By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Quaker Valley was led by juniors Bruce Anderchak and Matthew Danna at the Panther Holiday Wrestling Classic held mid-December at Mount Aloysius.

QV placed second among WPIAL teams and 13th overall with a 102 overall point total. Hill School (160), Hickory (155), McGuffey (149.5), Penns Valley (145.5) and Corry (138.5) were the top five finishers.

“I think we had an overall good experience at the tournament,” QV coach Austin Heinl said. “It’s a great team bonding experience traveling and competing against teams you’re not used to seeing.

“This tournament does give us a similar feel of a bigger competition stage. We see a lot of the teams that are in our region. There are also a ton of teams from all over the state. Getting to wrestle teams that you aren’t used to seeing simulates those types of matches deep in the postseason.”

Anderchak and Danna captured third place at 114 and 145 pounds to end the tournament with 9-2 and 11-1 records, respectively.

“Bruce and Matt both wrestled well,” Heinl said. “Both fell short in the semifinals to wrestlers they’ve lost to before. I’m proud how they both bounced back to win two straight matches to both end the day in third place.

“That’s something we emphasize when at a tournament — to always win the last match of the day. It’s good practice for the end of the year.”

Anderchak and Danna were complemented in the scoring column by senior Marcus Richey, who took sixth place at 172 to go to 8-4 on the year.

“Marcus also had a great tournament,” Heinl said, “improving to sixth place this year from a seventh-place finish last year.”

Other leading competitors for the Quakers included senior Jack Diemert (160), sophomores Trey Dunlap (160) and Noah Fardo (215) and freshman Brennan Breisinger (215). Diemert and Breisinger both boosted their 2024-25 win total to seven.

“Trey Dunlap, Jack Diemert and Brennan Breisinger all lost in the blood round,” Heinl said. “Making it to that point and getting that experience will help them throughout the season.”

QV freshmen Brendan Fitzgerald (127) and Jack Bednarski (139), junior Eoin Parnell (121) and seniors Grant Castaldo (114) and Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285) also made it to the tournament’s consolations.

“We had a lot of our younger and inexperienced wrestlers compete in the junior varsity tournament,” Heinl said. “A lot of our guys gained valuable experience there.

“Sawyer Stelzig won his first two wrestling matches ever in his life that weekend. He started last season with no experience. He lost every match. He stayed consistent with practice all year and in the offseason. His performance was one of the ones I was most proud of that weekend.”

QV competed in two holiday tournaments in December, traveling to Hickory for the Rande Stottlemyer Memorial Duals and to the Highlands Sports Complex for the Wheeling Park Duals.

Anderchak and Danna led the way for the Quakers with 7-0 records at Wheeling Park and 3-0 marks at Hickory.

Diemert and Richey also won all three of their bouts at the Stottlemyer Memorial.

QV was ranked fourth in Class 2A behind Burrell, Derry and McGuffey in the Trib HSSN high school wrestling rankings.

QV grapplers were ranked among the top three in the individual weight classes: Anderchak, first at 114; Breisinger, second at 215; and Danna, third at 145.

Danna (22-1), Anderchak (20-2), Richey (18-5), Diemert (16-5), Breisinger (13-5), Dunlap (12-9) and Fardo (10-6) all kicked off the new year with double-digit wins.

By: Paul Schofield 
Tuesday, December 31, 2024 | 6:01 AM

Team rankings

Class 2A

1. Burrell (2-0) 1

2. Derry (12-2) 2

3. McGuffey (8-2) 3

4. Quaker Valley (7-4) 4

5. Laurel (13-2) 5

6. Bentworth (5-4) 6

7. Burgettstown (6-2) 7

8. Frazier (4-4) 8

9. Freedom (2-0) 9

10. Highlands (8-4) 10

Teams to watch: Avella (4-4), Greensburg Salem (5-2), Hopewell (2-0), Jefferson-Morgan (6-3), Southmoreland (4-5) and South Park (6-10).

