RSS | 
Twitter
| 
Be a fan!
Bissett is upset; Evans, Noga win
Maloney, the senior from Burrell, had just taken a 1-0 decision from Bissett in the 140-pound finals of the PIAA Class AA Southwest Region Tournament Saturday night at the Cambria County War Memorial.
What angered Bissett wasn't just that he failed to repeat as a regional champion but that Maloney had spent most of the second period holding onto one of Bissett's legs without a stalling warning from the official.
Those are the variables you can't always prepare for in these postseason tournaments.
Rate This Story:
1 the lowest - 5 the highest
Current rating:
Bissett, Bentworth's Charlie Wonsettler (171), Jefferson-Morgan's Ethan Virgili (189) and Miller finished one step down on the awards' platform.
The top five wrestlers in each weight class advanced to the PIAA Championships, which begin Thursday in Hershey.
Maloney, who lost the three previous bouts against Bissett, continually trapped Bissett's lower leg on restarts, stifling his offense and frustrating the West Greene senior.
"It was extremely frustrating," said WG head coach Allen Hughes. "Those are judgment calls. There's no set time on how long you can keep the leg. As long as the referee is going to let it go, he's not going to change."
Maloney escaped with 26 seconds left in the match for the win.
"I have one week left and a lot of work to do," said Bissett, who had words with Maloney after the bout.
Noga took a 5-4 lead in his career series with Miller and snapped a two-match postseason losing streak to the C-H senior.
"I didn't do anything new. I just did a lot of things better," said Noga, who was pinned by Miller in the WPIAL finals. "I felt I wrestled smarter. I worked hard. I didn't look past anyone. I just kept (Miller) in mind."
Noga is the first regional champion for Avella since Don Rush Jr. won the 140-pound title in 2001. Evans became the first Washington champion since Garrett Rossero also won at 140 in 2000.
"It's better to face someone you've beaten before rather than someone you lost to before," said Evans, who stopped Klinvex 3-1 in last week's WPIAL Championships. "I opened up more this time."
Wonsettler lost for the second week in a row to Majocha, but this one was not as dramatic. Majocha scored a takedown at the buzzer of the first overtime to capture the WPIAL title. This time, Majocha registered an escape and takedown in the second period for a 3-0 win.
"It's nice to see new faces once in a while," Wonsettler said. "But I'd like to see him again next week."
Virgili battled but dropped a 10-3 decision to Zac Bennett of Westmont-Hilltop, who was a state runner-up last season.
"I was looking for his cradle," said Virgili. "He tried to get it in but I stayed out of it. He pinned everyone through the tournament."
Two-time state champion Troy Dolan of Derry won his third regional title with a 6-0 shutout over Cody Myers of Southern Huntingdon.
Area wrestlers went 3-3 in the battle for the fifth and final qualifying spot in their respective weight classes. Charleroi's Vinnie DeStefano (145), Beth-Center's Aaron Hrutkay (160) and Washington's Sam Miller (Hvy) each took fifth and earned a spot in Hershey. Avella's Mitch Spencer (119), Jefferson-Morgan's Ty Basinger (130) and West Greene's Tucker Conklin (152) each finished sixth.
Fort Cherry's Matt Kosarik (Hvy) and Beth-Center's Chris Stay (152) each placed third.
John Prezzia, a defending state champion from South Side Beaver, was fifth at 112.
