By: Paul Schofield 
Monday, May 4, 2020 | 2:56 PM

PreviousNext

The Powerade Wrestling Tournament is billed as one of the top high school competitions in the country.

And the 54th annual tournament, scheduled for Dec. 29-30 at Canon-McMillan High School, again will feature some of the top wrestlers east of the Mississippi River.

The tournament has grown to 55 teams, including 23 WPIAL programs and 20 others from across Pennsylvania, notably returning prep school champion Wyoming Seminary.

Frank Vulcano Jr., the tournament director and Canon-McMillan athletic director, said there are 12 new teams entered, replacing the 11 that left the field.

“This is the most teams we’ve had if they all show up,” Vulcano said. “Last year, one team backed out at the last minute. We might be able to take another team, and that’s it.

“I’ve already turned away between 10 to 15 teams. We just don’t invite individuals like other tournaments (Ironman and Beast of the East). We invite teams and programs that will make us better.”

Among the new teams are North Allegheny and Chartiers Valley.

Some of the other new teams include Cleveland’s St. Edward and Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary, Bergen Catholic from New Jersey and Central Mountain (District 6) from near Lock Haven.

“We’re always trying to get better,” Vulcano said. “I believe we have two of the big three teams in the country in Wyoming Seminary and St. Edward. Anytime you get one of the big three in makes your tournament better.”

Blair Academy in New Jersey, a previous participant, is not attending this season. 

There are four returning champions expected to participate — Waynesburg’s Mac Church (106 pounds), Reynolds’ Gary Steen (113), Council Rock North’s Kyle Hauserman (120) and Malvern Prep’s Cole Deery (285) — as well as nine runners-up and 60 total placewinners.

Returning or past PIAA champions planning to compete are Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary, Franklin Regional’s Carter Dibert, Hempfield’s Ethan Berginc, Steen, Waynesburg’s Wyatt Henson, Seneca Valley’s Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Mifflin County’s Trey Kibe, Stroudsburg’s Len Pinto, Forest Hills’ Jackson Arrington, Mt. Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer and Montoursville’s Brandon Wentzel.

54th annual Powerade Tournament

Dec. 29-30 at Canon-McMillan

Teams participating

WPIAL: Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Chartiers Valley*, Connellsville, Derry, Franklin Regional, Freedom, Hampton, Hempfield, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Mt. Lebanon, Mt. Pleasant, North Allegheny*, Norwin, Peters Township, Quaker Valley, Seneca Valley, South Park, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Waynesburg and West Allegheny. 

Pennsylvania: Benton (District 4)*, Cedar Cliff (D3), Central Mountain (D6)*, Chestnut Ridge (D5), Council Rock North (D1), Dallastown (D3)*, DuBois (D9), Cathedral Prep (D10), Faith Christian (D1)*, Forest Hills (D6), Malvern Prep, Manheim Township (D3)*, Mifflin County (D6), Montoursville (D4), Reynolds (D10), Saegertown (D10), St. Joseph Academy (D6), Stroudsburg (D11), Williamsport (D4)* and Wyoming Seminary. 

Ohio: St. Mary-St. Vincent*, St. Edward*, Mason, Moeller and Wadsworth. 

New Jersey: Bergan Catholic*, DePaul and Howell. 

West Virgina: Parkersburg South and Point Pleasant*. 

Maryland: Bullis Prep. 

Virginia: Oscar Smith. 

Teams not returning

Arlington-Martin (Texas), Camden Catholic, N.J., Christiansburg, Va., Ellwood City, Elizabeth Forward, North Hills, St. Clairsville, Ohio, Parkersburg, W.Va., Pope John Paul III, Riversbend, Va., Turner Asbury, Va. 

*Denotes new teams. 

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Paul by email at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

 Shawn Annarelli

Wednesday, March 11, 2020 | 12:17 AM

Patrick Cutchember

School: Quaker Valley

Sport: Wrestling

Class: Sophomore

Claim to fame: Patrick Cutchember capped off Quaker Valley’s wrestling season with a seventh-place finish at 182 pounds and a trip to the podium at states.

He won three of his five matches, and his only losses, one of which was in double overtime, were by a combined three points.

“It definitely gives me a little confidence for next year,” Cutchember said. “I beat some really good guys and know I lost to some really good guys, but I wasn’t getting killed. It was always a close match. If I fix a couple little things, I should be winning those matches next year.”

How exciting was it to place at states?

It was really great. The whole experience at Hershey in the Giant Center was really kind of scary, especially in the first match walking out because I was thinking about everyone who has ever wrestled in that arena. I was just taking it all in, and placing seventh was really fun.

How much do you enjoy facing that level of competition?

It was nice. I knew how important every match was and how important it was to warm up the right way before every match. It was fun to wrestle a lot of different kids who are all really good.

What was your go-to move to win this season?

I’d say either my lateral drop or cradle if I’m on top. Those were my two favorites.

What part of your game do you feel you need improve to win a WPIAL championship and maybe more next season?

I think I need to improve on my feet, get my shots better and just be better at keeping kids down on top.

What would it mean to you to be the fourth Quaker Valley wrestler to win a WPIAL championship?

It’d mean a lot. That’s definitely one of my goals. I think I can do that and put down another name for Quaker Valley champions.

If you could change one rule in wrestling, what would it be?

Make the out of bounds rule more like college where if you have any part of your body in, you can still score points.

Who is the best Pittsburgh sports athlete?

I’d go with Troy Polamalu. He was one of my favorites. His hair was pretty cool, and he made a bunch of crazy plays.

By: Shawn Annarelli
Friday, February 28, 2020 | 11:25 PM

Quaker Valley senior Austin Pantaleo’s fourth wrestling injury in five years nearly sidelined him from the sport for good.

Instead, it put Pantaleo and sophomore Patrick Cutchember on an intertwining path to be the only Quakers to qualify for the PIAA tournament. Cutchember placed second at 182 pounds in regionals, and Pantaleo was sixth at 170.

“With two torn ligaments in December, I wasn’t supposed to come back on the mat,” Pantaleo said. “After all the injuries I had, I accepted defeat for a while and considered giving up. But I also love to be with my teammates, to wrestle for the little kids that come to watch us and to wrestle for our community. It’s a family.”

Cutchember moved from 170 to 182, the weight class Pantaleo planned to compete at this season, shortly after the injury.

Pantaleo saw the run Cutchember was on, which included a win over the top-ranked wrestler at 182, and told him to stay at 182 in late January when he was cleared to return.

“It just shows how much character Austin has that he would do that,” Cutchember said. “It shows how good of a person and how good of a teammate he is that he would drop to 170 and tell me to wrestle at 182, where I’m more confident. It turned out to be the best move for both of us.”

Cutchember won his first three matches at regionals, including a nail biter against Penns Valley’s Andrew Sharer. Tied 0-0 in the third period, Cutchember chose bottom.

“The kid threw his legs in. Patrick sat him under and reached back for the kid’s head,” Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said. “He caught his head, stuck him and pinned him. There are very few kids who can do what Patrick did. It’s tough to teach.”

Cutchember won 7-4 against Burrell’s Ricky Feroce to advance to the finals, where he lost by the same score to Ellwood City’s Austin Walley.

“Walley is one of the top guys in the state, and I was able to keep it close against someone like that,” Cutchember said. “If I’m on my best day and he’s not, I might have a chance (in states). Anything can happen.”

Pantaleo, who recently committed to Shippensburg, lost in the fifth-place match to Meyersdale’s Drake Gindlesperger.

He also won three consecutive consolation matches by pin, including a victory over Burgettstown’s D.J. Slovick, which qualified him for states. The win avenged a loss to Slovick at the WPIAL tournament.

“I got up screaming in excitement after that match,” Pantaleo said. “My phone blew up. The first person to message me was Conner Redinger, and, yeah, I wasn’t supposed to be one of the guys going to states. It just really hit me after how much these guys care and how much they helped me get to this point.”

Donovan Cutchember’s storybook comeback ended at regionals, a week after winning the WPIAL championship at 220. Back on the mat after two knee injuries, he finished eighth.

“After everything Donovan went through, he comes back to win section and WPIAL titles, something no one can take away from him,” Patrick Cutchember said. “Going into that last match (at regionals), he put it all on the line. I’m very proud of him.”