Individual rankings

Class 2A

107: 1. Rocco DeCario (11-3), fr., Derry; 2. Angelo Boni (10-4), jr., Central Valley; 2. Kayden Braun (9-2), so., Freedom; 3. Brayden Hanning (12-1), fr., Jefferson-Morgan; (PA 1: Chase Karenbauer, fr., Grove City).

114: 1. Bruce Anderchak (20-2), jr., Quaker Valley; 2. Preston Bubash (7-1), fr., Elizabeth Forward; 3. Javeon Chambers (10-2), jr. Highlands; 4. Logan Ketzel (13-2), so., Laurel. (PA 1: Freddy Bachmann, fr. Faith Christian).

121: 1. Tucker Main (13-4), so., McGuffey; 2. Auston Kosanovic (8-1), jr., Avonworth; 3. Carter Thomas (9-3), so., Burrell; 4. Noah Collins (8-2), jr., West Greene. (PA 1: Joe Bachmann, so. Faith Christian).

127: 1. Cam Baker (6-3), jr., Burrell; 2. Antonio Boni (13-0), jr., Central Valley; 2. Dylan Bateman (13-5), fr., Derry; 4. Archer Brua (10-5), so., Laurel. (PA 1: Gauge Botero, sr., Faith Christian).

133: 1. Anthony Mucci (17-4), sr., Derry; 2. Drake McClure (18-2), so., Bentworth; 3. Mason Wright (14-5), jr., Beth-Center; 4. Emmett Wolfe (15-1), jr., McGuffey. (PA 1: Jax Forrest, jr., Bishop McCort).

139: 1. Lucas Barr (16-0), jr., McGuffey; 2. Giovanni Beatrice (9-0), sr., Derry; 3. Jacob Stewart (5-2), jr., Burrell; 4. Kaiden Millward (11-4), so., Freedom. (PA 1: Brandt Harer, jr., Montgomery).

145: 1. Julian Bertucci (8-5), jr., Burrell; 2. Aiden Buford (11-1), sr., Highlands; 3. Matthews Danna (22-1), jr., Quaker Valley; 4. Brett Klim (12-5), sr., Derry. (PA 1: Bo Bassett, jr., Bishop McCort).

152: 1. Jonah Erdely, jr., Frazier (18-0); 2. Luke Boyer (6-1), so., Elizabeth Forward; 3. Calio Zanella (5-2), sr., Burrell; 4. Ryder Goe (9-4), sr., South Side. (PA 1: Max Stein, sr., Faith Christian).

160: 1. Owen Ivcic (19-2), jr., Bentworth; 2. Mason Horwat (15-3), so., Derry; 3. Ryan Celaschi (16-3), sr., Frazier; 4. Stephen Predajna (10-4), so., Mt. Pleasant. (PA 1: Reagan Milheim, jr., Warrior Run).

172: 1. Jackson Angelo (17-0), jr., Frazier; 2. Isaac Lacinski (11-4), sr., Burrell; 3. Landon Delara (18-3). sr., Southmoreland; 4. Ewan Olson (15-3), jr., Derry; 4. (PA 1: Melvin Miller, so. Bishop McCort).

189: 1. Braedon Welsh (10-0), sr., Fort Cherry; 2. Brady Brown (14-3), so., Derry; 3. Slayton Williams (12-3), sr., South Side; 4. Jake Mundorff (17-2), Ligonier Valley, so.. (PA 1: Adam Waters, jr., Faith Christian).

215: 1. Luke Boylan (6-6), sr., Burrell; 2. Brennan Breisinger (13-5), fr., Quaker Valley; 3. Kaden Shannon (13-7), jr., Southmoreland; 4. Kolton Carlson (14-1), jr., Laurel. (PA 1: Austin Johnson, sr., Muncy).

