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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 years ago @ 9:31AM

Quaker Valley wins two titles

Joshua Carney

Beaver County Times

PAIR OF QUAKERS CLAIM WPIAL TITLES

A special senior season became that much sweeter for Quaker Valley senior Justin Richey. 

Richey claimed his first-ever WPIAL Class 2A individual championship in the 152-pound weight class with a thrilling two-point reversal late in sudden victory, pulling out a 3-2 win over Bethlehem Center's Tyler Berish to stand alone on top of the championship podium.

Richey's individual championship comes on the same day the Quaker Valley standout recorded his 100th career win, defeating Avonworth's Joey Boughton in the semifinals in a 9-3 decision.

In the championship match against Berish, Richey recorded an escape in the second period to take a 1-0 lead before Berish escaped late in the third period to tie it 1-1, forcing overtime. 

Neither wrestler was able to score in the first overtime, but then Berish recorded an escape in the second overtime, setting up sudden victory. With just seconds remaining, Richey scored a reversal, picking up the historic win. 

"It means everything to me," Richey said following his WPIAL championship. "These are goals that I set in the beginning of the year ... the team WPIAL championship, 100 wins, an individual championship. I think about those goals every day, whether it was waking up in the morning, coming to practice. It made me train harder, thinking about those goals. This just means everything to me."

Without a late reversal though, Richey could have come up short on a goal. However, that reversal, according to both Richey and Quaker Valley head coach Mike Heinl, can be credited to the high-level of conditioning that Richey employs. 

"We've talked about conditioning, and Justin often being the first one in the room getting work in. That conditioning paid off in a big way in probably the biggest match of his career," Heinl said. "We weren't worried about his conditioning today. We knew, based on the way he was wrestling in overtime, that he had enough left in the gas tank and it paid off for him."

"I could tell that he (Berish) was out of gas a bit," Richey said. "I just kept wrestling on the bottom though. The last thing I want to do is feel panicked. You want to stay calm at all times. I just tried to stay calm there and just kept wrestling, and it paid off."

Along with Richey's WPIAL championship, teammate Patrick Cutchember claimed his second straight WPIAL Class 2A individual championship with a 6-3 decision win over Mt. Pleasant's Noah Gnibus. Cutchember, who dominated all season long, cruised into the WPIAL championship match due to a forfeit from Central Valley's Brenan Morgan in the semifinals, setting up the matchup with Gnibus, someone Cutchember had never wrestled before.

Though he was known as more of a pinner throughout the season, Cutchember wasn't able to find an opportunity to end the match against Gnibus by fall. Instead, Cutchember scored a takedown in the first period and added two reversals in the second period before running out the clock for the 6-3 win. 

"We wanted to score more points, but the match dictated being a little more conservative," Heinl said. "Just getting the win and moving on works though. Patrick is an exciting, high-scoring wrestler that likes to pin his opponent, just didn't get the opportunity today. 

"I like where Patrick's at. His bracket in regionals will be a good challenge for him."

Despite clinching his second straight WPIAL individual championship, Cutchember has bigger goals in mind. 

"I've been in this situation before, so I know the feeling of winning this thing," Cutchember said following the WPIAL championship. "It's a tough tournament for sure, but I've got so much more I'm looking forward to this year. I'm feeling content right now, but it's on to the next tournament for me."

AREA WRESTLERS QUALIFY FOR REGIONALS 

That next tournament for Cutchember, Richey and Boni is the Southwestern AA regional wrestling championship at Peters Township in early March. Joining the trio of champions will be a handful of Beaver Valley wrestlers that placed inside the top eight at the WPIAL championships Saturday afternoon.

In the 106-pound weight class, Quaker Valley's Isaac Maccaglia, South Side's Killian Turek, and Ellwood City's Derek Allen all qualified for the regional tournament as Maccaglia placed third, Turek placed fifth and Allen placed seventh. 

At 113 pounds, Quaker Valley's Jack Kazalas shook off a tough semifinal loss to West Green's Seth Burns by decision (3-2) to win the third-place match and clinch a spot in regionals. In the 120-pound weight class, Quaker Valley's Logan Richey placed fourth, also qualifying for regionals. 

Though he came up short in the 126-pound championship, South Side's Timmy Cafrelli will also wrestle at regionals. Cafrelli topped Carlynton's Bryce Rodriguez in the semifinals by decision (9-7) before then losing to Elizabeth Forward's Dylan Bruce in the championship match by decision (7-3). Also in the 126-pound weight class, Quaker Valley's Brandon Krul placed third, thanks to a win by fall over Bethlehem Center's Dylan Stepp. Freedom's Gavin McCray also qualified for regionals by placing seventh in the weight class. 

 

In the 132-pound weight class, Freedom's Tanner Millward and South Side's Ryder Goe placed sixth and seventh in the consolation bracket, advancing to the regionals, while Freedom's Matthew Schultheis placed eighth at 138 pounds. 

At 152 pounds, Hopewell's Isaiah Pisano lives to wrestle another day thanks to a fourth-place finish in the championship.

Quaker Valley's Mason Diemert finished as the runner-up at 172 pounds, running into a buzzsaw in Frazier sophomore Rune Lawrence, who pinned Diemert in 1:56, winning his second straight WPIAL championship. 

At 189 pounds, Central Valley's Morgan finished fourth in the consolation bracket, qualifying for regionals, while Freedom's Landon Millward and Central Valley's Alex Kuzma clinched spots at regionals in the 215-pound bracket thanks to fourth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively.

Closing out the tournament at 285 pounds, Central Valley's Lance Crawley and Ellwood City's Donavin Stifller qualified for regionals with seventh- and eighth-place finishes, respectively.

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 9:21AM

Clutch performances helped carry Quaker Valley to 1st WPIAL wrestling title

By:  
Sunday, February 13, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Patrick Cutchember ignited the engine; Justin Richey drove the Quakers over the finish line.

Quaker Valley’s wrestling team won a decision that was noticed around the Western Pennsylvania, as well as the state.

The Quakers, seeded third in Class 2A, edged 15-time defending champion Burrell, 30-28, on Jan. 5 at Chartiers-Houston High School to earn their first WPIAL championship in school history.

“We were excited for the opportunity,” QV coach Mike Heinl said. “The team was extremely poised throughout the day. We met up at 8 a.m. in the practice room and played handball, talked and watched some film. As we were walking out of the practice room to board the bus, I heard a few wrestlers say, ‘When we come back here later, we will be WPIAL champs.’”

Top seed Burrell (11-5) had reeled in 15 WPIAL championships in a row prior to this year. The Bucs have won 164 consecutive section matches and 19 straight section titles.

The Bucs also had won 48 consecutive WPIAL playoff matches after defeating Mt. Pleasant, 33-24, in the semifinals.

“Burrell is the gold standard for wrestling in Pennsylvania,” Heinl said. “They are well coached and they do not lose very often. Their kids are tough, and we knew we needed our kids to step it up a notch. It’s not easy (to do) after beating Burgettstown, an undefeated team ranked higher than you. We had to quickly recover mentally (following the semifinal round) and go out against a team that hasn’t lost in 15 years.

“We have some 14-year-old wrestlers on our team so they weren’t even born when Burrell was defeated at a WPIAL match.”

The Bucs jumped out to an early 12-0 advantage against QV until Cutchember secured a pin with only 13 seconds remaining in a marquee matchup at 215 pounds.

“Patrick got us on the board with a huge pin against the No. 2-ranked kid in the WPIAL,” Heinl said.

The QV senior, who held a 20-8 lead late in the third period, improved to 29-4 on the season and 126-29 for his career, and raised his team-high pin total to 19.

“For me, the key was that the team needed bonus points,” Cutchember said. “Our coaches told me that they needed for me to get bonus points for us to win so I went out and got them.

“After the pin I would say I was somewhat relieved. I was glad to be able to have gotten the pin for the team because it was getting late in the match and I had not had a good opportunity for a pin yet. Also, it was a relief to not have to worry about my match anymore and just focus on cheering on my team.”

Cutchember has been one of several stalwarts in the QV wrestling program. He finished with 30, 40 and 27 wins in his first three seasons with the Quakers.

“I’m very proud of myself and the team for what we were able to accomplish,” Cutchember said following the WPIAL match. “I knew we were capable of such accomplishments, but to actually be able to go out and complete our goals is a great feeling.”

In the critical last bout of the WPIAL match, Richey was clutch.

Also a senior, Richey needed to win by a fall or technical fall at 152 pounds, as Burrell held a 28-24 lead.

“I was having fun and letting loose,” Richey said. “I tried not to let all the emotions get to me. I just went out there to score points and get the job done.

“I had pure happiness for the team and coaches and everyone who contributed to this championship.”

It took Richey just 37 seconds to take care of business, registering his 18th pin of the season.

“We knew we were going to finish at 152,” Heinl said. “Justin, one of our captains, was going to get the chance to win it for us. I talked to Justin before he walked out on the mat. He was calm and nodded in confidence that he was going to make it happen.

“He got the job done.”

Richey boosted his 2021-22 record to 25-5 and his career mark to 93-35. He has registered at least 20 wins in all four of his varsity seasons, including 29 in his freshman campaign.