Logan Richey, Amir McCrackin and Michael Carmody each lost their matches in their first regional appearances. Redinger did not compete because of injury.

“I was happy they got the experience at regionals, and hopefully it leads to more success,” Heinl said. “I expect big things from them next year.”

By: Shawn Annarelli
Friday, February 21, 2020 | 6:02 PM

In a season when Quaker Valley won its second consecutive section championship and earned its first PIAA playoff berth, Quakers coach Mike Heinl told his team he wanted more.

Senior Donovan Cutchember answered the call Feb. 15 with the program’s fourth individual WPIAL championship in three years.

“He’s had two significant knee injuries, and I knew he was capable of winning,” Heinl said. “I think he knew it in the back of his mind. He wasn’t sure about wrestling this season, so he needed a little nudge to return, and he peaked at the right time. I’m extremely happy for him.”

Cutchember won 8-4 at 220 pounds against Burrell’s Michael Scherer who pinned him two weeks earlier.

“I’m really glad they convinced me to do it,” Cutchember said. “I’ve had a lot of reoccurring injuries, so it’s been tough. It’s taught me a lot in lot, especially to keep working hard and to keep pushing for my goals.”

Donovan Cutchember has racked up 79 wins in his wrestling career heading into the Southwest regional last weekend.

“(Donovan) wrestled out of his mind,” junior Conner Redinger said. “He took out three of the highest ranked opponents, and I just ran over to him, picked him up and was like, ‘and you weren’t going to wrestle?’ I was amazed. I’m so proud of him.”

Seven Quaker Valley wrestlers qualified for regionals, two more than last season, but Redinger cannot compete because of an injury.

“Overall, I’m pretty happy,” Heinl said. “You know, I always want more. I’m never satisfied. I want them to have good grades and good behavior, and I want to win. I think the program we’re building wants to win state championships, and we’re committed to that.”

Redinger, who attempted to win his third WPIAL title in as many years, lost 2-1 at 152 to Burrell’s A.J. Corrado.

“A.J. stuck to his game plan of limiting my offense,” Redinger said. “He got a takedown off my attack, which is how it ended basically. He’s a great wrestler. He finds the weaknesses in my technique even when I have beat him. So, I love wrestling him, because he always makes you want to work harder.”

Sophomore Patrick Cutchember was one win away from joining his brother at the top of the podium, but was pinned in the 182 finals by Ellwood City’s Austin Walley.

Tied 3-3 in the second round, Patrick Cutchember left his head down for a moment too long, which gave Walley an opportunity to cradle him into a pin.

“WPIAL probably has the toughest district in the state, which is what makes it so much fun,” Patrick Cutchember said.

“I just have to keep a short-term memory even though I lost. If I have to face him again, I’ll go into it with the most confidence I can have. If you don’t, there’s no way you win.”

Quaker Valley senior Austin Panteleo placed fourth at 170. Sophomore Amir McCrackin and freshman Logan Richey placed sixth at 195 and 106, respectively. Each qualified for regionals.

Freshman Michael Carmody finished in eighth place at 113 and advanced to regionals, because Burrell’s Shawn Szymanski was injured in the WPIAL fifth-place match.

“It’s been great to see how much everyone has grown as wrestlers, and we’ve tried to embrace being one of the best teams in double-A,” Donovan Cutchember said. “We’re all working toward one goal to be the best team we can be, and it’s awesome to be a part that.”

By Andrew Chiappazzi 

Posted Feb 26, 2020 at 4:01 AM

A hundred years ago, high school sports weren’t an option for girls. Fifty years ago, they were an afterthought. Now, opportunities are expanding for girls at the high school level in hockey and wrestling.

In the fall of 1920, Washington High School beat Pittsburgh Fifth Avenue High School to win the WPIAL football championship. On the basketball court, Bellevue topped McKeesport 35-25 to win its first title in the 11-year-old league.

It took another 50 years before girls had championships to call their own. As the 50th anniversaries of the first WPIAL girls basketball championships in 1971 and the passage of Title IX in 1972 approach, participation in girls sports continues to rise. Over the past decade, participation by female athletes has increased in more than a dozen high school sports, according to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

Pennsylvania is a different story.

Nearly 2,000 fewer girls — and nearly 1,500 fewer boys — played sports in 2018-19 compared to the year before. It’s the continuation of a decline rooted in Pennsylvania’s aging demographics. As much as one-fifth of Pennsylvania residents will be 65 or older by 2025, according to recent projections by the U.S. Census Bureau and Pennsylvania State Data Center.

While participation in Pennsylvania has dropped in sports such as basketball and softball, two traditionally male sports in the state are seeing an influx of girls participating. Ice hockey and wrestling have become the new frontier for high school girls in Pennsylvania.

MORE ICE TIME FOR GIRLS

The PIHL has had its share of trailblazers on the ice. Former Indiana goalie Madison Barker was the first female to backstop her team in a Penguins Cup Championship. Former Blackhawk forward Abby Schaefer was the first female captain in PIHL history.

They were outliers, though, as girls who opted to suit up alongside boys in order to play hockey. This May, the PIHL will launch its first high school girls league in the hopes of providing more opportunities to girls at the high school level. The four-team league will run in May with six games leading up to a championship on June 14.

“We’ve watched girls hockey grow on the amateur side, and the excitement of getting a chance to play in front of friends and family at the high school level seemed like a good fit,” PIHL commissioner John Mucha said.

At the amateur level, the Beaver County Badgers developmental organization allows for co-ed participation. The Pittsburgh Penguins Elite AAA program and Steel City Selects’ organizations both offer specific girls teams at five different age levels.

When it comes to high school hockey, however, the only option for girls like Quaker Valley senior Haley Steffey and Beaver sophomore Madison Flaugh has been to play with boys on their school’s PIHL team. Despite the number of girls playing at the youth level, Mucha said those numbers haven’t translated to the high school game. The PIHL has 58 girls playing middle school hockey this season, but just 17 at the junior varsity level and only eight at the varsity level.

“Less than 5 percent of the girls that we’re talking to about playing in the girls league play for their high school hockey team,” Mucha said.

The cut-off date for registration is March 1, and Mucha said the league will easily fill all four teams.

“We’re close to 80 girls already,” he said. “We were looking to do four teams of 17 to 20 girls each ... and we’re very comfortable with our target.”

The hope is that the schools will eventually take over operation of the teams and that there will be enough participation to have a state championship with the league’s counterparts in Philadelphia just as there is now for the boys.

“It’d be great to say we can do this in a year or two, but my hope would be that we can at least have a state championship in two or three years,” Mucha said. “So there’s a lot of excitement and energy around this program.”

Mucha stressed that the PIHL doesn’t want to stop girls from playing with their current varsity team. Instead, the girls league will follow the traditional PIHL season, giving girls the opportunity to play in both leagues.

“If we wanted to run the girls high school league at the same time as the other high school leagues and the amateur teams, there’d just be no ice available,” Mucha said. “So we thought this was a great way to let the girls continue to play.”

FIGHTING FOR THEIR CHANCE

Paige Lenhardt had always been active.

She played football, ran track, swam, anything that could keep her moving. But when the Quaker Valley wrestling program came to her co-ed gym class during her freshman year, a new door opened for her.

“I tried to get all of my friends to come down,” she said. “None of the girls wanted to go, but I was like, ‘This is so cool! We get to wrestle.’”

Lenhardt signed up. When others around the program expressed concerns about a girl wrestling with boys, her parents backed her up. Four years later, she’s become an advocate for other girls to join the sport.

“She is an ambassador for the sport,” third-year Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said. “Any time we go to a venue and there’s another girl there, she goes over and hangs out with them. She’s been terrific.”

According to the NFHS, participation in girls wrestling has more than tripled in the past decade, rising from 6,134 wrestlers nationwide in 2009-10 to 21,134 in 2018-19. The data doesn’t include participation in Pennsylvania, but Pennsylvania USA Wrestling president Joe Stabilito estimates more than 400 girls statewide are wrestling at the high school and middle school level.

“It’s growing so much right now and I can’t wait to see the future of it,” Lenhardt said.

