With 8 returning WPIAL qualifiers, North Allegheny wrestlers set sights high

By: John Grupp
Saturday, December 7, 2024 | 11:01 AM

In the bowels of North Allegheny High School a few days before Thanksgiving, the NA wrestlers ran end-of-practice wind sprints to the loud encouragement of coaches and classic rock.

The Tigers plan to make even more noise this season.

“I don’t see any issues with their work ethic, and that’s the main ingredient for a good team,” coach Jamie Kyriazis said. “I like what I see. They are ready to go.”

North Allegheny returns eight WPIAL qualifiers from a team that went 17-4 and reached the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals.

Seniors Kellen Buggey (27-12 at 172 pounds) and Mason Hartung (26-14 at 189) and junior heavyweight Bradyn McConneha (24-14), the team’s lone returning PIAA qualifier, lead a strong group in the upper weights.

In the lower weights, sophomore Evan Schomburg, who went 26-6 last season and won the WPIAL Class 3A Northern Section title at 107, is moving up to 121.

“He is working hard, and I see him making a run at it,” Kyriazis said of Schomberg. “He looks strong. He’s legit at that weight.”

Hartung is also moving up in weight, going from 189 to 215. The two-sport athlete had a busy summer, winning the 190-pound Pennsylvania Greco-Roman title and competing for Team PA at the Junior National Duals in mid-June in Tulsa, Okla., and at the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals at Fargo, N.D., in mid-July.

Hartung suffered a torn labrum in his first match at Fargo but still managed to finish 1-2 in his first trip to nationals.

“It was hard going all the way out there (to Fargo and getting hurt),” Hartung said. “It was my first time there. I couldn’t move my arm at all.”

Hartung wore a brace playing defensive end for the Tigers’ football team and said he felt good at his first wrestling practice.

“I’m looking forward to him having a great year,” said Kyriazis, who is 244-77 with 15 section titles in 17 seasons spanning two stints at his alma mater.

North Allegheny, ranked No. 6 in the Trib’s WPIAL Class 3A preseason poll, also returns seniors Charlie LaQuatra (22-15 at 114) and Griffen Reid (24-13 at 139), juniors Gus Stedeford (31-12 at 121) and Gabriel Hernandez (17-17 at 145) and welcomes promising freshmen Joey Synan and Dalton Stragand.

“I think we have a really solid team,” said Buggey, who went 2-2 at 175 at the prestigious Super 32 Challenge on Oct. 12-13 at Greensboro, N.C. “We have some good returning seniors, and our juniors are very deep.”

North Allegheny will see where it stands at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic on Dec. 28-29 and Mid-Winter Mayhem at IUP on Jan. 10-11. The Tigers also were scheduled for the Trinity Duals and the Kiski Area Duals for the first two weekends in December.

Kyriazis has stressed to his wrestlers to set their sights high. As an NA senior in 1990, he went 38-2 and won the PIAA Class 3A 135-pound title. Prior to that season, he had never won a match at states.

“I’ve told them,” Kyriazis said, “’If you have those goals, just because you haven’t done it yet, doesn’t mean you can’t be that guy.’”

Tags: North Allegheny