Canon-McMillan Golden in Claiming PIAA Team Wrestling AAA Title

By: Bruce Markey
Saturday, February 11, 2012 | 6:04 PM

It wasn’t easy, but Canon-McMillan (24-0) won the 2012 PIAA Class AAA team wrestling championship with a 35-20 victory over McDowell (18-2) this afternoon at the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. In a dual meet that featured four lead changes, the Trojans made things very interesting. After winning six of the first nine bouts contested, McDowell built a slim four point lead. But the resilient Big Macs won the final five matches to capture their first state team title.

To begin the match, the Big Macs sent out the top ranked wrestler in the state at 120 pounds, Conner Schram. He did not disappoint. The Canon-McMillan junior pinned McDowell junior Paul Deitz midway through the second period to give his team a 6-0 lead. The Big Macs’ Colt Shorts, a senior, was then taken down 14 seconds into overtime in the 126 pound bout, losing 8-6 to Trojans’ junior Nick Gibson and cutting the lead to 6-3. Malachi Krenzelak (sophomore, 132 pounds) then got Canon-McMillan back on the scoreboard with a 17-4 major decision over freshman Noah Burkhart.

The 138-pound bout featured the top ranked wrestlers in the state, #1 Solomon Chishko and McDowell’s second-ranked Steve Spearman, a state champion two years ago as a sophomore. After a scoreless first period, the two wrestlers traded escapes to make the score 1-1 after three periods. After three scoreless overtime periods, Spearman won the match in the ultimate tie breaker by riding out the Big Macs’ sophomore for the full thirty seconds to cut the Big Macs’ lead to 10-6. It was Chishko’s first loss of the season.

The Trojan’s Cody Nolan, a freshman ranked #12 in the state, broke a 5-5 tie late in the third period by taking Canon-McMillan’s Sammy Minor to his back for a five point move and a 10-5 victory at 145 pounds. With the Big Macs leading 10-9, senior Dario Dobbin, ranked #4 in the state at 145 pounds, bumped up to wrestle McDowell’s #13-ranked 152-pounder Tyree Spearman, a sophomore. Spearman matched his older brother’s effort by making a first period takedown stand up for a 3-2 decision to give the Trojans their first lead of the dual meet, 12-10.

McDowell senior Jimmy Paulson gave his team its fourth straight victory with a 3-2 decision at 160 pounds over senior William Pihiou to extend the Trojans’ lead to 15-10. Big Macs’ 170-pounder Cody Wierchioch continued his perfect season and put his team back on top, 16-15, with a fall late in the first period over McDowell’s Anthony Forne. Trojans’ senior Khlique Harris, ranked #3 in the state, put McDowell back on top, 20-16, with a dominating 23-8 technical fall over Canon-McMillan senior Zach Thomas at 182 pounds.

The Big Macs’ big men then took over the match. Canon-McMillan senior Ian Binotto cut the McDowell lead to one point with a 6-1 decision at 195 pounds over Trojans’ junior Andrew Bradley. Alex Campbell, a junior ranked #4 in the state at 220 pounds, put the Big Macs back on top to stay, 25-20, with a first period fall over Trojans’ senior Luke Dehart.  Canon-McMillan senior heavyweight Cody Klempay extended his team’s lead to 28-20 with a 4-0 decision over McDowell sophomore Scott Augustine.

Not to be outdone by his much larger teammates, Big Macs’ sophomore 106-pounder Brendon Price clinched the state championship for his team with a 7-0 decision over Trojans’ freshman Benji Yates. Dalton Macri, Canon-McMillan’s 113-pound sophomore, closed the dual meet out with a 25-15 major decision over Coleman Cousins.

NOTES – Canon-McMillan joins the 2004-05 Connellsville squad as the only other WPIAL team to win a Class AAA team wrestling title. The first PIAA team tournament was contested at the end of the 1998-99 season. The Class AAA bronze medal was won by Central Dauphin, 33-20, over Mechanicsburg. The Class AA championship, as expected, was captured by Bethlehem Catholic, 52-15, over Boiling Springs. The Class AA bronze medal went to Fort Leboeuf, a 30-28 winner over Brookville.

PIAA Class AAA Championship Box Scores:

Canon-McMillan 35 – Erie McDowell 20  (Class AAA Championship)

106 Brendon Price (Canon-McMillan) Dec Benji Yates (McDowell) 7-0
113 Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan) Major Coleman Cousins (McDowell) 25-15
*120 Conner Schram (Canon-McMillan) Fall Paul Deitz (McDowell) 3:04
126 Nick Gibson (McDowell) Dec Colton Shorts (Canon-McMillan) 8-6; OT
132 Malachi Krenzelak (Canon-McMillan) Major Noah Burkhart (McDowell) 17-4
138 Steve Spearman (McDowell) Dec Solomon Chishko (Canon-McMillan) 2-1; RO
145 Cody Nolan (McDowell) Dec Sammy Minor (Canon-McMillan) 10-5
152 Tyree Spearman (McDowell) Dec Dario Dobbin (Canon-McMillan) 3-2
160 Jimmy Paulson (McDowell) Dec William Pihiou (Canon-McMillan) 3-2
170 Cody Wiercioch (Canon-McMillan) Fall Anthony Forne (McDowell) 1:50
182 Khlique Harris (McDowell) TF Zach Thomas (Canon-McMillan) 23-8
195 Ian Binotto (Canon-McMillan) Dec Andrew Bradley (McDowell) 6-1
220 Alex Campbell (Canon-McMillan) Fall Luke Dehart (McDowell) 1:50
285 Cody Klempay (Canon-McMillan) Dec Scott Augustine (McDowell) 4-0
* – match began at 120 pounds

Tags: Canon-McMillan