Big Macs have big goals for season
There are no down wrestling seasons at Canon-McMillan High School.
Expectations rise as the temperatures fall. And this season is no different.
The Big Macs can be flopped between second or third in the Class AAA team rankings and appear poised for another strong run through the postseason. Last season, the Big Macs finished second in the WPIAL and qualified for the state team tournament.
“Our goals are always the same (as a team),” said C-M head coach Jeff Havelka. “We want to win the section title and WPIAL title.”
This will be another deep and talented team. Jimmy Baxter and Ken Hayman add punch down low, Tanner Rohaley anchors the middleweights and Gerrit Nijenhuis, Evan Miller and Giomar Ramos provide a punch up top.
“They all have potential,” Havelka said. “And they will all progress throughout the season.”
The Big Macs lost state champion Logan Macri to graduation. He originally committed to Tennessee-Chattanooga, but when the head coach there left for another position, Macri decided to attend West Virginia University.
The wrestler most capable of mirroring the success Macri had last year is Nijenhuis. The junior will start the season at 182 but might drop to 170 for the tournaments. Nijenhuis finished third in the state tournament, losing only to eventual champion Carter Starocci of Erie Cathedral Prep, 3-1 in overtime, in the semifinals at 160 pounds.
Nijenhuis was the runner up at 182 pounds in last month’s Super 32, one of the top preseason events in the country.
“His goal is to win a state title,” said Havelka. “He came up just short last year, so he’s working hard to do that. He’s always trying to get better. He’s always tweaking his wrestling, adding some new things. He’s a great wrestler. (Other wrestlers) see that and feed off that.”
Baxter and Hayman are coming off seasons of 30-plus wins. The two came up short of qualifying for the state tournament and want to correct that this season.
“Ken is a hard worker,” said Havelka. “He earned the respect of the other wrestlers. He was a captain last year.”
The Big Macs will depend on some new names, such as Conlan O’Donoghue and Costa Moore in the lightweights, Remington Ross in the middleweights and Tyler Rohaley up above.
C-M also will have new opponents because of the WPIAL realignment that separated the Big Macs from Waynesburg and Trinity in the subdivision of Section 4. Their section this year consists of Ambridge, New Castle, South Fayette and West Allegheny.
“It is what it is,” Havelka said. “It’s out of our control. There isn’t anything we can do about it.”
Canon-McMillan will compete in the Cumberland Valley Tournament starting Dec. 71 to open the season. Other tournaments include North Canton, Tri-CADA, Escape The Rock and, of course, Powerade.
Maybe the most interesting day in the regular season will be Friday, Dec. 21, when Kiski, Hempfield and Seneca Valley – all top-five teams – come to Canon-McMillan for a double dual meet.