The Class 3A WPIAL/Southwest Regional tournament began Friday at Canon-McMillan High School and five wrestlers entered the opening day of competition with an unblemished record.

All five posted two victories to earn a berth in Saturday’s semifinals.

Indiana freshman Nico Fanella (30-0), the No. 2 seed at 106 pounds, became the Little Indians’ first semifinalist since 2015 with a pin of West Allegheny’s Cade Stern at 0:47 in the first round, then posted a 12-2 win over Mt. Lebanon’s Ejiro Montoya in the semifinals.

“I’m the hardest worker in the state,” said Fanella, when asked if he is surprised to be undefeated this late in the season as a freshman. “With all the work I’ve put in, I deserve to be undefeated.”

Fanella is the first Indiana wrestler to qualify for the WPIAL semifinals since 2015. Indiana has had only six wrestlers advance to the WPIAL finals and all six had to settle for a silver medal.

“I didn’t know that,” said Fanella, when informed he has a chance to be the school’s first champ. “I feel like I can make history. I know I can win.”

Fanella’s semifinal opponent is Franklin Regional’s Tyler Kapusta, the No. 3 seed, a wrestler he’s beat twice this season.

Plum senior Vincent Citrano (29-0), the No. 2 seed at 132 pounds, earned his first semifinal berth with a 9-3 win over North Allegheny’s Nathan Monteparte, the No. 7 seed, in the quarterfinals. He also pinned South Fayette’s Jacob Potts at 3:41 in the first round.

“I spent the summer in Texas working out with some awesome opponents,” Citrano said. “I found a new love for wrestling. That’s what’s driving me to do my best in every match.”

Citrano will face Connellsville’s Chad Ozias, the No. 3 seed, in the semifinals.

Mt. Lebanon’s Mac Stout (36-0), the top seed at 189, earned his second semifinal berth with first-period pins of Penn Hills’ Aidan Pfam at 1:00 in the opening round, and Hampton’s Jayden Resch at 1:07 in the quarterfinals.

Stout won a WPIAL title and placed second in the PIAA as a 170-pound sophomore, but an elbow injury kept him from participating in the postseason tournaments last year. Stout will face No. 4 seed Owen Ott of Penn-Trafford in the semifinals.

Seneca Valley’s Liam Volk-Klos (20-0), the No. 3 seed at 215, earned his first trip to the semifinals with a 7-0 quarterfinal win over Waynesburg’s Eli Makel, the No. 6 seed. Volk-Klos also pinned Peters Township’s Phillip Nave at 1:12 in the opening round.

Volk-Klos missed the first month of the season recovering from off-season surgery. His opponent in the semifinals is No. 2 seed Cole Weightman, a two-time defending WPIAL champ from Belle Vernon.

Greensburg Salem’s Billy McChesney (34-0) earned a third consecutive semifinal berth with a pair of wins in the heavyweight bracket. McChesney, the top seed, won by forfeit in the first round, then pinned Albert Gallatin’s Shawn Loring at 1:22 in the quarterfinals.

McChesney is a two-time WPIAL runner-up. He will face Kiski Area’s Stone Joseph, the No. 5 seed, in the semifinals.

Franklin Regional’s Finn Solomon and Connellsville’s Jared Keslar earned a fourth consecutive trip to the semifinals.

Solomon, the No. 2 seed at 145, pinned two opponents: Bethel Park’s Cordan McDonnell in the first round, and Kiski Area’s Ethan Connor in the quarterfinals.

Keslar, the top seed at 160, recorded an 18-2 technical fall in the first round against Shaler’s Michael Ulery, then pinned North Allegheny’s Adam Rohan in the quarterfinals.

The only top three seed to lose was Trinity’s Ty Banco, the No. 3 seed at 285 pounds. Banco dropped a 3-2 decision to Butler’s Jake Pomykata, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals.

First Published: March 5, 2022, 5:08 a.m.