Latrobe sophomore wrestler Willochell highlights opening day of Southwest Regionals

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, March 2, 2018 | 10:18 PM

Latrobe sophomore Gabe Willochell can put himself in dangerous positions at times during his matches.

But that funky style makes him dangerous on the wrestling mat.

Willochell (30-5) rolled into the 126-pound semifinals with two convincing wins during Day 1 of the WPIAL/Southwest Regional Class AAA tournament on Friday at Canon-McMillan.

The fourth-seeded Willochell won a 15-0 technical fall against Hampton sophomore Zach Wright in the opening round. He then took down No. 5 seed Mason Franks of Connellsville, 14-3, using a five-point pancake move (takedown and three-point nearfall) in the first period to open up a 7-1 lead.

The victory puts Willochell against No. 1 seed and returning PIAA champion Sam Hillegas (26-1) of North Hills. The semifinals begin at noon and the finals at 7 p.m.

“Getting to the semifinals is huge,” Willochell said. “All I have to do is win one more match and I qualify for Hershey.”

Willochell was able to avoid Franks' leg attack and turned his shots into points. He put Franks on his back twice during the match.

“I was a little surprised with the final score,” Willochell said. “We were supposed to wrestle in a dual, but he still had a hurt shoulder, so I didn't know much about him. The pancake was big.”

The PIAA tournament begins Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey. The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance.

Willochell said he knows how good Hillegas is. They met in Junior Olympics a couple of times. He knows he will have his hands full.

Hillegas recorded two pins, including a 54-second fall of Franklin Regional junior Zach McCann.

Greensburg Salem senior Jesse Quatse knows how it feels to lose in the quarterfinals. He did that in 2017.

But he made sure that wouldn't happen again with the first takedown in a 3-2 victory against Seneca Valley senior Tyler Gross. The win puts him in the semifinals and a victory away from qualifying for the PIAA tournament.

“I knew I had to get up early on him,” Quatse said. “He's a tough wrestler, but I knew if I scored first I could control the match. Getting to the semifinals is big.”

Quatse (33-3) is seeded fourth at 170 pounds. He will face the top seed, Waynesburg senior Kyle Homet (38-5).

Kiski Area advanced seven to the semifinals and leads the team scoring with 68.5 points. Waynesburg has five semifinalists and 56 points.

Joining Willochell from Latrobe is Brady Sherback (106).

Also advancing two wrestlers from Westmoreland County are Franklin Regionals' Carter Dibert (106) and Colton Camacho (132); Hempfield's Kyle Burkholder (113) and Luke Kemerer (152); Belle Vernon's Zach Hartman (160) and Scott Joll (170); and Penn-Trafford's Nick Coy (132) and Job Chishko (145).

Norwin sophomore Kurtis Phipps, the returning 106 champion, also advanced to the semifinals.

Albert Gallatin senior Tim Wallace (182) and Waynesburg senior Caleb Morris (126) are attempting to become three-time champions. Other returning champions are Seneca Valley senior Louis Newell, Hartman and Kemerer.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.