Richey said winning the WPIAL crown was team effort.

“Our team worked hard to earn this title. This was a team goal,” he said. “Everyone contributed to beating the streak.

“I am fortunate to have great teammates and coaches and great team leaders like Patrick Cutchember and Mason Diemert.”

Quaker Valley, in its fifth year of wrestling, improved to 17-3 with its ninth straight victory, including a tense 36-35 decision over No. 2 seed and previously undefeated Burgettstown (13-1) in the semifinal round.

“Burgettstown was a tough team,” Heinl said. “We have a lot of respect for them.”

Burrell coach Josh Shields wasn’t surprised by the Quakers’ victory over Burgettstown. 

“I thought all year Quaker Valley was the second-best team next to mine,” said Shields in an interview with Trib HSSN. “They’ve been a very talented team throughout. They got some new guys in this year, and they showed up and battled.” 

Burrell won seven bouts against QV, which won six. But the Quakers’ point-total was bolstered by four pins.

Along with Richey and Cutchember, sophomores Isaac Maccaglia and Jack Kazalas achieved falls at 106 and 113. Kazalas earned his in 53 seconds to improve to 28-2 overall. He was 28-8 as a freshman. Maccaglia gained his pin in 2:28 to go to 20-6.

“I’m very proud of myself and the team for what we were able to accomplish,” Cutchember said. “I knew we were capable of such accomplishments, but to actually be able to go out and complete our goals is a great feeling.”

Two other QV winners were freshman Marcus Richey, at 126, and junior Brandon Krul, at 132. Krul gave the Quakers their first lead of the match at 24-21 with a 4-3 decision, boosting his season record to 23-8.

“Brandon Krul had a huge win with a late third-period takedown,” Heinl said. ”Our lightweights, Maccaglia, Kazalas and, of course, Justin Richey, who sealed the deal, got us some much-needed pins.

“Logan Richey also battled Cooper Hornack to a one-point loss. Hornack is a highly accomplished wrestler for Burrell and Logan wrestled well. Jack Diemert lost but prevented Burrell from getting bonus points.”

Against Burgettstown, Richey (152), Cutchember (189), Chae Kretzler (215), Jack Kazalas (113), Logan Richey (120) and Marcus Richey were victorious, all via pins

“Chase Kretzler came up big by pinning their 215-pound kid,” Heinl said, “and all three Richey boys getting pins was huge.”

The Richey siblings were a combined 55-15 on the season with 34 pins between them.

“It was amazing to win this championship with my younger brothers Logan and Marcus in the starting lineup,” Justin said. “They did a tremendous job against Burgettstown and Burrell. It was a big day for us.”

Quaker Valley, which moved from No. 4 to No. 1 in Class 2A in the Trib HSSN wrestling rankings, received an automatic big to the PIAA team tournament for the first time.

“I was proud of the way the team performed on and off the mat,” Heinl said. “This is our first WPIAL championship. I believe this program will win many more because of the support we receive from the Quaker Valley School District, our boosters and the community. We do not take their support for granted.”

The first round of the PIAA tournament was held Feb. 10 at Giant Center in Hershey. The Quakers wrestled District 11 runner-up Saucon Valley.

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 10:37AM

Wrestling Wednesdays: Area athletes gear up for WPIAL 2A individual championships

Every Wednesday, the Beaver County Times will recap impressive individual and team performances on the mat from around the Beaver Valley in a new weekly wrestling feature. This week, The Times previews the weekend ahead, featuring the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League's Class 2A individual wrestling championships at Canon-McMillan High School. 

Fresh off of a WPIAL Class 2A team title and an appearance in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's Class 2A state tournament, a number of standout Quaker Valley wrestlers return to western Pennsylvania this weekend eyeing individual glory. 

The Quakers will find themselves up against 36 other teams in the WPIAL Class 2A individual championships Friday and Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School, which also includes Beaver Valley teams such as Ambridge, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Ellwood City, Freedom Area, Hopewell and South Side. 

Led by standout wrestlers Patrick Cutchember, Mason Diemert, Justin Richey, Brandon Krul, Michael Carmody and Jack Kazalas, the Quakers are eyeing a handful of individual titles just two weeks after winning the program's first-ever team championship. 

Cutchember offers arguably the best shot for the Quakers in the 189-pound weight class. Currently ranked the No. 1 wrestler in the weight class by the Post-Gazette, Cutchember has dominated all season long, finishing the regular season with a 32-4 record. Three of his losses have come to Mount Lebanon's unbeaten Mac Stout, who will wrestle in the Class 3A tourney.

Along with Cutchember, Diemert has a strong chance at finishing on the podium in the 172-pound weight class under head coach Mike Heinl, recording a 28-5 record on the season as one of the more consistent Quaker Valley wrestlers.

Richey (27-6, 152 pounds), Krul (26-8, 126 pounds), Carmody (19-9, 138 pounds) and Kazalas (31-2, 113 pounds) also could make deep runs in the WPIAL Class 2A brackets in their respective weight classes. 

Richey currently sits No. 2 in the Post-Gazette's rankings at 152 pounds, while Krul sits at No. 2 in the 126-pound weight class. Kazalas is the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the WPIAL at 113 pounds. 

"Brandon's a pinner; he's going to go far," Heinl said regarding the Quakers' outlook ahead of the individual championships. "He's got to put together a good tournament though, but he's tough to beat. Justin's wrestling pretty well as of late, and so is Mason. He has some tough kids in his bracket, but Mason has a couple big wins against WPIAL-ranked wrestlers this year."

"Honestly, they all have to put together good tournaments, but they can all come away with WPIAL championships," Heinl added. "I truly believe that."

Outside of Quaker Valley, a number of area wrestlers should be able to finish on the podium across a number of weight classes Friday and Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School. 

 

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 9:23AM

PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships: Burgettstown, Quaker Valley ousted in consolation round

By:  
Friday, February 11, 2022 | 2:38 PM

Forest Hills 32, Quaker Valley 29

106: Isaiah Shilcosky (FH) d. Isaac Maccaglia, 10-4

113: Jack Kazalas (QV) p. Brevin Michuk, 2:28

120: Logan Richey (QV) win by forfeit

*126: Brandon Krul (QV) t.f. T.J. Carroll, 16-1 (4:37)

132: Hunter Forcellini (FH) d. Michael Carmody, 8-7

138: Easton Toth (FH) t.f. Nicholas Allen, 16-0 (4:10)

145: Noah Teeter (FH) won by forfeit

152: Jackson Arrington (FH) p. Jack Diemert, 0:38

160: Justin Richey (QV) d. Dustin Flinn, 8-6

172: Tye Templeton (FH) d. William Campbell, 7-2

189: Mason Diemert (QV) d. Kory Marsalko, 6-3

215: Patrick Cutchember (QV) p. Dalton Gable, 1:50

285: Kirk Bearjar (FH) p. Sebastian Juarez-Safran, 0:38

The difference: After Quaker Valley won the first match, a technical fall win by Brandon Krul of Forest Hills, which is located in Sidman in Cambria County, won the next four bouts, including a pin by Jackson Arrington at 152.

Key win: Forest Hills’ Isaiah Shilcosky was able to hold off Quaker Valley’s Isaac Maccaglia for a 10-4 victory at 106. This gave the Rangers all they need to fend off Quaker Valley’s late run.

Quote: “I am real proud of how far we came as a program. We accomplished a lot as a team, but it’s definitely not how we wanted it to end. We left the points on the mat, and we didn’t get the matchups we wanted because we lost the loss,” Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl.

Up next: Quaker Valley will now enter the section individual tournament at Canon-McMillan on Feb. 18-19.

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

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 9:48AM

Richey brothers bring Quaker Valley wrestling full circle

LEETSDALE — A decade later, the Richey last name is synonymous with Quaker Valley wrestling. 

After all, it was Jason Richey, the father of a trio of brothers on the varsity wrestling team in senior Justin, sophomore Logan, and freshman Marcus, that played a key role in founding of the program in 2012.

This winter, Logan and Marcus are making a name for themselves as part of the WPIAL Class 2A Quakers' wrestling team, bringing the program full circle — from an upstart at the youth level with nowhere to really practice in 2012, into a WPIAL powerhouse that headed to Hershey to compete in the state championship Thursday and Friday. 

FULL CIRCLE

Trailing 28-24 against the 15-time defending champion Burrell Buccaneers on Saturday at Chartiers-Houston High School with a WPIAL Class 2A championship on the line, three-time team captain and senior Justin Richey stepped onto the mat with one goal in mind: pinning his opponent. 

Thirty-seven seconds later, Richey did just that, not only knocking off the dynastic Burrell program, but also seeing all the time, effort and energy the Richey family has put into the Quaker Valley wrestling pay off in the end. 

In attendance, soaking it all in, was the man who started the program to begin with. 

After wrestling in high school at Hopewell and in college at Allegheny College, Jason — the son of WPIAL Hall of Fame girls basketball coach Donna Richey — eventually took Justin to Moon to compete in the co-op wrestling program. 

At the end of the season, Jason knew he needed to bring the program closer to home. 

"I realized the benefits it [the program] had for me, because I wanted to give back to kids in the Sewickley community where we live," Jason told the Times on Monday.. 

The problem with wanting to give back was the fact that there was nowhere to hold practices for area youth looking to get into wrestling. 

 

 

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 9:55AM

Quaker Valley wrestling season comes to a 'disappointing, yet proud' ending in Hershey

HERSHEY — The best season in Quaker Valley's young wrestling history came to a disappointing end Friday morning in the consolation round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's 2A wrestling championships at the hands of Forest Hills. Yet, just moments after the loss, the Quakers were able to still keep things in perspective. 

Despite falling 32-29 to the Rangers to end their season, Quaker Valley was able to win its first WPIAL Class 2A championship in program history, ending the 15-year run of the Burrell Buccaneers. The trip to Hershey for the state tournament didn't go as planned, but overall, the team's season made head coach Mike Heinl proud. 

After going toe-to-toe with one of the top programs in the state in Saucon Valley Thursday night, the Quakers looked to stay alive in the consolation bracket, but a few tough calls and some frustrations with officiating ultimately led to the 3-point loss. In two matches, their year as a team was over. 

"We believe there were a couple matches there where we felt the refs were out of position," Heinl said. "If we get those two calls that result in pins, it could be a different outcome, but they didn't go our way. Our kids wrestled tough. [Forest Hills] won the toss, got the matchups they wanted and benefited from it. 

"Overall, we're disappointed, but there's still a lot to be proud of."

Quaker Valley senior Justin Richey put the Quakers back on the right track with an 8-6 decision over Dustin Flinn in a match many on the Quaker Valley staff though should have been the other pin, but the decision made it a 20-8 dual.

Forest Hills' Tye Templeton followed up Richey's controversial match with a 7-2 decision over Quaker Valley's William Campbell to make it 23-8, all but putting the match out of reach. 

The Quakers tried to battle back though as Mason Diemert picked up a 6-3 decision over Kory Marsalko and Patrick Cutchemer pinned Dalton Gable in 1:30 of the 215-pound match to make it 23-17. 

Quaker Valley's comeback attempt ended there though as Forest Hills' Kirk Bearer pinned Quaker Valley's Sebastian Juarez-Safran in 38 seconds in the 285-pound match and Isaiah Shilcosky defeated Quaker Valley's Isaac Maccaglia via 10-4 decision, icing the match. 

Jack Kazalas then made it a 9-point deficit for the Quakers in the 113-pound match with a pin of Forest Hills' Brevin Michu in 2:28 before Logan Richey picked up a forfeit win in the 120-pound match to close out the 32-29 Rangers' win. 

Despite the disappointment coming out of Friday's consolation match that ended their season, Heinl expressed how proud he was of his team and all the work they put in throughout the 2021-22 season, putting the Quakers' program on the map in the state. 

"Talking to some folks up there in Hershey that I know within the wrestling world, they congratulated us for a great season; I think we were able to get noticed out here, gain a little respect," Heinl said. "I'll take this team anywhere; I mean that. Honestly, we went oh and two, but both matches were very close and we didn't get blown out. 

"We competed."

With the team season now complete, the Quakers turn their attention to the WPIAL Class 2A, District 7 individual championships Feb. 17-18 at Canon-McMillan High School. 

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 9:42AM

Quaker Valley wrestling falls short in opening-round loss to Saucon Valley

Joshua Carney

Beaver County Times

HERSHEY — When the Quaker Valley wrestling team looks back on Thursday's battle with Saucon Valley in the first round of the PIAA wrestling championships, they'll likely see it as the one that got away.

Against one of the top programs in the state Thursday, the Quakers saw the 45-30 loss to the Panthers come down to two tough matches where their wrestlers were fully in control before being pinned.

In the 152-pound match, Quaker Valley's Justin Richey — the hero in the WPIAL Class 2A championship against Burrell — raced out to a 10-2 lead over Saucon Valley's top wrestler, Cael Markle, before the Panthers' standout flipped the script, pinning Richey to pick up six key points for Saucon Valley.

Later on in the match, Quaker Valley's Michael Carmody had a 4-1 lead in the 132-pound match before Saucon Valley's Connor Nicholas again flipped the script, pinning Carmody to grab another six key points. Though the Quakers struggled in a few other matches, the losses by pin in those two pivotal instances where they were in control came back to haunt the tough them in the end. 

"(Saucon Valley's) style of wrestling, they do a lot of cement mixers, elevators, and they're pinners," Quaker Valley head coach Mike Heinl said shortly after the disappointing loss in the first round. "You could be up 12-0 on them in a match and they could still pin you. We talked about this with the kids, and sure enough, as soon as we go out there, it happens. That hurt; Justin's was the second match and I thought we were in trouble right away."

Though the two outcomes at 132 and 152 pounds didn't go Quaker Valley's way, the Quakers were able to battle back in a big way, pulling within three points to put the pressure on the Panthers late. 

Trailing 33-12, Quaker Valley's Jack Kazalas pinned Saucon Valley's Aiden Grogg in 1:03 of the 113-pound before Logan Richey pinned Saucon Valley's Jackson Albert in 3:48 of the 120-pound match, making it a 33-24 match. 

In the 126-pound match, Quaker Valley standout Brandon Krul kept the streak rolling for the Quakers, pinning Saucon Valley's Hector Mateo in 1:16, making it a 33-30 dual before Carmody's outcome in the 132-pound weight class went the wrong way, ultimately resulting in the Quakers' 15-point loss to a team they had on the ropes. 

"It's certainly tough, but I'm so proud of this Quaker Valley program," Heinl said. "They showed a lot of heart. We talk about culture here a lot ... I got to see it firsthand here today. I'm so proud."

Despite the loss, Quaker Valley lives to fight another day in the consolation bracket, where it will take on Forest Hills on Friday morning at 8 a.m. Forest Hills lost to Boiling Springs on Thursday afternoon. 

While the Quakers are certainly frustrated with the loss, they'll have to bounce back quickly with an early-morning matchup with the Rangers. 

"We start at 8 a.m., and I already went over things with our kids that there will be two excuses if we lose," Heinl said. "We'll either come out flat or be tired, so we've got to get out (strong), get a good warmup in and be ready to go. Because Forest Hills will be ready to go."

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 9:59AM

'Didn't want it any other way': Quaker Valley wrestling stuns Burrell, wins WPIAL Class 2A title

WASHINGTON COUNTY — In the end, 37 seconds is all it took to end a 15-year run of pure dominance on the mat in District 7 Class 2A.

In 37 seconds, Quaker Valley's Justin Richey pinned Burrell's Stephen Hasson, bringing the Quakers' wrestling program full circle, not only ending the 15-year reign of the Buccaneers, but also seeing the son of the founder of the Quakers' wrestling program in Jason Richey bring home the program's first WPIAL title in historic fashion.

Richey's pin 37 seconds gave the Quakers a thrilling 30-28 win over the 15-time defending champion Burrell Buccaneers on Saturday afternoon at Chartiers-Houston High School in Washington, punching the Quakers' ticket to Hershey for the PIAA Class 2A championships this weekend. 

Once the referee's hand hit the mat signaling the end of the match, the Quakers did something unexpected in celebration: publicly acting as if it were no surprise. 

"We acted like we had been there before," Quaker Valley head coach Mike Heinl said. "No celebration, we shook their hands, walked off and then celebrated in the locker room behind closed doors. Burrell's a class organization; they've set the bar, and we were just honored to wrestle them for the WPIAL championship. 

"We didn't want it any other way."

Prior to Richey's heroics on the mat, the Quakers had to battle back from a big deficit early as Burrell jumped out to an 18-6 lead. Fortunately for Quaker Valley, dominant senior Patrick Cutchember controlled the entire match in the 189-pound weight class while holding a 22-8 lead. 

A major decision would have made it 12-4 early on, but Cutchember was able to finish off Burrell's Cole Clark to make it a 12-6 score. Then, Quaker Valley wrestlers Isaac Maccaglia and Jack Kazalas recorded back-to-back falls at 106 and 113 pounds for the Quakers, knotting the championship match at 18-18 with seven matches remaining. 

That's when things really started to go back and forth between the two outstanding programs. 

Following match wins for the Buccaneers and Quakers that made it 21-21, Quaker Valley's Brandon Krul recording a match-winning takedown in the 132-pound match to record a 4-3 decision, giving the Quakers a 24-21 lead with three weight classes remaining. 

Burrell then took a 25-24 lead thanks to a major decision win by freshman Isaac Lacinski, but Quaker Valley freshman Jack Diemert came through with arguably the biggest performance throughout the dual in the 138-pound match. 

Outgunned by top Burrell wrestler Shawn Szymanski, Diemert was able to hang on and drop a 5-3 decision rather than a pin to make it 28-24, setting up Richey's heroics. 

"Jack wrestled to give us an opportunity to win it in the last match," Heinl said. "We can't overlook that, and we can't overlook the fact that we had to get through Burgettstown to get here."

Prior to ending Burrell's historic run on top of WPIAL Class 2A, the Quakers had to knock off the undefeated Burgettstown Blue Devils, who came into Saturday's semifinal  with a perfect 14-0 record. 

The Quakers and Blue Devils went back and forth throughout a terrific semifinal matchup before Quaker Valley pulled out the 36-35 win, thanks to back-to-back pins at 120 and 126 pounds in the final two matches by Logan Richey and Marcus Richey, sending the Quakers into the championship.

