Burrell's streak of 15 consecutive WPIAL Class 2A team titles came to an end in 2022, but its streak of consecutive appearances in the title match is still alive. The Buccaneers have appeared in the title match for 22 straight years and claimed 17 championship trophies during that stretch.
After two years as runner-up, Burrell reclaimed its spot atop Class 2A wrestling with its 18th overall title by dominating Burgettstown 41-20 in last year's title match. With 10 starters returning from that squad, Burrell was deemed the preseason favorite by the Post-Gazette, and the Bucs have continued their domination.
Burrell brings a 9-1 record into the tournament with its only loss to District 10 powerhouse Reynolds by a three-point margin.
"My goal is to continue Burrell's rich tradition of championship wrestling," said new coach Steve Ansani, who replaced Josh Shields after leading Burrell to nine WPIAL titles in 11 years. "Our goal is to win the WPIAL title every year and place high in the state tournament."
Burrell is coming off an impressive performance at the Thomas Automotive Tournament in Bedford.
"We won the team title at Bedford for the first time in school history," said Ansani of the Bucs, who outscored Chestnut Ridge 183 to 182.5 to win the team title. "I feel we have hit our stride heading into the team tournament."
Like Burrell, the favorite in Class 3A is the defending champ and preseason favorite.
Connellsville claimed its eighth title and first since 2008 with last year's 33-32 thriller against Trinity. All but one starter is back from that squad, which made Connellsville the obvious preseason favorite. The Falcons have an 8-1 record, with their only loss to Ohio powerhouse St. Edwards.
The team tournaments began Monday with preliminary round matches in both classes. The first round and quarterfinals will be held on Wednesday, with the top four seeds in each class playing host. The final four matches in both classes will be held Saturday at Peters Township High School.
The Class 2A semifinals will be held at 10 a.m., with the championship match and consolation final following at 11:30 a.m. The Class 3A semifinals begin at 1:30 p.m., with the championship match and consolation final following at 3 p.m.
Here is a look at the playoff field in each classification.
Class 3A
Defending champion: Connellsville.
Top seeds: 1. Connellsville (8-1), 2. Franklin Regional (13-0), 3. Thomas Jefferson (10-0), 4. Bethel Park (9-1).
Winner will be: Connellsville. The Falcons lineup features nine individuals with 15 or more wins, including six who are ranked by the Post-Gazette.
Tommy Gretz (23-4 at 107), Kai Vielma (25-4 at 139) and Lonzy Vielma (23-6 at 160) are ranked No. 1. Evan Petrovich (27-4 at 152) is ranked No. 2 and Zachary Franks (18-7 at 114) is No. 3, while Nolan Rice (18-7 at 121) and Luke Lilley (18-9 at 127) are No. 4. The Falcons are not as strong in the upper weight classes.
Team that could surprise: Thomas Jefferson. The Jaguars impressed with a record-breaking performance at the Allegheny County Tournament. Their lineup includes nine individuals with 15 or more wins, including six in the upper weight classes.
Maddox Shaw (19-3 at 152), Bode Marlow (33-2 at 172) and Shep Turk (28-6 at 285) are ranked No. 1 in their weight class and won WPIAL titles last year. Brayden White (22-5 at 160) is ranked No. 2, Zach Rehak (25-6 at 107) is ranked No. 4, and Zach LaBryer (23-7 at 189) is ranked No. 5.
The Jaguars are very young in the lower weights.
The scoop: Franklin Regional and Bethel Park were narrow losers in last year's semifinals. Both have a lineup that is capable of making a title run.
Franklin Regional has the most balanced lineup in the 20-team field, as 12 individuals have 15 or more wins, including four who are ranked. Beau Fennick (24-3 at 107) and Michael Ruane (23-6 at 127) are ranked No. 2 for the Panthers.
Bethel Park has nine wrestlers with 15 or more wins, including four who are ranked. Ethan Higgins (27-6 at 145) is ranked No. 3, while Seth Miller (20-9 at 133) is ranked No. 4.
Class 2A
Defending champion: Burrell.
Top seeds: 1. Burrell (9-1), 2. Derry Area (15-2), 3. McGuffey (13-4), 4. Quaker Valley (10-4).
Winner will be: Burrell. The Bucs have nine wrestlers with 15 or more wins, and seven are ranked. Luke Boylan (18-11 at 215) is ranked No. 1. Carter Thomas (18-5 at 121), Julian Bertucci (23-6 at 139) and Isaac Lacinski (26-7 at 172) are ranked No. 2. Cameron Baker (19-5 at 127), a returning WPIAL champ, is ranked No. 3.
Team that could surprise: Derry Area. The Trojans have eight individuals with 15 or more wins, and all eight are ranked. Mason Horwat (28-3 at 152) and Anthony Mucci (27-5 at 127) are returning WPIAL champs.
Horwat is ranked No. 1, and Mucci is No. 2. Also ranked No. 2 for the Trojans are Rocco DeCario (18-6 at 107), Ewan Olson (28-4 at 160) and Brady Brown (28-4 at 189). Derry has made only two appearances in the finals, the last coming in 2018.
The scoop: McGuffey has its strongest team since 2015, the last time the Highlanders made it to the finals. Nine individuals have 15 or more wins, including four who are ranked.
Lucas Barr (32-2 at 139) is ranked No. 1, while Tucker Main (26-8 at 121) and Emmett Wolfe (32-3 at 133) are ranked No. 3. Quaker Valley has made six consecutive appearances in the semifinals.
The Quakers have eight wrestlers with 15 or more wins, including five who are ranked. Bruce Anderchak (35-2 at 114) is ranked No. 1. Matthew Danna (36-3 at 139) and Marcus Richey (33-10 at 172) are ranked No. 3.
First Published: January 29, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: January 29, 2025, 11:57 p.m.