Trib HSSN Wrestler of the Week: Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer

By: Greg Macafee
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 | 10:01 AM

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In one of the toughest brackets of this weekend’s WPIAL Class AAA tournament at Canon-McMillan, Pine-Richland senior Cole Spencer came away with his second straight WPIAL title. He earned a pin and two decisions to capture the 160-pound weight class.

After winning WPIALs at 152 pounds last season, Spencer bumped up to 160 and battled through his weight class for the second straight season. He pinned Connellsville’s Ethan Ansell in his first match and then used a second-period escape in his second match to take down North Allegheny’s Collin McCorkle, 1-0.

In the championship match, he battled back from a 1-0 deficit and scored all three of his points in the final period with an escape at the 1 minute, 53 second mark and a takedown with 1:05 to go in the match.

Kranitz defeated Kiski Area’s Enzo Morlacci in the semifinals to earn his ticket to the WPIAL finals.

Spencer’s victories on Saturday pushed his record to 20-1. He hasn’t lost since falling to Midd-West’s Avery Bassett at the Mid-Winter Mayhem tournament in mid-January. He’s also beaten McCorkle four times this season, including three times since Feb. 18.

Honorable mention

• Dylan Coy, North Allegheny: The 120-pound junior captured the first WPIAL title of his career in a big way. He recorded a technical fall and a 7-0 decision in the first two rounds and then upset Waynesburg’s Mac Church, who was the No. 1 seed entering Saturday’s tournament, 4-3 in the finals.

• Rune Lawrence, Frazier: The talented freshman continues to impress. A week after winning his first WPIAL title, the 172-pounder earned a 4-3 decision, a pin in 1:09 and an upset of No. 1 seed Malachi DuVall from Penns Valley with a third period pin.

• Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, Seneca Valley: The two-time state champion continued his impressive senior season and captured the third WPIAL title of his career. He earned a 2-0 decision over Waynesburg’s Rocco Welsh with a second-period reversal in the finals. He tallied a technical fall in 2:46 in the quarterfinals and earned a 9-2 decision in semifinals.

• Cole Weightman, Belle-Vernon: Weightman captured his second straight WPIAL title in dominating fashion. He pinned his first two opponents in under a minute and then earned a 7-0 decision over Armstrong’s Logan Harmon. He scored two takedowns and a reversal and was awarded a point for a stalling.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Frazier, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley