LUCA AUGUSTINE
Waynesburg
The past week: Augustine (21-1) won the PIAA Class 3A 172-pound title in Hershey, defeating former PIAA champion Trey Kibe of Mifflin County in the championship finals, 3-2. Kibe had defeated Augustine a week earlier in the West Super Region finals, 5-3.
Check this out: Augustine, a Pitt recruit, clinched the PIAA Class 3A team championship for the Raiders at the PIAA individual tournament when he defeated Easton’s Dominic Falcone in the 172-pound semifinals. It is the first PIAA team title in school history for Waynesburg.
At what point did you realize you had the potential to be a state champion? I’d say I really broke through when I joined Quest Wrestling Club. That was the summer after sixth grade. After that year with Jim Akerly at Quest, I ended up taking third at PJWs, just because that room there — it was brutal. You really have to work like a dog to compete with a lot of those guys in there.
Who were some of your main practice partners at Quest? I work out with Rune [Lawrence] and Grant [MacKay], and I used to work out with Kenny [Duschek] before I outgrew him. But he was always a great practice partner. But usually it was me, [Mt. Lebanon junior] Mac Stout and [Frazier grad] Thayne Lawrence, and that was a real tough group. It was brutal.
Might we see a match between you and Lawrence for the undisputed 172-pound state title, since you win Class 3A and he won Class 2A? [Laughs] We’ll see, we’ll see. Rune always used to be lighter than me, but this year he just sprouted up like crazy. I wasn’t expecting it, but he just came into the room one day and stood over top of me. Right then and there, he was a really good training partner and practice partner.
If you could choose your own walk-out song before a championship match, what would it be? I know for when I wrestled in that True Power event for PA Power, my walkout song was the “Austin Powers” theme song. I just kind of like it. It takes a little bit of the pressure off.
What would someone find you doing in the offseason when you’re not wrestling? During the winter time — I know my coaches don’t like this, but I like to go skiing on off days for wrestling. They definitely don’t like that because of the injury risk it poses, but it’s so fun. It’s definitely something I like to do to take my mind off wrestling for a little bit. And then in the summertime, I enjoy going out with my dad and fishing. Just finding stuff to do. I hike a lot with my mom.
- By Steve Rotstein
EMMA PAVELEK
Beaver
The past week: Pavelek led Beaver to its first WPIAL girls basketball championship. She scored 22 points in the Class 4A semifinals and 13 in the championship game last Friday against Quaker Valley. She had only one field goal in the title game, but made 11 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Check this out: Pavelek, a 5-foot-8 point guard, averaged 18.8 points in four playoff games, and enters the PIAA playoffs with a 16.1 season average. Pavelek, who has over 1,000 career points, is a four-year starter. She is one of the WPIAL’s best two-sport athletes. Besides basketball, she has won four WPIAL track and field gold medals (two in the high jump, one in the 400-meter run and one in the 1,600 relay). She was the PIAA Class 2A runner-up in the high jump her sophomore season. She has signed with the Naval Academy to play basketball.
Was that one of the strangest statistical games ever for you in the championship – with one basket and still 13 points? It definitely was strange, but I think I still filled my role needed for that game, which was taking care of the ball and getting other people the ball. Even though I only had one shot made, I wasn’t disappointed.
Your team plays a 2-3 zone defense and has allowed only 25 points a game. What qualities make that zone so good? I would say it’s two main things, and we talk a lot about this. First, it’s the length we have. Our guards are, like, 5-11. Most teams don’t have the length we have. It’s daunting when you look at it from the other end. Our other biggest thing is communication. When we’re playing defense, we’re talking to each other the whole time.
You’re going to the Naval Academy. When you were younger did you ever see yourself at a service academy? No. Honestly, even up until the point I was talking to Navy’s coaches, I wasn’t sure it was for me. But after talking to a lot of the coaches and getting to know some of the players and other recruits, I don’t know why I didn’t think about it sooner. I guess I just never thought I would have the opportunity.
Goals for track this spring? My one major goal is to finish first in the state in the high jump; I was so close my sophomore year and didn’t get a chance to compete last year (because the season was canceled).
People might be surprised to know ... ? I danced for about 12 years of my life. I was a competitive dancer up until my freshman year.
What kind of dance? You name it - ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop. I did it all.
Did you dance after you won the WPIAL? I definitely danced on the bus ride home. But it was probably not the dance my dance teachers taught me (laughs).
- By Mike White
First Published: March 17, 2021, 9:45 a.m.
