4 WPIAL wrestlers reach semifinals at Powerade Wrestling Tournament loaded with talent
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Friday, December 29, 2023 | 7:22 PM
Norwin freshman Landon Sidun takes down Cranberry’s Dalton Wenner during a 114-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Hempfield Area senior Eli Carr battles Wyoming Seminary’s Smokey McClure during a 145-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe talks strategy with Tyler Kapusta on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Connellsville’s Evan Petrovich (right) battles St. Edwards’ Ryan Bennett is a 145-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Thomas Jefferson junior Maddox Shaw tries to take down Wyoming Seminary’s Michael Trujillo during a 139-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Thomas Jefferson junior Bode Marlow tries to pin Central Mountain’s Hunter Donley during a 160-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Burrell’s Isaac Lacinski pins Mt. Lebanon’s Cooper Wolling during a 172-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Waynebsurg’s Brock Evans (right) tries to overpower Connellsville’s Lonzy Vielma during a 160-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Frazier’s Jackson Angelo pins Bethel Park’s A.J. Tomaino during a 189-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Franklin Regional’s Troy McClelland attempts to take down St Edwards’ Jarrell Miller Jr. during a 189-pound match Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Bentworth heavyweight Alex Rusilko catches Connellsville’s Tyler Gallis in a headlock and records a pin Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Powerade Tournament.
Connellsville wresting coach Bill Swink has been coming to the Powerade Wresting Tournament since his dad brought him when he was in elementary school and the event was held at Hamer Hall at Cal (Pa.).
That was in the 1970s.
“It was a great tournament back then,” Swink said. “It’s continued to grow and get tougher. I would probably rank this a close second to (the Ironman Wrestling Tournament in Ohio), but it is close. It’s like a national championship.”
This year’s tournament began Friday at Canon-McMillan with 70 teams. Seventy-five placewinners, including 21 finalists and 11 champions, returned from last year.
The finals are slated for 4 p.m. Saturday, and there is a chance that no WPIAL wrestler will participate. Only four advanced to Saturday’s semifinals.
That shouldn’t discourage them.
“I remind my team that Dalton Perry (of Central Mountain) went 1-2 here and ended up winning a PIAA championship,” Swink said. “You may still will a PIAA title and not win here. What this tournament does is prepare you.”
Connellsville sits in 13th place in the team standings, the top WPIAL team, and had two wrestlers — Evan Petrovich (145 pounds) and Lonzy Vielma (160) — reach the quarterfinals.
“We went to Beast of the East and here,” Thomas Jefferson coach Michael Ladick said. “We use both as measuring sticks on where we want to get to. Can we correct our weaknesses that were discovered at the Beast and apply those improvements here?
“This is a stepping stone to the state tournament. I hope we can apply those improvements.”
Thomas Jefferson juniors Maddox Shaw and Bode Marlow placed in the tough Beast of the East tournament earlier this month and are hoping to better those finishes.
Shaw reached the 139-pound semifinals with a 6-0 victory over state champ Cooper Hornack of Burrell in the only all-WPIAL quarterfinal.
Marlow dropped a one-point decision in the Round of 16.
The other three WPIAL wrestlers in the semifinals are a pair of Norwin teammates, freshman Landon Sidun (114) and senior Nate Campbell (189), and Canon-McMillan senior Andrew Binni (127).
Other WPIAL wrestlers to lose in the quarterfinals were Franklin Regional senior Ty Kapusta (121), Bethel Park senior Mason Kernan (139), Hempfield senior Eli Carr (145), Pine-Richland junior Vaughn Spencer (172), Franklin Regional junior Juliano Marion (215) and Thomas Jefferson junior heavyweight Shane Turk.
“This tournament isn’t too tough if you’re looking to get better,” Hempfield coach Steve Santia said. “You want to face the best. We could go to lesser tournaments, but if we want to be the best someday, you have to face quality competition. That’s why we are here.”
Carr said he looks forward to the tough competition to see how he ranks. He rallied to beat Wyoming Seminary’s Smokey McClure, 3-2, in the Round of 16.
Sidun, who placed third at 120 pounds at the Beast of the East, is wrestling at 114 this weekend and entered the tournament as a fifth seed. He posted a pin and a 17-5 major decision victory in his first two bouts, then defeated fourth-seeded Ethan Timar of St. Edward (Ohio), 3-1, in the quarterfinals.
“Getting into these types of tournaments is fun,” Norwin coach Kyle Martin said. “We’re trying to take Norwin wrestling places it’s never been. We won’t see any better competition than this in the state tournament.”
Semifinals are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
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