanzino (B) maj. dec. Stefen Firmstone, 14-2 145 Josh Shields (B) dec. Donnie Ament, 4-2 OT 152 Jason Makara (B) won by forfeit 160 Ed Moorhead (MP) dec. Derek Maloney, 5-4 OTR 171 Michael Brown (MP) dec. Clayton Homa, 3-0 189 Preston Haines (MP) pinned Ryan Walker, 1:48		2005 PIAA AAA Championships! (Update Link) Championship Finals (WPIAL wrestlers) 125 Steve Bell, Connellsville dec. Sean Clair, Plum, 7-5 OT 135 Ashtin Primus, Connellsville fall Joshua Barrick, Big Spring, 3:15 140 Dan Burkholder, Trinity maj. dec. Clint Collins, Upper Merion, 10-2 152 Joey Ecklof, Northampton dec. Donnie Jones, Grsbg. Salem, 9-3 160 Austin Carter, Council Rock South fall Rob Waltko, No.Allegheny, 5:02 171 Corbin Semple, Waynesburg dec. Nick Guida, Parkland, 6-3 125--Bell (Conn) dec. Clair (Plum) 7-5, OT Steve Bell (Connellsville) used an inside leg trip to take down Sean Clair (Plum) to win the 125-pound title. Clair built a 2-0 lead in the first with a single leg takedown. Bell got on the board about a minute later with an escape. A Bell reversal followed quickly by a Clair escape in the second period made it 3-3 going to the third. Clair led for the last time with an early 3rd-period escape, but Bell tossed Clair to the mat to take a 1-point lead. Clair's fiinal point, a third period escape forced the overtime. 135--Primus (Conn) fall Barrick (Big Spr.), 3:15 Ashtin Primus (Connellsville) used, what else, a cradle to pin Joshua Barrick (Big Spring) to win the 135-pound title. After a scoreless first period in which each wrestler fought off a solid takedown attempt, Barrick chose bottom to start the second period. 20 seconds in, Primus got the hands locked but couldn't turn Barrick. Then, after a third start and a near-escape, Primus locked in the cradle and put the match away to win the Falcons' second title of the night. The fall also clinched the point championship for the Falcons. 140--Burkholder (Trin.) maj. dec. Collins (Up. Mer.), 10-2 Dan Burkholder (Trinity) scored a leg takedown in the first, then used a shove down and spin move for two in the second to lead Clint Collins (Upper Merion) 4-2 after two periods. With a minute left in the third, the Trinity senior hit a sit-and-turn hard for a reversal, and twice used a tight waist tilt for back points on the way to a 10-2 win. Burkholder, who punctuated his state title with a backflip, is the Hillers' first PIAA titlist since 1998. 152--Ecklof (NoHampton) dec. Jones (Gr.Salem), 10-3 Joey Ecklof (Northampton) came right after Donnie Jones (Greensburg Salem), scoring a takedown just 12 seconds into the match. Ecklof kept the pressure on the entire match, adding another first-period takedown to lead 4-2 after one. After Jones picked up an early escape, Ecklof used a duck-under for a takedown, then a bar tilt to put Jones on his back for near fall points. Ecklof becomes the 38th wrestler in the history of the PIAA championships to win at least three championships. 160--Carter (Coun.RockSo) fall Waltko (N.All), 5:02 Austin Carter (Council Rock South) took control of a tight bout with Rob Waltko (North Allegheny) using a cradle for nearfall points 30 seconds into the third period to go up 6-5. After Waltko kicked free for an escape, Carter rolled Waltko to his back with an awkward tieup, rolling the arm across the face and sitting out with the headlock for the pin, Council Rock South's second championship of the night. 171--Semple (Waynes.) dec. Guida (Park.), 6-3 Corbin Semple (Waynesburg) rode Nick Guida (Parkland) through the second period but trailed 2-1. Semple took bottom for the third, leaned back into Guida, grabbed his head and turned over on top for a reversal. Then, following a penalty point (Guida hit for fleeing the mat), Semple nearly turned Guida with a tough half-nelson. The tough riding paid off, keeping Guida under wraps until the final five seconds. The PIAA championship is the 30th for Waynesburg. Guida was the fourth returning PIAA champion to lose in the finals. Consolation Final Bouts 3rd-place bouts: 119 Kalvin Schultz, Trinity dec. Matt Moley, Spring-Ford, 2-1 130 Tyler Oravec, Kiski Area dec. Josh Oliver, Easton, 7-1 135 Nick Nelson, Shaler dec. Alex Krom, Easton, 2-1 140 Mike