There is still some controversy, though. The Allentown Catholic Diocese and Pennsylvania Catholic Conference have rules in place that prohibit boys from wrestling girls. During the PIAA 2A team wrestling championship, Saucon Valley sent a female wrestler out for the 106-pound match. Notre Dame-Green Pond, a Catholic school, had to forfeit despite having a highly touted male wrestle in the class and ended up losing the match by one point.

Those situations disappoint backers like Heinl.

“I’ve sent my Quaker Valley wrestlers to compete against girls,” Heinl said. “I’ve told them it’s no different. Treat her just like anyone else.”

Lenhardt, who typically wrestles in the 145-pound weight class, owns a couple of wins over boys, including one this year.

“For me it was awesome, because it just goes to prove that I’m just as good or better as some of you,” she said. “And just to show how far we can go is awesome.”

For all the questions about fairness, Lenhardt said most girls just want the opportunity.

“I think once we get enough numbers and enough girls to participate, I think it’d be awesome to have women’s and men’s teams — just like soccer and lacrosse and all the other sports,” Lenhardt said. “But I think it’s important for us to grow into that.”

That opportunity may be coming. Twenty states offer officially sanctioned girls state championships. Current PIAA bylaws stipulate 100 schools must sponsor a sport before it can be considered for statewide governance. Stabilito is working with the organization Wrestle Like a Girl, which has helped push other state associations to adopt the sport, to help organize an effort to add an official state championship in Pennsylvania.

“We don’t really want to sanction the sport,” Stabilito said. “We just want to add a group. I understand from the state’s perspective it’s a new sport and you need a new staff, but we just want to say that it already exists and just give the girls an opportunity to showcase themselves.”

Heinl noted that funding could be a concern in tight school district budgets, and Stabilito is willing to be patient. But he sees an opportunity for growth.

“If we announced this sport in this state, we’d probably have 500 girls tomorrow,” he said.

Women’s wrestling has been part of the Summer Olympics since 2004, and more than 70 colleges now sponsor a women’s wrestling program, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Lenhardt, who didn’t imagine wrestling was an option for her four years ago, has accepted an offer to wrestle at Division II Tiffin University in Ohio.

“I really just liked Tiffin a lot,” she said. “I love the coaching staff and I’m really excited about it.”

When the NFHS first began tracking girls participation in high school sports during the 1971-72 school year, just 294,015 girls were involved in sports. In 2018-19, it was more than 3.4 million. Time will tell what the landscape looks like in another 50 years.

“People keep trying to hold us back and we’re just trying to prove everyone wrong,” Lenhardt said. “Just because you said we can’t do it makes us try that much harder to prove you wrong.”

 Shawn Annarelli

Tuesday, February 18, 2020 | 1:29 PM

Donovan Cutchember 

School: Quaker Valley

Sport: Wrestling

Class: Senior

Claim to fame: Donovan Cutchember has racked up 79 wins in his wrestling career, and he has endured enough injuries to appreciate each victory.

In the days before sectionals and WPIALs, he had to decide between competing or retiring from the mat with his health intact and the lacrosse season up next on his to-do list.

Teammates and coaches encouraged him to wrestle last weekend, and it paid off with the top prize available, a WPIAL championship in the 220-pound weight class.

“I’m really glad they convinced me to do it,” Cutchember said. “I’ve had a lot of reoccurring injuries, so it’s been tough. It’s taught me a lot in lot, especially to keep working hard and to keep pushing for my goals.”

How does it feel to call yourself a WPIAL champion? 

I mean this is great. I definitely didn’t expect it, so this feels awesome.

You beat Burrell’s Michael Scherer for the title two weeks after he pinned you. What did you learn from your first match with him that helped you in the rematch? 

I learned I just had to wrestle smarter, not hold onto any position for too long and give up a point if necessary, so I could get back to wrestling my match.

What has it meant to you to wrestle on the same team as your brother Patrick these last two years? 

It’s really awesome to be with him, because he’s a great wrestler. He’s always been better than me, and it’s great to see how he’s grown. He’s an absolute beast out there.

Patrick has come in second place in the WPIAL finals two years in a row. Why do you believe he can win a title next year? 

I definitely believe in him. He can do things you’d never expect to see. I think he’ll win a WPIAL title, get to 100 (career) wins, and I think he’ll place at states this year.

Are you looking forward to regionals and possibly states? 

I’m not done. I’m really looking forward to regionals and hope I get a good seed. I just want to start off good.

What are your plans after high school? 

I’ve thought about college football, but I’m not sure if I’ll hang it up. I want to go into sports management or sports business, one of those fields.

What else do you enjoy? 

Outside of sports, I just like to be with my friends, play video games and I love going out to eat food.

What’s your favorite food? 

Pancakes. Pancakes are fire.

By: Joe Sager
Friday, February 7, 2020 | 6:53 PM

PreviousNext

A year after finishing fourth in the WPIAL Class AA team tournament, the Quakers finished one place better this season and earned the program’s first PIAA tournament berth.

“It was a great run,” Quaker Valley sophomore Patrick Cutchember said. “From the beginning of the year, one of our goals was to place at least in the top three in the WPIAL and move onto the state tournament.

“For our young guys, they can see the progress we’re making. Now, the goal is to keep improving and take second or first next year.”

The Quakers defended their Section 2 title and beat Fort Cherry and Highlands to reach the WPIAL semifinals. They ran into perennial power Burrell and dropped a 57-15 decision. They rebounded to beat McGuffey, another top WPIAL program, 52-27, to finish third.

“Getting to face Burrell, it’s good for all the younger kids to see what we need to be,” Cutchember said. “As far as McGuffey, that was a confidence booster that we can go and beat one of the best teams in the WPIAL.”

It earned Quaker Valley a trip to the PIAA tournament. The Quakers had to trek to Erie to battle Corry in a preliminary match. The Beavers posted a 46-26 win to eliminate the Quakers.

“I am very proud of what they have accomplished. I know we were disappointed in the outcome,” Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said. “When you make it that far, your weaknesses start to get exposed. We have some holes in our lineup, and we couldn’t get anything going.

“The atmosphere was terrific was up there. That gym was hostile and packed. It was a great experience for our kids to see that environment. Even our kids that lost, they went out there and battled. We have some young kids going out there going against some of the other team’s best kids. It’s tough.

“It was a tall order for us, and it just didn’t work out. Hopefully, they learned something from the way it all played out. It really matters what happens in April, May, June, July and August. If these kids don’t step on a mat or pick up a weight then, we’ll be right back where we were – fighting for that third or fourth spot again. If these kids dedicate themselves, we’ll be in good shape.”

The program’s future excites Heinl.

“I think we have the potential here of doing better than a WPIAL championship,” he said. “For a team like Quaker Valley to even have that on their mind is a great accomplishment. This program was built the right way. It started with strong boosters, grass roots, getting some dads and moms involved. The school district adopted it. They’ve done everything right.

“Now, it’s up to the kids to go out there and continue to work hard and execute and bring a championship home to Quaker Valley.”

The individual postseason begins on Valentine’s Day with the sectional tournament. Several Quakers are expected to advance. Conner Redinger is a two-time WPIAL champ. He won at 106 as a freshman and at 132 last year. Justin Richey was fourth at 113, while Cutchember was second at 160 last year, but moved up to 182.

“I am optimistic Patrick Cutchember, Donovan Cutchember, Justin Richey and Conner Redinger will make some noise and make it out to Hershey and get out on the podium,” Heinl said. “For our younger wrestlers, I think it’s possible for all of them to make it to regionals at IUP. Then, who knows? We have some kids who might be able to sneak in there and get a ticket to Hershey.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.

By Mike Bires 

Posted Feb 1, 2020 at 6:04 PM

The Quaker Valley wrestling team advances to the state team tournament for the first time.

HOUSTON, Pa. – For the first time in its young, four-year existence, Quaker Valley’s wrestling program has reached a milestone by qualifying for the PIAA team tournament.

The Quakers earned their first trip to the states with a 52-27 win over McGuffey in the WPIAL Class 2A third-place consolation match on Saturday.

The win over McGuffey came around two hours after QV lost to perennial power Burrell, 57-15, in the semifinals.

“Huge for the program,” coach Mike Heinl said of the PIAA berth.

