Butler’s Santino Sloboda, Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown seeking 3rd WPIAL Class 3A titles
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Saturday, February 21, 2026 | 2:53 PM
Butler senior Santino Sloboda takes down Penn-Trafford’s Like DeSantis during a quarterfinal round match at the WPIAL Class 3A championships Feb. 20, 2026. (Paul Schofield | TribLive)
Butler senior Santino Sloboda is hoping for the third WPIAL 3A title. (Paul Schofield | TribLive)
Mt. Lebanon senior Cole Gibbons attempts to takedown West Mifflin senior Cooper Dietz in the 160-pound 3A semifinal on Feb. 21, 2026. (Paul Schofield | TribLive)
Hempfield senior Nico Kapusta has Franklin Regional junior Titus Colangelo on his back during a 121-pound semifinal on Feb. 21, 2026. (Paul Schofield | TribLive)
Franklin Regional’s Chase Smith tries to escape the grasp of Norwin’s Brooks Blasko during a semifinal on Feb. 21, 2026. (Paul Schofield | TribLive)
Butler senior Santino Sloboda and Belle Vernon senior Elijah Brown will look to add their names to a growing list of three-time WPIAL wrestling champions Saturday at the Class 3A championships at Canon-McMillan.
The list is currently at 89 members.
Derry’s Mason Horwat and Brady Brown are also aiming to join the group Saturday at the WPIAL Class 2A tournament at Chartiers Valley.
Sloboda used a first period takedown and held off Connellsville junior Nolan Rice, 4-2, in a 127-pound semifinal.
Brown continued his dominance in the 215-pound weight class with a technical fall, 18-0, against Penn-Trafford’s Cael Ott.
Peters Township junior Nicholas McGarrity will have wait for his senior season to become a three-time winner. He lost to Pine-Richland sophomore Bennett Ferarro, 12-9, in the semifinals.
Looking for their second titles are Hempfield senior Nico Kapusta at 121, Connellsville junior Kai Vielma at 145 and Kiski Area senior Cooper Roscosky at 215.
Kapusta and Roscosky face difficult challenges.
Kapusta will match up against Norwin junior Landon Sidun, who is chasing his first WPIAL title. Roscosky faces Brown, the returning PIAA champion at 215.
Four Norwin wrestlers reached the finals. Joining Sidun are Brooks Blasko (139), Nathan Klingensmith (145) and Jack White (160). The Knights also will advance four others to the PIAA West Regional next week at Canon-McMillan.
The Bigs Macs have two in the finals and nine advancing. Joining Roscosky in the finals from Kiski Area is sophomore Mario Hutcherson (189). Moon, Thomas Jefferson and West Allegheny also have two in the finals.
The finals and placement matches are set for 3 p.m. Saturday.
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: Norwin
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• Derry crowns pair of 3-time champs, wins 6 titles at WPIAL Class 2A wrestling tournament
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