Dec 31, 2014 4 min read

Wrapping up the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament:

Gavin Teasdale lived up to expectations, showing that he was able to handle the pressure of a major varsity tournament and coming through with an outstanding performance in winning the 106-pound title.

Teasdale, a freshman from Jefferson-Morgan, was magnificent in tearing up Patrick Glory of Delbarton, N.J. 13-3 in earning his first title. Only five wrestlers have become four-time winners in this event, and Teasdale can join that group if he stays healthy and continues to improve over the years.

It won’t get easier. Larger and more experienced opponents await.

Teasdale wrestled quick and smooth, showing the roots of a great freestyler. If he uses those strengths, there is no ceiling to what he can accomplish.

It’s still interesting how many people still compare Teasdale to another great Jefferson-Morgan wrestler: Cary Kolat.

The styles of the two are completely different. Kolat was a strong, aggressive wrestler as a freshman. Teasdale relies more on technique, speed and quickness.

The only similarities with the two at this point in their careers are these: both wrestled great under pressure, both have strong workout regimens, and both have high expectations for themselves.

The past two Powerade tournaments emphasized the shift of talent to Westmoreland County.

Canon-McMillan ruled Western Pennsylvania wrestling for three seasons, winning five PIAA Team Tournament titles from 2011 through 2013. Now, the two best Class AAA teams are Franklin Regional and Latrobe.

Franklin Regional repeated as team champion at Powerade, unleashing an impressive array of talent, the most magnificent being Spencer Lee, who has not lost a bout in one-plus seasons and is a defending state champion.

Lee displayed his superior skills with an utterly dominating performance in a 15-4 victory over Tyler Agaisse of Delbarton, N.J. at 120 pounds. What’s especially impressive is that Lee beat a New Jersey state champion who was undefeated last year. And he did so by barely breaking a sweat.

The Big Macs had four placewinners but none higher than seventh place. The middle school program is thought to have a lot of talent so they could rise again in a season or two.

The 132-pound final pitted two outstanding wrestlers in Luke Pletcher of Latrobe and George Phillippi of Derry. Both have won state titles and the rivalry between the two is strong. Pletcher has won the past five meetings, the latest coming in a thrilling 2-1 decision in ultimate tiebreaker Tuesday in the Canon-McMillan gym.

What makes this so interesting is that Pletcher and Phillippi work out together at the Young Guns club at Franklin Regional. They are friends but competitors. They know each other’s moves and how to counter them.

Their bout was the highlight of the tournament but some were disappointed that more points weren’t scored.

The reason is obvious: each knows the other so well that they can almost predict a move before it happens.

Hard to score that way.

Predictions

My pre-tournament column predicted the winners of each weight class and I was just mediocre. I had 10 of the 14 winners right, an OK performance but not great.

I was especially hurt in the upper weights, not surprising considering those were the toughest and most uncertain to predict.

Lowlights: Drew Phipps would win 195; he finished third. Robert Enmon of Admiral-Farragut, Fla., would win 220; Fred Mantsch of Hempfield did and Enmon finished fifth; and Elliott Lee of Archer, Ga., would beat Burrell’s Allen Beattie – He wants to be called Al now – and it was reversed.

Highlights: Picking unseeded Gus Solomon of Franklin Regional to win and he finished second, losing in the final seconds of the 120 finals to D.J. Lloren of Buchanan, Calif. Picking unseeded Colin McCracken as a dark horse at 182 and he finished third. And picking Young Woo An of Buchanan, Calif., as a dark horse at 195 and he finished second.

Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com