"Every newspaper, every media outlet, every wrestling podcast said Quaker Valley was going to be fourth in Class 2A," Heinl said. "This coaching staff and our wrestlers, we strategized once those brackets came out, and we knew there was not one scenario where we were losing these bouts. We couldn't figure out why no one was giving us any credit. Don't they know our team? 

"We took second in the counties, won the MAC. We only lost to Norwin by a match. We wrestled AAA teams like Kiski," Heinl added. "We printed out all the articles, the tweets ...everything. We brought them to practice and we let the kids see them. It just fed the fire; we were hungry. It was a total team effort."

The Quakers escaped defeat a handful of times on the day and allowed themselves to be the last team standing with Hershey bars in hand. In the end, it was a David versus Goliath-like story for the Quakers, whose program was founded just nine years ago in 2013. 

"We're extremely satisfied; the kids are so happy," Heinl said. "They're the ones who put in the work. We've been practicing for this day for years. 

"Credit to the school district too for believing in us and adopting us as a sport after five years. They've given us everything we've needed to be successful. We wanted to win this for the boosters who put this all together, had a vision and believed in us. It will be a ton of fun to celebrate this with them."

With a WPIAL championship in hand, the Quakers will turn their attention to the PIAA team championships this weekend. The Quakers will open Thursday in Hershey against the winner of Monday's match between Canton and Saucon Valley.

Just as they were overlooked heading into the WPIALs, Heinl expects the Quakers to be overlooked on the state stage, which suits his program just fine.

"Nobody knows who Quaker Valley is across Pennsylvania," Heinl said. "We're going to go out there, wrestle hard. Our goal is to get on the podium. We'd love to be a top-four team out there, but we'll see what happens. Bracketing means a lot, as does injuries. If we can stay healthy, I like our chances."

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 9:24AM

Class 2A PIAA Team Wrestling Championships: WPIAL teams tripped up

By:  
Thursday, February 10, 2022 | 6:23 PM

First-round matches

 

Saucon Valley 45, Quaker Valley 30

106: Cole Hubert (SV) p. Isaac Maccaglia, 1:54.

113: Jack Kazalas (QV) p. Aiden Grogg, 1:03.

120: Logan Richey (QV) p. Jackson Albert, 3:48.

126: Brandon Krul (QV) p. Hector Mateo, 1:16.

132: Connor Nicholas (SV) p. Michael Carmody, 5:50.

138: Travis Riefenstahl (SV) p. Nicholas Allen, :48.

*145: Ryan Crookham (SV) p. Jack Diemert, 1:54.

152: Cael Markle (SV) p. Justin Richey, 5:05.

160: Jared Rohn (SV) d. William Campbell, 10-4.

172: Mason Diemert (QV) p. Mason Beckowski, 2:56.

189: Jakes Jones (SV) p. Chase Kretzler, :10.

215: Patrick Cutchember (QV) p. Tyler Pfisenmayer, :42.

285: Dante Mahaffey (SV) p. Sebastian Juarez-Safran, :38.

The difference: Quaker Valley got cemented in two matches it was winning against Saucon Valley. The move was made famous by Northampton in the 1980s as a pinning move the “Koncrete Kids” used successfully. Saucon Valley assistant coach Don Rohn was the Northampton coach. The 18-point swing was the difference in the match.

Key wins: Saucon Valley Cael Markle (152) and Connor Nicholas (126) were losing when they hit the cement move to record pins. Markle pinned Justin Richey down 10-5, and Nicholas pinned Michael Carmody down 4-1 with his team clinging to a 33-30 lead.

Quaker pins: Quaker Valley fell behind 15-0 but mounted a comeback thanks to pins by Mason Diemert (172), Patrick Cutchember (215), Jack Kazalas (113), Logan Richey (120) and Brandon Krul (126).

Quote: “We knew it was coming and told them to watch for it. We’re happy with our performance. No one gave us a shot at beating them and we had them on the ropes,” Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said.

Up next: Quaker Valley faces Forest Hills, 8 a.m. Friday.

 

 

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:40PM

Record 7 WPIAL teams heading to PIAA wrestling tournament

 

By:  
Tuesday, February 8, 2022 | 8:40 PM

For the first time in PIAA team championship history, seven teams from the WPIAL will be at Hershey for the tournament, which begins Thursday at Giant Center.

Class 2A Burgettstown and Latrobe and Canon-McMillan in Class 3A earned trips to the state tournament with victories Monday in the preliminary round. The state team tournament began in 1999.

While Latrobe (68-6 against Carrick) and Canon-McMillan (45-14 at Cumberland Valley) posted easy victories, Burgettstown used a win by heavyweight Joey Baronick and a pin by Parker Sentipal for a dramatic 34-28 victory at Fort LeBoeuf.

It was Burgettstown’s first victory in the PIAA tournament.

The Blue Devils (15-1) will join WPIAL champion Quaker Valley (18-3) and runner-up Burrell in “Chocolatetown.”

The Wildcats (13-1) and Big Macs (12-5) will join three-time WPIAL champion Waynesburg and runner-up Connellsville.

Action begins at 2 p.m. when Burgettstown faces District 9 power Brookville (19-2) and Burrell (11-5) tangles with District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt (11-0). It’s unknown if Burgettstown sophomore Gaven Suica will be available. He has missed the pass three matches with an apparent foot injury.

Quaker Valley (18-3) will face District 11 runner-up Saucon Valley (20-2) at 4 p.m.

Latrobe begins its quest at 6 p.m. against District 1 champion Council Rock South (11-1). Also in the first Class 3A session, Connellsville (18-2) faces District 12 champion La Salle College (9-3) and Canon-McMillan will battle tournament favorite Bethlehem Catholic (11-0).

Waynesburg (16-0) will face Spring-Ford Dallastown (19-3) at 8 p.m.

Even though the Wildcats had an easy match Monday, Latrobe coach Mark Mears said he was impressed with the aggressiveness of Carrick.

“They didn’t back down from us,” Mears said. “That impressed me. The match allowed me to use some different wrestlers and rest some starters.”

Mears held Vinny Kilkeary (120 pounds), Jack Pletcher (152) and Tyler Lynch (189) from the match.

“We’re going to face a tough team right off the bat in Council Rock South,” Mears said. “We saw them at King of the Mountain, and we didn’t have Nate (Roth) or Gabe (Golden) in the lineup. If we do, we probably would have won the tournament.

“We match up well with them. We’re treating this as a business trip. It was important to get to Hershey so they can get used to the arena. They won’t be is awe of the place a month from now or next year if we make it back.”

Heavyweight Wyatt Held is expected in the lineup after missing the past four matches. 

He wrestled against Carrick after being cleared from illness, which was not covid.

Connellsville won’t be at full strength. Senior Hunter Claycomb will miss the state tournament after suffering a knee injury before the semifinals and finals.

First-year Connellsville coach Bill Swink said he’s eager to see how his team bounces back after losing to Waynesburg in the WPIAL finals.

He said he team was flat after beating Latrobe in the semifinals.

“We treated it as a learning experience,” said Swink, who was a Hall of Fame coach in Virginia. “I’m looking for a better effort.”

Burrell coach Josh Shields also will be watching to see how his team responds after its tough loss to Quaker Valley in the Class 2A finals. The loss ended the Bucs 15-year run in the WPIAL.

The Bucs won seven of the 13 matches against Quaker Valley but gave up too many pins.

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

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 12:51PM

Wrestling Wednesdays: Quaker Valley aims for top 6 finish at state tourney

Joshua Carney

Beaver County Times

Every Wednesday, the Beaver County Times will recap impressive individual and team performances on the mat from around the Beaver Valley in a new weekly wrestling feature. This week, The Times previews the weekend ahead, featuring the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's wrestling championships. 

Fresh off of a historic WPIAL championship, the Quaker Valley wrestling team isn't looking to shake the chip off of its shoulder just yet. 

Despite breaking one of the most impressive high school athletic streaks in recent memory by defeating the Burrell Buccaneers Saturday at Chartiers Houston High School to win the WPIAL Class 2A championship in thrilling fashion, the Quakers — under head coach Mike Heinl — are still leaning into that underdog mentality that has carried them throughout the 2021-22 season. 

And rightfully so. 

Though they are the kings of WPIAL Class 2A, the Quakers (17-3) are still viewed as an afterthought heading into Thursday's first-round matchup with eastern power Saucon Valley located near Hellertown, PA. Saucon Valley defeated Canton 50-14 Monday night, setting up the tough first-round matchup. 

Saucon Valley sits 20-2 and is historically one of the more dominant wrestling programs in the state, consistently churning out top 6 finishes each year. While the WPIAL championship should have helped them, the Quakers get one of the toughest first-round draws, while teams like Burrell and Burgettstown — two teams the Quakers defeated on the way to the WPIAL Class 2A championship — have easier matchups, at least on paper. 

Heinl and his grapplers aren't focused on that though. 

"We can't worry about that. We knew that the bracket out there is tough," Heinl said. "There's nowhere to hide. You're going to get a draw and you need to deal with it. 

