Is this the year that Burrell’s 15-year streak of WPIAL Class 2A team titles comes to an end?
Can Waynesburg win a third consecutive WPIAL Class 3A title?
And if either or both fail to repeat, who will be the team or teams that dethrones them?
Area wrestling fans are pondering those questions as the WPIAL begins the process of crowning team champions.
The WPIAL will hold a team tournament in all seven sections — four in Class 3A and three in Class 2A — next Wednesday. The top two teams in each sub-section will participate in a two-round tournament with the goal of crowning a champ in each section. The first-place team from sub-section B will host in each section.
Each tournament will begin with a semifinal round with the first-place team in sub-section A facing the second-place team from sub-section B, and vice versa. The two winners will face off in the title match, while the losers meet in a consolation for third place.
All four teams in each section advance to the WPIAL team tournaments, which begin Feb. 2. The Class 3A tournament will have a 16-team field, while Class 2A has 12 participants. The first round and quarterfinals will be held Feb. 2 with the top four seeds in each class serving as host. The semifinals and finals will be held Feb. 5 at two sites. Chartiers-Houston will host the Class 2A final four. The Class 3A site has not been determined yet.
The top four finishers in Class 3A and the top three finishers in Class 2A advance to the PIAA team tournaments Feb. 7. The PIAA finals will be held Feb. 12 at Giant Center in Hershey.
Class 2A
Burrell has won 18 consecutive section titles and entered this week with a streak of 134 consecutive wins against section opponents. The Buccaneers last section loss was to Mount Pleasant, 39-34, on Jan. 8, 2003. They have also won 15 consecutive WPIAL titles and have not lost to a Class 2A team from the WPIAL since dropping a 32-27 decision to Mount Pleasant in the 2006 title match.
Burrell is No. 1 in the Post-Gazette’s WPIAL Class 2A rankings, while Burgettstown is No. 2. The Blue Devils have won three consecutive section titles and advanced to the WPIAL final the past two years, losing to Burrell both times.
“Burrell isn’t as strong as they’ve been in past years, but they are still the team to beat,” Burgettstown coach Joey Vigliotti said. “They have to be considered the favorite until somebody beats them.”
Burgettstown has the most balanced lineup of any team in the Class 2A playoff picture. The Blue Devils entered the week with 11 starters who have nine or more wins, including two who are ranked No. 1 in their weight class. Parker Sentipal is No. 1 at 106 pounds, while his older brother Joey is the top dog at 132.
“We are very strong in the lower weights and good in the middle weights, but are not as strong in the upper weights,” Vigliotti said. “We would like to be the team that ends Burrell’s streak, but our main focus right now is the section tournament.”
Burgettstown is the top team in sub-section 1A. Beth-Center is the top team in sub-section 1B. The Blue Devils beat the Bulldogs in last year’s section title match.
“Burgettstown has an incredibly balanced lineup,” Beth-Center coach Gary Welsh said. “They have the best lightweights of any team in 2A.”
Beth-Center moved up one spot to No. 4 in the rankings with last week’s 43-24 win against Mount Pleasant. The Bulldogs lineup features 10 starters with nine or more wins, including Tyler Berish, who is ranked No. 1 at 152.
“Our win over Mount Pleasant will no doubt help us in the WPIAL seeding process,” Welsh said. “A win over Burgettstown in the section final would help us even more.”
Mount Pleasant, now ranked No. 5, had three starters out of the lineup for its match against Beth-Center.
“Greg Shaulis [at 132] was recovering from a rib injury, Luke Geibig [145] was sick, and Noah Gnibus [189] has been out all year recovering from a hip injury that turned into a stapf infection,” Mount Pleasant coach Zach Snyder said. “We should have all three back for the section tournament. We are a dangerous team with a full lineup.”
Mount Pleasant’s lineup has six wrestlers with 10 or more wins, including two ranked No. 1: Jamison Poklembo (138) and Dayton Pitzer (215). The Vikings are the top team in sub-section 3B.
