Jan 31, 2018 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – Surrounded by several of the top wrestlers in the state, the most challenging obstacle for Waynesburg High School freshman Luca Augustine is cracking the lineup.

With the exception of the five dual meets to begin the year, when Jackson Henson didn’t wrestle, Augustine has gotten the nod from head coach Joe Throckmorton only a handful of times.

And with Caleb Morris filling the 132-pound weight class, spots in the Raiders’ lineup are basically nonexistent.

That was until Wednesday night, when not only did Throckmorton signal to Augustine as the 138-pound weight class approached in the opening match against Armstrong, he did it again in the quarterfinals matchup against Connellsville.

Augustine answered the call as he earned a point for an escape midway through the final period to win a 3-2 decision and gave Waynesburg a lead it wouldn’t surrender as the Raiders went on to defeat Connellsville 52-22 in the WPIAL Class AAA Team Tournament.

The pair of wins for Waynesburg advances it to the semifinals against Kiski at noon Saturday at Trinity High School.

“This year was a tough one for me,” Augustine admitted. “I was pretty good in junior high but I couldn’t find my spot in varsity. I knew in these matches, along with every other match I have wrestled this year, I had to make it count. It’s rare when I get to wrestle.”

Augustine, a state runner-up in junior-high states a season ago as an eighth grader, gave Waynesburg a 12-10 lead after his close decision over Connellsville’s Josh Maruniak.

“He is probably one of the best freshmen in the state not in a starting lineup,” Throckmorton said. “He’s behind Caleb Morris and Jackson Henson but would start on almost any other team. I know he is battled tested, and having two guys practicing with you every day that are top in the state make him that much better. To some people it’s a surprise what he did tonight. It’s not to us.”

While Augustine’s win sparked a five-bout run for the Raiders, including a 8-0 major decision from Henson (145) and consecutive pins from Colby Morris (152), Trey Howard (160) and Kyle Homet (170), the match flipped early when Waynesburg survived Connellsville’s murderer’s row.

While Connellsville is known for dominating 120 through 145, the Raiders not only minimized the high point scorers for the Falcons, but only allowed them four points in those five bouts.

“Those guys know their job and understand the situation we are in with having to give up two forfeits (in the upper weights),” said Connellsville coach Jesse Swink. “Everybody feels that pressure of maybe trying to pick up a few bonus points but it’s not fair to make one or two guys feel that all the time.”

Surviving Connellsville’s strength was something Throckmorton was confident about entering the quarterfinals and even more pleased with after advancing to the semis.

“We may have lost one of those but we know they are good (in those weights),” Throckmorton said. “We are very good in there, also. We just had a lot of consistent wrestling, some hard-fought wins and that was that was the key to the whole match.”

Augustine also recovered from early leg cramp in his first bout to pin Armstrong’s Noah Cooper in 2:43 as Waynesburg rolled the River Hawks, 52-12.

“I have some of the best wrestling partners in the state,” Augustine said of practices where he sees most of his work. “They get me so much better. My coach knows any match I’m going 100 percent. My team has faith in me, too. Them giving me a lot of support and always being there are big.”

Trinity didn’t have a similar fortune to that of Waynesburg against Connellsville’s lower weights. The Hillers dropped all five of the matches as they fell behind, 32-6.

With the Falcons forced to forfeit the 220-pound and heavyweight bouts, Connellsville’s Nate Ansell (195) earned a 16-5 decision to hold off a late rally for a 36-33 victory.

“We had a two-page scouting report, did our homework and got the matchups we wanted,” said Trinity coach Mark Powell. “We knew we had to limit their point total in those weights. It didn’t happen.”