Fans attending Saturday's finals of the WPIAL Class 2A tournament, held at Chartiers Valley High School, were treated to a double dose of history.
Two wrestlers claimed a third consecutive title and one will have a chance next season to join an even more exclusive club. The two wrestlers who claimed a third gold medal were Laurel's Grant MacKay and Frazier's Rune Lawrence.
With the addition of Saturday's duo, there are now 116 individuals who have three or more WPIAL titles to their credit, including 31 who have won four titles, in the 88-year history of the tournament.
MacKay, a senior, claimed his third title by pinning Carlynton's Chase Brandebura in 26 seconds at 160 pounds. It was his second title at 160 after winning at 152 as a sophomore. Brandebura was making his second title appearance, as he won at 106 in 2020.
"It's pretty special to win a third title. I've been very emotional this entire postseason," said MacKay, who transferred to Laurel after spending his freshman year at North Allegheny. "It's just crazy and surreal how quickly high school has gone by."
MacKay, a junior, recorded three pins and won by injury default in his four bouts. He spent only 2:36 on the mat.
Lawrence had a similar experience in the 189-pound weight class. He recorded four pins, including a 22-second fall in his title match against Beth-Center's Jacob Layhue, and spent only 3:14 on the mat. His previous two titles came at 172.
"I was trying to one up him in the finals," joked Lawrence when asked about having a quicker fall than MacKay in the finals. "This title is a stepping stone to my ultimate goal of winning four WPIAL titles and four PIAA titles."
A third individual — Chris Vargo — had a chance to join MacKay and Lawrence, but the Bentworth junior fell short of a third title after a 5-1 loss to Burrell's Cooper Hornack in the 127-pound final. It was the second title in three years for Hornack. It was a rematch of last year's 120-pound final, in which Vargo posted a 5-0 win.
"He ended my hopes of becoming a four-time champion last year," Hornack said. "This win avenges that loss. I worked so hard this year knowing that we would meet in the finals. I was much more physical this time. That was the difference."
The title matches at 127 and 160 were two of three bouts that featured two returning champions. The other one was at 139 pounds, as Burgettstown's Joey Sentipal claimed his second title with a 10-4 win against Niko Ferra of Burrell. Ferra had previously won a title in 2021.
Hornack and Ferra were joined in the finals by teammates Cameron Baker and Isaac Lacinski. Baker lost to Central Valley's Antonio Boni in the 107-pound final. Lasinski dropped a 5-0 decision to Fort Cherry's Braedon Welsh at 172.
Boni was joined on the winner's platform by teammate Brenan Morgan, who claimed a gold medal at 215 pounds with a 6-2 win over Bentworth's Vitali Daniels.
Layhue was joined in the finals by teammates Tyler Debnar and Tyler Berish. Debnar claimed the 145-pound crown with a 5-3 win against Belle Vernon's Kole Doppelheuer. Berish dropped a 3-2 decision to Frazier's Ryan Celaschi in the 152-pound final.
Also winning titles were: Indiana's Nico Fanella (114), Quaker Valley's Jack Kazalas (121), Montour's Peter Chacon (133) and Keystone Oaks' Christian Flaherty (285).
First Published: February 26, 2023, 12:53 a.m.
