Burrell rallies to win final 7 bouts, defeats rival Kiski Area for 3rd straight time

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, December 21, 2024 | 7:43 PM

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Burrell junior wrestler Jacob Stewart enjoys using the intense environment of the annual rivalry match with Kiski Area as a launching pad toward the Powerade tournament.

The Buccaneers needed to gather as much momentum as possible to clinch their third straight win over their rivals Saturday afternoon at Kiski.

Burrell won the final seven matches, overcoming a 33-point deficit to win 35-33.

“I love it,” Stewart said. “It motivates us to work hard.”

Stewart needed to lean on all of his experience to overcome Kiski Area’s John Deluca during their 133-pound match. While Stewart held a 5-2 lead late in the third period, Deluca didn’t fade. He scored three points in the last minute to force overtime.

Stewart said he was confident going into overtime that he could force Deluca to make the first mistake.

“I knew I was a little bit bigger,” Stewart said. “I knew if I worked my offense on neutral I could get my opportunity to score, and I did.”

Deluca fired off a shot not long after the whistle that Stewart was able to fend off. Stewart quickly forced a scramble that ended with Deluca on his back. While Stewart didn’t secure the pin, his win went a long way toward determining the outcome.

Stewart’s victory cut Burrell’s deficit to 33-15.

“You can’t get rattled in matches like those,” Burrell coach Steve Ansani said. “Jake is experienced and keeps his composure. He made his opponent make a mistake.”

Kiski coach Chris Heater said he was happy with the toughness Deluca showed. There were a few matches where the Cavaliers’ wrestlers overcame deficits to make life difficult for Burrell.

Mark Gray (215 pounds) rallied from a 4-0 deficit against Isaac Lacinski to steal an 8-6 decision for the Cavaliers.

“I thought our kids showed some grit today,” Heater said. “They wrestled tough. That’s obviously a well-balanced team. We knew the matches in the middle were going to be tight.”

Kiski opened the match with six consecutive wins, including pins from Travis Shearer (172 pounds), Mario Hurcherson (189), Cooper Roscosky (285), Paxton Newell (107) and Gavin Murphy (114).

Heater said he knew the next stretch of matches would be tough for Kiski. He is hoping they can continue to improve.

“Every time we step on the mat with the level of competition we are facing we are improving,” Heater said. “From 107 to 160, I only have one junior. The rest are ninth and 10th graders.”

Carter Thomas got Burrell on the board at 121 pounds when he won by pin in 33 seconds. The Bucs proceeded to cut the lead to three points, 33-30, over the next five matches.

Burrell won by forfeit at 127 pounds. Following Stewart’s overtime win, the Bucs received two pinfalls from Julian Bertucci (139) and Calio Zanella (152) and a decision win by Cadyn Crawford (145). That meant the 160-pound match would decide who won the dual.

Burrell’s Ben Catullo was ready to chase bonus points. Catullo said he wanted to put the pressure on Kiski Area’s Travis Bollinger to keep up.

“Points and pace,” Catullo said. “Just keep going. I tried not to turn him because bigger kids can flip me over on my back. What strengthens me and keeps me going is Christ.”

Ansani said Burrell enjoys having the opportunity to test itself with this match.

The Buccaneers showed they had the grit to trip up their rival once again.

“It’s good for our program,” Ansani said. “We take pride in that we get to wrestle Kiski. They were talking about it for weeks.”

Tags: Burrell, Kiski Area