Dec 10, 2019 3 min read

The first whistle of the season had not sounded and Washington High School’s wrestling team had already been handed its first loss of the season.

Gerald Comedy, the talented heavyweight who had a breakthrough season for the Prexies last year, was lost for this season with a shoulder injury suffered while playing football.

Comedy, a senior, finished last season with a 28-8 record, was second in the Class AA section tournament and fourth in the WPIAL and Southwest Region tournaments. He went on to the state tournament in Hershey, where he finished with a 1-2 record.

“We knew after the McGuffey game,” said Washington head coach Adrian Turner. “We told him good luck with everything. He still comes around. He’s our leader. He’s mentoring these young men and showing them what it’s all about.”

Comedy, whose college future is with football, injured his shoulder late in the season. He continued to play but his duties were lessened as the Prexies made a run to the WPIAL Class AA finals against Avonworth.

The loss of Comedy stings even more, considering how important he is to the growth of the Washington wrestling program. The 6-3, 275-pounder was named the Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week in January after winning the Tri-CADA wrestling tournament.

Comedy became the first Washington wrestler to win his weight class in the Tri-CADA since the tournament begin in 2006. With the help of Comedy, Washington earned a berth in the WPIAL Team Tournament in Class AA for the first time since 2006.

The good news for Washington is that Comedy’s replacement, Cameron Carter-Greene, had a strong showing at the Chartiers-Houston Wrestling Tournament over the weekend. Carter-Greene finished as a runner-up in the heavyweight division, losing to Burgettstown Riley Kemper in the finals.

“He’s been wrestling and getting better and better,” said Turner. “He had an opportunity to come in to this tournament and wrestle and he did a good job. He keeps plugging away. He’s only a sophomore and he has some work to do.”

Teasdale update

Gavin Teasdale, a four-time PIAA champion from Jefferson-Morgan High School, has wrestled twice for Iowa since the start of the season.

He finished third in the 133-pound weight class in the Luther Open and in second place in the Jim Koch Open. Overall, he won six of eight bouts, falling in the finals to Airk Ferseth of Wisconsin-Parkside, 7-5, in the finals of the Jim Koch Open and winning by default over Kolbe O’Brien of Minnesota State-Mankato in the third-place bout in the Luther Open.

Correction

Canon-McMillan will participate in a powerhouse quad meet with Hempfield, Kiski, and Seneca Valley on Dec. 20. The event will be held at Kiski. In a previous story, the wrong site was listed.