Moley, Spring-Ford dec. Zach Snyder, Connellsville, 6-2 152 Brent Fiorito, Up. Perk. dec. Travis Uncapher, Grsbg.Cent.Cath, 3-2 189 Joe West, Trinity fall Andrew Haile, Grsbg. Salem, 4:50 5th-place bouts: 103 Nico Cortese, Grsbg.Cent.Cath. dec. Dex Lederer, Neshaminy, 1-0 112 Jay Ivanco, Gateway dec. Andrew Flegler, Nazareth, 7-1 130 Tom Barger, Clearfield dec. Brian Pogel, Hampton, 6-2 145 Mike Catalano, Canon-McMillan dec. Chris Barrick, Big Spring, 3-1 160 Sam Eck, Jersey Shore forfeit Rick Haarbauer, Baldwin (injury) 171 Scott Hunter, Emmaus dec. Josh Serene, Kittanning, 7-5 215 Eric Tribbitt, Central Dauphin dec. Nick Hursky, Chartiers Valley, 10-6 7th-place bouts: 112 Rudy Chelednik, Grsbg.Cent.Cath. dec. Chuck Mulloy, Penncrest, 9-5 215 Seth Hillstrom, Ply-White. dec. Nino San Doval, Pgh.C.Cath., 8-3 275 Ryan Tomei, Penn-Trafford fall Gabe Bowley, DuBois, 2:38 Seven to the AAA Finals! Seven wrestlers from the southwest kept AAA gold medal hopes alive, led by two-time champion Donnie Jones, Greensburg Salem. Jones will face another two-time champion, Joey Ecklof of Northampton. But four straight losses to close the semifinals kept the WPIAL AAA wrestlers from improving on a strong performance. Connellsville teammates Steve Bell (125) & Ashtin Primus (135) advanced to the finals, along with Sean Clair (Plum--125), Dan Burkholder (Trinity--140), Rob Waltko (North Allegheny--160) and Corbin Semple (Waynesburg--171). Bell was a fourth-place finisher last year, while Primus has two fourth-place finishes. Clair is now a four-time PIAA medalist (6th, 5th & 7th). Burkholder placed fourth last year after a seventh-place finish in 2003. Semple has a sixth-place finish to his credit already. Clair and Bell met in each of the last two WPIAL championships, Clair winning both including last weekend's 5-4 victory. Now, in their final official high school match, they'll meet for the 125-pound state championship. Our Collection! In addition to the seven AAA finalists, seventeen other WPIAL AAA wrestlers will bring home medals, that's 57% of the qualifiers from the southwest. Kalvin Schultz (Trinity--119), Tyler Oravec (Kiski Area--130), Nick Nelson (Shaler--135), Joe West (Trinity--189) and Andrew Haile (Greensburg Salem--189) all re-grouped from semifinal losses to move into their third-place bouts. Nelson improves on an eighth-place finish last season. Haile won a fifth-place medal a year ago, but lost to West, 3-1, in last week's WPIAL finals. Also heading to third-place bouts are Zach Snyder (Connellsville--140) and Travis Uncapher (Greensburg Central Catholic--152). Each won three straight consolation bouts after quarterfinal losses. Jay Ivanco (Gateway--112), Josh Serene (Kittanning--171) and Nick Hursky (Chartiers Valley--275) each lost semifinal and consolation bouts and will wrestle for fifth place. Ivanco and Hursky each scored fourth-place finishes a year ago. Nico Cortese (Greensburg Central Catholic--103), Brian Pogel (Hampton--130), Mike Catalano (Canon-McMillan--145) and Rick Haarbauer (Baldwin--160) each went 1-1 in Saturday morning's consolations and will each wrestle for fifth place. Catalano finished 8th in last year's championships. Haarbauer defaulted out of his 4th-round consolation and his status for the 5th-place bout is uncertain. Three WPIAL wrestlers lost 3rd-round consolation bouts Saturday morning, dropping into the seventh-place matches: Rudy Chelednik (Greensburg Central Catholic--112), Nino San Doval (Pittsburgh Central Catholic--215) and Ryan Tomei (Penn-Trafford--275). Schultz, Burkholder & West! Trinity lost to Connellsville in the WPIAL dual meet tournament quarterfinals. Friday afternoon, in the PIAA Individual quarterfinals, the Hillers move passed the Falcons, advancing three wrestlers to the semifinals. Kalvin Schultz, Dan Burkholder and Joe West are now each two wins from PIAA gold. Connellsville's Steve Bell and Ashtin Primus won their quarterfinals to move to Saturday's semifinals. Greensburg Salem's two-time PIAA champion Donnie Jones is back in the semifinals, along with teammate Andrew Haile. Jay Ivanco (Gateway), Sean Clair (Plum), Tyler Oravec (Kiski Area), Nick Nelson (Shaler), Rob Waltko (North Allegheny), Josh