285: 1. Colin Whyte (16-2), jr., West Greene; 2. Landon Heath (17-4), jr., Jefferson-Morgan; 3. Henry Barbisch (9-4), sr., Carlynton; 4. Casey Wilson (14-1), jr., Laurel. (PA 1: Mark Effendian, jr., Faith Christian).

*PA 1 denotes PaPower Wrestling No. 1.

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 26, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley junior Bruce Anderchak has dominated in high school wrestling for the past two-and-a-half years.

Case in point: Anderchak joined an exclusive club Jan. 15 at home against Carlynton when he secured his 100th career win as a QV grappler.

“Bruce has wrestled for more than two-thirds of his life,” coach Austin Heinl said. “This milestone has been expected. This might be the fastest anyone in QV history has achieved this milestone.”

It took Anderchak only 14 seconds to pin Carlynton freshman Jeffrey Spina in the 121-pound weight class and go to 29-2 with 15 falls this season and to 100-23 with 40 falls for his career.

“Getting 100 wins in just my junior season is an accomplishment I’ve been looking forward to all year,” Anderchak said. “I’m thankful that I’ve been healthy enough all through my high school career to wrestle every match and tournament to allow me to get to 100 this early.

“It is a cool accomplishment, but I’m looking forward to bigger and better things the rest of my wrestling career.”

More recently, Anderchak captured his second consecutive Allegheny County Tournament championship with a 17-1 technical fall against North Allegheny senior Charlie LaQuatra at 114. Anderchak won the 107 title last year.

Anderchak improved to 34-2 this season and 105-23 for his career.

“Bruce is our third-ever wrestler to be a two-time county champ,” Heinl said. “He won our ninth county title as a program.”

Jack Diemert, a 152-pound senior who was the leading rusher on the QV football team in the fall, also joined the century club off his performance at the county tournament held Jan. 17-18 at Fox Chapel.

Diemert earned career win No. 100 with a 19-3 technical fall against Fox Chapel junior Calyx Kimbrough.

“Jack is a multi-sport athlete, so being able to perform at a high level in both is a great achievement and speaks to his athleticism,” Heinl said. “He’s been a starter since he was a freshman and has been a key figure in our lineup. One-hundred wins is a milestone that shows the time and effort he’s put in with this team.

“Jack is a super-freak athlete. He’s one of the strongest and most explosive kids I’ve ever coached. If (opponents) can’t withstand his pace, he will throw you around, up and down the mat.”

Junior Matt Danna placed third at 139 at the two-day county event, senior Marcus Richey finished fourth at 172 and Diemert ended up sixth at 152.

The Quakers ended up ninth in the final team scoring.

“I thought we did well as a team this year,” Heinl said. “We had five medalists and a champ. Marcus Richey and Brennan Breisinger earned their first county medal. The rest of our medalists improved their finishes from past years past — Jack Diemert from seventh to sixth and Matt Danna from fourth to third.”

Diemert ended the tournament with a 26-9 record for the season, 101-54 for his career. He started out at 17-16 as a freshman, won 28 decisions as a sophomore and upped it to 30 wins last year.

Anderchak and Diemert are the seventh and eighth grapplers in the nine-year history of QV’s program to reach the century mark in career wins, joining Jack Kazalas (2024, 151-28), Patrick Cutchember (2022, 141-31), John Rocco Kazalas (2019, 134-33), Connor Redinger (2021, 112-20), Logan Richey (2023, 112-50) and Justin Richey (2022, 107-41).

“It’s great company because everyone in the program with 100-plus wins has had great success in their career,” Anderchak said. “It’s fun being able to be added to the banner in the (wrestling) room.”

Anderchak set up his career achievement by going 4-0 and taking first place at 114 pounds at the Burgettstown Invitational on Jan. 10-11.

“It was a well-run tournament that had a lot of great competition,” Heinl said. “I’m happy with how our team and individuals performed while missing three starters.” 

Anderchak won a 13-2 major decision over Grove City’s Ian Stearns in the championship round to land the Quakers’ only individual title at the tournament.

