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Nijenhuis honored

Gerrit Nijenhuis of Canon-McMillian was named the Adidas National High School Wrestler of the Week last week. Nijenhuis won the freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at the Cadet Pan-American tournament in Guatemala City.

Both championships came while competing at 80 kg (176 pounds). Nijenhuis wrestled four matches in each style, outscoring his opposition in freestyle 32-1 with a fall and his Greco-Roman competitors 30-2.

Nijenhuis was one of only four double champions, winning a title in freestyle and Greco-Roman, for Team USA. The others were Sheldon Seymour, Hunter Lewis, and Carson Manville.

As a sophomore in the 2017-18 season, Nijenhuis placed third at the PIAA Class AAA Championships. Since the conclusion of the high school season, Nijenhuis has won a title at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals and was a runner-up at FloNationals.

Two Canon-McMillan wrestlers sign

Two students at Canon-McMillan High School have chosen colleges to continue their academic and wrestling careers.

Tim Hritsko will be attending West Virginia University. Hritsko was a Class AAA state qualifier, section champion, Powerade & Escape the Rock medalist and four-year starter who compiled 119 wins. He was a member of the National Honor Society.

Logan Macri will continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Macri was a Class AAA state champion, WPIAL Champion, three-time section champion, Powerade champion, Escape the Rock medalist and four-year starter who compiled 152 wins. Macri represented the Pennsylvania Team in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic.

Hritsko and Macri were First-Team selections for the Observer-Reporter All-District Wrestling Team.

Pony baseball

Jack Sacco pitched five innings of no-hit ball and struck out eight to pace Donora-Monessen to an 11-1 victory over Bentworth in a Mon Valley Pony game at City Park.

Dante DeFelices and Braedon DuBreucq each a double, single and two RBI for Donora-Monessen (3-5). Sacco had two hits and drove in two runs.

Bentworth fell to 1-7.

At The Meadows

Stranded outside without cover past the half, Ilana Z Tam bowed her head, brushed past the leader and pulled off a 22-1 shocker in Tuesday’s $80,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series stake at The Meadows.

The event for 3-year-old filly pacers was contested over four divisions, with Seen At Rio Deo, Miss Hill and Zuluwarriorhanover taking the other splits. Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. enjoyed a stake double behind Miss Hill and Zuluwarriorhanover among his four wins on the 13-race card.

Ilana Z Tam followed the cover of Dark Force and Eric Goodell, but when they cleared, the daughter of Bettor’s Delight-She’s Rockin was in the rare air, an unenviable spot for a filly who had finished out of the money in her four previous starts this year.

“She raced good last week; she had a lot of go for the first time,” said trainer/driver Pat Lachance, who owns Ilana Z Tam with Z Tam Stables. “But I didn’t think Eric would clear; I thought I’d be second over. I thought I was in trouble, but she showed up. She raced big.”

She bulled past Dark Force and scored in a career-best 1:53.4, a neck better than 3-5 favorite Dreams On Me, who was charging through the Lightning Lane. Dark Force saved show.

The victory by Seen At Rio Deo also was unconventional and, at 17-1, about as unexpected. She was last at the half and sneaked up the cones rather than join the outside flow, a risky move that can yield a lack of late racing room.

“The outer tier looked a little shaky when I gave it a look going down the backside,” said winning driver Jim Pantaleano. “The horse who was first over wasn’t responding, so I just took my chances.”

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