Thomas Jefferson’s Shaw looks to maintain success after winning Powerade title

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 4, 2019 | 7:03 PM

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Thomas Jefferson senior Max Shaw is having a wrestling season that’s second to none.

Shaw, undefeated in the month of December, landed a top seed at the prestigious Powerade Christmas Tournament held Dec. 28-29 at Canon-McMillan.

And he proved most worthy of the lofty status.

Shaw finished third in the state last season but did not compete at Powerade. Off his undefeated record, he received the No. 1 seed at 195 pounds.

Shaw rolled through the tournament with a 5-0 record, defeating Cedar Cliff senior Donovan Ball, 7-2, in the championship round to improve to 12-0 overall.

He is just the second wrestler in school history to win a Powerade title; the first was Leo Giel in 1993.

“I am very happy for Max,” coach Michael Ladick said. “He wrestled incredibly well and handled being the top seed like a professional. He continues to grow and listen, which is not only fun to be a part of, but to watch.”

Shaw opened the tournament with a fall in 41 seconds against Shaler senior Joe Kremer. He followed that up with a 14-3 major decision against Justin Cramer, a Hempfield junior, and another fall in 1:03 against Pottsvile senior Timothy Nevadomsky.

He then defeated Saint Joe’s Academy freshman Kolby Franklin, 8-3, to advance to the finals.

“For me, the seeding had no impact on how I competed,” Shaw said. “I take it one match at a time and always have my expectations on winning.

“The competition at Powerade is the best you’ll find anywhere. That tournament is awesome. I had some tough opponents, especially in my semifinal and final matches. They were scrappy matches and both went the full length.”

Shaw, a two-sport star, and junior teammate Dan Deabner were named to the 2018 Pennsylvania Football Writers Class 4A all-state team at the running back and wide receiver positions, respectively.

The TJ wrestling team opened the 2018-19 season with 28 athletes in the program.

Along with Shaw, they include seniors Darius Barrett, Ryan Davison, Brendan Fitz, Andy Kalup, Dom Serapiglia, Austin Sobeck, Ridge Vlha and Alex Weber; and juniors James Dorsey, Brendan Finnerty, Jake Fisher, Denver Haynes and Brandon Sobeck.

The younger athletes consist of sophomores Trystan Alava, Kale Buckiso, Ben Eckenrod, Naythan Krutules, Dan Marcinko, Terry Newbegin and Michael Zacur; and freshmen Keegan Derrick, Brian Finnerty, Matt Herron, Michael Inks, Conner Murga, Mclaine Stanek and Aiden Wolak.

Krutules (113), Buckiso (120), Zacur (126), Vlha (132), Dorsey (138), Finnerty (145), Weber (152), Fisher (160), Kalup (170), Alava (182), Shaw (195) and Haynes (220) all competed in the Powerade tournament.

Weber placed in the top eight in his weight division and ended the month with a 15-1 record.

“Alex finished seventh, which was a phenomenal accomplishment for him and hopefully for his momentum moving forward,” Ladick said. “Michael Zacur and Trystan Alava battled back and (just missed) placing. Michael and Trystan are both zoned-in physical, game-day performers.”

Saint Edward of Ohio won the team championship at this year’s tournament.

The Jaguars placed 19th among 52 squads.

“That cannot be done with only one or two guys,” Ladick said. “We gained a lot of experience and found out where we are strong and where we are weak.

“The month of January is tumultuous and this tournament was the best thing for us to prepare for the future.”

Four TJ grapplers — Stanek (113), Brian Finnerty (145), Marcinko (170) and Newbegin (182) — participated in the Powerade junior varsity tournament.

“We are proud of our guys who went with coach (Gus) Mizia to the JV tournament,” Ladick said. “Not only did everyone get a win, but Brian placed third which will hopefully build his focus moving forward.”

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Thomas Jefferson