"You have to beat somebody to be somebody in the state. We proved it in the WPIAL, but this state tournament — looking at the bracket – it doesn't matter where you go," Heinl added.

The draw against Saucon Valley to open the state tournament certainly is tough, especially with a pair of Panthers' standouts in Ryan Crookham and Cael Markle returning from injuries in recent weeks to give the them two key competitors for team duals. 

Quaker Valley, however, is unfazed.

"I'll take this team anywhere. We're not afraid to wrestle the best," Heinl said. "We've wrestled triple-A teams all season long. ...I like our chances against anybody. Saucon Valley is a tall order, but let's see what happens.

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 12:40PM

WPIAL Class 2A wrestling championship: Quaker Valley topples Burrell's 15-year dynasty with thrilling pin in final match

STEVE ROTSTEIN

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

srotstein@post-gazette.com

FEB 5, 2022

4:52 PM

One of the greatest dynasties in WPIAL history has been dethroned.

In one of the most dramatic championship matches in recent memory, No. 3-ranked Quaker Valley pulled off a stunning upset against top-ranked Burrell (11-5) — the 15-time defending WPIAL Class 2A champions — to win its first WPIAL team wrestling championship. The Quakers (17-3) defeated the Buccaneers, 30-28, in an unforgettable clash Saturday that came down to the final bout.

With the championship hanging in the balance, Quaker Valley senior Justin Richey closed the show in emphatic fashion with a first-period pin against Burrell’s Stevie Hasson at 152 pounds. The Quakers trailed, 28-24, going into the final match, and the Bucs held the tiebreaker based on number of matches won — meaning Richey had to win by fall or technical fall to clinch the title.

Turns out, Richey needed only 37 seconds to score the pin and send the Quaker Valley faithful into a frenzy.

“It feels amazing,” Richey said. “This is what we’ve been working for ever since we started the program five years ago. … We talked about Burrell every day. That’s the goal, to beat the streak. To finally have done that just feels amazing.”

After the dust settled from the Quakers’ championship celebration, Burrell coach Josh Shields gathered his visibly dejected wrestlers on the mat to deliver a heartfelt message.

“We made a tremendous amount of progress throughout the entire year,” Shields said. “The kids certainly responded. The kids did everything they could throughout the time we had. … We tried. It wasn’t because of a lack of effort. We just ran out of time.”

For Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl, who said he will retire after the season, the story couldn’t have been scripted any better. The Quakers first had to go through undefeated No. 2-seeded Burgettstown (13-1) in the semifinals, and Quaker Valley barely scraped by with a 36-35 victory to advance.

“We knew when we took this over, we wanted to wrestle Burrell,” Heinl said. “Nobody gave us an opportunity. … We used that as fuel, because we knew how good our kids were. No one believed in our team except for us. We knew we were walking in this gym and we were winning. There was no scenario where we lost.

“We have some kids who will run through walls for us, and they showed up here today.”

After a pair of decision wins for Burrell at 160 and 172 pounds to start the championship dual, Cam Martin scored a second-period pin at 189 pounds to give the Bucs an early 12-0 lead. But all that momentum evaporated as soon as Patrick Cutchember and Cole Clark took the mat at 215.

Cutchember is ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL at 189 pounds and Clark is ranked No. 2, but this was their first time facing each other. From the opening whistle, Cutchember was the clear aggressor, repeatedly taking Clark down at will. Then, with time running out in the third period while holding a 20-8 lead, Cutchember took Clark down to his back — his 10th takedown of the match — and scored a massive pin with 13 seconds left.

“It’s just whatever the team needed,” Cutchember said. “I knew the team needed a pin, so I had to be the one to go out there and get it.”

The teams then traded blows back and forth, with Luke Boylan scoring a pin for Burrell at 285 followed by a pair of pins for the Quakers at 106 and 113 by Isaac Maccaglia and Jack Kazalas.

With the match tied, 18-18, Burrell’s Cooper Hornack and Quaker Valley’s Marcus Richey traded decision wins at 120 and 126. A 4-3 decision win by Brandon Krul against Niko Ferra then broke a 21-21 tie to give the Quakers a 24-21 lead, but Bucs freshman Isaac Lacinski countered with a 12-3 major decision at 138 to put Burrell back on top, 25-24.

Shawn Szymanski then earned a hard-fought 5-3 win at 145 pounds to make it a 28-24 lead going into the final match, setting the stage for Richey’s historic pin to bring Quaker Valley its first WPIAL championship.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Heinl said. “I never wanted to coach a high school team. And then here I am. … Hats off to [Burrell]. They made us work hard in the practice room. You just don’t walk out and wrestle Burrell — they don’t lose.”

The Quakers will get an automatic bid to the PIAA team tournament in Hershey, Pa., for the first time. In the consolation, Burgettstown defeated No. 5 Mount Pleasant, 43-20, to advance into the state tournament as the third-place finisher.

Steve Rotstein: srotstein@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SteveRotstein.

First Published February 5, 2022, 4:52pm

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:02PM

WPIAL wrestling team playoff preview: Quaker Valley, Freedom, West A hope to play spoiler

Noah Hiles

Beaver County Times

Wednesday marks the beginning of the first postseason on the WPIAL winter sports calendar as the team wrestling playoffs are set to begin. Three teams from the Times' coverage area will compete for District 7 gold. Here is a complete breakdown of the 2022 WPIAL playoffs: 

Class 2A

Defending Champion: Burrell 

It's been a long time since a team that didn't hail from Burrell High School took home the WPIAL Class 2A team wrestling title. The Buccaneers are the 15-time defending WPIAL champs, with their last postseason loss in District 7 competition dating  to Mt. Pleasant in 2006. Burrell is headlined by Cooper Hornack (113) and Cole Clark (189). 

Area teams in bracket: Quaker Valley, Freedom Area

For the fourth straight season, the Quaker Valley wrestling team captured a section title. The Quakers will once again play host in the first two rounds, needing just one victory to advance to championship Saturday. Logan Richey (120) and Patrick Cutchumber (189) are just two of the many skilled wrestlers in the Quaker Valley lineup. 

Freedom Area, on the other hand, advanced to the playoffs after going 10-3 overall, losing just one dual in Section 2A competition. Landon Millward is the one to watch for the Bulldogs, wrestling in the 189-pound division. 

Team to look out for: Burgettstown 

Some believe that 2022 could be the year that breaks Burrell's historic streak. If that ends up being the case, look for either Quaker Valley or Burgettstown to be the team responsible for making it happen. After finishing in second place the past two seasons, the Blue Devils look to have a championship-caliber roster that features six wrestlers with at least 15 wins. Burgettstown is also the only unbeaten team in Class 2A, entering the playoffs with a record of 8-0. 

First-round pairings (Wednesday, Feb. 2)

At Burrell HS, 6:00 p.m.

Fort Cherry vs. Montour 

Winner vs. Burrell to advance to the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 5

At Bethlehem-Center HS, 6:00 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant vs. Jefferson-Morgan

Winner vs. Bethlehem-Center to advance to the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 5

At Quaker Valley HS, 6:00 p.m.

Knoch vs. Laurel

Winner vs. Quaker Valley to advance to the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 5

At Burgettstown HS, 6:00 p.m.

Southmoreland vs. Freedom Area

Winner vs. Burgettstown to advance to the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 5

Contact Noah Hiles at nhiles@gannett.com. Follow him on twitter @_NoahHiles.

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:45PM

Quaker Valley captures 1st WPIAL Class 2A title, snaps Burrell’s 15-year streak

By: George Guido 
Saturday, February 5, 2022 | 6:00 PM

Burrell’s remarkable reign atop the Class 2A wrestling mountain is over.

Quaker Valley, a school in just its fifth year of wrestling, defeated the Bucs, 30-28, on Saturday in the WPIAL Class 2A championship match at Chartiers-Houston High School.

Justin Richey recorded a pin at 152 pounds in the final bout to end Burrell’s 15-year streak of championships.

“This is what we’ve been working for ever since we started the program five years ago,” Richey said. “To finally accomplish it is amazing. We talk about Burrell every single day. That’s the goal: to beat the streak.”

Burrell (12-5) will move into the PIAA playoffs Thursday in Hershey against District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt.

Shawn Szymanski had put the Bucs ahead 28-24 with a 5-3 decision over Jack Diemert at 145. Early on, Diemert suffered an ankle injury. Had Diemart not been able to continue, Burrell would have won on an injury default, and Richey’s victory over Stephen Hasson would have been inconsequential.

The Quakers (16-4) also will wrestle Thursday against the winner of Monday’s match between District 11 runner-up Saucon Valley and Canton, the third-place team from District 4.

The championship was won in what Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said will be his final season at the helm.

“The boosters created this and paved the way for us,” Heinl said. “They did it correctly. They started with the youth. They went to the junior high, then the high school team. I was just blessed to have the opportunity to coach with the Quaker Valley School District. The administrators have given us all the tools to be successful. I couldn’t be happier.”

Burrell won seven bouts to Quaker Valley’s six, but four pins helped to make the difference for the Quakers.

Burrell coach Josh Shields spoke to his team as a WPIAL runner-up for the first time.

