Mt. Pleasant's Pitzer denies Miller shot at 3rd title in WPIAL semifinals

Freedom senior Bryson Miller was hoping to become a three-time champion at the WPIAL Class AA wrestling championships Saturday at Canon-McMillan.

But Mt. Pleasant freshman Dayton Pitzer wouldn’t allow it.

Pitzer pancaked Miller with less than a minute remaining in their match for a five-point move and an 11-6 victory. Pitzer, who was leading 6-5 after Miller escaped, caught Miller off guard and swung him to the mat.

Pitzer (34-1) will face Ellwood City junior Austin Walley (30-1) in the 182-pound final Saturday evening. Pitzer defeated Walley, 9-6, at the Southmoreland tournament Dec. 28.

While Miller was denied the opportunity to win a third title, Frazier junior Thayne Lawrence and McGuffey senior Christian Clutter were not.

They moved into the finals with pins. Lawrence decked Beth-Center senior Jacob Housel at 160 pounds in 51 seconds and Clutter pinned Beaver senior George Peroni at 170 in a minute.

Lawrence (20-3) will face Quaker Valley freshman Patrick Cutchember (29-2) for the 160 title, and Clutter (36-2) will face Valley senior Noah Hutcherson (16-4).

Three others previous champions were also denied chances of winning another title. A knee injury in the Section 1 final forced Beth-Center senior Dom Fundy drop out of the tournament, while the loaded 126-pound weight class knocked out Freedom senior Z.J. Ward and Burrell junior Trent Valovchik.

Others going after their second titles are: Burrell sophomores Ian Oswalt (120) and A.J. Corrado (138), McGuffey senior Jett Pattison (126), Derry sophomore Ty Cymmerman (126) and senior Dom DeLuca (220), Bentworth senior Jon Vargo (220), Quaker Valley sophomore Conner Redinger (132) and Freedom sophomore Trent Schultheis (152).

The finals are scheduled for 5 p.m. The top seven in each weight class advance to the PIAA Southwest Regional at IUP’s Kovalchick Complex next Friday and Saturday.

Here are the WPIAL Class AA semifinal results:

106: Joey Fischer, South Park major dec. Kace Sabedra, Derry, 10-0; Luke Geibig, Mt. Pleasant major dec. Ambrose Boni, Central Valley, 11-2.

113: Ryan Michaels, Elizabeth Forward p. Kyle McCollum, Beth-Center, 2:31; Nick Salerno, Burrell d. Nate Yagle, McGuffey, 4-0.

120: Ian Oswalt, Burrell p. Hunter Guiddy, Burgettstown, :39; Jimmy Gwyer, Beth-Center d. Noah Teeters, Mt. Pleasant, 5-2.

126: Tyler Cymmerman, Derry p. Eddie Huehn Carlynton, 1:06; Jett Pattison McGuffey d Z.J. Ward, Freedom, 2-2, UTB.

132: Conner Redinger, Quaker Valley p. Bryan Gaul, Burrell, 3:34; Jason Baker, Derry d. Donavin Chambers, Ellwood City, 4-3.

138: Jacob Ealy, Hopewell p. Joe Boughton, Avonworth, 1:59; A.J. Corrado Burrell d Kenny Dushek, Freedom, 8-2.

145: John Rocco Kazalas, Quaker Valley t.f. Jake Longerman, Hopewell, 17-2 (2:43); Shane Kemper, Burgettstown inj. def. Noah Hunnell, Elizabeth Forward, 4:31.

152: Trent Schultheis Freedom p. Aaron Mcintyre, Fort Cherry, 2:41; Ethan Barr McGuffey m.d. Chris Bruce, Elizabeth Forward, 8-0.

160: Thayne Lawrence, Frazier p. Jacob Housel, Beth-Center, 0:51; Patrick Cutchember, Quaker Valley inj. def. Austin Mele, Burrell, 5:50.

170: Christian Clutter, McGuffey p. George Peroni, Beaver, 1:00; Noah Hutcherson, Valley p. Jacob Robertshaw, South Park, 4:21.

182: Dayton Pitzer, Mt. Pleasant d. Bryson Miller, Freedom, 11-5; Austin Walley, Ellwood City d. Ricky Feroce Burrell, 8-2.

195: John Vargo, Bentworth p. Gavin Hutchinson, Keystone Oaks, 3:25; Geoff Magin, Quaker Valley p. Bret Huffman, Southmoreland, 3:20.

220: Dom Deluca, Derry p. Jake Barbabella, Avonworth, 1:09; Connor Forrest, Hopewell p. Jacob Baker, Beth-Center, 1:40.

285: Dave Schuffert, Valley d. Gerald Comedy, Washington, 6-4 (SV); Riley Kemper, Burgettstown p. Mitch Miles, Laurel, 2:23.