Quaker Valley sends wrestler to WPIAL finals for 8th straight season

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, March 2, 2025 | 11:01 AM

The streak continues.

Quaker Valley extended its streak of having at least one WPIAL finalist in its wrestling program to eight consecutive years.

QV junior Bruce Anderchak advanced to this year’s WPIAL Class 2A championship match in the 114-pound weight class, where he lost a tough 3-2 decision to Elizabeth Forward’s Preston Bubash.

“I just want to try to wrestle has hard as I can every match and whatever happens happens,” Anderchak said. “I thought I competed hard and gave it my best.

“The team did good, and I think everybody that qualified for regionals is in a good spot and will be very successful this weekend.”

Bubash, a freshman sensation for the Warriors, improved to 26-2. His only two losses were to Anderchak, who fell to 45-3 after winning 38 matches in a row.

It was Bubash’s eighth consecutive victory and 25th in 26 bouts.

The two wrestlers were familiar opponents.

Anderchak edged the young EF grappler 3-2 in early December and by a 1-0 score Jan. 29 in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Anderchak had reached the finals with an 18-1 win against Avella’s Dustin Mace, a pin in 1 minute, 10 seconds against Burgettstown’s Gage Bradley and an 11-0 shutout against Beth-Center’s Alex Medlen.

More than half of Anderchak’s victories this season have been by fall (28) or technical fall (8). With a 3-1 mark at WPIALs, Anderchak boosted his career record to 116-24.

QV finished with three other placewinners at the district tournament.

Junior Matt Danna won via a 19-4 technical fall in 4:42 against senior Aiden Burford of Highlands to claim third place at 139 pounds.

Danna improved to 47-5 overall after posting a 38-11 mark as a sophomore. Before the PIAA tournament, he had won seven of eight and 14 of his last 16 decisions.

And Danna had won an amazing 41 times this season by either fall (20) or technical fall (21).

Marcus Richey, a senior, finished fourth at 172, as Beth-Center junior Noah Layhue captured the third spot with a 7-2 victory.

Richey ended the WPIAL tournament with a 43-13 overall record and was two wins shy of 100 for his career at 98-41. Twenty-nine of his 43 victories this season were by falls (19) or technical falls (10).

QV’s own freshman star, Brennan Breisinger, lost by an injury default to Southmoreland junior Kaden Shannon to end up sixth at 215.

Breisinger’s 2024-25 record dropped to 36-13. He had 16 falls and 10 technical falls.

Four other Quakers qualified for WPIALs, led by senior Jack Diemert at 152 pounds. Diemert ended the tournament with a 35-13 season record and 110-58 for his career.

Eoin Parnell, a 121-pound junior, and Harper Sipes, a 133-pound sophomore, along with 285-pound senior Sebastian Juarez-Safran, also competed at the WPIAL event.

Parnell and Sipes wrapped up the WPIAL tournament with 22 wins on the year.

The Southwest Regional wrestling tournament was set for Feb. 28-March 1 at Altoona, followed by the PIAA championships March 6-8 at Giant Center in Hershey.

Tags: Quaker Valley