“I felt very good about my performance, executing my gameplan and offense very well,” Anderchak said.

The QV grappler was impressive throughout the tournament as he also pinned Upper St. Clair’s Alisher Abdurakhmanov in 37 seconds and Beth-Center’s Alex Medlen in two minutes, then rolled past North Hills’ Brady Rohaly in the semifinals via an 18-1 technical fall.

Anderchak was a section champion and WPIAL runner-up last year when he went 40-8. That followed a 31-13 record as a freshman.

“Bruce is quick and slick on his feet. He scores a lot of takedowns using his fast feet and length,” Heinl said. “He’s also very tough in the top position. Heading into this year, he’s turned into a more well-rounded wrestler being tough in all three positions.”

Diemert rolled past five opponents at the county tournament, starting off with pins against Chartiers Valley’s Ryan Raja and Obama Academy’s Daniel Cabiness.

He also sandwiched 8-3 decisions against Thomas Cloonan of North Hills and Ian Bucheli of Bethel Park in between his milestone victory against Kimbrough.

And at this point in the season, keep an eye out for Richey, QV’s 152-pound senior.

With a 32-10 season record and 87-38 career mark, Richey is expected to become the third QV grappler to join the century club in 2024-25.

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 26, 2025 | 11:01 AM

The bitterly cold temperatures in January haven’t curbed the efforts of the athletes in the Quaker Valley wrestling program.

After celebrating the new year with a second-place showing at the Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament, the Quakers won section decisions at Avonworth, 51-24, and at home against Carlynton, 54-18.

QV also placed seventh at the Burgettstown Invitational held Jan. 10-11 and won by Grove City.

QV junior Bruce Anderchak captured first place at 114 pounds with a 13-2 major decision against Grove City’s Ian Stearns.

Two QV grapplers placed second — junior Matt Danna, who dropped a weight class to 139 for this tournament, and freshman standout Brennan Breisinger at 215.

Marcus Richey, a 172-pound senior, also snagged sixth place and a spot on the podium. As of Jan. 20, Richey had attained an 87-38 career record

“The team did well at Burgettstown,” Richey said. “We were banged up. Four starters were out due to injury or sickness, and we still finished as one of the top teams.

“There was some tough competition. I faced some tough 172s that I needed to wrestle. I need to keep improving each day and get ready for the team playoffs and individual tournament. Those matches that I lost (at Burgettstown) will help me in the long run. You can learn from them.”

Other QV competitors at the invitational consisted of sophomore Harper Sipes (133), junior Eoin Parnell (121), senior Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285), junior Kris Brown (285), sophomore Sawyer Stelzig and freshmen Damien McClay (121), Shawn Thibodeau (127), Brendan Fitzgerald (127), Emmitt Figley (133), Jack Bednarski (139), Tyler Cunnard (189) and Tommy Minnock (145).

“Shawn Thibodeau got his first varsity win,” QV coach Austin Heinl said.

Quaker Valley belted Avonworth on the strength of nine winning performances.

Natalie Minnock, a 107-pound freshman and Tommy’s twin sister, Anderchak, Parnell, Sipes, Bednarski, Danna, senior Jack Diemert (152), Richey and freshman Brennan Breisinger (215) all secured victories in their weight classes.

“This is Natalie’s first year wrestling along with two other girls in her class,” Heinl said. “She also won a match in the girls division at the MAC championships.”

One of the individual highlights against Carlynton was a tense 1-0 victory by Breisinger, one of 13 freshmen on the CV squad this season.

The Quakers improved to 9-4 overall with the win.

“Our team is starting to get healthy at just the right time,” Richey said. “I hope that everyone keeps improving and working hard so we can get to Hershey as a team. That would mean a lot to me as a senior.”

As of Jan. 20, Danna, the team leader in wins, stood at 35-3, Anderchak was next in line with a 34-2 record, Richey followed at 32-10, Diemert had 26 victories and Breisinger was right behind with 25.

