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Quaker Valley Athletics

Quaker Valley School District - Home of the Quakers

Quaker Valley Athletics

Quaker Valley School District - Home of the Quakers

Team News.

Team News

2.0 months ago @ 1:21PM

Beaver Valley Wrestling Preview: A look at all the area teams

Ethan Morrison, Special to the Times

USA TODAY NETWORK

With the winter sports season kicking off last week, many of the Beaver Valley schools will begin to hit the mat this weekend to begin the 2023-24 wrestling season. 

Last season, the Beaver Valley saw a number of wrestlers take home hardware during the 2022-23 season and those same individuals look to replicate that success this season. 

With that being said, let's take a look at the wrestling scene around the Times’ coverage area this year as a number of schools are geared up to compete for a WPIAL Championship this season. 

WPIAL 2A Section 3

Quaker Valley:  The Quakers fell short of a WPIAL team championship last season as they finished third place last season. 

Quaker Valley looks to use its shortcomings of being unable to claim the WPIAL Championship as fuel for this season as the Quakers return a number of key pieces to the roster this season. 

Quaker Valley's Jack Kazalas has his arm raised after winning the WPIAL individual championship in his weight class.

After finishing with a 28-14 record last season, Jack Diemert looks to pick up where he left off last season as he finished third in sectionals and sixth in districts for Quaker Valley. The junior is one of the more successful underclassmen on this Quaker roster and will look to once again complement a loaded senior class. 

Jack Kazalas is one of the more decorated returners on this Quaker Valley roster as he finished in first place in both sectionals and districts this past season compiling a 38-5 record. 

Kazalas went on to compete in regionals and finished in third place and holds a 106-21 career record heading into his final season.

The aforementioned Kazalas is joined by Isaac Maccaglia, Chase Kretzler and John McHenry as upperclassmen who have postseason wrestling experience over the course of their careers. 

Rounding out the roster for Quaker Valley this season is sophomore Bruce Anderchak who made noise in his first season with the Quakers as a freshman.

Anderchak wrestled to a 31-13 record last season while also finishing second at sectionals and fourth at districts. He will look to make his next step forward this season after an impressive showing during his freshman campaign. 

Quaker Valley will once again look to claim another WPIAL Championship this season with an experienced group after falling just short last season. 


 

Team News

3.0 months ago @ 11:06AM

Freshmen show potential for Quaker Valley wrestling

By:  
Sunday, December 17, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley wrestlers Aris Haniotes and Trey Dunlap had a night they soon won’t forget.

Both freshman athletes joined the QV wrestling program as varsity starters Dec. 6 at Avonworth in the Quakers’ first match of the season.

QV won by a convincing 64-12 final score.

Haniotes competed against Tyler Hanny in the 215-pound weight class; Dunlap took on Jackson Krul at 172 pounds.

Haniotes registered a fall in 4:53 while Dunlap recorded a fall in 5:37.

“Trey is a workhorse and one of the strongest freshmen I know,” QV coach Austin Heinl said. “He spent a lot of time hitting the weights over the summer. Aris is also a big and strong freshman with a lot of wrestling ability. He just needs to keep getting acclimated to wrestling older and more mature wrestlers. I expect them both to continue to get better and compete in the postseason.

“Usually, when a freshman is wrestling at an upper weight, you expect there to be some growing pains. It’s still early in the year, but it was great to see them have success in their first varsity outing. Both had tough matches so winning shows that the hard work in practice has been paying off.”

Haniotes said he was “super excited” about the results of his match.

“I expected it to have a different feel to it being two-minute periods,” Haniotes said. “Also, I expected certain things that have worked in my past may not work now. All in all, it was exciting to get the first one out of the way.

“I was super excited to get my first varsity win, especially being 14. The upper weights can be brutal. I didn’t expect to get a pin. The only expectation I had for myself was to work on the things Austin and the rest of the coaches have been training me on.”

Haniotes credited a teammate with helping him during the Quakers’ practice sessions.

“Chase Kretzler is a senior and has been around and really is a great role model,” Haniotes said. “I’m lucky to have a partner in the room who’s a great mentor.

