Trib HSSN Wrestler of the Week for March 9, 2021: Dayton Pitzer, Mt. Pleasant

By: Greg Macafee
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 | 10:01 AM

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Not many wrestlers have had the type of season that Dayton Pitzer has had this year. The 215-pounder from Mt. Pleasant dominated the PIAA Class AA West Super Regional this past weekend with three pins, extending his pin streak to 13 in contested matches.

After winning the regional tournament with three pins as well, Pitzer pinned two of his opponents in under a minute. He finished his first opponent of the day in 3 minutes, 14 seconds. Ironically enough, his fastest pin of the day came in the championship match in 33 seconds against Parker Moore from Phillipsburg-Osceola.

In the semifinals, Pitzer pinned Eisenhower’s Cael Black in 54 seconds and won his first match of the day against Briar Deline from Huntingdon.

Pitzer, who missed last season after recovering from knee surgery, is 39-2 this season and is heading to Hershey to try to capture his second PIAA title. As a freshman, Pitzer went 43-1. He beat Freedom’s Bryson Miller with a 3-1 decision in the state finals.

Honorable mention

Mac Church, Waynesburg: As the No. 4 seed in the PIAA Class AAA West Super Regional, Church earned three decisions and captured his weight class with a 4-3 win over No. 3 seed Karl Shindledecker from Chambersburg.

Finn Solomon, Franklin Regional: The 138-pound Panther was on a mission this weekend and captured his weight class as the No. 6 seed. He earned a 10-7 decision over Altoona’s Matt Sarbo in the first round, a 9-1 major decision over Dylan Evans in the semifinals and got his revenge on Waynesburg’s Cole Homet from his WPIAL Class AAA championship loss with a 12-1 major decision.

Isaiah Vance, Hempfield: Vance was the lone Spartan to bring home a title this weekend at the PIAA Class AAA West Super Regional. He picked up two pins, including one in 15 seconds, before earning a 7-2 decision over Selinsgrove’s Nate Schon in the finals.

Grant Mackay, Laurel: The 152-pounder captured a super regional title in dominating fashion this weekend with a 46-second pin, a 5-0 decision and a 17-6 major decision in the finals over North Star’s Connor Yoder.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Laurel, Mt. Pleasant, Waynesburg