Nov 12, 2018 3 min read

Gavin Teasdale, the newest member of the PIAA four-time wrestling champion club, is a candidate for a redshirt season at Penn State University.

The Jefferson-Morgan High School graduate was not in the lineup for Penn State’s 52-3 season-opening victory over Kent State Sunday. The No. 1-ranked Nittany Lions, the defending national champions, had sophomore Devin Schnupp from Warwick in the 125-pound starting spot. Schnupp was the starter at that weight last season.

Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson has a pair of four-time state champions at the weight class: Teasdale and Brody Teske of Fort Dodge High School in Iowa. Teske is working to move up a weight but isn’t ready yet. Teske and Teasdale, who originally committed to Iowa but flipped to Penn State, can still compete in tournaments as an independent and not lose a season of eligibility.

Wyoming Seminary’s Joe Davis also is at that weight class.

Meanwhile, PSU’s Jarod Verkleeren made an impressive season debut against Kent State, pinning Kody Komara, a Freedom High School graduate, in 1:20.

Verkleeren attended Belle Vernon but spent his senior year at Hempfield. His match with Komara was a thriller as the two had each other in a body lock before Verkleeren sent him to his back.

Joll commits

to WVU

Scott Joll, a fifth-place finisher at 170 pounds in the PIAA Class AAA state tournament for Belle Vernon last season, has committed to West Virginia. Joll, a senior, had a 42-5 record and defeated Max Hale of Downingtown West, 8-5, in the fifth-place match in Hershey.

Other local commitments include Brandon Matthews of Peters Township to Seton Hill; and Jacob Slinger of Upper St. Clair to George Mason.

Macri at WVU

Logan Macri, a graduate of Canon-McMillan High School, is one of a handful of local wrestlers competing at West Virginia. Macri originally chose the Tennessee-Chattanooga but switched to WVU. He is a candidate for a redshirt.

At last season’s PIAA Championships, Macri capped a magnificent run through the 120-pound weight class with a 3-2 decision over defending state champion Doug Zapf of Downingtown West at the Giant Center in Hershey. It was Macri’s first PIAA Class AAA title.

Joining Macri at WVU are freshman Tim Hritsko from C-M at 133 pounds; freshman Brock Godzin of Belle Vernon, who is at 157 pounds; freshman Caleb Morris of Waynesburg at 133; and redshirt sophomore Tony Welsh of Beth-Center at 165.

Former Edinboro coach Tim Flynn was hired as the Mountaineers new head coach, replacing Sammie Henson, who was there for four seasons.

Nijenhuis second

at Super 32

Gerrit Nijenhuis, a junior at Canon-McMillan, placed second at the prestigious Super 32 Tournament last month in Greensboro, N.C. Nijenhuis dropped a 5-3 decision to Abe Assad in the 182-pound final.

Nijenhuis finished his sophomore season with the Big Macs with a 44-6 record and a third-place finish at the PIAA Class AAA championships.

Waynesburg’s

Evans honored

After breezing to the 285-pound title at Saturday’s Washington & Jefferson Invitational, senior Jake Evans was named Presidents’ Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week.

Three first-period pins put Evans into the championship bout and set up a top-five showdown with Lycoming’s Garrett Wesneski, who was ranked fifth. The defending NCAA Division III champion defeated Wesneski, 6-3.