“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than wrestling. That’s why I love Quaker Valley. The education and the wrestling culture is top notch.”

Dunlap, like Haniotes, proved to be a formidable force in his first varsity match.

“It was an incredible experience,” Dunlap said. “I felt a mix of nerves and excitement, but I trusted in my training and, with God’s grace, secured a victory.”

The Quakers were victors in 11 of 13 bouts, racking up seven pins and one major decision when junior Jack Diemert rolled past Avonworth’s Dimitri Velisaris, 9-1, at 152 pounds.

“Our team is a perfect mix of veterans and younger guys like myself,” Haniotes said. “I feel we can go really far this year if we stick together and continue to motivate one another. We have great teachers in our corner; the rest is up to us to deliver.”

Dunlap believes the camaraderie among the team members will help make it a banner season for the Quakers.

“We have high expectations for a successful season,” he said. “And here’s a shoutout to my coaches, teammates and the divine guidance that has been part of this journey.”

Sophomore Matt Danna (145) also secured a pin in his first match with QV as he stuck Avonworth’s Jimmy Quinn in just 1:08. Danna attended West Allegheny as a freshman.

“Matt is a grinder,” Heinl said. “He fights harder than most out on the wrestling mat, and he has talent to put it to use.”

Falls also were achieved by QV seniors Jack Kazalas and Chase Kretzler at 139 and 215 and juniors Wyatt Hamm and Marcus Richey at 133 and 160.

Sophomore Bruce Anderchak (107), junior Grant Castaldo (121) and senior Isaac Maccaglia (114) all won by forfeit.

“We knew Avonworth was going to have some tough wrestlers. You don’t want to go into a match flat against a team like that,” Heinl said. “All of our wrestlers were excited for the opportunity.

“The (final) score just reflects the team’s preparation leading up to the match.”

Sophomore Eoin Parnell and senior John McHenry, a first-year grappler, both won exhibition bouts for QV.

The Quakers tied for second with Palmyra at the Moon Duals held Dec. 9 at Moon.

QV defeated Fort Cherry, 57-18, Neighborhood Academy, 72-6, Laurel, 40-24, and Moon, 52-18, before losing a 39-27 decision to West Allegheny in the finals.

Anderchak, Danna, Kazalas and Richey remained undefeated at 6-0 off their performances at Moon. Danna and Richey both had five falls early in the season.

Castaldo, Diemert, Haniotes and Maccaglia were 5-1 through six bouts.

 

 

Team News

3.0 months ago @ 10:40AM

Fisher’s Files

By:  
Sunday, December 17, 2023 | 11:01 AM

 

Mat families

Two of the many families that have been instrumental in the success of the QV wrestling program in its brief history are the Richey and Kazalas households.

Logan Richey (112-51), Justin Richey (107-41) and Marcus Richey (20-16) have racked up 239 wins between them since 2018-19.

Jack Kazalas (106-21) and John Rocco Kazalas (105-20) have combined to win 211 times.

“It takes a village to have gotten the program to where it is today,” QV coach Austin Heinl said. “It has been a privilege to be around great people and great student-athletes. They are some of the most respectful, smart and hard-working kids I’ve been around.

“I definitely feel the love they have for the sport and the program.”

Two more families that have helped establish QV wrestling as one of the WPIAL’s top programs are the Cutchembers and Diemerts.

Donovan and Patrick Cutchember were WPIAL champions during their QV wrestling careers. Mason and Jack Diemert were regional qualifiers for the Quakers.

Six wrestlers have eclipsed 100 career wins at QV, led by Clarion’s Patrick Cutchember at 141-31.

Cutchember was a four-year letterman in wrestling, football and lacrosse and is the Quakers’ all-time leader in wins and falls (87).

“Patrick has to be proud of his career,” Heinl said. “He set a lot of records in our brief (team) history.”

Others who have broken the century mark at QV are John Rocco Kazalas (134-33), Connor Redinger (112-20), Logan Richey (112-50), Gettysburg recruit Justin Richey (107-41) and Jack Kazalas (105-20), who achieved the feat in three seasons.

