Mar 8, 2016 5 min read

Silver is nice, but it’s not as good as gold.

That was the feeling for several area wrestlers coming out of the WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Tournament last weekend at Penn Hills High School.

Fortunately for them, they get another shot at climbing to the top of the podium this week at the PIAA Championships, which begin Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey.

For some, such as Waynesburg senior Shaun Wilson, it will be one last chance at trying to knock off a former state champion who has already beaten him twice in what is expected to be the most competive bracket in the tournament.

For others, such as Peters Township’s Mike McAleavey, the trip to Hershey is an opportunity to show how much he improved over the past year.

McAleavey, a 220-pound senior, was a fourth-place finisher in his section at 182 pounds as a junior and went 1-2 at the WPIAL tournament. But he spent countless hours honing his skills for one final shot at making it to Hershey.

Both seniors will be making their first trips to the state tournament. And they want to make the most of the journey.

That’s why when McAleavey defeated Greensburg Salem’s Derek Berberick in the WPIAL semifinals last weekend at Penn Hills to guarantee himself a spot in the PIAA tournament, he ran around hugging anyone and everyone in his corner.

“I was pumped,” said McAleavey. “I just wanted to thank my coaches first for all the work we did in the summer. I was ecstatic to get there. Last year, it was kind of tough to just win a match.

“I’ve never been there before. It will sink in when I get there.”

McAleavey takes a 35-3 record into the tournament. One of those losses came in the WPIAL finals to Jacob Robb of Armstrong, who pinned McAleavey.

McAleavey would like nothing better than to get a rematch with Robb (30-1). To do so, he’ll have to reach the championship round. That journey will start when he faces Hunter Weaver of Central Mountain, the third-place finisher in the Northwest Regional.

Wilson (36-6) dropped a 5-3 decision to two-time PIAA champion Luke Pletcher of Latrobe in the WPIAL finals, giving up a pair of first-period takedowns and fighting off several other strong attempts throughout their match.

It was Wilson’s second close loss to Pletcher, who won PIAA titles as a freshman and sophomore before being beaten by Waynesburg’s A.C. Headlee last season. Pletcher (39-1) edged Wilson, 6-5, in the semifinals at the Powerade Tournament.

“The first two takedowns early were kind of critical in that match,” said Waynesburg coach Joe Throckmorton of Wilson’s WPIAL match against Pletcher. “We were in a (close) match with him at Powerade and we figured it was going to be close. I’m looking for them to meet in the state finals and we’ll see. We saw him in the state finals with A.C. (Headlee) last year, so hopefully we can do the same thing again.”

To do so, Wilson will have to navigate through a bracket that includes returning state medalists Sammy Sasso of Nazareth, Jake Hinkson of North Allegheny and Evan Fidelibus of Easton.

Wilson has been to the PIAA tournament before as a spectator but admits being on the mat will be a different feeling.

“There’s going to be some nerves, but the goal is still a state title,” said Wilson, who will wrestle Colton Weaver of Central Mountain in the first round.

“We go to Beast (of the East) and Powerade, so it might be similar, I’m not sure, but the stadium is different. I’ve gone to watch, but there’s just something different about being on the mat. It’s a whole a different ballgame when you’re actually going out there.”

At least Wilson will have teammates to cheer him on.

Waynesburg and Belle Vernon both had six wrestlers advance from the WPIAL Championships, which double as the Southwest Regional, to the state tournament. They include Cole Rush, Terry Victor and Colin McCracken, each of whom notched their 100th career win in the consolation semifinals or finals.

“Those were some pressure-packed matches,” admitted Throckmorton. “Not only were they pressure-packed anyways, but you’re in those bubble rounds and dealing with guys who are one win away and they have to get to states to get their 100th win.

“Cole Rush was down to ultimate rideout with two stall calls against him and gets his 100th win. We were excited. Most people in the stands didn’t understand. Not that 100 means anything, but qualifying for states and getting 100 wins at the same time was pretty cool.”

But just getting to the PIAA tournament won’t be good enough. All 15 area Class AAA wrestlers who qualified want to bring home some hardware.

“I’ve still got a lot more matches to wrestle,” McAleavey said. “I’m not happy yet.”