Serene (Kittanning), Corbin Semple (Waynesburg) and Nick Hursky (Chartiers Valley) also moved to the semifinals. The WPIAL AAA wrestlers won 15 of their 31 quarterfinal bouts. Following quarterfinal losses, seven WPIAL AAA wrestlers picked up consolation victories, clinching at least a Top-8 finish. Greensburg Central Catholic teammates Nico Cortese and Travis Uncapher, Zach Snyder of Connellsville, Hampton's Brian Pogel, Mike Catalano of Canon-McMillan, Rick Haarbauer of Baldwin and Ryan Tomei, Penn-Trafford all rebounded from losses earlier in the afternoon to advance to the 3rd round consolations. Rudy Chelednik, Greensburg Central Catholic, and Nino San Doval, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, lost their opening bouts Thursday, but have now won two straight in the consolation brackets heading into Saturday morning. Moving on up! PIAA dual meet champion Connellsville advanced all five of their qualifiers to the quarterfinals at the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships. Trinity and Waynesburg have three wrestlers each in Friday’s quarterfinal round. Steve Bell, Ashtin Primus, Zach Snyder, Josh Martin and Buddy Sines all won their opening round bouts for the Falcons. Waynesburg teammates Chris Neidermeier, Nick Garber and Corbin Semple joined Trinty’s Kalvin Schultz, Dan Burkholder and Joe West in the quarterfinals. Greensburg Salem (Donnie Jones & Andrew Haile), Greensburg Central Catholic (Nico Cortese & Travis Uncapher), Hampton (Brian Pogel & Mike Thompson), Kiski Area (Tyler Oravec & Quentin Taraszewski), North Allegheny (Rob Waltko & R.J. Parks) and Shaler (Matt Nelson & Nick Nelson) each advanced two wrestlers in the winners’ bracket. Rick Haarbauer (Baldwin), Mike Catalano (Canon-McMillan), Nick Hursky (Chartiers Valley), Brandon Skonieczny (Fox Chapel), Jay Ivanco (Gateway), Josh Serene (Kittanning), Ryan Tomei (Penn-Trafford) and Sean Clair (Plum) are all still in the hunt for PIAA AAA gold. Overall, WPIAL AAA wrestlers won 31 of their 42 preliminary bouts. Still in the hunt! Four WPIAL AAA wrestlers stayed in the medal hunt with 1st round consolation wins. Colin Johnston, Canon McMillan, Rudy Chelednik, Greensburg Central Catholic, Daniel Thompson, Latrobe, and Nino San Doval, Pittsburgh Central Catholic all regrouped after preliminary losses to score victories in the consolations. Each now must win their next bout to clinch a PIAA medal. Once, Twice, Three Times a Champion! WPIAL AAA Championships (Brackets) Two-time defending PIAA champion Donnie Jones (Greensburg Salem) scored a third-straight WPIAL championship, beating Travis Uncapher (Greensburg Central Catholic) in the 152-pound final. Sean Clair (Plum) won his third WPIAL crown with a 5-4 victory over Connellsville's Steve Bell. Clair is now a four-time PIAA qualifier. Dan Burkholder (Trinity) and Chris Neidermeier (Waynesburg) each won their second WPIAL titles. Burkholder was joined by Kalvin Schultz and Joe West as the Hillers captured three individual titles. Neidermeier's teammate Corbin Semple gave the Raiders a second championship. Canon-McMillan's Colin Johnston and Mike Catalano won championships, as did North Allegheny's Rob Waltko and R.J. Parks. Dual meet finalists Connellsville (Ashtin Primus) and Kiski Area (Quentin Taraszewski) each won one championship, as did Hampton (Brian Pogel). WPIAL AAA Section Tournaments! This is the first step on the Road to the PIAA Championships. At six sites, AAA wrestlers from all across the WPIAL will look first to advance, then to win Section titles. Here are some notes from each Section (click on Section for completed brackets): Section 1-AAA (Penn-Trafford) Greensburg Salem's Donnie Jones, a returning two-time WPIAL & PIAA champion, won his fourth AAA Section championship. Penn-Trafford's Tom Picarsic also picked up his fourth Section title. Jones' teammate Andrew Haile won his third title. Penn-Trafford advanced 10 wrestlers to the WPIAL tournament, Greensburg Salem has nine. Section 2-AAA (Connellsville) Josh Martin (Connellsville) won a fourth Section crown. The Falcons' Steve Bell & Jason Doppelheuer each won their third titles. Connellsville led all AAA schools with 13 