John Rocco Kazalas, Jack’s older brother, competed at Moon as a freshman but still hit the century mark at QV by going 105-20 in three years. Redinger also won 107 times in his first three seasons with the Quakers.

Wrestlers ranked

Quaker Valley’s wrestling team was third in the WPIAL Class 2A Top 10 in the Trib HSSN 2023-24 preseason rankings.

The first five teams on the list were BurgettstownBurrell, QV, Frazier and McGuffey, followed by HighlandsMt. PleasantFreedomJefferson-Morgan and Derry.

Team News

3.0 months ago @ 1:40PM

Quaker Valley wrestling aims to reach new milestones

By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, December 3, 2023 | 11:01 AM

The strong just keep getting stronger.

Quaker Valley’s wrestling team compiled a 15-6 record in 2022-23 that included a section title with a 6-0 mark.

And the Quakers have eight wrestlers — including WPIAL Class 2A champion Jack Kazalas — back from last year’s winning group.

“We expect to be competitive in the team and individual postseasons,” QV coach Austin Heinl said. “We expect to compete at a high level this season and achieve new milestones for our program.”

While the 121-pound Kazalas, a senior who was a PIAA medalist in his sophomore season, heads the list of experienced grapplers, there are many more names of talented athletes to discuss.

Other returning starters consist of sophomore Bruce Anderchak (107), senior Isaac Maccaglia (114), sophomore Eoin Parnell (139), juniors Jack Diemert (152) and Marcus Richey (160), sophomore Kris Brown (189) and senior Chase Kretzler (215).

“On top of the eight starters returning, we have a couple guys, juniors Grant Castaldo and Wyatt Hamm, who have been on the team the last two years that are going to crack the lineup on a consistent basis,” Heinl said. ”Grant and Wyatt have come a long way development-wise so I’m excited to see how they do this year.”

Castaldo and Hamm were varsity lettermen in 2022-23.

QV’s team captains consist of Kazalas, Anderchak, a regional qualifier last season, and Richey. Kazalas and Anderchak are both Division I prospects.

Kazalas is a two-time section titlist and owns a 106-21 career record with 51 falls including seven technical falls. He was 38-5 last year after finishing 40-8 and 28-8 in his first two seasons with the Quakers and is chasing all-time wins leader Patrick Cutchember (141).

“Jack is also on pace to be our program’s first four-time state qualifier,” Heinl said. “He is looking bigger and stronger since last season at 121 pounds.”

Kazalas has finished second, fourth and first in the WPIAL and third three times at the regional tournament.

Last year, he defeated McGuffey freshman Lucas Barr, 8-6, in the WPIAL championship match. Kazalas started his bracket run with a fall in 1:17, then topped his next two competitors via 15-9 and 10-0 scores.

“A team expectation is to be in the Final Four again,” Kazalas said, “and ultimately to win it all. I think our team has greatly improved with everyone getting better.

“A goal for me is to get better every week and improve in the areas that I need to improve. Ultimately, being on that podium in Hershey (is the goal) though. I’ve been working on getting better in my hand fighting, working out on bottom, and also getting stronger.”

Anderchak made an immediate impact in the wrestling program as a freshman. He was one of three team members able to eclipse 30 wins last season, racking up a 31-13 record. Anderchak was a section runner-up and placed fourth in the WPIAL at 107.

Maccaglia, who won 19 decisions (19-17) last year, carved out 26 wins as a sophomore and has pinned 35 opponents in his career.

Diemert was 28-14 a year ago and a sixth-place WPIAL finisher at 152. Richey ended up eighth at 160 at WPIALs.

Newcomers in the QV lineup looking to make an impact include freshmen Trey Dunlop, Harper Sipes, Aris Haniotes and Sawyer Stelzig, senior John McKenry and sophomores Matthew Danna, Logan Benedict and Benny Janeway.

The Quakers are scheduled to compete in the Moon Duals (Dec. 9), Panther Holiday Classic (Dec. 15-16) at Mount Aloysius College and MyHouse Trojan Wars (Dec. 29-30) at Chambersburg.

 


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