Trib HSSN Wrestler of the Week for Feb. 23, 2021: Ian Oswalt, Burrell
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021 | 10:01 AM
Burrell’s Ian Oswalt stands at the top of the podium for a fourth time after defeating Ligonier Valley’s Ryan Harbert at 138 pounds during the WPIAL Class AA individual wrestling championships on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, at Canon-McMillan High School.
Ian Oswalt, a 138-pound senior, accomplished something only 31 wrestlers have as he won his fourth WPIAL title on Saturday with a 10-5 decision over Ligonier Valley’s Ryan Harbert in the championship match.
Norwin’s Kurtis Phipps and Frazier’s Thayne Lawrence accomplished the feat last season, and Oswalt was one of three wrestlers who had the opportunity to do so this season. Freedom’s Trent Schultheis and Derry’s Tyler Cymmerman both came up short of accomplishing their goal Saturday.
Before capturing his fourth WPIAL title, Oswalt also captured his fourth section title on Friday. Over the course of the week, which included Burrell’s subsection meet on Tuesday, Oswalt tallied four pins and two decisions. Both of his decision victories came against Harbert in the section and WPIAL championship.
Oswalt moved to 17-0 on the season and also received the No. 2 seed in the 138-pound bracket in the 2021 PIAA Southwest Class AA Regional at Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.
Honorable mention
• Joey Fischer, South Park: Before capturing his third WPIAL title, Fischer racked up a 32-14 technical fall victory in the semifinals of his section tournament. He followed it up with a pin in 4:57 in the semifinals of the WPIAL championships on Saturday and then earned a 12-3 major decision over Burgettstown’s Joey Sentipal in the WPIAL finals.
•Kenny Duschek, Blackhawk: Duschek became the first wrestler in Blackhawk history to win a WPIAL title, and he did it by stopping Derry’s Tyler Cymmerman from winning his fourth. Duschek earned an 18-6 major decision against Chartiers Houston’s Jessie Orbin in the semifinals, then took advantage of a second-period takedown and near fall to secure a 5-2 decision over Cymmerman. He also recorded two pins to win his section title on Friday.
• Rune Lawrence, Frazier: After winning his first sectional title on Friday, the 172-pounder pinned both of his opponents on Saturday in the first period to capture his first WPIAL title. He pinned Burrell’s Colby Christie in 32 seconds then followed it up by pinning McGuffey’s Ethan Barr in 1:32.
• Dayton Pitzer, Mt. Pleasant: Pitzer captured his second WPIAL title and won every one of his matchups by pin. None of his matchups left the first period, and four of his matches lasted less than a minute as he improved his record to 33-2 on the season.
Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Tags: Blackhawk, Burrell, Frazier, Mt. Pleasant, South Park