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 19, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley junior Bruce Anderchak has dominated in high school wrestling for the past two-and-a-half years.

Case in point: Anderchak joined an exclusive club Jan. 15 at home against Carlynton when he secured his 100th career win as a QV grappler.

“Bruce has wrestled for more than two-thirds of his life,” QV coach Austin Heinl said. “This milestone has been expected. This might be the fastest anyone in QV history has achieved this milestone.”

It took the 114-pound Anderchak just 15 seconds to pin his opponent and go to 29-2 with 15 falls this season and 100-23 with 40 falls for his career.

“Getting 100 wins in just my junior season is an accomplishment I’ve been looking forward to all year,” Anderchak said. “I’m thankful that I’ve been healthy enough all through my high school career to wrestle every match and tournament to allow me to get to 100 this early.

“It is a cool accomplishment but I’m looking forward to bigger and better things the rest of my wrestling career.”

Anderchak is the seventh grappler in the nine-year history of the QV wrestling program to reach the century mark in career wins, joining Jack Kazalas (2024), at 151-28; Patrick Cutchember (2022), 141-31; John Rocco Kazalas (2019), 134-33; Connor Redinger (2021), 112-20; Logan Richey (2023), 112-50; and Justin Richey (2022), 107-41.

“It’s great company because everyone in the program with 100-plus wins has had great success in their career,” Anderchak said. “It’s fun being able to be added to the banner in the (wrestling) room.”

Anderchak set up his mat milestone by going 4-0 and taking first place at 114 pounds at the Burgettstown Invitational held Jan. 10-11 at Burgettstown.

“It was a well-run tournament that had a lot of great competition,” Heinl said. “I’m happy with how our team and individuals performed while missing three starters.”

Anderchak secured a 13-2 major decision over Grove City’s Ian Stearns in the championship round to land the Quakers’ only individual title at the tournament.

“I felt very good about my performance, executing my game plan and offense very well,” Anderchak said.

The QV wrestler was impressive throughout the tournament as he also pinned Upper St. Clair’s Alisher Abdurakhmanov in 37 seconds and Beth-Center’s Alex Medlen in two minutes, then rolled past North Hills’ Brady Rohaly in the semifinals via an 18-1 technical fall at the 4:56 mark.

Anderchak was a section champion and WPIAL runner-up last year when he compiled a 40-8 record. That followed a 31-13 mark as a freshman.

“Bruce is quick and slick on his feet. He scores a lot of takedowns using his fast feet and length,” Heinl said. “He’s also very tough in the top position. Heading into this year he’s turned into a more well-rounded wrestler being tough in all three positions.”

Two QV wrestlers placed second at Burgettstown — junior Matt Danna, who dropped a weight class to 139 for this tournament, and freshman standout Brennan Breisinger at 215.

Marcus Richey, a 172-pound senior, also snagged sixth place and a spot on the podium.

“The team did well at Burgettstown,” Richey said. “We were banged up; four starters were out due to injury or sickness and we still finished as one of the top teams.

“There was some tough competition. I faced some tough 172s that I needed to wrestle. I need to keep improving each day and get ready for the team playoffs and individual tournament. Those matches that I lost (at Burgettstown) will help me in the long run. You can learn from them.”

The Quakers finished seventh in the final team scoring.

The tournament’s top 10 consisted of Grove City (208.5), Armstrong (183), North Hills (158.5), Laurel (137), Sharpsville (134), Burgettstown (133.5), Quaker Valley (127), Pine-Richland (123.5), Mt. Lebanon (112.5) and Meadville (108.5).

Other QV competitors at Burgettstown consisted of sophomore Harper Sipes (133), junior Eoin Parnell (121), senior Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285), junior Kris Brown (285), sophomore Sawyer Stelzig and freshmen Damien McClay (121), Shawn Thibodeau (127), Brendan Fitzgerald (127), Emmitt Figley (133), Jack Bednarski (139), Tyler Cunnard (189) and Tommy Minnock (145).

