Quaker Valley wrestlers pick up section wins, place at tournaments
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Sunday, January 26, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Quaker Valley’s Harper Sipes beats Keystone Oaks’ Jeremy Wagner in a 133-pound bout during the Allegheny County Wrestling Championship Jan. 17, 2025 at Fox Chapel Area High School.
Quaker Valley’s Harper Sipes (top) beats Keystone Oaks’ Jeremy Wagner in a 133-pound bout during the Allegheny County wrestling championships Jan. 17.
Chartiers Valley’s Ryan Raja (left) wrestles Quaker Valley’s Jack Diemert in 152-pound bout during the Allegheny County Wrestling Championship Jan. 17, 2025 at Fox Chapel Area High School.
Quaker Valley’s varsity team and youth wrestlers pose for a photo Jan. 15, 2025, after a match against Carlynton at Quaker Valley.
The bitterly cold temperatures in January haven’t curbed the efforts of the athletes in the Quaker Valley wrestling program.
After celebrating the new year with a second-place showing at the Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament, the Quakers won section decisions at Avonworth, 51-24, and at home against Carlynton, 54-18.
QV also placed seventh at the Burgettstown Invitational held Jan. 10-11 and won by Grove City.
QV junior Bruce Anderchak captured first place at 114 pounds with a 13-2 major decision against Grove City’s Ian Stearns.
Two QV grapplers placed second — junior Matt Danna, who dropped a weight class to 139 for this tournament, and freshman standout Brennan Breisinger at 215.
Marcus Richey, a 172-pound senior, also snagged sixth place and a spot on the podium. As of Jan. 20, Richey had attained an 87-38 career record
“The team did well at Burgettstown,” Richey said. “We were banged up. Four starters were out due to injury or sickness, and we still finished as one of the top teams.
“There was some tough competition. I faced some tough 172s that I needed to wrestle. I need to keep improving each day and get ready for the team playoffs and individual tournament. Those matches that I lost (at Burgettstown) will help me in the long run. You can learn from them.”
Other QV competitors at the invitational consisted of sophomore Harper Sipes (133), junior Eoin Parnell (121), senior Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285), junior Kris Brown (285), sophomore Sawyer Stelzig and freshmen Damien McClay (121), Shawn Thibodeau (127), Brendan Fitzgerald (127), Emmitt Figley (133), Jack Bednarski (139), Tyler Cunnard (189) and Tommy Minnock (145).
“Shawn Thibodeau got his first varsity win,” QV coach Austin Heinl said.
Quaker Valley belted Avonworth on the strength of nine winning performances.
Natalie Minnock, a 107-pound freshman and Tommy’s twin sister, Anderchak, Parnell, Sipes, Bednarski, Danna, senior Jack Diemert (152), Richey and freshman Brennan Breisinger (215) all secured victories in their weight classes.
“This is Natalie’s first year wrestling along with two other girls in her class,” Heinl said. “She also won a match in the girls division at the MAC championships.”
One of the individual highlights against Carlynton was a tense 1-0 victory by Breisinger, one of 13 freshmen on the CV squad this season.
The Quakers improved to 9-4 overall with the win.
“Our team is starting to get healthy at just the right time,” Richey said. “I hope that everyone keeps improving and working hard so we can get to Hershey as a team. That would mean a lot to me as a senior.”
As of Jan. 20, Danna, the team leader in wins, stood at 35-3, Anderchak was next in line with a 34-2 record, Richey followed at 32-10, Diemert had 26 victories and Breisinger was right behind with 25.
Tags: Quaker Valley
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