WPIAL qualifiers, including nine Section champions. Section 3-AAA (North Allegheny) The host Tigers have eight WPIAL qualifiers, along with Pine-Richland. North Allegheny won four Section championships on the way. Section 4-AAA (Fox Chapel) Sean Clair (Plum), a two-time WPIAL champion, picked up his fourth AAA Section title. Clair is also a three-time PIAA qualifier. Kiski Area qualified 11 wrestlers for the WPIAL tournament, winning five titles. Section 5-AAA (McGuffey) Waynesburg teammate Chris Neidermeier and Corbin Semple, and Rick Haarbauer of Baldwin each won their third Section 5-AAA titles. Waynesburg claimed five Section championships and a dozen spots in the upcoming WPIAL tournament. Section 6-AAA (Mt. Lebanon) Ten qualifiers apiece for Canon-McMillan and Chartiers Valley, including the Colts' Nick Hursky, now a three-time Section champion. The Big Macs claimed seven titles. Falcons Soar to PIAA AAA Team Title! Team Championships bracket (with links for box scores) Just a week after winning a WPIAL-record sixth dual meet title, the Connellsville Falcons became the first WPIAL AAA team to win the PIAA Dual Meet championship, knocking off four-time-defending champion Easton, 34-25. The Red Rovers scored three falls and a major decision in building a 25-16 lead, but the Falcons roared back to win the final five matches, starting with Steve Bell's pin at 130 pounds. Kiski Area had to settle for a fourth-place finish, losing twice to Upper Perkiomen over the two-day tournament. Connellsville--WPIAL AAA Dual Meet Champions! Falcons win sixth dual meet title The Connellsville Falcons became the first WPIAL AAA team to win six dual meet championships, scoring a 33-22 win over top-seeded Kiski Area. All the Connellsville team titles have come since 1992. Connellsville 33, Kiski Area 22 125 Steve Bell (C) tech. fall Eric Jeffries, 25-9 130 Tyler Oravec (KA) pinned Mike Zavada, 5:10 135 Ashtin Primus (C) pinned Evan Tobin, 0:41 140 A.J. Milanak (KA) dec. Zach Snyder, 3-2 145 Josh Martin (C) maj. dec. Zach McKendree, 11-2 152 Buddy Sines (C) maj. dec. Cody Briscoe, 13-4 160 Scott Joseph (KA) dec. Stephen Blackburn, 13-7 171 Adam Knepper (C) tech. fall Jordan Moore, 19-4 189 Jason Doppelheuer (C) dec. Matt Riddle, 7-3 215 Quentin Taraszewski (KA) dec. Josh Brewer, 6-0 275 Jared Hessom (KA) dec. Justin Haines, 5-1 103 Zach Cecchetti (KA) maj. dec. Tyler Nicholson, 12-2 112 Kody Pujia (C) dec. Tony Clark, 8-4 119 Jake Knepper (C) dec. Mike Spisak, 9-4 2005 Listen Link archives via MSA Sport PIAA AAA Championships Preliminaries--Listen Here! 1st Round Consolations--Listen Here! Quarterfinals--Listen Here! 2nd Round Consolations--Listen Here! Semifinals, 3rd/4th Round Consolations--Listen Here! Consolation Finals (3rd, 5th, 7th place)--Listen Here! Championship Finals--Listen Here! PIAA AA Championships Preliminaries--Listen Here! 1st Round Consolations--Listen Here! Quarterfinals--Listen Here! 2nd Round Consolations--Listen Here! Semifinals, 3rd/4th Round Consolations--Listen Here! Consolation Finals (3rd, 5th, 7th place)--Listen Here! Championship Finals--Listen Here! WPIAL AAA Championships Preliminaries, 1st Round--Listen Here! Quarterfinals, 1st Round Consolations--Listen Here! 2nd Consolations, Semifinals, 3rd/4th Consolations--Listen Here! Consolation Finals (3rd place)--Listen Here! Championship Finals--Listen Here! PIAA Southwest AA Regional Preliminaries--Listen Here! Quarterfinals/1st consolations--Listen Here! 2nd Consolations--Listen Here! Semifinals, 3rd/4th Consolations--Listen Here! Consolation FInals (3rd & 5th place)--Listen Here! Championship Finals--Listen Here! WPIAL AA Championships Preliminaries, Quarterfinals--Listen Here! Consolations, Semifinals, Consolations--Listen Here! Consolation Finals (3rd & 5th place)--Listen Here! Championship Finals--Listen Here! WPIAL Section 6-AAA Preliminaries, Consolations & Semifinals--Listen Here! Championship/Consolation Finals--Listen Here! WPIAL Section 3-AA Preliminaries, Consolations & Semifinals--Listen Here! Championship Finals, Consolation Finals--Listen Here! WPIAL Section 4-AA Preliminaries, Consolations & Semifinals--Listen Here! Championship Finals, Consolation Finals--Listen Here!