Quaker Valley wrestling has growing roster, championship goals

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, December 1, 2024 | 11:01 AM

The Quaker Valley wrestling program keeps winning — and growing.

“This is the biggest roster we’ve had in program history with 24 wrestlers,” QV coach Austin Heinl said.

The leaders of the pack are the returning starters, which consist of seniors Jack Diemert (160 pounds), Marcus Richey (172) and Sebastian Juarez-Safran (285), juniors Bruce Anderchak (114), Eoin Parnell (121) and Matt Danna (145) and sophomores Trey Dunlap (160) and Aris Haniotes (189).

Diemert posted a 30-15 record with 15 falls last season and owns a 75-45 career mark with 40 career falls. He improved from 17-16 as a freshman to 28-14 as a sophomore, then hit the 30-win plateau as a junior.

“Our team expectation is to win the WPIAL,” Diemert said. “My personal goal is to hit 100 (career) wins this year.”

Anderchak was 40-8 with 15 pins in 2023-24 after establishing himself with a 31-13 record as a freshman. Over two years, he is 71-21 with 25 pins.

“First up, team goals for this season are to improve every week as a whole,” Anderchak said. “We have a record number of wrestlers on our varsity team. Most of us have spent the offseason at team lifts, and it’s crucial for all of us to continue to work as hard as possible so we can make each other very competitive. We will have a lot of depth and competition in the room.

“If we are able to stick together and stay committed, then I believe we will have a very good chance to win the WPIAL 2A championship and get our first-ever team win in Hershey at the PIAA championships.”

Anderchak won a section title last winter, was a WPIAL runner-up and placed sixth at regionals. He finished second in the section and fourth in the WPIAL as a freshman.

“I’m looking to improve my performance every single day,” Anderchak said, “and I am working on trying to become more of a vocal leader in the (wrestling) room so I can do everything I can to help my teammates succeed, too.

“Ultimately, my goal is to make it back to the state championships at 114 pounds in March while staying focused on developing the right habits to earn a spot on a college team. I love the sport.”

Richey racked up a 35-12 record with 24 falls last season and is 55-28 (with 32 falls) for his career. He won a section championship last year and secured eighth place in the WPIAL tournament.

“I think Quaker Valley has the wrestlers this year to capture our second WPIAL championship like we did my freshman year. That is our goal,” Richey said. “However, we also know there is some strong competition out there and we will need to work hard each day to make it happen.”

Richey is looking forward to generating a banner senior year on the mats.

“I made some strides last year,” he said, “making it to regionals for the second time and putting up 35 wins. I am working harder this year and have the goal of being a state placer.”

Danna, a West Allegheny transfer, finished 38-11 with 19 pins last season. He captured a section title and placed sixth at the regional tournament.

“My expectations are for everyone to compete in their individual role that will lead to overall success for the team.” Danna said. “Our team motto is ‘intent.’ We are using that word to come together as a team to create goals we intend to accomplish. We really want to win a WPIAL team title, so having a strong team connection and bond will help us strive to do that.

“My personal goal is to focus on one competition at a time that will eventually help me progress through the season. Practicing having confidence not only in myself, but also in my abilities on the wrestling mat, is essential for me. One goal in particular that I want to achieve this year is qualifying and placing at states.”

Haniotes worked his way to a 24-14 mark with 16 falls in 2023-24 and finished fourth in the section.

Three top newcomers at QV include sophomore Harper Sipes (139) and freshmen Brennan Breisinger (215) and Brendan Fitzgerald (127).

“We expect our team to work hard, have fun, excel in the classroom and succeed on the wrestling mat,” said Heinl, QV’s third-year coach. “We expect to be a Top 4 team in the WPIAL again.”

In addition to the 24 grapplers competing at QV, there are four freshman girls in the program — Cordelia Grabiak, Madison Jodikinos, Beatrix Miller and Natalie Minnock.

The Quakers were undefeated in Section 3-2A last season, placed 15th at the Southwest Class 2A Regional and advanced to the PIAA championships at Giant Center in Hershey.

QV earned first place in its section with a 6-0 record and was followed by Montour (5-1), Avonworth (4-2), Carlynton (2-4), Keystone Oaks (2-4), South Allegheny (2-4) and South Park (0-6).

Over the past five years, QV has won five section titles, advanced to the PIAA tournament five times and reeled in the WPIAL championship in 2021-22. The Quakers were WPIAL runners-up in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

QV was 15-6 in Heinl’s first year of coaching, giving him a 28-9 record in two years.

The Quakers have been moved into the four-team Section 6 this season along with Avonworth, Carlynton and Keystone Oaks.

Tags: Quaker Valley