“This means a lot,” said Mason Diemert, a sophomore who wrestles in the 170-pound weight class for the Quakers. “We’re a young program, and we have a bright future ahead of us.”

Next up for the Quakers will be a road trip Monday to northwest Pennsylvania. They’ll take on the District 10 runner-up in a preliminary-round match of the state tournament.

The winner of that match will advance to the PIAA team championships in Hershey on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

“I don’t care where we’re going Monday,” said Heinl, who’s in his third season as coach. “We’re going to get on a bus and it will take us to a school where we have to show up and wrestle. We’ll have to wrestle a lot better than we did today.”

In Saturday’s matches held on two mats at Chartiers-Houston High School, Quaker Valley used 15 wrestlers: three seniors, four juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.

Against Burrell, which trounced Burgettstown 63-9 in the final to win its 14th consecutive WPIAL Class 2A title, Quaker Valley only won two of the 11 bouts that were wrestled. Justin Richey won by decision at 138 and Patrick Cutchember won by fall at 182.

In the consolation against McGuffey, QV won seven of 12 matches. Winning by pin were Logan Richey (106), Dominic Floro (126), Justin Richey (138), Austin Pantaleo (182), Patrick Cutchember (195) and Donovan Cutchember (220). At 160, Conner Redinger won by major decision.

“We got rolled in the first match,” Heinl said. “Burrell is a great program, but in my opinion, not taking anything away from Burrell, we just didn’t perform as well as we should have. But all credit goes to Burrell.

“We did wrestle a lot better in the second match,” Heinl added.

Last year in the WPIAL team tournament, Quaker Valley lost to Freedom in the semifinals and then lost to Beth Center in the consolation match.

But this year, the Quakers went 1-1 at Chartiers-Houston to earn a spot in the state tournament.

“That means we improved from last year,” Heinl said. “We have to keep going. But I won’t be satisfied until we win it all.”

By Bill Allmann, Times Sports Correspondent

Posted Jan 29, 2020 at 9:55 PM

With wins over Fort Cherry and Highlands Wednesday, the Quaker Valley wrestling team advanced to meet Burrell in the WPIAL Class 2A wrestling semifinals on Saturday.

LEETSDALE -- It was the opening round of the WPIAL Class 2A wrestling team playoffs that filled the gym at Quaker Valley Senior High School Wednesday.

But it was some outstanding individual efforts that will be sending the home team to the WPIAL championships Saturday at Chartiers-Houston High School.

In the first match, the individual spotlight fell squarely on Quaker Valley junior Conner Redinger, who took just 56 seconds to pin Fort Cherry’s Layton Sturgeon at 160 pounds en route to a 45-31 Quakers win.

The pin, though, was quite significant as it was the 100th win of Redinger’s career, and he became the first Quaker Valley wrestler to win 100 matches wearing a Quakers singlet –- in the past Quaker Valley wrestlers have competed for Moon and Sewickley Academy as part of co-op arrangements.

“It was really exciting to get the 100th, especially in front of my home fans and this big of a crowd,” said Redinger, a two-time WPIAL champion. He celebrated with a Chick-Fil-A sandwich between matches as the Quakers prepared for Highlands, an upset 46-36 winner over Laurel on the other mat.

“This body is a finely tuned machine, I have to take care of it,” laughed Redinger. “I thought we’d be wrestling Laurel, but it doesn’t matter to me, I don’t look at stats of my opponent, I just wrestle my match.”

The opponent, though does matter to coaches, and Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl was taking note of what was happening on the other mat.

“We were surprised, but Highlands showed up to wrestle,” said Heinl. “We were getting a little concerned, we’re just getting some starters back now.”

Highlands was led by Allegheny County champion Jake Burford in the 138-pound weight class, and Heinl’s wrestler at that weight was one of those starters back for the first time – sophomore Justin Richey.

Richey didn’t win, but keeping the match close by extending Burford to a 5-2 decision was a key factor in a 50-21 win – a win in which Quaker Valley never trailed.

“I wanted that match,” said Richey. “He beat me two years ago, and I wanted to wrestle. I had a fractured elbow and my goal all season has been to come back, wrestle, and get to Hershey.”

A second wrestler coming back from injury was also a key as senior Austin Pantaleo pinned Tyler Bender with :59 seconds left. Just 30 seconds into the first period, though, Pantaleo had to take an injury timeout for his leg.

“Austin injured his leg against Hopewell in December and just got cleared to come back,” Heinl said. “He was big tonight and we’re wrestling very well now as a team. That showed because we took care of business.

“We went to the championships last year and finished fourth of four teams. That was a miserable bus ride home, and I don’t think anyone wants that again. We just have to show up and take care of business.”

Redinger concurred.

“Justin and Austin both came back early and stepped up for us. This is no time to celebrate, we just have to stay focused and get ready to move on to Saturday.”

Quaker Valley will face Burrell, the 13-time defending Class 2A champion, Saturday at noon. Burrell, after a first-round bye, beat Beth Center 58-15 in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Saturday’s other semifinal will pit Burgettstown, which eliminated Freedom in the quarterfinals, against McGuffey, who beat Ellwood City in the opening round Wednesday.

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, January 29, 2020 | 1:20 PM

Quaker Valley transfer Hunter Robison’s hopes to wrestle this season were dashed by the PIAA.

The WPIAL previously ruled the state-ranked sophomore ineligible for the postseason and the PIAA agreed with that decision Tuesday, leaving him unable to compete in team or individual tournaments this winter.

The WPIAL Class 2A team tournament starts Wednesday.

Robison had his appeal heard by conference call and the PIAA hearing panel voted 5-0 to uphold the WPIAL decision, said PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi.

According to PIAA rules, transfers are postseason ineligible for one year after transferring unless the student qualifies for a specific hardship waiver. His father testified at a Jan. 20 eligibility hearing that he moved to Allegheny County for work-related reasons. The WPIAL decided Robison didn’t qualify for a waiver.

Robison transferred from General McLane in Edinboro. At the time, PaPowerWrestling.com ranked him second at 106 pounds in PIAA Class AA.

The PIAA requires that midseason transfers sit out 21 days, so Robison wasn’t able to wrestling for Quaker Valley in the regular season either.

Robison qualified for the PIAA tournament as a freshman. He placed second in District 10 last winter and third in the Northwest Regional. His career record is 41-10.

He started this season 6-2 with three pins and reached the semifinals of the King of the Mountain tournament Dec. 15 at Central Mountain.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Chris by email at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

By: Joe Sager 
Friday, January 24, 2020 | 5:27 PM

Last year, Quaker Valley’s wrestling team learned how to win a championship when it captured the Section 2 title.

This winter, the Quakers figured out what it took to stay on top as they defended their Section 2 team crown.

“It was such a nice feeling,” Quaker Valley sophomore Patrick Cutchember said. “Winning it two years in a row, it feels like the team is succeeding and we’re making an impact in wrestling even though we’re a newer program. It’s pretty good.”

Quaker Valley, in only its fourth year as a varsity program, beat Freedom, 51-23, in the section semifinals. Then, the Quakers defended their title with a 39-38 win over Laurel. In the next-to-last bout, Donovan Cutchember sealed the victory when he pinned his opponent.

“It’s a great feeling to win again, especially the way it came down to us needing a pin from Donovan to seal it,” Quaker Valley junior Conner Redinger said. “The crowd was all fired up; we were all fired up. It was an incredible experience for the older guys and the younger guys, too.”

Defending the section title was no easy task for Quaker Valley, which boasts a young roster that includes eight sophomores and five freshmen.

“By winning, it shows them what they are capable of,” Redinger said. “Our whole team, we’re a family. Everything we do is as a family. We lose together; we win together.”

The Quakers, who want to build their program into a perennial championship contender, welcomed many of their youth wrestlers to watch the Section 2 semifinals and final at the Quaker Valley High School gym.

“The atmosphere was phenomenal. Wrestling at the high school gym is pretty cool; it was a great environment. Even the opponents’ fans were terrific,” Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said. “For our younger kids, they saw all that energy and they got to celebrate with us. We had about 30 elementary wrestlers in the stands who got to witness it, too. It’s something we want to continue to build on. I don’t see why we can’t continue to work hard, fix our mistakes and get back there again next year.”

