Canon-McMillan’s Macri rolls to first WPIAL title
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan’s Logan Macri takes Seneca Valley’s Louis Newell to the mat Saturday during their 120-pound WPIAL Class AAA championship match at Canon-McMillan High School.
Belle Vernon’s Scott Joll battles Waynesburg’s Kyle Homet in the 170-pound match during Saturday's WPIAL Class AAA wrestling championships at Canon-McMillan High School.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Belle Vernon’s Scott Joll celebrates after defeating Waynesburg’s Kyle Homet to win the WPIAL Class AAA 170-pound championship Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Caleb Morris tries to break the hold of North Hills’ Sam Hillegas in the 126-pound match Saturday at the WPIAL Class AAA wrestling championships at Canon-McMillan High School.
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Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan’s Logan Macri wins the 120 lbs. match against Seneca Valley’s Louis Newell during the WPIAL Class AAA wrestling championships at Canon-McMillan High School on Saturday, March 3, 2018.
CANONSBURG – Logan Macri must be in Louis Newell’s nightmares by now.
Macri, a senior from Canon-McMillan, defeated Newell, a state runner-up from Seneca Valley, for the third straight time and in front of the home crowd Saturday night in the 120-pound finals of the WPIAL Class AAA Wrestling Championships.
The top four wrestlers in each weight class advanced to the state tournament at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Macri will be joined by eight other area wrestlers in the state’s most prestigious high school event: the PIAA Championships.
Tim Hritsko (138) and Gerrit Nijenhuis (160) of Canon-McMillan, Wyatt Henson (120), Caleb Morris (126), Jackson Henson (138) and Kyle Homet (170) of Waynesburg; and Zach Hartman (160) and Scott Joll (170) of Belle Vernon are the other qualifiers.
Hartman and Joll advanced as champions and Nijenhuis, Morris, Jackson Henson and Homet moved on after second-place finishes.
Macri’s previous wins over Newell were 3-1 in the finals of the Powerade Christmas Tournament and 5-2 in the PIAA Team Tournament in Hershey in February.
The latest win for Macri came when he took Newell down with eight seconds remaining in the first period that erased a 2-1 deficit. The two wrestlers traded escapes over the final two periods.
“I was a little nervous coming here in front of my home gym,” said Macri. “This was the last time I get to wrestle here. I came out a little sluggish and he got (a takedown). I had to get that takedown just to let him know I wasn’t going to give up.”
Macri’s last two tournaments ended with silver medals. Macri preferred not make it three in a row.
“Being runner-up twice was not much fun,” said Macri. “I was ready to get the job done and that’s what I came here to do.”
Jackson Henson, a two-time West Virginia state champion who transferred with brother, Wyatt, to Waynesburg his season, was forced to default to Noah Levett of Kiski after tweaking his knee in the semifinal victory over Hritsko.
“It’s not bad. I’ll be fine for states. It’s not serious,” said Henson. “He lifted my ankle trying to sit and I heard it pop. It was scary. I couldn’t put weight on it.”
Hartman became a two-time champion with a 3-1 decision over Nijenhuis, the fourth consecutive win over the C-M sophomore.
“He was a little more aggressive and that’s what I like,” said Hartman. “I’m feeling like I need to be more strategic. I’m just being more cautious with my shots.”
Hartman’s teammate Scott Joll upset the top-seeded Homet, 8-6, to win the 170 title. Joll outscored Homet, 3-0, in the final two minutes.
Morris made it to the finals with a solid performance in the semifinals. Morris got the first takedown and escaped with 1:03 to go for a 3-2 decision over Jay Ealy of Hopewell.
Morris had a tall order in the finals against Sam Hillegas, a defending state champion from North Hills. Hillegas pinned Morris in 4:00.
Wyatt Henson lost his semifinal bout, 7-1, to Louis Newell, a state runner-up last year from Seneca Valley but rallied in the wrestlebacks.
Henson earned his trio to Hershey with a dominating performance in the consolation semifinals. Henson won an 18-3 technical fall over Dylan Keefer of Connellsville.
Henson then pinned in Tyler Kocak of Hampton to finish in third place.
Hritsko dropped a 3-1 semifinal decision in a rematch with Jackson Henson. In the wrestlebacks, Hritsko used a five-point first period to take a 10-7 decision from Dylan Franks of Connellsville in the consolation semifinals.
Hritsko lost a 7-2 decision to Ty Linsenbigler of Hempfield for third place.