Picking wrestling’s top teams
Waynesburg’s Colin McCracken will play an important role for the Raiders this wrestling season.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Gavin Teasdale went 46-0 and won a state title as a freshman for the Rockets last season.
A young Canon-McMillan squad will look to Matt Oblock for leadership during the upcoming season.
Franklin Regional’s dominance in the WPIAL wrestling world is starting to wane.
Three wrestlers who won state titles last year – Devon Brown, Michael Kemerer and Josh Shields – graduated and phenom Spencer Lee is expected to miss most of his junior season with a shoulder injury.
That leaves the fight for dominance in wrestling to just a handful of teams in Class AAA and one or two in Class AA.
Before the first competitions are held Dec. 4, it’s time to reshuffle the deck, deal out the cards and predict what hands will be played.
So here are you preseason team rankings in high school wrestling for the 2015-16 season, beginning with Class AAA:
No. 10 – Norwin
No. 9 – Greensburg Salem
No. 8 – Penn Trafford
What? You thought I’d start with No. 1?
Norwin has one returning state medalist in Drew Phipps (3rd at 195 pounds) as does Greensburg Salem in Chris Eddins (120, DNP). Penn Trafford gets Cam Coy (2nd at 138) back but lose the middle of the lineup to graduation.
No. 7 – Franklin Regional
No. 6 – Waynesburg
No. 5 – Kiski
Lee injured the shoulder during the summer. The two-time WPIAL and PIAA champion with a 97-0 record felt soreness while preparing for the U.S. Junior World Championships. He competed but after returning home, learned he needed surgery.
His loss is not only of a physical nature but also an emotional one. Lee is the No. 1-ranked wrestler at 113 pounds in the country, and you just don’t replace talent like that. He could be back for the team tournament but the guess here is Franklin Regional will give him more time.
Lee’s absence leaves the door open for Waynesburg to move up. The Raiders return Caleb Morris, a state qualifier with a 35-10 record, but lose A.C. Headlee to graduation and the University of North Carolina. Headlee was the O-R’s Wrestler of the Year and had one of the more remarkable seasons in the school’s history. Colin McCracken and Shaun Wilson will have important roles on the team now that Headlee is gone.
No. 4 – Canon-McMillan
The Big Macs are preparing for a strong infusion of talent from the youth program to blend in with Logan Macri, Matt Oblock, Micah Kusturiss, Brendan Furman and Co. It’s so hard to predict how fast the group develops but stronger days are ahead. Probably one more year.
No. 3 – North Allegheny
The Tigers lost Zach Smith (4th at 195) to graduation, but they got a nice surprise in the transfer of Francis Duggan, a sophomore who won a PIAA silver medal for Cumberland Valley at – can you guess? – 195 pounds. Isn’t it nice when it all comes together? Adding Duggan makes NA’s lineup strong enough to win it, but for …
No. 2 – Latrobe
In most seasons, a team returning four state medalists would be ranked at least one spot higher. But this isn’t like most seasons. Ethan McCoy was third at 126, Luke Pletcher was second at 132, and Jake Shaffer was fourth at 170. Latrobe has seven returning wrestlers with at least 25 wins last season.
No. 1 – Belle Vernon
Belle Vernon came within a hair – well, OK, seven points – of defeating Franklin Regional in the WPIAL team finals. That let wrestling fans across the district know just how good the Leopards would be this season because only one starter was a senior. Five state qualifiers, including Jarod Verkleeren (4th at 145) and Austin Bell (3rd at 170), return.
It’s the Leopards’ title to lose.
No. 5 – Freedom
Kody Komara (5th at 132) is one of 14 returning wrestlers on a team that finished second to section-winner Burgettstown in Section 1B last year.
No. 4 – Jefferson-Morgan
When you have one of the best wrestlers in the country in the lineup, it’s easy to overlook others. Gavin Teasdale’s remarkable freshman season – 46-0 and a state title – could be repeated this year. Trevor Kniha and Bill Bowlen return but the loss of Brendan Howard and Ian Wolfe hurts.
No. 3 – Derry
My darkhorse team. The Trojans have four strong wrestlers, including state champion George Phillippi. If a couple more wrestlers develop, watch out.
No. 2 – South Fayette
The Lions return state champion Mike Carr but the graduation of Andrew John, Jared Walker and Brett Beltz cost a combined 108 victories.
No. 1 – Burrell
When a team wins nine straight team titles, it’s difficult to bet against it. Heavyweight Allen Beattie is no longer there at the end of the lineup for a guaranteed six points and Jason Roberts also graduated. The Bucs are still potent but more vulnerable than last year.
Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com.