But, before worrying about next season, Quaker Valley is focused on the WPIAL Class AA team tournament. The top three teams advance to the PIAA tournament. Last year, the Quakers finished fourth.

“We were one spot away from making it to states; that’s been a huge chip on our shoulder all year,” Patrick Cutchember said. “Everyone is very confident in our ability to go all the way this year.”

The Quakers will host the first two rounds in their part of the bracket. In order to reach the championship, they’ll most likely have to get past top-seeded Burrell in the semifinals.

“We’ll need to show up. Everyone will have to be at their best for that one,” Redinger said. “Right now, I am super excited. Hopefully, I’ll get my 100th win there. A lot of these young kids haven’t experienced this. We’re trying to make this a tradition, like Burrell has. We are showing we can make an impact and be part of school history for a sport.”

Quaker Valley was scheduled to face Fort Cherry in the first round Wednesday. The winner was set to face the winner of Laurel and Highlands in the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Saturday at Chartiers-Houston.

“We have to beat somebody to be somebody. We can’t overlook Fort Cherry or Laurel in our bracket,” Heinl added. “If we make it to the team championship, we will get Burrell and they are the most dominant team around over the last 20 years. We’ll see what happens. We’re not out of it yet. We have a lot of work to do to beat those teams in that bracket. They are all solid.

“It stunk finishing fourth last year and seeing all the teams celebrate, while we were the ones going home. Hopefully, we’ll be able to change it.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.

By: Don Rebel 
Tuesday, January 28, 2020 | 10:51 PM

Waynesburg, Canon-McMillan, Seneca Valley and Hempfield are the four sites for the WPIAL Class AAA first round and quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Waynesburg is the topseed and will host Pine-Richland while Latrobe faces Connellsville.

Hempfield hosts Chartiers Valley in a first-round bout while defending WPIAL champion Kiski Area and South Fayette also square off at Hempfield.

Canon-McMillan hosts Norwin with the other first-round match being North Allegheny against Mt. Lebanon.

The two matches at Seneca Valley are the Raiders against Franklin Regional and Thomas Jefferson against Butler.

First-round matches are at 6 p.m. with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals, which start at 7:15 p.m.

AA playoffs begin

Burrell begins its quest for a 14th straight WPIAL AA wrestling championship, but it will have to wait an extra hour or so.

As the top seed, Burrell gets a first-round bye and will host the Beth-Center vs. Southmoreland winner in the quarterfinals.

Quaker Valley will be a host site as the Quakers host Fort Cherry and Highlands faces Laurel.

McGuffey will host Ellwood City while at the same site, Keystone Oaks takes on Elizabeth Forward.

Burgettstown is also hosting a doubleheader as it faces Mt. Pleasant and Freedom battles South Park.

The winners from the 6 p.m. first round will face each other in the quarterfinals at 7:15 p.m.

Seeding alert

There are a couple of WPIAL boys basketball nonsection games on Wednesday that could help the district steering committee put the brackets together in two weeks.

The committee uses nonsection games to help determine the seeding order and two games pitting playoff-bound teams stand out in these midweek battles.

Laurel Highlands (10-6) will visit Uniontown (15-1) in a matchup of Fayette County powers.

The Mustangs and Red Raiders will square off again on the last day of the regular season on Feb. 10 at Laurel Highlands.

Also on Wednesday, South Allegheny (15-1) visits Serra Catholic (10-6) in a battle of section leaders.

Don Rebel hosts the Rebel Yell podcasts for HSSN.

By: Greg Macafee
Saturday, January 18, 2020 | 1:36 PM

The semifinals have concluded at the 2020 Allegheny County wrestling tournament held at Fox Chapel and the championship field is set.

The Parade of Champions will begin at 5:45 with the first championship match set to begin at 6 p.m.

Of the 14 weight classes, 12 No. 1 seeds advanced to the championships. The only No. 1 seed to fall on Saturday was 106-pounder Jacob Goldberg from Taylor Allderdice. He was pinned in 3 minutes, 8 seconds by Montour’s James Walzer.

A few other things happened Saturday morning at Fox Chapel. North Hills 138-pounder Sam Hillegas continued his pin streak at the Allegheny County tournament. Besides two forfeits during his freshman year, Hillegas has won every match at the Allegheny County tournament via pin. On Saturday, he pinned Thomas Jefferson’s Kale Bucksio in 1:48.

No. 1 seeds Brendan Finnerty (160) from Thomas Jefferson and South Park’s Joey Fischer (120) both earned career win No. 100 during their semifinal bouts. Finnerty earned a 10-0 major decision over Fox Chapel’s Alex Wecht and Fischer earned a 3-2 decision over Gateway’s Evan Whiteside.

The semifinals also seemed to be a family affair on Saturday as three different sets of brothers took the mat at Fox Chapel. Mt. Lebanon’s Luke (195) and Mac Stout (170) both earned spots in the championships later in the day. But, Pine Richland’s Nate (145) and Jacob Lukez (152) also wrestled in the semifinals along with Quaker Valley’s Donovan (285) and Patrick Cutchember (182). Nate and Patrick were both No. 1 seeds in their brackets and earned spots in the championships with wins on Saturday.

Championship Matches

106: No. 2 Anthony Ferraro, Pine-Richland vs. No. 5 James Walzer, Montour

113: No. 1 Vince Citrano, Plum vs. No. 2 Tyler Diggins, Moon

120: No. 1 Joey Fischer, South Park vs. No. 2 Dylan Coy, North Allegheny

126: No. 1 Ryan Michaels, Elizabeth Forward vs. No. 3 Zachery Wright, Hampton

132: No. 1 Kelin Laffey, Pine-Richland vs. No. 2 Jrake Burford, Highlands

138: No. 1 Sam Hillegas, North Hills vs. No. 2 Max Stedeford, North Allegheny

145: No. 1 Nate Lukez, Pine Richland vs. No. 3 Jackson Gray, Mt. Lebanon

152: No. 1 Cole Redinger, Quaker Valley vs. No. 2 Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland

160: No. 1 Brendan Finnerty, Thomas Jefferson vs. No. 6 Oleg Melnyk, Carlynton

170: No. 1 Mac Stout, Mt. Lebanon vs. No. 3 Tyler Kocak, Hampton

182: No. 1 Patrick Cutchember, Quaker Valley vs. No. 2 Justin Hart, Hampton

195: No. 1 Luke Stout, Mt. Lebanon vs. No. 2 Luke Montgomery, Bethel Park

220: No. 2 Ed Farrell, Fox Chapel vs. No. 4 Andy Mellinger, McKeesport

285: No. 1 Ben Grafton, North Allegheny vs. No. 7 Nick Murphy, Elizabeth Forward

Semifinal Results

106: James Walzer, Montour p. Jacob Goldberg, Taylor Allderdice, 3:08; Anthony Ferraro, Pine-Richland m.d. Chase Brandebura, Carlynton, 16-2; 113: Vince Citrano, Plum t.f. Michael Carmody, Quaker Valley, 18-3 (3:14); Tyler Diggins, Moon p. Dylan Mayer, Taylor Allderdice, 4:34; 120: Joey Fischer, South Park d. Evan Whiteside, Gateway, 3-2; Dylan Coy, North Allegheny, d. Khyvon Grace, Moon, 8-2; 126: Ryan Michaels, Elizabeth Forward p. Robert Palmieri, Pine-Richland, 3:40; Zachery Wright, Hampton d. Jesse Galioto, West Mifflin, 12-10; 132: Kelin Laffey, Pine-Richland d. Jeremy MacPherson, North Hills, 8-3; Jrake Burford, Highlands p. Troy Jacobson, Taylor Allderdice, 2:42; 138: Sam Hillegas, North Hills p. Kale Bucksio, Thomas Jefferson, 1:48; Max Stedeford, North Allegheny d. Parker Loera, Bethel Park, 4-1; 145: Nate Lukez, Pine-Richland d. Freddy Junko, North Allegheny, 5-1; Jackson Gray, Mt. Lebanon p. Michael Zacur, Thomas Jefferson, 3:56; 152: Cole Redinger, Quaker Valley p. Jacob Lukez, Pine-Richland, 1:44; Cole Spencer, Pine-Richland d. Grant MacKay, North Allegheny, 5-1; 160: Brendan Finnerty, Thomas Jefferson, m.d. Alex Wecht, Fox Chapel, 10-0; Oleg Melnyk, Carlynton p. Gage Galuska, Hampton, 3:02; 170: Mac Stout, Mt. Lebanon d. Brian Finnerty, Thomas Jefferson, 7-2; Tyler Kocak, Hampton d. Eli Brinsky, South Fayette, 5-3; 182: Patrick Cutchember, Quaker Valley d. Riley O’Mara, Bethel Park, 18-16; Justin Hart, Hampton d. Nick Whittington, Keystone Oaks, 3-2; 195: Luke Stout, Mt. Lebanon p. Donovan O’Malleu, Chartiers Valley, :53; Luke Montgomery, Bethel Park d. Nick Marcenelle, North Allegheny, 2-0; 220: Andy Mellinger, McKeesport d. Donovan Cutchember, Quaker Valley, 8-2; Ed Farrell, Fox Chapel p. Josh Sobeck, Montour, 1:58; 285: Ben Grafton, North Allegheny d. Quentin Franklin, South Fayette, 3-2 u.t.b.; Nick Murphy, Elizabeth Forward p. Senneca Harney, Moon, :41

