Day Two Recap from PIAA Team Wrestling Playoffs in Hershey

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 8, 2013 | 11:40 PM

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Canon-McMillan earned the right to defend its PIAA Class AAA Team Wrestling Championship, with a 37-35 semifinal win over Easton Friday evening at the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. On paper, this looked a classic match-up between the returning state and four-time District 7 (WPIAL) champs against the four-time District 11 champs. In reality, it ended up being a match that, surprisingly, did not have one closely contested individual bout. After suffering quick falls at 152 and 160 pounds to trail 12-0, Canon-McMillan (18-0) used an 8-1 decision by Sammy Minor (170 pounds), falls by Cody Weircioch (182), Alex Campbell (220), Angelo Broglia (285), and Brendon Price (106), and technical falls by Dalton Macri (120) and Conner Schram (126), a Stanford recruit, to build an insurmountable 37-22 lead.

To advance to the semifinals, Canon-McMillan downed a familiar foe in District 10 champion McDowell in a quarterfinal match earlier in the day, 35-27. The Big Macs defeated the Trojans, 35-20, in last season’s championship match at the GIANT Center. Leading Canon-McMillan to the win with falls were Minor (170), Weircioch (182), a Pitt recruit, and Campbell (220). Schram (126) earned a technical fall, while Macri (120) turned in a major decision. Price (106), Will Pihiou (152), and Steve LeFrance (195) recorded key hard fought decisions also for the Big Macs.

WPIAL Class AAA runner-up Franklin Regional advanced to the semifinals with a 28-27 squeaker over District 1 champion Owen J. Roberts. The Panthers jumped out on top, 11-0, with major decisions by Tyler Smith (138) and Josh Shields (152) and a decision by Josh Maruca (145). After Jake Pickup’s win at 182 pounds gave Franklin Regional a 14-9 edge, Owen J. Roberts grabbed its first lead, 15-14, with a fall at 195 pounds. The Panthers’ big men, Brett Zanotto (220) and Luke Fleck (285) tallied decision wins to put Franklin Regional back into a 20-15 lead. A fall at 106 and a major decision at 113 gave Owen J. Roberts its biggest lead of the afternoon, 25-20. But a huge fall by Connor Medlang, who has struggled much of the season to make weight at 120 pounds for the Panthers, and a decision victory by Mike Kemerer (126), out of the lineup with the flu on Thursday, gave Franklin Regional a 29-25 lead with just one bout remaining. Dom Giannangeli lost the 132-pound battle to Owen J. Roberts’ Dominick Petrucelli, 8-5, but he helped his team win the war as the Panthers held on for the one-point win.

In the semifinal match, Franklin Regional (21-4) ran into a buzz-saw in District 3 champion Central Dauphin, as the Rams rolled to a 41-25 victory. With the match starting at 152 pounds, Central Dauphin bolted to a 15-0 lead with successive wins by three of its best wrestlers, Austin Rose (major decision), Garrett Peppelman (fall) and Colton Peppelman (technical fall) The Rams never looked back. In a battle of two highly ranked state wrestlers, the Rams’ Tyson Dippery edged Franklin Regional’s Maruca, 2-1, in overtime of the 138 pound bout. The Panthers are still alive in the consolation bracket, but will have to win two matches on Saturday to earn a bronze medal.

The WPIAL’s third place Class AAA team, North Allegheny (17-5) bounced back after a Thursday first round loss to Central Dauphin with a dominating 46-12 first round consolation win over District 6 champion Mifflin County. The Tigers won eleven of fourteen bouts. North Allegheny got falls from Jesse Rodgers (145), Ben Schweiger (160), and Clay Byerly (182) and technical falls from Scotty Stossel (106) and Alex DeCiantis (195). Dom Forys (113), Drew Landefeld (138), Vince Leschak (152), Colton Byerly (170), Zach Smith (220), and Dan Watson (285) all chipped in with decision victories. The Tigers then fell short in a second round consolation match to McDowell, 31-24, despite a fall by Smith (220) and technical fall by Forys (120) and a major decision by DeCiantis (195).

NOTES: A Canon-McMillan win on Saturday will make the Big Macs the only two-time state team tournament champion from the WPIAL. Burrell (2008, Class AA) and Connellsville (2005, Class AAA) are the only other gold medalists from the WPIAL in the fifteen year history of the tournament. Central Dauphin had won 95 straight matches and four successive state team titles before losing to Canon-McMillan in the semifinals, 28-25, last season. The Rams have won 26 straight dual meets since that loss to the Big Macs.

Class AA

The WPIAL’s three Class AA entrants did not fare nearly as well as their AAA counterparts as they stumbled to a 1-5 overall mark. After third place Chartiers-Houston was ousted in a preliminary elimination match on-Monday night at Fort LeBeouf, Burrell and South Fayette dropped close first round dual meets yesterday in Hershey. Things did not get much better on Friday, although the Bucs did muster one victory.

Burrell, the seven time WPIAL champion, won its first round consolation match Friday morning over District 2 champion Western Wayne, 39-16. The Bucs built an early lead after four bouts and never looked back. Falls by John Andrejcik (132) and Phil Marra (145) and a pair of closely contested decision victories by Steven Edwards (138) and Corey Falleroni (152) gave Burrell an 18-0 cushion it would never relinquish. The Bucs also got pins from Dakota DesLauriers (195) and Allan Beattie (285) and decision wins from Jason Roberts (106), Noah Hannah (120), and Damon Greenwald (126).

Burrell (16-7) was then eliminated by District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge, 34-24, in a second round consolation match Friday afternoon. This time the Bucs could not protect the early lead. After jumping out to a 14-5 advantage after five bouts, Chestnut Ridge won the next seven bouts to put the match out of reach.

NOTES: DesLauriers, Falleroni, Marra, and Edwards all won all three of their bouts at Hershey. Andrejcik was 2-0. DesLauriers, a state-runner-up and a Mercyhurst University recruit, now has a perfect 21-0 record this season. The WPIAL’s second place Class AA team, South Fayette (10-3), was eliminated after a 41-16 loss at the hands of District 11 runner-up Saucon Valley in a first round consolation match. The WPIAL has managed only three Class AA finalists and one champion in the fifteen year history of the PIAA team tournament. Burrell won the only title in 2008. Shady Side Academy finished second in 2001 and 2009.

WPIAL Boxscores

Canon McMillan 37 Easton Area 35 (AAA Semifinal)

Central Dauphin 41 Franklin Regional 25 (AAA Semifinal)

Canon McMillan 35 McDowell 27 (AAA Quarterfinal)

McDowell 31 North Allegheny 24 (AAA Second Round Consolation)

Tags: Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Franklin Regional