“Shawn Thibodeau got his first varsity win,” Heinl said.

QV also belted Avonworth, 51-24, in a section meet Jan. 8 on the strength of nine winning performances.

Natalie Minnock, a 107-pound freshman and Tommy’s twin sister, Anderchak, Parnell, Sipes, Bednarski, Danna, senior Jack Diemert (152), Richey and Breisinger all secured victories in their respective weight classes.

“This is Natalie’s first year wrestling along with two other girls in her class,” Heinl said. “She also won a match in the girls division at the MAC championships.”

Diemert, one of the team leaders on the QV football team, is next-in-line to join the century club in wrestling. He improved to 21-6 and 96-51 with a decisive win against Carlynton.

The Quakers boosted their section record 2-0 and went to 9-4 overall with a 54-18 win against Carlynton.

“Our team is starting to get healthy at just the right time,” Richey said. “I hope that everyone keeps improving and working hard so we can get to Hershey as a team. That would mean a lot to me as a senior.”

In the victory against Carlynton, Danna (139), the team leader in wins, improved to 30-2 while Richey (172) boosted his record to 27-8. 

Breisinger won a tense 1-0 decision in the 215-pound weight class to improve to 22-7.

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley’s wrestling team ended up second at the Midwestern Athletic Conference championships held Jan. 4 at Laurel.

“I thought this year’s MAC tournament was exciting, fun and well-run,” QV coach Austin Heinl said. “We finished in second place as a team and finished with seven medalists. We had the lead for the team title heading into the last championship match of the night at 285. 

“West Allegheny’s Cam Danna got the pin to put West Allegheny in first place. That made all of the championship round matches that much more exciting.”

The Quakers had three individual champions: Bruce Anderchak (114 pounds), Matt Danna (145) and Marcus Richey (172).

Anderchak, a junior, pinned Ellwood City’s Derek Allen at the 1:27 mark.

Danna, also junior, won via a technical fall over Liam Hein of Mars, 19-2.

Richey, a senior, secured a 14-6 major decision against Moon’s Michael Olszewski.

“Bruce Anderchak dominated to become a two-time MAC champion and three-time finalist,” Heinl said. “Matt Danna also dominated to win his second MAC title. And Marcus Richey bonused all the way to his first MAC title.”

Other QV medalists were senior Jack Diemert and freshman Brennan Breisinger, who took third at 152 and 215; along with sophomores Harper Sipes and Trey Dunlap, who placed fourth at 133 and 160.

“This is Harper Sipes’ first varsity regular-season medal,” Heinl said.

WA captured the tournament championship with 196.5 team points to narrowly defeat the Quakers (192 points).

By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, December 1, 2024 | 11:01 AM

The Quaker Valley wrestling program keeps winning — and growing.

“This is the biggest roster we’ve had in program history with 24 wrestlers,” QV coach Austin Heinl said.

The leaders of the pack are the returning starters, which consist of seniors Jack Diemert (160 pounds), Marcus Richey (172) and Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285), juniors Bruce Anderchak (114), Eoin Parnell (121) and Matt Danna (145) and sophomores Trey Dunlap (160) and Aris Haniotes (189).

Diemert posted a 30-15 record with 15 falls last season and owns a 75-45 career mark with 40 career falls. He improved from 17-16 as a freshman to 28-14 as a sophomore, then hit the 30-win plateau as a junior.

“Our team expectation is to win the WPIAL,” Diemert said. “My personal goal is to hit 100 (career) wins this year.”

Anderchak was 40-8 with 15 pins in 2023-24 after establishing himself with a 31-13 record as a freshman. Over two years, he is 71-21 with 25 pins.