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

By: Greg Macafee
Friday, January 17, 2020 | 6:40 PM

PreviousNext

For the past three years, the Allegheny County tournament has been good to Mt. Lebanon senior Luke Stout.

He’s a three-time champ and after earning three pins on Friday at Fox Chapel High School, Stout is making a run at No. 4.

“I’ve just wanted to keep doing the same stuff I’ve been doing,” Stout said. “I think it would be cool to win four titles, so I’m gonna try everything in my power to do that.”

The 195-ponder earned his first fall of the day in 11 seconds over South Allegheny’s Charles Sethman. For an encore, Stout went up 7-0 on Keyshawn Frazier from Woodland Hills in the Round of 16, then pinned him in 42 seconds.

He capped off the day with a 1 minute, 16 second pin of Dalton Dobyns from Moon that punched his ticket to Saturday’s semifinals.

“I think I was able to get to my attack right away and assert myself pretty quick,” Stout said. “So that kind of allowed me to save myself for tomorrow and the rest of my matches.”

In his first match Saturday — the semifinal rounds will begin at 11 a.m. — Stout will take on Donovan O’Malley from Chartiers Valley.

Luke won’t be the only Stout wrestling on Saturday as his younger brother Mac also worked his way into the semifinals.

Mac, who wrestles at 170 pounds for Mt. Lebanon, earned three pins on Friday as well and will take on No. 4 seed Brian Finnerty from Thomas Jefferson.

While his older brother knows there is still work to be done, he’s hoping he and his brother can win a county title together once again.

“Last year we got to win the title together, so it’s the same plan this year,” Luke said.

Quick and easy

North Hills 138-pounder Sam Hillegas is a two-time Allegheny County champion and when he won his weight class last year, he put on a show, winning all five of his matches via pin. Only one got out of the first period.

On Friday at Fox Chapel, Hillegas looked to top that performance. He won his first two matches via pin and neither lasted longer than 30 seconds. His first came in 15 seconds and his second came in 22.

“I got to my shot right off the bat and locked up something tight,” Hillegas said. “I got a cradle in both matches and just made sure it was tight enough to get the fall.”

Hillegas’ first day at the Allegheny County tournament ended quickly and as he received a default to the semifinal round on Saturday. The North Hills senior is looking forward to it.

“I was just trying to get these matches out of the way for today before the better competition comes tomorrow,” Hillegas said. “Tomorrow, I’ll be able to open up a little more, get to my stuff and work on some different things.”

Hillegas will take on Kale Buckiso from Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals.

Familiar faces

When Quaker Valley’s Logan Richey and Mike Carmody stepped onto the mat for their 113-pound quarterfinal match on Friday, they found themselves staring at each other and competing for a semifinal berth.

Because of a PIAA rule change that permits schools to enter more than one wrestler in a weight class, teammates have found themselves going up against each other at times this season. On Friday, it just so happened to be Richey’s and Carmody’s turn.

“I think it’s good and they are practice partners, so they don’t really get a chance to go at each other,” Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said. “I was just concerned about Logan Richey coming back from an arm injury, but they are competitors and they were like, ‘Let’s go do it.’”

Carmody came out on top with a 15-8 decision and earned an opportunity to take on No. 1 seed Vince Citrano from Plum in the semifinals.

Still alive

Heading into Saturday’s semifinals, every No. 1 seed but one still has an opportunity to compete for a county title.

The only top seed that won’t be making an appearance in the semifinals is 220-pounder Damon Thompson. The North Hills senior dropped a close 3-1 decision to Quaker Valley’s Donovan Cutchember in the quarterfinals. Cutchember used a third-period takedown with 7 seconds left to seal the win.

Remaining No. 1 seeds:

106: Jacob Goldberg, Taylor Allderdice; 113: Vince Citrano, Plum; 120: Joey Fischer, South Park; 126: Ryan Michaels, Elizabeth Forward; 132: Kelin Laffey, Pine-Richland; 138: Sam Hillegas, North Hills; 145: Nate Lukez, Pine Richland; 152: Conner Redinger, Quaker Valley; 160: Brendan Finnerty, Thomas Jefferson; 170: Mac Stout, Mt. Lebanon; 182: Patrick Cutchember, Quaker Valley; 195: Luke Stout, Mt. Lebanon; 285: Ben Grafton, North Allegheny

Top 10 teams:

1. Pine Richland, 139; 2. North Allegheny, 130.5; 3. Mt. Lebanon, 107.5; 4. Thomas Jefferson, 107; 5. Hampton, 106; 6. North Hills, 105; 7. Elizabeth Forward, 97; 8. South Fayette, 93; 9. Chartiers Valley, 88; T-10. Moon, 85; T-10. Quaker Valley, 85

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 | 8:00 AM

Quaker Valley wrestler Hunter Robison, a talented midseason transfer from General McLane, might not suit up for the Quakers this season.

The WPIAL denied Robison’s request for a postseason waiver at a hearing Monday in Green Tree, leaving him ineligible for the upcoming team and individual tournaments. PIAA rules also required Robison to sit out 21 days after transferring, a waiting period that ends Thursday.

However, the postseason begins Wednesday with team section championships.

“He doesn’t fit the criteria to grant postseason eligibility based on what he submitted,” WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said. “That can be appealed to the PIAA, if they want to go that route.”

The sophomore was ranked second in the state at 106 pounds when he transferred.

Robison enrolled at Quaker Valley on Dec. 20, the last day before winter break, according to testimony Monday. However, General McLane didn’t start his withdrawal until Jan. 2, which delayed the start of his 21-day wait for two weeks.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Chris by email at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, January 12, 2020 | 12:39 AM

The WPIAL team wrestling regular season is down to the final week.

Section matches are set to conclude Wednesday.

The top three teams from each sub-section qualify for section tournaments.

The WPIAL team sectionals are scheduled for Jan. 22.

The top teams in each of the two sub-sections face the runners-up in the opposing sub-section. The winners then meet for the section championship.

Meanwhile, the third-place finishers in each sub-section compete to determine the fifth section qualifier that will move on to the WPIAL playoffs.

The WPIAL will put together the Class AAA and AA team wrestling playoff brackets Jan. 23.

The district team playoffs are set for the Week of Jan. 27.

Here are the teams that have clinched a place in the team sectionals by clinching one of the top three spots in their sub-section through Sunday:

Class AAA

Section 1A

Kiski Area

Franklin Regional

Section 1B

Hempfield

Latrobe

Greensburg Salem

Section 2A

Connellsville

Thomas Jefferson

West Mifflin

Section 2B

Mt. Lebanon

Peters Township

Section 3A

Seneca Valley

Butler

Pine-Richland

Section 3B

Hampton

Section 4A

Canon-McMillan

South Fayette

Section 4B

Trinity

Waynesburg

Class AA

Section 1A

Burgettstown

South Park

Section 1B

Beth-Center

McGuffey

Section 2A

Laurel

Ellwood City

Freedom

Section 2B

Quaker Valley

Keystone Oaks

Section 3A

Burrell

Summit Academy

Section 3B

Elizabeth Forward

Southmoreland

Don Rebel hosts the Rebel Yell podcasts for HSSN.

