Westmoreland wrestling notebook: Norwin’s Altieri reaches 100-win milestone

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, January 19, 2021 | 4:17 PM

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Norwin senior wrestler John Altieri reached the 100-win mark in his career by winning his weight class at the Mid-Winter Mayhem.

Altieri defeated Thomas Jefferson’s Kale Buckiso, 9-1, to win the 145-pound weight class in the morning session of the tournament. He also pinned Jack Moyer of Chestnut Ridge in the semifinals of his pool bracket and defeated Dustin Flinn of Forest Hills, 15-5, the bracket final.

He is now 100-29 in his career and 6-0 this season.

Other WPIAL wrestlers to win titles in the morning tournament included Pine-Richland’s Kelin Laffey at 138, Thomas Jefferson’s Brian Finnerty at 172 and Hempfield heavyweight Isaiah Vance.

Placing second were Mt. Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer at 215, Belle Vernon’s Logan Hoffman at 189, Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer at 160, Laurel’s Grant MacKay at 152, Hempfield’s Briar Priest at 132, Hempfield’s Ethan Berginc at 126 and Pine-Richland’s Shane Simpson at 106.

WPIAL wrestlers who won titles in the evening tournament included Kiski Area’s Ryan Klingensmith at 120, Trinity’s Blake Reihner at 126, Trinity’s Bodie Morgan at 145, Kiski Area’s Enzo Morlacci at 160, Kiski Area’s Sammy Starr at 172 and Kiski Area’s Brayden Roscosky at 189.

Placing second were Penn-Trafford’s Lucas Paszek at 152, Trinity’s Brady Boburchock at 215 and Trinity’s Tyson Brophy at 285.

Pitzer lost 15-4 to No. 1 ranked Nicholas Feldman of Malvern Prep.

Southmoreland Duals

The Southmoreland Duals tournament, which replaced the Southmoreland Holiday Classic, will be held Saturday at Mt. Pleasant Sportzone.

Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. on four mats.

Southmoreland wrestling coach Dan Boring said the championship match is set for 4 p.m.

There are 12 teams in the tournament with six teams each in two brackets.

The teams in Pool A are Pine-Richland, Southmoreland, Greensburg Salem, Fort Cherry, Frazier and Albert Gallatin.

The teams in Pool B are Derry, Butler, Beth-Center, North Star, Elizabeth Forward and Highlands.

Each team will wrestle four opponents and then get matched against another team from the other bracket.

“We’re excited to see how things go,” Boring said. “Maybe we’ll hold two tournaments every year.”

North Allegheny take 2

The second North Allegheny individual tournament will take place Saturday. The first one was held Jan. 9.

Teams entered in the event, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, are North Allegheny, North Hills, Latrobe, Grove City, Norwin, Belle Vernon, Trinity, Freedom, General McLane and Benton.

North Allegheny will host a second duals tournament Jan. 30.

Powerade approaching

There are 55 teams entered in the Powerade Tournament scheduled for Jan. 29 and 30 at the Monroeville Convention Center. The teams entered are from Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Some of the top teams committed include Waynesburg, Notre Dame-Green Pond, Seneca Valley, Canon-McMillan, Hempfield, Burrell, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Norwin, Mt. Pleasant, Central Mountain, Forest Hills, Chestnut Ridge, Malvern Prep, Moeller (Ohio) and Walsh Jesuit.

There will be three sessions Jan. 29, starting at 9 a.m. on 12 mats. Session I will include the 106- to 126-pound weight classes. Session II at 1 p.m. is for the 132- to 152-pound weight classes, and Session III begins at 5 p.m. for the 160- to 285-pound classes.

Action resumes at 8 a.m. Jan. 30 with the quarterfinals and semifinals for 106 to 138 and noon for 145 to 285.

The consolation round begins at 4 p.m. followed by the finals at 5:30 p.m.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny, Norwin, Southmoreland