“First up, team goals for this season are to improve every week as a whole,” Anderchak said. “We have a record number of wrestlers on our varsity team. Most of us have spent the offseason at team lifts, and it’s crucial for all of us to continue to work as hard as possible so we can make each other very competitive. We will have a lot of depth and competition in the room.

“If we are able to stick together and stay committed, then I believe we will have a very good chance to win the WPIAL 2A championship and get our first-ever team win in Hershey at the PIAA championships.”

Anderchak won a section title last winter, was a WPIAL runner-up and placed sixth at regionals. He finished second in the section and fourth in the WPIAL as a freshman.

“I’m looking to improve my performance every single day,” Anderchak said, “and I am working on trying to become more of a vocal leader in the (wrestling) room so I can do everything I can to help my teammates succeed, too.

“Ultimately, my goal is to make it back to the state championships at 114 pounds in March while staying focused on developing the right habits to earn a spot on a college team. I love the sport.”

Richey racked up a 35-12 record with 24 falls last season and is 55-28 (with 32 falls) for his career. He won a section championship last year and secured eighth place in the WPIAL tournament.

“I think Quaker Valley has the wrestlers this year to capture our second WPIAL championship like we did my freshman year. That is our goal,” Richey said. “However, we also know there is some strong competition out there and we will need to work hard each day to make it happen.”

Richey is looking forward to generating a banner senior year on the mats.

“I made some strides last year,” he said, “making it to regionals for the second time and putting up 35 wins. I am working harder this year and have the goal of being a state placer.”

Danna, a West Allegheny transfer, finished 38-11 with 19 pins last season. He captured a section title and placed sixth at the regional tournament.

“My expectations are for everyone to compete in their individual role that will lead to overall success for the team.” Danna said. “Our team motto is ‘intent.’ We are using that word to come together as a team to create goals we intend to accomplish. We really want to win a WPIAL team title, so having a strong team connection and bond will help us strive to do that.

“My personal goal is to focus on one competition at a time that will eventually help me progress through the season. Practicing having confidence not only in myself, but also in my abilities on the wrestling mat, is essential for me. One goal in particular that I want to achieve this year is qualifying and placing at states.”

Haniotes worked his way to a 24-14 mark with 16 falls in 2023-24 and finished fourth in the section.

Three top newcomers at QV include sophomore Harper Sipes (139) and freshmen Brennan Breisinger (215) and Brendan Fitzgerald (127).

“We expect our team to work hard, have fun, excel in the classroom and succeed on the wrestling mat,” said Heinl, QV’s third-year coach. “We expect to be a Top 4 team in the WPIAL again.”

In addition to the 24 grapplers competing at QV, there are four freshman girls in the program — Cordelia Grabiak, Madison Jodikinos, Beatrix Miller and Natalie Minnock.

The Quakers were undefeated in Section 3-2A last season, placed 15th at the Southwest Class 2A Regional and advanced to the PIAA championships at Giant Center in Hershey.

QV earned first place in its section with a 6-0 record and was followed by Montour (5-1), Avonworth (4-2), Carlynton (2-4), Keystone Oaks (2-4), South Allegheny (2-4) and South Park (0-6).

Over the past five years, QV has won five section titles, advanced to the PIAA tournament five times and reeled in the WPIAL championship in 2021-22. The Quakers were WPIAL runners-up in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

QV was 15-6 in Heinl’s first year of coaching, giving him a 28-9 record in two years.

The Quakers have been moved into the four-team Section 6 this season along with Avonworth, Carlynton and Keystone Oaks.

By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, December 15, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Quaker Valley secured fifth place at the season-opening Chartiers-Houston wrestling tournament held on the weekend of Dec. 6-7.

QV coach Austin Heinl believes it was a good learning experience for his team, but he has loftier expectations for the Quakers in 2024-25.

“I think the Chartiers-Houston tournament was a great first test to start the season,” Heinl said. “I’m happy with what we learned from competing this weekend. Fifth place in a tough field is good, but I believe our guys can achieve a higher level of success as the season continues.”