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, January 9, 2020 | 8:58 PM

Sophomore wrestler Hunter Robison, who’s ranked second in the state, has transferred to Quaker Valley.

Robison, who arrived in late December from General McLane near Erie, will be eligible to compete starting next week, Quaker Valley athletic director Mike Mastroianni said. PIAA rules mandate that midseason transfers sit out 21 days after switching schools.

Pa-Wrestling.com ranks Robison second at 106 pounds in PIAA Class AA. He started this season 6-2 with three pins and reached the semifinals of the King of the Mountain tournament Dec. 15 at Central Mountain. He comes to Quaker Valley from a strong General McLane program that has five other wrestlers also ranked statewide.

Robison qualified for the PIAA tournament as a freshman. He placed second in District 10 last winter and third in the Northwest Regional. His career record is 41-10.

He’s eligible for the regular season but likely would need a waiver from the WPIAL or PIAA to compete in the postseason. All transfers after the start of 10th grade are postseason ineligible under PIAA rules.

He joins a Quaker Valley team that’s 9-4 and ranked sixth in WPIAL Class AA under coach Mike Heinl.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Chris by email at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

January 10, 2020 6:15 AM

Ken Wunderley / Tri-State Sports & News Service

TEAM RANKINGS

(Includes matches through Jan. 5.)

WPIAL Class 2A

1. Burrell (2-1)

2. Burgettstown (4-0)

3. Elizabeth Forward (3-0)

4. McGuffey (7-0)

5. Quaker Valley (8-4)

6. Beth-Center (5-3)

7. Laurel (3-0)

8. Southmoreland (6-2)

9. South Park (7-1)

10. Freedom (2-2)

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

WPIAL Class 2A

106 pounds

1. Shane Ilginfritz, Burgettstown

2. Niko Ferra, Burrell

3. Shane Momyer, Yough

4. Micah Hughes, Valley

5. Chase Brandebura, Carlynton

113 pounds

1. Luke Geibig, Mount Pleasant

2. Sean Szymanski, Burrell

3. Julian Moore, Fort Cherry

4. Joey Holmes, Beth-Center

5. Logan Richey, Quaker Valley

120 pounds

1. Ryan Michaels, Elizabeth Forward

2. Joey Fisher, South Park

3. Kyle McCollum, Beth-Center

4. Joey Sentipal, Burgettstown

5. Nick Salerno, Burrell

126 pounds

1. Tyler Cymmerman, Derry Area

2. Damien George, Mount Pleasant

3. Justin Richey, Quaker Valley

4. Timmy Cafrelli, S.S. Beaver

5. Bryce Rodrigues, Carlynton

132 pounds

1. Ian Oswalt, Burrell

2. Nathan Yagle, McGuffey

3. Tyler Berish, Beth-Center

4. Jrake Burford, Highlands

5. Nick Moore, Laurel

138 pounds

1. Kenny Dushek, Freedom

2. Noah Gnibus, Mount Pleasant

3. Eddie Huehn, Carlynton

4. Todd Fisher, Beth-Center

5. Noah Weston, Bentworth

145 pounds

1. Anthony Weil, South Park

2. Nick Laughner, Mount Pleasant

3. Trevor Petit, Beth-Center

4. Rocco Ferraro, McGuffey

5. Anthony Navarra, S.S. Beaver

152 pounds

1. Connor Redinger, Quaker Valley

2. A.J. Corrado, Burrell

3. Shane Kemper, Burgettstown

4. Noah Hunnell, Elizabeth-Forward

5. Jake Moore, Laurel

160 pounds

1. Thayne Lawrence, Frazier

2. Ethan Barr, McGuffey

3. Oleg Melnyk, Carlynton

4. Patrick Brewer, Mount Pleasant

5. Joey Boughton, Avonworth

170 pounds

1. Trent Schultheis, Freedom

2. Patrick Cutchember, Quaker Valley

3. D.J. Slovick, Burgettstown

4. Owen Petrisek, Bentworth

5. Seth Burgdolt, McGuffey

182 pounds

1. Collin Milko, Carlynton

2. Ethan Cain, Elizabeth-Forward

3. Turner Lehman, Burgettstown

4. Braden Strohecker, Laurel

5. Anthony Govern, Southmoreland

195 pounds

1. Austin Walley, Ellwood City

2. Nick Whittington, Keystone Oaks

3. Ricky Feroce, Burrell

4. Garrett Boone, McGuffey

5. Brett Huffman, Southmoreland

220 pounds

1. Donovan Cutchember, Quaker Valley

2. Jake Barbabella, Avonworth

3. Robbie West, Fort Cherry

4. Mikey Scherer, Burrell

5. John Blackburn, South Park

285 pounds

1. Riley Kemper, Burgettstown

2. Mitch Miles, Laurel

3. Nick Murphy, Elizabeth-Forward

4. Brock Bedillion, West Greene

5. Cameron Carter-Green, Washington

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, January 7, 2020 | 5:20 PM

Class AA

106: 1. Shane Ilgenfritz, sr., Burgettstown (12-6); 2. Chase Brandebura, fr., Carlynton (9-2); 3. Micah Hughes, so., Valley, (8-4); 4. Niko Ferra, fr., Burrell (10-7); 5. Josh Harbert, fr., Ligonier Valley (14-5).

113: 1. Luke Geibig, so., Mt. Pleasant (16-6); 2. Sean Szymanski, so., Burrell (14-6); 3. Julian Moore, fr., Fort Cherry (11-1); 4. Michael Carmody, fr., Quaker Valley (4-2); 5. Joey Holmes, sr., Beth-Center (13-9).

120: 1. Joey Fischer, jr., South Park (12-2); 2. Ryan Michaels, sr., Elizabeth Forward (10-2); 3. Nick Salerno, so., Burrell (6-4); 4. Kyle McCollum, so., Beth-Center (11-3); 5. Joey Sentipal, fr., Burgettstown (14-3).

126: 1. Ty Cymmerman, jr., Derry Area (16-3); 2. Damian George, sr., Mt. Pleasant (17-5); 3. Justin Richey, so., Quaker Valley (14-2); 4. Bryce Rodriguez, so., Carlynton (7-3); 5. Jacob Merriman, sr., Fort Cherry (7-4).

132: 1. Ian Oswalt, jr., Burrell (14-4); 2. Nathan Yagla, jr., McGuffey (14-4); 3. Tyler Berish, fr., Beth-Center (11-2); 4. Jrake Burford, so., Highlands (13-3); 5. Nick Moore, sr., Laurel (16-6).

138: 1. Ryan Herbert, so., Ligonier Valley (13-3); 2. Noah Gnibus, so., Mt. Pleasant (10-5); 3. Todd Fisher, sr., Beth-Center (15-5); 4. Noah Weston, so., Bentworth (10-5); 5. Eddie Juehn, sr., Carlynton (7-3).

145: 1. Kenny Duschek, jr., Freedom (9-2); 2. Anthony Weil, sr., South Park (9-2); 3. Nick Loughner, sr., Mt. Pleasant (11-6); 4. Nick Yeskey, sr., Southmoreland (11-6); 5. Trevor Pettit, so., Beth-Center (15-6).

152: 1. Conner Redinger, jr., Quaker Valley (13-4); 2. A.J. Corrado, jr., Burrell (14-5); 3. Omar Williams, sr., Keystone Oaks (10-4); 4. Nick Hunnell, sr., Elizabeth Forward (5-4); 5. Jake Moore, sr., Laurel (13-5).

160: 1. Thayne Lawrence, sr., Frazier (6-2); 2. Ethan Barr, jr., McGuffey (20-2); 3. Shane Kemper, jr., Burgettstown (13-3); 4. Patrick Brewer, sr., Mt. Pleasant (11-6); 5. Brock White, so., Highlands (12-3).

170: 1. Trent Schultheis, jr., Freedom Area (8-3); 2. Patrick Cutchember, so., Quaker Valley (13-3); 3. Owen Petrisek, sr., Bentworth (9-3); 4. Seth Burgdolt, sr., McGuffey (11-3); 5. D.J. Slovich, so., Burgettstown (10-5).