“Honestly, we just ran out of time,” Shields said. “From where we started back in October, this team made a tremendous amount of progress throughout the entire year. The kids did everything they could to put ourselves in this position to win a WPIAL title. We never gave up that fight. We just ran out of time to get better. In a match like this, it always comes down to bonus points.”

Burrell had won 48 consecutive WPIAL playoff matches after defeating Mt. Pleasant, 33-24, in the semifinals.

Also in the semifinals, Quaker Valley knocked off previously undefeated Burgettstown, 36-35, in what some considered a surprise. Shields, however, wasn’t surprised.

“I thought all year Quaker Valley was the second-best team next to mine,” Shields said. “They’ve been a very talented team throughout. They got some new guys in this year, and they showed up and battled. I thought we put ourselves in a good position to win the match.”

Burrell got off to a good start at 160 pounds with Nico Zanella defeating West Point-bound Will Campbell, 3-1. Burrell’s Damian Barr then moved up to 172 and came away with a big win over Mason Diemert, who came in with a 26-3 record.

Top-ranked Pat Cutchember, in a marquee matchup with Burrell’s Cole Clark at 215, scored a pin with just 13 seconds left in the bout after he had gained an insurmountable lead.

“We were in a position to win, give up one of two less falls or win one more match down the stretch,” Shields said.

Heinl said: “We knew we were walking in the gym today, and we were winning. There was no scenario where we’d have lost. Our coaching staff went hours upon hours of matchups, and at no time did our matchups show us losing. Hats off to Burrell, an amazing organization. They just lost a family member in the wrestling community, Shawn DesLauriers, who died. He was a friend of mine. I met him in 1975. I feel honored that we could go out and square off with them.”

Burgettstown (13-1) defeated Mt. Pleasant (12-6) in the consolation match and will be the WPIAL’s No. 3 team in the state tournament.

Watch a video stream archive of the championship match on Trib HSSN.

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:48PM

Breaking down the WPIAL wrestling semifinals

By:  
Friday, February 4, 2022 | 2:11 PM

WPIAL wrestling championships

Class 2A

Semifinals

1-Burrell (11-4) vs. 5-Mt. Pleasant (12-4)

Noon Saturday at Chartiers-Houston

How they got here: Burrell defeated Montour (57-18). Mt. Pleasant defeated Jefferson-Morgan (51-19) and Beth-Center (37-28).

WPIAL titles: Burrell 17 (1997, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021); Mt. Pleasant 3 (2003, 2005, 2006).

Finals record: Burrell (16-3), Mt. Pleasant (3-1).

Semifinals appearances: Burrell 20, Mt. Pleasant 11.

Previous meeting: Burrell won 43-25.

Wrestlers to watch: Burrell: Cooper Hornack (120), Nico Ferra (132), Shawn Szymanski (145) and Cole Clark (189). Mt. Pleasant: Joe Longhi (106), Jamison Poklembo (138) and Dayton Pitzer (215).

2-Burgettstown (12-0) vs. 3-Quaker Valley (15-3)

Noon Saturday at Chartiers-Houston

On the air: Trib HSSN; 95.3 FM

How they got here: Burgettstown defeated Southmoreland (60-9). Quaker Valley defeated Laurel (48-26).

WPIAL titles: Burgettstown 0, Quaker Valley 0.

Finals record: Burgettstown (0-3), Quaker Valley (0-0).

Semifinals appearances: Burgettstown 9, Quaker Valley 4.

Previous meeting: Did not meet this season.

Wrestlers to watch: Burgettstown: Parker Sentipal (106), Gaven Suica (126), Rudy Brown (138) and D.J. Slovick (160). Quaker Valley: Jack Kazalas (113), Logan Richey (120), Michael Carmody (132) and Patrick Cutchember (189).

*The semifinal winners will meet in the finals at 1:30 p.m.

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

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 12:11PM

TribHSSN WPIAL individual wrestling rankings: As of Jan. 4, 2022

By:  
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 | 5:14 PM

TribHSSN Live Wrestling Rankings as of Jan. 4

Individuals 

Class AA 

106: 1. Joe Longhi (Mt. Pleasant) 12-4; 2. Shawn Robertson (Fort Cherry) 10-3; 3. Isaac Maccaglio (Quaker Valley) 9-3; 4. Dylan Klim (Derry) 9-4.

113: 1. Cooper Hornack (Burrell) 9-4; 2. Jack Kazalas (Quaker Valley) 13-2; 3. Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown) 8-3; 4. Giovanni Beatrice (Derry) 8-4.

120: 1. Davis Stepp (Beth-Center) 12-5; 2. Sean Cain (Mt. Pleasant) 11-4; 3. Logan Richey (Quaker Valley) 11-4; 4. Dylan Slovick (Burgettstown) 8-5.

126: 1. Chris Vargo (Bentworth) 6-0; 2. Gaven Suica (Burgettstown) 6-1; 3. 3. Tim Cafrelli (South Side) 12-2; 4. Dylan Bruce (Elizabeth Forward) 7-4.

132: 1. Kyle McCollum (Beth-Center) 14-1; 2. Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown) 7-3; 3. Greg Shaulis (Mt. Pleasant) 7-4; 4. Bryce Rodriguez (Carlynton) 9-5.

138: 1. Jamison Poklembo (Mt. Pleasant) 13-4; 2. Andrew Johnson (Southmoreland) 13-3; 3. Tyler Fisher (Beth-Center) 11-4; 4. Ambrose Boni (Central Valley) 12-2.

145: 1. Chase Framelli (Jefferson-Morgan) 12-2; 2. Chase Brandebura (Carlynton) 10-2; 3. Luke Geibig (Mt. Pleasant) 8-2; 4. Ryan Celashi (Frazier) 5-2.

152: 1. Tyler Berish (Beth-Center) 14-1; 2. Isaiah Pisano (Hopewell) 9-1; 3. Anthony Lancos (Burgettstown) 9-4; 4. Caiden Brock (Elizabeth Forward) 8-4.

160: 1. Grant MacKay (Laurel) 8-2; 2. Joey Boughton (Avonworth) 12-2; 3. D.J. Slovick (Burgettstown) 9-4; 4. Trevor Pettit (Beth-Center) 14-2

172: 1. Rune Lawrence (Frazier) 6-2; 2. Mason Diemert (Quaker Valley) 12-4; 3. Aaron DeLuca (Montour) 7-1; 4. Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry) 6-1.

189: 1. Patrick Cutchumber (Quaker Valley) 16-3; 2. Cole Clark (Burrell) 9-4; 3. Anthony Salvini (Fort Cherry) 8-5; 4. Brenan Morgan (Central Valley) 11-0;

215: 1. Dayton Pitzer (Mt. Pleasant) 17-0; 2. Anthony Govern (Southmoreland) 14-1; Mitchell Cook (Fort Cherry) 10-2; 4. Vitali Daniels (Bentworth) 5-1.

285: Cameron Carter-Green (Washington) 5-0; 2. Coltin Hill (Laurel) 8-3; 3. Joey Baronick (Burgettstown) 8-5; 4. Mason Sisler (Jefferson-Morgan) 8-3

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:12PM

Wrestling Wednesdays: Quaker Valley places 2nd at Allegheny County Championships

Joshua Carney

Beaver County Times

Every Wednesday, the Beaver County Times will recap impressive individual and team performances on the mat from around the Beaver Valley in a new weekly wrestling feature. This week, The Times takes a look at some of the top performances from the two-day, 34-team Allegheny County Championships at Fox Chapel High School. 

One week after winning the 16-team Ed Driscoll Tournament at Ambridge High School, the Quaker Valley Quakers' wrestling team kept rolling Friday and Saturday by placing second in the two-day, 34-team Allegheny County Championships at Fox Chapel High School. 

Quaker Valley scored an impressive 209.5 team points at the two-day tournament, finishing just behind North Allegheny, which had 222.5 points. The Quakers edged the likes of Plum (198.5 points), Pine-Richland (195.5) and Thomas Jefferson (168.5) in the top five.

Right now, the Quakers are having a lot of fun on the mat.

"The team is a lot of fun to be around; these kids are a pleasure to coach," Quaker Valley coach Mike Heinl said. "We have so many leaders that we can rely on right now. These kids care about each other and are pushing each other."

Much like he did at the Ed Driscoll Tournament, Quaker Valley's Mason Diemert dominated the 172-pound weight class from start to finish, leading the Quakers along the way. 

Diemert earned a bye into the second round the championship bracket at 172 pounds and squared off against South Fayette's Travis Watkins. Diemert dispatched the Lions' grappler quickly, pinning him in just 1:10 to advance to quarterfinals. 

Taking on Gateway's Floyd McKenna, Diemert again dominated the mat with a pin in 3:21, advancing to the semifinals, where he squared off against Plum's Andrew Claassen. Matching his performance from early on, Diemert dispatched Claassen by fall in just 1:41.

 

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:52PM

Quaker Valley wrestling crowns pair of county champs

By:  
Sunday, January 23, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley wrestlers Mason Diemert and Jack Kazalas displayed their tenacity and mettle at the Allegheny County championships held Jan. 14-15 at Fox Chapel.

Both won county titles in impressive fashion.

Diemert, a senior, secured a pin in 1 minute, 49 seconds against Montour’s Aaron DeLuca in the 172-pound final to improve to 24-3 on the year with a team-high 17 falls.