Burrell, the top team in sub-section 3A, was hit hard by graduation losses. The Buccaneers lost five starters to graduation, including a pair of PIAA finalists, plus two others decided not to wrestle this year. Burrell’s lineup has quite a few newcomers, but still has eight individuals who have 10 or more wins. Cooper Hornack (113) and Shawn Szymanski (145) are ranked No. 1 for the Bucs.
“We got off to a rough start, but we’re making progress,” Burrell coach Josh Shields said. “We’re getting better every day in practice. We will be ready and are looking forward to the challenge of continuing our streaks in the section and WPIAL tournaments.
Quaker Valley is the other team to watch in the Class 2A playoff picture. The Quakers, ranked No. 3, have won three consecutive Section 2 titles and have all but one starter back. Coach Mike Heinl’s lineup includes 10 individuals who have 10 or more wins. Logan Richey (120) and Patrick Cutchember (189) are ranked No. 1 for the Quakers.
“There are at least four teams that have a legitimate shot of ending Burrell’s streak, and we are one of them,” Heinl said. “It’s great for wrestling to have such a strong bracket in Class 2A. The section finals will play a big part in how the WPIAL bracket is seeded.”
Quaker Valley is the top team in sub-section 2B. Laurel, ranked No. 6, is the top team in sub-section 2A.
Class 3A
Waynesburg was by far the most dominant team in the state last season. The Raiders are not as strong this season, after losing four key starters to graduation, including a pair of PIAA champs, but are still the team to beat in Class 3A.
Waynesburg also lost PIAA runner-up Cole Homet to an almost career-ending arm injury sustained in a car accident. Homet did return to the lineup last week and posted a 3-2 victory at 145 pounds, but his availability for the rest of the season is unknown since he has not fully recovered from the injury.
“Cole has been working out with us all season,” Waynesburg’s first-year coach Kyle Szewczyk said. “It was great to have him wrestle last week, but he’s still not fully recovered. We will use him on an as need basis.”
The Raiders have also been without junior Nate Jones at 145 pounds.
“Nate has been out since suffering an injury in our first practice after the Ironman Tournament [the opening weekend of the season],” Szewczyk said. “He should be back in the lineup soon.”
Waynesburg’s lineup features 12 starters with 10 or more wins, including a pair of top-ranked wrestlers: Mac Church (132) and Rocco Welsh (172).
The Raiders were ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL going into its sub-section 4A showdown with No. 4-ranked Canon-McMillan on Wednesday.
“We have to beat Canon-McMillan before we can think about the section and WPIAL tournaments,” Szewczyk said. “Our goal is to be peaking at the right time.”
Canon-McMillan isn’t as balanced as Waynesburg. The Big Macs have seven individuals with 10 or more wins.
Latrobe is ranked No. 2 and is the top team in sub-section 2B. Connellsville is ranked No. 3 and is the top team in sub-section 2A. Both teams lost only one starter to graduation, and both have at least three talented freshmen in the lineup.
“Our performance at the county tournament justifies our ranking,” said Latrobe coach Mark Mears, referring to the Wildcats’ dominating performance in the Westmoreland County Coaches Association tournament Jan. 7-8. “We are certainly a team to watch in the WPIAL team picture. How we do in the section tournament will play a big part in how we stand in the overall picture.”
Latrobe’s lineup features 11 individuals who have 10 or more wins, including two who are ranked No. 1: Vinny Kilkeary (120) and Corey Boerio (215).
Connellsville has 12 individuals who have 10 or more wins. Jared Keslar (160) is ranked No. 1 for the Falcons.
“It will probably come down to Latrobe and us for the section title,” Connellsville’s first-year coach Bill Swink said. “And it wouldn’t surprise me if we face them again in the WPIAL tournament. We both have very balanced teams.”
West Allegheny is ranked No. 5 in the WPIAL and considered the favorite in Section 3. The Indians, the top team in sub-section 3A, knocked off three-time defending section champ Seneca Valley by a significant margin, 43-27. North Allegheny, ranked No. 6, is the top team in sub-section 3B.
Kiski Area is the defending champ in Section 1. The No. 9-ranked Cavaliers are the top team in sub-section 1A. Wednesday’s match between Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford will determine the top team in sub-section 1B. Neither team is ranked in the top 10.
First Published: January 20, 2022, 6:00 p.m.
