Freshman Gavin Litz lifts Kiski Area wrestlers past Burrell, ending 3-year skid in rivalry

By: Josh Rizzo
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 | 9:18 PM

Freshman Gavin Litz has seven matches under his belt as a varsity wrestler at Kiski Area.

His pin against Burrell on Tuesday night was his fourth pin of the season but the first that resulted in him being lifted onto his teammates’ shoulders.

Litz’s second-round victory helped the Cavaliers beat Burrell, 30-27, to halt a three-year losing streak in the rivalry series.

“I watched the last two. My seventh grade year, we lost close,” Litz said. “Last year, we lost close. It was a different type of fire in myself to come out and do what we needed to do for the team.”

For Kiski, this was part of a marathon 10-day stretch. The Cavaliers now are 12-0 in dual matches. Kiski sophomore Gavin Murphy, who fell to 10-2 after losing to Cam Baker at 133 pounds, was proud of having an opportunity to celebrate another win.

“We’re a Kiski family,” Murphy said. “We’re going to lift our teammates up if they win. We’re going to lift them up if they lose, too, no matter what.”

Burrell (0-1) was wrestling for the first time this season. The Buccaneers didn’t have any early-season tournament schedule, and their first dual against Frazier was canceled because of the Commodores’ lack of wrestlers.

After dropping the first two matches, the Buccaneers picked up six straight wins to take a 24-11 lead. Julian Bertucci (139 pounds) and Liam Jones (160) won by pin for Burrell, and Baker (127), Cadyn Crawford (133) Jacob Stewart (139) and Antonio Perkins won by decision.

Burrell was without junior Carter Thomas, who qualified for states last season.

“I thought they stepped up well,” Buccaneers coach Steve Ansani said. “We had some new guys in there, and it was tough on them because of the inexperience and they need more mat time. I’m proud of what the guys did. They are well conditioned.”

Kiski evened the match with strong performances from its upper weights. Mario Hutcherson recorded a pin at 189 pounds, Cooper Roscosky (215) followed with a major decision win and Alex Akerley (285) won by decision to even the match at 24.

“We were able to get guys where we wanted them,” Cavaliers coach Chris Heater said. “So were they. It was a great dual.”

Burrell’s Carl Thomas had to do major work to put the Buccaneers in position to win. Macoya Johnson picked up the first takedown in their 107-pound bout and held a 7-3 lead in the second period. Thomas was able to win out in a couple of scrambles and collect nearfall points in the second and third period to win 16-10.

Litz, who is 6-1 on the season, came into the final match knowing he needed bonus points to guarantee a win.

“I am thankful we had 11 dual meets coming into this,” Heater said. “I don’t think I would have wanted this to be our first match.”

Litz fired off the whistle to start his match and picked up the first takedown quickly. He nearly scored a pin in the first period but was ruled just out of bounds.

“Wherever they put me, I’ll do my job for them,” Litz said. “In that scenario, I’m like ‘We’re down by three and we need a win plus bonus.’ I figured I might as well pin him.”

Tags: Burrell, Kiski Area