182: 1. Collin Milko, jr., Carlynton (5-2); 2. Ethan Cain, sr., Elizabeth Forward (9-3); 3. Austin Pantaleo, sr., Quaker Valley (6-6); 4. Turner Lehman, jr., Burgettstown (14-6); 5. Austin Kuslock, jr., Chartiers-Houston (11-5).

195: 1. Dayton Pitzer, so., Mt. Pleasant (0-0); 2. Austin Walley, sr., Ellwood City (11-1); 3. Nick Whittington, sr., Keystone Oaks (11-0); 4. Ricky Feroce, sr., Burrell (9-7); 5. Braden Strohecker, sr., Laurel (10-4).

220: 1. Jake Barbabella, jr., Avonworth (5-1); 2. Mikey Scherer, sr., Burrell (12-6); 3. Jonathan Wolfe, jr., Jefferson-Morgan (4-2); 5. Robbie West, jr., Fort Cherry (15-3).

285: 1. Riley Kemper, sr., Burgettstown (15-1); 2. Mitch Miles, jr., Laurel (15-0); 3. Nick Murphy, so., Elizabeth Forward (10-3); 4. Brock Bedilion, sr., West Greene (8-3); 5. Cameron Carter-Green, so., Washington (15-5).

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Paul by email at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, January 7, 2020 | 11:46 PM

Many questions surround the WPIAL football landscape for the 2020 and 2021 seasons as realignment is set to take place.

Will there be changes to the playoff format?

Will the WPIAL use a more geographical setup when creating regular-season schedules?

How will conferences be affected by teams moving up or going down in class?

Some of those questions might be answered Wednesday when the district holds a “town meeting” with athletic directors, principals and coaches of member schools at North Hills Middle School.

District officials plan to present options to see what a majority prefer.

The new alignment and conference setup is expected to be released after the monthly WPIAL board of control meeting in February.

Sub-section crown up for grabs

Last year, Keystone Oaks wrestling finished first and Quaker Valley second in WPIAL Class AA Section 2B.

In the team sectionals, both won semifinals matches and met in the finals. Unlike their regular-season match, the Quakers came out on top with a 43-33 victory.

Quaker Valley parlayed that section title into a No. 3-seed in the WPIAL Class AA tournament and won two matches before losing to Freedom in the semifinals, then losing to Beth-Center in the consolation match.

Keystone Oaks dropped to a No. 8 seed in the playoff tournament and lost to McGuffey in the first round.

Quaker Valley (2-0) visits Keystone Oaks (2-0) with first place and the likely regular season title up for grabs in AA-2B.

Bucs stop here

Burrell will visit Summit Academy in a WPIAL Class AA Section 3A match.

The Knights are the only obstacle left between the Buccaneers and another first-place finish in the sub-section.

Burrell destroyed previously unbeaten Highlands, 69-3, on Monday, leaving the 3-0 Bucs and 3-0 Knights as the only two unbeaten teams in 3A-AA.

Summit Academy beat South Allegheny on Monday, 42-30.

Don Rebel hosts the Rebel Yell podcasts for HSSN.

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 | 2:02 PM

WPIAL TEAM RANKINGS

Class AAA

Team, Record, Prev.

1. Waynesburg, 3-0, 1

2. Seneca Valley, 4-0, 2

3. Canon-McMillan, 4-0, 3

4. Hempfield, 12-2, 4

5. Kiski Area, 7-2, 5

6. Norwin, 5-2, 6

7. Connellsville, 6-1, 7

8. Mt. Lebanon, 7-1, 8

9. Butler, 2-1, 9

10. Greensburg Salem, 2-1, 10

Class AA

Team, Record, Prev.

1. Burrell, 2-1, 1

2. Burgettstown, 4-0, 2

3. Elizabeth Forward, 3-0, 3

4. Laurel, 3-0, 4

5. McGuffey, 7-0, 5

6. Quaker Valley, 8-4, 6

7. Freedom, 1-2, 7

8. Mt. Pleasant, 3-4, 8

9. Southmoreland, 5-3, 9

10. Derry Area, 4-4, 10

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Paul by email at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

By: Joe Sager 
Sunday, December 15, 2019 | 11:50 AM

Quaker Valley’s wrestling team has improved incrementally in its first three years.

The Quakers hope to take their biggest step this season. After winning a section title last season and finishing fourth in the WPIAL Class AA team tournament,Quaker Valley wants to contend for a WPIAL title and reach the PIAA tournament.

“We want to keep making jumps year after year,” assistant coach Austin Heinl said. “We went from just making the team tournament to winning a section title and being in the top four in the WPIAL. Now, let’s make that jump and head to Hershey.”

Quaker Valley graduated three seniors in JohnRocco Kazalas, Geoff Magin and Bradley Fadeley. They played prominent roles in the team’s success.

“We have almost 20 kids on our roster, which is more than we ever experienced. The good thing is we’re not really starting from scratch with a lot of these wrestlers,” Heinl said. “A lot of our guys were part of program when the youth program started in 2012. We are just reaping the benefits of all the hard work the parents, boosters and wrestlers have put into it.”

Three wrestlers — Austin Francic, Paige Lenhardt and Austin Pantaleo — have been with the high school team since it debuted in 2016.

“It’s nice to see how they have improved and how the team has grown,” Heinl said.

Quaker Valley welcomes back starters Conner Redinger, Justin Richey, Patrick Cutchember, Donovan Cutchember, Cole White, Mason Diemert, John Rafla, Francic and Pantaleo to the lineup. Logan Richey, Dom Floro, Gino Angeletti, Liam Cain, Nathan Dicks, Christian Brown and Sean Mariner are expected to contribute.

“It’s pretty cool to see how much a lot of the guys have grown over the past year,” Redinger said. “If everybody gets down to the weight they need to be at, we feel confident we can be pretty competitive.”

Redinger is a two-time WPIAL champ. He won at 106 as a freshman and at 132 last year. He is wrestling at 160 this season.

“It’s all about adjusting to bigger guys now,” he said. “It’s going to be a bigger task adjusting to their strength and size. I was used to being one of the tallest guys in my weight class, but now I am going against taller guys. It’s a bumpy road now, but I’ll get used to it.”

Redinger is working his way back from knee surgery in October.

“I am just getting backing into it, but I feel great,” he said. “Not wrestling drove me absolutely insane. I want to go win a state title this year.”

Heinl has no doubt Redinger will adapt.

“Whenever you make a jump like that, there’s always an adjustment period,” Heinl said. “I was expecting a little bit of a hiccup, but he has been putting a lot of work in during the offseason, and I think he is definitely getting used to the size now and we’ll see where his final weight ends up.”

Redinger isn’t the only one with high hopes. Patrick Cutchember finished second in the WPIAL last season at 160, and Richey was fourth at 113.

“They look sharp and ready to roll,” Redinger said. “We graduated some good wrestlers, but we have some good ones coming in. We have a lot of holes right now, but we’ll get it figured out and be a strong team for the postseason.”

 Shawn Annarelli

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 | 1:30 PM

Justin Richey

School: Quaker Valley

Sport: Wrestling

Class: Sophomore

Claim to fame: Justin Richey has trained since April for the wrestling season, so it’s not a surprise to Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl that he’s excelling this season. Richey went undefeated in five bouts Saturday at the Moon Duals.

Why do you love wrestling?

I put so much work into wrestling, and the reward of achieving something you’ve worked so hard for is so satisfying. There’s not another sport as satisfying as wrestling.

What did you try to improve the most in the offseason?

I worked on top position. I struggled a lot last year keeping kids down. I worked a lot over the summer on my top game, and I really think I improved this year getting back points and scoring.

What do you enjoy about having your younger brother Logan on the team?

He’s someone that’s experienced everything I have gone through. He knows first-hand how much I’ve put into wrestling, and it’s nice to experience this together.

Who do you learn a lot from on the team?

Conner Redinger and Patrick Cutchember are always showing me new things. We’ll just be wrestling in certain positions, and they’ll just stop me and say, ‘hey, try to do this instead.’ All the time, they stop me and show me how to do something different.

What do you enjoy outside of wrestling?

I started playing lacrosse a few years ago, and I really love that, too.

What are your goals this season for wrestling?

My main goal is to make the podium at states.