Trib HSSN Wrestling Team of the Week: Franklin Regional

By: Greg Macafee
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 | 11:09 AM

The No. 4 Franklin Regional wrestling team took on five teams at the North Allegheny Duals on Saturday and came away with an undefeated record while allowing just 49 points and giving up five pins.

The Panthers took down Mars (78-0), No. 6 North Allegheny (30-25), North Hills (63-9), Upper St. Clair (65-9) and Chartiers Valley (66-6). Franklin Regional’s match with the Tigers might’ve been the most impressive of the weekend.

Dom Colaizzi (113), Carter Dibert (126), Nate Stone (138), Finn Solomon (145), Garrett Thompson (172), Juliano Marion (189) and Tyler Kaputsa (106) all picked up victories in the matchup of two of the top teams in WPIAL Class AAA.

The Tigers had a 25-24 lead heading into the final bout. Kaputsa capped it off by pinning North Allegheny’s Casey Walker to give the Panthers a five-point win. Solomon’s 6-4 decision over North Allegheny’s Max Stedeford, who is ranked No. 4 in Trib HSSN Class AAA 145-pound rankings, was another big win for the Panthers.

Honorable mention

Waynesburg: The Raiders finished second behind Malvern Prep in the annual Powerade wrestling tournament this past weekend at the Monroeville Convention Center. Wyatt Henson (145) and Cole Homet (138) earned first-place finishes while Joseph Simon (113), Mac Church (120) and Rocco Welsh (152) were runners-up.

Seneca Valley: The defending WPIAL Class AAA champion came in third at the Powerade tournament Saturday. Alejandro Herrera-Rondo (152) was the lone first-place finisher, while Chanz Shearer (145), Dylan Chappell (132) and Tyler Chappell (106) all placed second in their respective weight classes.

Hempfield: The Spartans placed fourth in the Powerade tournament with one champion, one third-place finisher, two fourth-place finishes and a fifth-place finisher. Heavyweight Isaiah Vance won a Powerade title for the Spartans, while Ethan Berginc (126) finished third.

Canon-McMillan: The Big Macs took down Chartiers Valley last Monday, but fell to Waynesburg on Wednesday. They capped off the week by having six wrestlers place in the top eight of their weight class at the Powerade tournament to finish sixth overall.

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

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Seneca Valley, Waynesburg