Bethel Park won the tournament with a 206.5-point total, followed by Butler (188.5), North Hills (153), Freedom (150) and Quaker Valley (143). Rounding out the top 10 were Shaler (142.5), Mt. Lebanon (138.5), Peters Township (126), Beth-Center (121) and Plum (109.5).

QV junior Matt Danna (145 pounds) and freshman Brennan Breisinger (215) took first place.

For Danna, practice paid off in his first taste of tournament competition this season.

“The key for me winning the championship was to stay focused on my technique and conditioning and to believe in what I’ve been working on in practice,” he said. ”My strength is having a positive mindset before and throughout a match, which is vital for me to compete at my absolute best.

“Wrestling demands composure, so staying calm under pressure can lead to ways to capitalize on opportunities during a match.”

Danna hopes to develop a winning rhythm during the winter months.

“My personal expectation for this season is to wrestle my hardest whoever I go against so it becomes the standard for me,” he said. “I think that this will elevate my wrestling, which will help me when facing some of the best kids in the state.

“I hope to demonstrate my leadership abilities to some of the young guys on the team so they know if you are putting in good effort throughout the season, you will get some good results. This will benefit the team in achieving our goals.”

Breisinger believes his diligence in the offseason helped propel him to his early title.

“A big part of winning my first varsity championship was the work and dedication I put in this offseason,” he said, “and the coaches that have worked with me and taken my wrestling to the next level. I’m very grateful to have that support group around me to contribute to my success.

“My goal for this season is to qualify for states as a freshman, which I am feeling confident in. I’m planning on setting higher expectations for myself next year.”

Breisinger indicated that his speed and cardio at 215 pounds are big bonuses for him on the mat.

“I am able to wrestle for the full six minutes, which is a big part for me considering I’m (usually) wrestling bigger and stronger kids,” he said.

Danna won a 9-0 major decision against Hampton’s Dustin Kerr in the championship round to rack up a 5-0 record in the tournament.

Breisinger won by a technical fall against Bethel Park’s Hunter Goelz, 19-4 at the 5:11 mark, to finish 4-0.

“Matt and Brennan both made statements,” Heinl said. “Both dominated their respective brackets from start to finish; neither of them gave up a takedown.

“I was happy with both of their offensive pressure and hand fighting. I’m excited to see what they and the rest of our wrestlers can do the rest of the season.”

Bruce Anderchak, a junior, and Marcus Richey, a senior, earned runner-up medals at 114 and 172 for the Quakers. Both won three matches to reach the championship round.

“Bruce and Marcus also had strong performances to make the finals,” Heinl said. “Both lost to tough wrestlers in the finals, but both needed hard-fought victories to reach that point, so that’s exciting to see them coming out on top in those types of matches.

“These experiences will help all of them when it comes time for the postseason.”

Another individual highlight for QV was the performance of sophomore Noah Fardo at 215 pounds. Fardo won three of his five matches; all three were by fall.

“Brennan Breisinger, Tommy Minnock, Jack Bednarski, Brendan Fitzgerald and Noah Fardo all achieved their first varsity wins,” Heinl said.

Minnock (152), Bednarski (139) and Fitzgerald (127) are freshmen.

QV senior Jack Diemert (160) and sophomore Trey Dunlap (160) also captured three wins in the tournament while junior Eoin Parnell (121) won twice.

Danna and Breisinger shared their thoughts about the Quakers’ initial appearance of 2024-25.

“I believe everyone on the team performed well for it being the first tournament of the season,” Danna said. “The tournament gave us an idea of what we need to work on to progress to the next event. The newcomers wrestled hard and enjoyed their first high school tournament.

“I would like to give thanks to the support Quaker Valley wrestling receives from the community and sponsors.”

Breisinger said, “I’m happy with the team’s performance. We finished fifth overall and second out of the Class 2A teams. We have a young team and great potential for the year.”