No overlooking C-M’s Zeremenko
PENN HILLS – When your older sister is a standout athlete, first at the high school and then the collegiate level, you sometimes get overlooked.
That is how it has been on occasion for Canon-McMillan senior James Zeremenko, the younger – don’t call the 182-pounder little – brother of former Big Macs and current Pitt softball catcher Giorgiana Zeremenko.
Friday night at Penn Hills, James Zeremenko showed he’s no slouch as an athlete, winning a pair of matches at the WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Championships to advance into the semifinals at 182 pounds.
Not bad for a guy who came into the event with a 12-9 record.
“Trust me, it’s tough,” Zeremenko said of having a well-decorated older sibling. “People will be like, ‘You last name is Zeremenko. Oh, you’re Giorgiana’s little brother.’ I mean, I have a name.”
He made something of a name for himself by being one of five Canon-McMillan wrestlers to move on to today’s semifinals, which begin at noon. Consolation wrestling begins at 10 a.m., with the finals scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
It didn’t hurt that his quarterfinal opponent, Brad Nagy of Kiski, had upset No. 4 seed Mike Mahon of Fox Chapel in the first round.
“I knew it was going to be a tough road,” Zeremenko said. “It was a nice surprise that I didn’t have to wrestle Mahon. I was watching his match, and he was pretty good. He just got caught in the wrong position.”
Nagy wasn’t a pushover, however.
He and Zeremenko had several scrambles, including one in the second period that left the Canon-McMillan senior a little dazed.
“We were scrambling a little and we got to the edge of the mat. I hit my head off the scorer’s table,” Zeremenko said. “I’m not dizzy, but I’m seeing a couple of more stars right now than I should. I think I’ll be fine.”
He’ll need to be today. Zeremenko will face top-seeded Jake Woodley of North Allegheny in the semifinals. But with one more match today, he’ll qualify for the PIAA tournament.
That would make people realize he’s not just Giorgiana’s little brother.
“It makes me want to make a name for myself and not be the little brother any more. There’s some motivation to it,” Zeremenko said. “It’s going to be a tough match. I’ve never really wrestled him, but I’ve watched him wrestle. It’s going to be fun.”
Zeremenko isn’t the only local wrestler who will face a top seed. Ringgold’s Doug Gudenburr assured himself of that tall task when he knocked off Belle Vernon’s Brock Godzin, the No. 4 seed, at 138 pounds.
Gudenburr rode Godzin the entire second period, then scored an escape with 32 seconds remaining in the third to pull out a 1-0 win and avenge an overtime loss to Godzin at last weekend’s section tournament.
“That was big,” said Gudenburr, a senior. “I qualified for states my sophomore year, but last year I got beat in the quarters here and didn’t make it.”
His path won’t be easy this year, however, as he now must face Latrobe’s Luke Pletcher in the semifinals.
“We’ll come at him and see what happens,” said Ringgold head coach Bob Bove. “The good news is that the work’s not over. Doug needs to win one more, and it doesn’t matter where he gets it, to punch his ticket.”
Zeremenko and Gudenburr are two of 18 local wrestlers who will compete in the semifinals.
Though Oodzin came up short, six of his Belle Vernon teammates advanced: Jacob Dunlop (106); Zach Hartman (132); Derek Verkleeren (152); Mitchell Hartman (160); Austin Bell (170) and Milton Kobaly (182).
Zeremenko is joined in the semis by teammates Logan Macri (113), Matt Oblock (126), Nick Konyk (195) and Brendan Furman (heavyweight).
Waynesburg also had a strong day, matching the Big Macs with five in the semifinals, including defending WPIAL champion Caleb Morris at 120 pounds. Also reaching the semifinals were Shaun Wilson (138), Terry Victor (152), Kyle Homet (160) and Colin McCracken (182).
Peters Township had one wrestler advance as Michael McAleavey showed why he deserved the No. 2 seed at 220 pounds, winning by technical fall and major decision.