Trib HSSN Wrestling Team of the Week: Kiski Area

By: Doug Gulasy
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 | 1:14 PM

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Kiski Area

The Cavaliers won the WPIAL Class AAA team championship, so it came as little surprise when they won the team title at the WPIAL individual tournament as well, edging Hempfield and Seneca Valley to take the trophy.

Senior Cam Connor and junior Jack Blumer both defended their individual championships by winning the 152- and 160-pound brackets, respectively. Senior Darren Miller finished runner-up at 126 pounds and junior Nick Delp placed third at 170 to qualify for this weekend’s PIAA tournament.

Chris Heater also was named the WPIAL’s Class AAA coach of the year for the third consecutive season.

OTHER NOMINEES

Hempfield: Although the Spartans left Canon-McMillan without an individual WPIAL champion last weekend, they did qualify the most wrestlers for the PIAA tournament with five. Kyle Burkholder and Ty Linsenbigler finished as the runners-up at 113 and 138 pounds, respectively, Dillon Ferretti (220 pounds) and Isaiah Vance (285) placed third and 120-pounder Ethan Berginc earned fourth after beginning the tournament as the seventh seed. Hempfield tied Seneca Valley for second in the team standings.

Mt. Lebanon: The Stout dynasty continues at Mt. Lebanon. Kellan Stout won a WPIAL title in 2015, his senior year, and younger brother Luke, a junior, joined him last weekend by winning the 182-pound bracket at the Class AAA championships. Luke Stout beat defending champion Scott Joll of Belle Vernon, 9-2, in the final. Heavyweight Nathan Hoaglund, who finished second, will join Stout in Hershey for the PIAA championships.

Norwin: Along with Kiski Area and Seneca Valley, the Knights also finished the WPIAL tournament with multiple individual champions. Junior Kurtis Phipps became a three-time WPIAL champion by beating Belle Vernon’s Logan Seliga in the 120-pound finals, and Ryan Weinzen became a first-time winner by outlasting Armstrong’s Ogden Atwood, the top seed, in a 2-1 battle for the 220-pound title. Both will enter the PIAA tournament with a chance to become Norwin’s first state champion.

Seneca Valley: The Raiders finished the WPIAL tournament tied for second place in the team standings, but they actually had the most individual champions with three. Dylan Chappell and Alejandro Herrera-Rondon began the tournament’s final night with a bang by winning at 106 and 113 pounds. Antonio Amelio began the tournament as the No. 4 seed in the 145-pound bracket but toppled top-seeded Jackson Gray of Mt. Lebanon in the semifinals before getting a late pin of Waynesburg’s Trey Howard in the finals. Jason Geyer, the third-place finisher at 132 pounds, also qualified for the PIAA tournament.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Doug at 412-388-5830, dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Hempfield, Kiski School, Mt. lebanon, Norwin, Seneca Valley