“Mason is having an incredible senior year,” QV coach Mike Heinl said. “He is a competitor and is not afraid to be physical. Mason can score from any position. He appears to be focused and committed to reaching his goals this season.”

Diemert pinned all five of his opponents on his way to the first-place finish.

“It feels great to be a champ,” Diemert said. “My goal was just to wrestle match by match and wrestle at my best ability. My other goals for this season are for us to be WPIAL champs as a team and make a run at states.

“I think our team’s performance has been great this year, and I think we just keep getting better and better. Everyone hates on us; we are the underdog for everything. I just love proving people wrong.”

Kazalas, a 113-pound sophomore, pinned Bethel Park’s Aiden Bench in just 35 seconds in his championship bout to raise his individual record to 23-2. Kazalas owned 12 falls and two technical falls on the season.

“Jack is wrestling better,” Heinl said. “He is getting to his offense, scoring points and creating opportunities to pin his opponents. Jack is exciting to watch when he is attacking in every position.”

Kazalas entered the tournament with the goal of winning a county championship. His brother, J.R. Kazalas, captured county titles in 2018 and 2019 and is the all-time wins leader at QV.

“It felt pretty nice to win a county championship and join my brother,” Kazalas said. “My goal for this season is to place at the state tournament in March.

“I am very proud of the team’s performance this season. We’ve all been working very hard, both in the offseason and now.”

The Quakers wrapped up second place in the team race with 209 points, finishing behind only North Allegheny’s 222.5-point total.

“The QV coaches were happy with the team’s performance,” Heinl said. “Individually, we have some room for improvement. Going into the tournament, our goal was to finish in the top three. We had some bad breaks at 106, 120 and 132 that cost us a few team points, but we will work on those mistakes in practice.”

Several other grapplers helped in securing the runner-up spot for the Quakers.

Patrick Cutchember, a senior and Clarion recruit, placed second at 189, losing a major decision to Mt. Lebanon’s Mac Stout in the last round. Cutchember ended the tournament with a 24-4 record that included a team-high 17 pins. Stout is a three-time county champ.

Brandon Krul, a junior, and Justin Richey, a senior, took third at 126 and 152.

Krul won a 6-3 decision against Plum’s Antonino Walker to earn the third spot and go to 19-6 with 11 pins and two technical falls.

Richey pinned Avonworth’s Joey Boughton in 47 seconds to hike his record to 20-5 with 15 pins.

Richey’s brother, Logan, finished fourth at 120, losing a 4-2 verdict to South Fayette’s Luke Dunlap in his final bout. On the season, the QV junior was 21-6 with 12 pins.

Other QV competitors at the county event included sophomores Isaac Maccaglia (106), Nicholas Allan (138) and Aidan Fair (160), senior William Campbell (160), freshmen Marcus Richey (120), Jack Diemert (145), Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285), Grant Castaldo (106) and Wyatt Hamm (126), and junior Michael Carmody (132).

Maccaglia ended the tourney with a 16-5 mark; Carmody stood at 15-6.

QV senior Amir McCracken (215) did not participate in the tournament because of an injury.

The Quakers clinched first place in Section 2B by routing Avonworth, 51-15, Jan. 19 to improve to 5-0 in league play and 12-3 overall.

Maccaglia, Kazalas, Logan Richey, Jack Diemert, Campbell and Cutchember all registered pins.

“Our focus is on the team playoffs,” Heinl said. “Double-A wrestling has five or six legitimate contenders. We are focused on winning our section and the WPIAL, then making some noise at Hershey.

“The support from our school administration, our fans and the QV boosters is making this season special. The atmosphere at our home events is a lot of fun. Hopefully, we will host some of the WPIAL team tournament matches and families should come check it out.”

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:28PM

Wrestling Wednesdays: Quaker Valley claims team title at Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament

Joshua Carney

Beaver County Times

Every Wednesday, the Beaver County Times will recap impressive individual and team performances on the mat from around the Beaver Valley in a new weekly wrestling feature. This week, The Times takes a look at some of the top performances from Ambridge High School's 16-team Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament. 

If the early-season performance by the Quaker Valley wrestling team is any indication, the program is in for a successful year on the mats.

After a thrilling start to the season at the 55th annual Powerade Christmas Tournament — a 24-team event that features some of the best talent in the country) — the Quakers kept up their impressive start Saturday at the 16-team Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament at Ambridge High School.

Quaker Valley cruised to the overall team title with 223 points, finishing ahead of second-place West Allegheny (176 points). Laurel (162 points) finished third, Montour (162 points) placed fourth and Central Valley (98 points) rounded out the top five. 

Freedom Area (sixth, 86.0 points), Hopewell (seventh, 85.5), South Side (eighth, 83.0), Moon (ninth, 72.5), Carlynton (10th, 65.5), Ellwood City (11th, 39.0), Mars (12th, 38.0), Beaver (13th, 22.0), Ambridge (14th (20.0), Blackhawk (15th, 4.0) and New Castle (16th, 0.0) rounded out the team standings at the one-day tournament. 

Thanks to six overall tournament champions in their respective weight classes, the Quakers never looked back on the day.

Quaker Valley swept the first three weight classes at the heralded local tournament as Isaac Maccaglia claimed the individual title in the 106-pound weight class, pinning South Side's Killian Turek in just 1:49 to claim gold. 

In fact, Maccaglia pinned all three opponents he faced on Saturday, starting the day off with a pinfall win in 4:47 over West Allegheny's Cade Stern, before then pinning Ellwood City's Derek Allen in 58 seconds before defeating Turek in the final. 

Following up Maccaglia's title, Quaker Valley's Jack Kazaas pinned Montour's James Walzer in 3:05 in the 113-pound championship match, capping off a day in which he pinned Laurel's Alexis Brua in 22 seconds to start the tournament before then picking up a technical fall win (23-6) over West Allegheny's Caiden Herbert to advance to the title match.

In the 120-pound weight class, Logan Richey kept it rolling for the Quakers, picking up a decision win over Laurel's Colin Bartley, putting the Quakers well out in front of everyone in the tournament with three straight champions. 

South Side's Tim Cafrelli stopped the Quaker Valley run in convincing fashion in the 126-pound title match by defeating Quaker Valley's Brandon Krul by decision, 6-0. The two area wrestlers reached the 126-pound championship by pinfall wins as Cafrelli pinned West Allegheny's Chase Schepis in 3:01 of the semifinal match, while Krul pinned Freedom Area's Gavyn McCray in 2:10, setting up an all-Beaver Valley title match. 

At 132 pounds, Moon's Khyvon Grace — who remains undefeated on the year — got the Tigers on the board with an impressive 6-0 decision win over Carlynton's Bryce Rodriguez, controlling the match throughout before claiming the title. Grace pinned Central Valley's Michael Miller in 1:32 and then defeated West Allegheny's Luke Potts 5-0 to reach the title match.

Central Valley found its way onto the team scoreboard thanks to Ambrose Boni at 138 pounds as the talented Warriors' grappler dominated Montour's Peter Chacon to pick up a major decision win by a score of 12-0. That result matched the dominance Boni displayed all day Saturday, as the Warrior standout pinned Laurel's John Andre in 28 seconds and then pinned West Allegheny's Curtis Brown in 1:14 to reach the championship match at Ambridge. 

Fresh off of a second-place finish at the prestigious Powerade Christmas Tournament, West Allegheny's Ty Watters one-upped his season-opening performance by winning the 145-pound weight class at the MAC Tournament, flying through the competition to put the WPIAL on notice after an injury-ravaged season in 2020-21. 

Watters pinned Carlynton's Chase Brandebura in 1:24 of the championship match after previously pinning Montour's Lucas Swearingen in 26 seconds and Freedom Area's Ryan Kredel in 28 seconds to reach the title match.

West Allegheny's Nico Taddy kept it rolling for the Indians at 152 pounds, defeating Hopewell's Isaiah Pisano by major decision (14-1), making it two straight individual titles for the tough West Allegheny program. Taddy reached the championship match by pinning Mars' Mason Childress in 3:10 and then pinning Montour's Derek Brandl in 1:27.

Pisano's great day was marked by pinning Ambridge' Ethan Wrotny in 50 seconds and then Montour's William Moore in 1:00, getting the Vikings on the board.

After Laurel's Grant Mackay pinned West Allegheny's Shawn Taylor in 3:01 of the 160-pound match, Quaker Valley's Mason Diemert got Beaver Valley wrestlers back on top in the 172-pound weight class.

Diemert became the fourth Quaker Valley champion on the day by defeating Montour's Aaron DeLuca by decision (8-4), capping off a strong day in which he pinned Hopewell's Jacob Bauknight in 48 seconds and Freedom Area's Trent McCray in 2:22 to set up the title match.

Following Diemert's title, Cutchember got on the board for the Quakers, picking up a pinfall win over Central Valley's Brenan Morgan in 2:55 of the 189-pound title match, giving him two podium finishes to open the season. Cutchember reached the title match by pinning Beaver's Alex Snowden in 1:38 before then pinning Hopewell's Andrew Palochak in 1:04. 

As for Morgan, the talented Central Valley product reached the title match via dominant pinfall wins over Moon's Luis Carrasquiillo in 25 seconds and Laurel's Chase Tinstman in 2:42.

Freedom Area's Landon Millward kept the ball rolling for Beaver Valley dominance as the Bulldogs' grappler pinned Carlyton's Braiden Sudor in just 1:54 of the 215-pound championship match, while Laurel's Coltin Hill closed out the tournament with a pinfall win over Central Valley's Lance Crawley in 1:58 of the 285-pound match. 

Outside of the championship matches, Ellwood City's Allen claimed third at 106 pounds, West Allegheny's Harbert finished third in the 113-pound weight class, and Central Valley's Don Lindsey grabbed third place in the 120-pound weight class with a 9-2 decision win over Montour's Anthony Orlandini. 

West Allegheny's Chase Schepis also placed third in the 126-pound weight class, while Quaker Valley's Michael Carmody added more points for the Quakers with a third-place finish at 132 pounds. 

West Allegheny's Curtis Brown (138 pounds), Quaker Valley's Justin Richey (160 pounds), Hopewell's Andrew Palochak (189 pounds), and Hopewell's Rocco Vespaziani (285 pounds) also claimed third-place finishes at the 16-team tournament. 

 

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 1:35PM

Wrestling Wednesdays: Two Beaver Valley grapplers turn in strong showings at Powerade Tourney

Joshua Carney

Beaver County Times

Every Wednesday, the Beaver County Times will recap impressive individual and team performances on the mat from around the Beaver Valley in a new weekly wrestling feature. This week, the Times takes a look at some of the top performances from the Powerade tournament.

Hitting the mat just days after Christmas for the heralded Powerade Christmas Tournament, which began its 55th year of competition Wednesday at Canon-McMillan High School, a trio of Beaver Valley schools represented themselves well in a star-backed tournament that featured four of the top five wrestling programs in the nation. 

Beaver Falls, Quaker Valley and West Allegheny were registered for the tough national tournament, in which just 28 WPIAL wrestlers from 24 District 7 schools qualified for the quarterfinals. 

Quaker Valley had one of those wrestlers in the quarterfinals as senior Patrick Cutchember reached the third-place match of the 189-pound weight class, losing to Thomas Jefferson's Brian Finnerty via tiebreaker-1, 3-2. Cutchember cruised into the third-place match with pinfall wins over Kiski Area's Donavin Harbison in 1:59 and Canon-McMillan's Gabriel Stafford in 3:04, doing all of that work after losing in the quarterfinal matchup to Mount Lebanon's MacLane Stout by major decision (15-5). 

West Allegheny's Ty Watters also had a great showing at the Powerade Christmas Tournament, reaching the championship match at 145 pounds, rolling through the championship rounds with pinfall wins over Trinity's Andrew Gonzales in 1:12 and Blair Academy's William Henckel in 3:21 before picking up a decision win (11-4) over Franklin Regional's Finn Solomon to reach the semifinals. 

In the semifinal matchup against Delbarton School's Cross Wasilewski, Watters stayed red-hot, pinning Wasilewski in 4:44, setting up a championship match against Wyoming Seminar's Meyer Shapiro. 

In the largest of stages early in the season, Watters went the distance against Shapiro before ultimately falling by decision, 7-0. 

MAC TOURNAMENT AWAITS 

After a handful of area wrestlers hit the mats over the holiday break, many will make their full return from the holidays with the popular MAC Tournament at Ambridge High School Saturday, January 8. 

The tournament will feature 12 WPIAL teams, including Ambridge (0-3), Beaver (0-2), Carlynton (2-1), Ellwood City (1-4), Hopewell (1-0), Laurel (1-0), Mars (1-0), Montour (0-1), Moon (3-4), New Castle (0-2), Quaker Valley (9-3) and West Allegheny (3-1).

Team News

2.0 years ago @ 7:54AM

Led by 3-sport standout Cutchember, Quaker Valley wrestling sets goals high

By:  
Sunday, December 19, 2021 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley’s wrestling goals for 2021-22 are three-fold.

The Quakers aim to win another section title, qualify for the PIAA team tournament and have multiple individual state qualifiers.

With 11 returning starters and four Division I prospects, coach Mike Heinl believes all three are attainable.

“We want to stay healthy, have fun and compete at a high level,” Heinl said. “This team is hungry. They have put in the work in the offseason. It’s a great group to work with. Practices are fun, hard and the effort is there. If we can stay healthy and tighten up our lineup, we should be ready to go for the team tournament in February.”

Three top returning starters are seniors Patrick Cutchember (189 pounds) and Justin Richey (160) and sophomore Jack Kazalas (113).

“I expect us to do very well this year,” Cutchember said. “We have been getting better every season, and I feel that this team has the ability to make it to states. Personally, my goal is to win a state title.”

Cutchember, who excels in wrestling, football and lacrosse, won a WPIAL individual championship last season.

“Three-sport athletes are hard to find nowadays,” Heinl said. “The coaching staff is blessed to have had the opportunity to work with Patrick and his brother Donovan. It’s a great family.

“Patrick is exciting to watch. He is aggressive and does not care about who he is wrestling. He’s constantly working on scoring points and looking for the fall. He is a terrific young man on and off the mat. We are excited to see Patrick wrestle this season.”

Kazalas enjoyed a noteworthy freshman season, finishing as a WPIAL runner-up and qualifying for the Super Regional. He is the younger brother of John Rocco Kazalas, who from 2016-19 competed at QV and earned two section titles, three third-place finishes at the regional tournament and twice was a PIAA medalist. He also won the first WPIAL title in program history as a senior.

Jack Kazalas went 27-5 at 106 pounds last season, picking up seven pins, four major decisions and two technical falls.

Richey was a WPIAL runner-up who finished one match away from advancing to regionals.

The Quakers indeed seem loaded this season as Cutchember, Richey and Kazalas are joined by a solid group of talented wrestlers including eight returning starters: seniors Will Campbell (172), Mason Diemert (189) and Amir McCracken (215), juniors Logan Richey (126), Michael Carmody (132) and Dom Floro (145), and sophomores Isaac Macaglia (106) and Nick Allan (138).

Jack Kazalas (27-5), Justin Richey (20-9) and Cutchember (26-5) were ranked second in Class 2A at 106, 152 and 189 by Trib HSSN last season. Logan Richey (19-10) earned the fourth spot at 113.

In his first two seasons, Cutchember went a combined 70-17 including a 40-11 mark as a sophomore. He won 45 of those 70 matches via pin and only 11 by decision.

Cutchember, who led QV with 16 pins last year, Justin Richey, Logan Richey and Kazalas look to continue their careers at the next level.

“I expect these four kids to continue with their leadership roles,” Heinl said. “Justin, Logan and Jack have wrestled in the spring, summer and fall and should be ready to go. Logan is a machine. He has grown so much. He is mentally tougher and should be fun to watch. Jack is going to be tough at 113. He has improved in every aspect. Justin is healthy, strong, and ready to make some noise.”

Cutchember, a four-year letterman in football as a running back/defensive back, and a three-year letterman in wrestling and lacrosse (as a defender), recently signed with Clarion, where he plans to continue his career on the mats.

“They (Clarion) are rebuilding with a lot of WPIAL kids,” Heinl said, “like Joey Fisher from South Park, Chanz Shearer from Seneca Valley and Patrick. They are well coached and should be exciting to watch.” 

Cutchember and QV grad Conner Redinger shared the team record for career pins with 61 at the start of this season. Cutchember also holds the single-season record for pins with 25.

Notable newcomers on this year’s QV squad include freshmen Jack Diemert (152) and Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285) and junior Brandon Krul (132).

“I would add in Michael Carmody, Brandon Krul, Mason Deimert and Amir McCracken as leaders on the team,” Heinl said. “These kids did improve a lot from last year by lifting weights and/or wrestling during the offseason. All of our wrestlers have put in a lot of work in the offseason and we expect them to compete at a high level.”

QV’s fifth-year coach is anticipating big things from Carmody at 132.

“Michael Carmody is a stud,” Heinl said. “The kid outworks everyone. He doesn’t like to lose and will do anything you ask him to do.”

Others looking to contribute this season include senior Sean Mariner (285), sophomores Aidan Fair (160) and Chae Kretzler (189) and freshmen Grant Castaldo (106), Wyatt Hamm (120) and Marcus Richey (126).

Quaker Valley ended up 13-6 last season and secured fourth place in Class 2A in the Trib HSSN final team rankings.

Justin Richey, Campbell, Redinger, Cutchember and McCracken won five straight matches from 152 to 215 pounds, helping QV break a 15-15 tie with Montour to roll to the Section 2-AA championship. The Quakers have earned three consecutive section crowns.

The top five squads in 2A a year ago were Burrell (12-1), Burgettstown (13-1), Beth-Center (15-3), QV and Mt. Pleasant (10-7).

The Quakers expect Laurel and Montour to present the toughest challenges in the section. Montour and Laurel were ranked No. 6 and No. 7 in 2A last season.

QV has added Cole Nye, a two-time state champion, to its coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. Garrett Frey is the assistant head coach while Austin Heinl and Logan Heinl are volunteer assistants.


https://qvquakers.org