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Three-peat a treat for Avella's Spencer
jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
ROGERSVILLE - Mitch Spencer was one of the most surprised wrestlers in the WPIAL when the section pairings were released Tuesday.
Most of his old friends were gone from his weight class.
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That type of situation can leave you feeling a bit lonely. But Spencer didn't mind. He roared through the 130-pound weight class at the Section 1-AA tournament Saturday.
When it was over, Spencer and South Side Beaver's Dom Demor had each captured their third consecutive section title.
More important, Spencer and Demor were one of the top four wrestlers in each weight class that advanced to the WPIAL Class AA Championships, which begin Friday at Charleroi High School.
Tucker Conklin of West Greene saw his chance for a third title go up in smoke with a 3-1 loss to Fort Cherry freshman Sam Guidi in the 160-pound finals.
Spencer, who next year can become the first four-time section champion from Avella since Jay Allen did it in the early 1990s, pinned Montana Trombetta of Carlynton in 38 seconds.
"I was surprised," Spencer said of the pairings. "It would have been nice to get some tougher matches before WPIALs but I'm not complaining."
Spencer had three pins in the one-day event. He stuck Center's Jack Haney in 3:02, then pinned Justin Malcomb of South Side Beaver in 1:24 before finishing Trombetta.
"We went to Canon-McMillan and I practiced with Colin Johnston all week," said Spencer, now 24-1. "I think we made each other better. "
Guidi surprised the large crowd at West Greene by stopping Conklin, 3-1. Only a freshman, Guidi fought off an early takedown attempt by Conklin near the edge of the mat and that seemed to turn the match.
"It was crucial," said Guidi (24-7), a No. 3 seed. "I thought I could (beat him). The first time we wrestled, it was close. He beat me in double overtime in the regular season. So I thought I could win."
Guidi's teammate, junior Adam Lucarini (27-2), captured the 103-pound title with a 7-2 win over Carlynton's Mark Irwin.
Conklin's loss was almost devastating in another way. The Pioneers would end up with nine qualifiers and Patrick Morris was the last chance for a first place after Conklin's loss. No one was quite sure when the last time West Greene did not have a section champion.
Morris responded with a 5-3 decision over top-seeded Ryan Watson of Burgettstown. Morris, the second seed, got a disputed takedown early in the bout and then benefited from a penalty point when Watson tossed his headgear in the third period.
"That takedown was pretty important," said Morris, a senior who is 25-3. "I needed a good seed for next week because I'm in a tough bracket."
Watson's penalty point made it a two-point lead for Morris. Watson's headgear slipped to the back of his head and the officials did not immediately stop the bout. When Watson finally got it unhinged, he threw it to the mat in frustration.
"He got a little flustered," said Morris. "It did have an effect on the match. I didn't have to be on offense and defense as much with a two-point lead. You can't stall. You're ahead but you have to keep your head in the match."
West Greene nearly had a win in the 152-pound finals from senior Keith Watson, who battled back from a 7-4 deficit to tie the match, 7-7, in regulation against junior Kyle Appleby of Avella. But Appleby (24-2), the No. 1 seed, turned the second-seeded Watson in the overtime and won 12-7.
Washington had two winners: Patrick Gouin at 112 pounds and Sam Miller at heavyweight. Gouin (27-4) defeated West Greene's Dakota Riffle, 8-0, and Miller (27-4) stopped Burgettstown's Claude Smith 9-4.
Senior Dan Conley gave the Blue Devils their only champion with a 13-2 decision over Jordon Roussos of Carlynton at 215. Conley, the top seed, moved to 23-4.
Chartiers-Houston's Joey Schneider pinned Josh Durbin of West Greene in 1:04 to win at 145. Schneider, a junior and the top seed, is 23-7.
