Five things to watch during Saturday’s Class AAA section wrestling tournaments

By: Paul Schofield
Friday, February 22, 2019 | 8:54 PM

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Individual tournaments begin Saturday for WPIAL Class AAA wrestlers.

This is just the start of their three-week journey, which they hope ends with a trip to the PIAA championships March 7-9 in Hershey.

The section tournaments will be held at four sites: Kiski Area (Section 1), Connellsville (2), Fox Chapel (3) and Chartiers Valley (4).

The top five finishers in each weight class advance to the WPIAL championship/PIAA Class AAA Southwest Regional on March 1 and 2 at Canon-McMillan. The top four wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes there advance to Hershey.

Here is look at five possible storylines.

1. Possible showdown

Kiski Area senior Darren Miller (35-1) opened the season by defeating Franklin Regional senior Colton Camacho, 4-3, in the 132-pound finals at the Eastern Area Invitational at Gateway.

The two moved to different weight classes during the regular season, with Miller wrestling most of the time at 132 and Camacho (31-2) at 126.

When the section tournaments begin Saturday and for the next three weeks, there is a good chance these two will meet a few more times.

Miller is No. 1 and Camacho No. 2 in the latest Trib HSSN rankings. They are ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively, in the state by PaPowerWrestling.com behind Cedar Cliff senior J.J. Wilson.

“I didn’t like the way things ended for me in 2018,” Miller said after beating Camacho at Gateway. “I have something to prove.”

Since that meeting both lost once, in the finals of the Powerade tournament. Miller fell to two-time PIAA Class AAA champion Sam Hillegas of North Hills. Camacho lost to Angelo Rini of St. Edward.

2. Still unbeaten

There are five Class AAA wrestlers entering the section tournaments with unblemished records, including Connellsville senior Colin Franks (2-0) who just returned to wrestling from a football injury.

The others are Hillegas (31-0), Thomas Jefferson senior Max Shaw (27-0), Armstrong senior Ogden Atwood (21-0) and Upper St. Clair senior heavyweight Jake Slinger (29-0).

Those four are favored to win section titles and keep those records perfect heading to the WPIAL championships next week.

3. Eight for three

There are eight wrestlers in the section tournaments looking to become three-time section champions.

One of the eight won’t repeat because Miller and Camacho are in the same weight class in Section 1.

The other two-time champions are: Hempfield senior Kyle Burkholder (26-5) at 113 in Section 1; Peters Township junior Bryce Wilkes (27-3) at 120 and Connellsville senior Dylan Ross (29-9) at 138 in Section 2; Shaler senior Ryan Sullivan (25-1) at 120 and Hillegas at 132 in Section 3; and Canon-McMillan junior Gerrit Nijenhuis (34-3) at 170 in Section 4.

4. Phipps’ time to shine

Norwin junior Kurtis Phipps is having another solid season and could return to the podium in Hershey.

Phipps, the returning 106-pound WPIAL champion, finished second in the state to Seneca Valley sophomore Alejandro Herrera-Rondon.

This season, Herrera-Rondon is at 113 pounds and Phipps is wrestling at 120.

Phipps (28-2) is ranked No. 1 at 120 by Trib HSSN and No. 1 in the state by PaPowerWrestling.com.

But he has some strong challengers in the weight class in Nazareth senior Sean Pierson (27-2), Stroudsburg senior Cameron Enriguez (28-5), who he defeated 6-5 in the Powerade finals, and returning PIAA champion Ryan Sullivan (25-1), a senior from Shaler.

Belle Vernon senior Logan Seliga (24-6) is another challenger from the WPIAL.

Phipps (103-8) recently reached the 100-win milestone.

5. Can he defend?

There are three returning PIAA champions, all from Section 3, looking to defend their state titles.

Hillegas (31-0, 107-1) won the 126-pound title in 2018. He also won the 113-pound title in 2017.

Sullivan (25-1, 118-11) is the reigning 113-pound champion, and Herrera-Rondon (38-1, 84-9) won the 106-pound crown.

All three expect to face tough challenges over the next three weeks.

Herrera-Rondon must get past Hempfield senior Kyle Burkholder and Franklin Regional freshman Finn Solomon from Section 1 and Canon-McMillan junior Jim Baxter.

Sullivan must get through Phipps from Section 1, Peters Township junior Bryce Wilkes from Section 2 and Waynesburg freshman Cole Homet from Section 4.

Hillegas’ main contender will be Latrobe junior Gabe Willochell from Section 1.

Tags: Armstrong, Canon-McMillan, Connellsville, Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Kiski School, North Hills, Norwin, Peters Township, Seneca Valley, Shaler, Thomas Jefferson, Upper St. Clair