Gateway wrestlers look forward to county tournament

By: Michael Love
Sunday, January 14, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The youthful Gateway wrestling team is on the cusp of a midseason measuring stick known as the Allegheny County Wrestling Tournament, and coach Ryan Sula said he hopes to see his wrestlers make the most of the opportunity to see where they stand.

It is the Gators’ third tournament of the season, and it is part of Sula’s goal of getting everyone as many matches as possible to build up that experience factor as they move closer to the championship season just over a month away.

“I always tell the guys that this is the part of the season you want to be peaking and wrestling your best,” Sula said.

“I think counties is probably the best tournament to gear you up to make that final run to sections and WPIALs and hopefully states. The guys are really pumped up for it. We have Connellsville (Jan. 17) right before it. The guys like to compete and see where they stand, and the competition always gives them that opportunity. Every bracket is loaded with some of the top guys in the state. Every one is a dogfight. It is a long and grueling two days of wrestling, and you have to have the will to win.”

Senior Jake Pawlowski knows what counties is all about, and he hopes this one is his best as he takes ownership of his final varsity season.

He went into Gateway’s section dual with McKeesport on Friday (Jan. 12) at 11-5 overall with eight of the 11 wins by pin.

“I feel a lot better than my two other (varsity) years,” said Pawlowski, who is 41-33 in 74 career matches.

“This is my best start. I just feel comfortable in matches, and I am more aggressive to know what I need to go after. Last year, I was trying to get to WPIALs, which I did. This year, I want to get back to WPIALs and take that next step to states.”

Freshman Braden Washington is living up to expectations set before the start of the season.

He stood at 11-2 after the Bo Wood Tournament at Indiana High School on Jan. 6. Of the 11 matches he’s wrestled (two forfeit victories), he owned five pins, three decisions and a technical fall.

“Braden got off to a hot start as he got more comfortable with competing at this level,” Sula said.

“He wrestled really well the first couple of weeks of the season and showed a ton of potential and promise. Unfortunately, he had been battling through pneumonia and was out before Christmas from the Plum match (Dec. 13). Last week, he was trying to get back into the swing of things. I think you are going to see some good things again from him.”

Junior Conner Smith pinned his way to the finals of the 145-pound bracket at the Bo Wood tournament and came away from the runner-up finish 9-7 overall. He has already eclipsed his seven-win mark from last year.

“Conner has wrestled really well, especially as of late,” Sula said.

“This weekend (Bo Wood) he showed a lot of fight. He was trailing in both of the matches he won, but he stuck with the game plan and turned it around for pins. He lost a tough one in the finals (pin, 1:42), but I was really proud of the way he wrestled. He looked strong and never gave up in any of his matches.”

Sophomore Donovan DeLuco added a third-place finish at 172 as 10 Gators wrestlers combined to earn 50 points for an eighth-place finish out of 16 teams.

“Donovan is another one who is getting more comfortable at the high school level,” Sula said.

“He wrestled a little bit at the youth level and in junior high. I think he is coming into his own. He had a good tournament this weekend with a pair of wins, and it meant a lot for him to get on the podium. He wrestled tough, and it was a good confidence booster for him.”

Sula said he hopes junior Luke Pawlowski, who is 9-3 on the season, can get back healthy from a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for several weeks since a couple of matches at the North Hills Duals on Dec. 9.

He came back and tried to wrestle at Bo Wood, but the injury was too much for him to make any positive accomplishments.

“He came back last week and hurt it again,” Sula said. “It is a wait-and-see kind of thing. He is getting it looked at again. We hope he can get back as soon as possible, but we don’t want to rush anything.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway