Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Gerrit Nijenhuis
School: Canon-McMillan
Class: Junior
Sport: Wrestling
Nijenhuis’ week: The third attempt was a charm for Nijenhuis. After back-to-back runner-up finishes, Nijenhuis won the 170-pound title in the WPIAL Class AAA Championships Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School.
Nijenhuis was a top seed and pinned his way through the tournament. The first one came against Cole McCorkandel of West Mifflin in 1:11 and he followed that by sticking Cooper Baxter of Butler in 3:15. A pin in 2:44 of Peters Township’s Jeff Markert put him in the finals, where he took care of Jon Hoover of North Allegheny in 3:23.
The wins raised Nijenhuis’ season record to 40-3.
“I’ve been staring at the WPIAL champions board in the wrestling room since my freshman year,” he said. “I’m glad I’ll finally see my name go up on that.”
Just as important as his victory was the return to health of his left knee. Nijenhuis showed none of the effects and also wrestled the past two weeks without a brace.
He admitted the week-plus break between the team and individual postseason helped.
“It was nice. We needed a break from the grind of the season,” he said. “You get a mental break. Now it’s time to go.”
Nijenhuis has wrestled mostly at 182 pounds and even went up to 195 to wrestle Max Shaw of Thomas Jefferson, despite giving up 20 pounds.
“Team-wise, it was best for me to go 82,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a hard weight cut so I just waited till the end of the year.”
On a collision course: Nijenhuis enters the PIAA Championships on the opposite side of Edmund Ruth, a two-time state champion from Susquenita Township.
Ruth tore through the Southcentral Region and enters the Giant Center in Hershey with a 30-0 record. The first round in Class AAA begins 4 p.m. Thursday. The two can’t meet until Saturday night’s final if each win their first three bouts.
“I’m confident,” Nijenhuis said. “There are some tough kids. But I feel if I go out and wrestle the way I need to wrestle, I’ll come out on top.”
Nijenhuis has finished in third place in the past two state tournaments. He was involved in a controversial 160-pound semifinal match last year against Carter Starocci of Erie Cathedral Prep.
Starocci was awarded a takedown in the final seconds that most did not believe he had to defeat Nijenhuis, 3-1. Starocci locked a cradle but Nijenhuis rolled through, breaking the hold and actually emerging in a takedown position as the buzzer sounded. But the referee awarded Starocci the takedown and the win. Starocci is at 182 for this postseason.
Nijenhuis will have the company of three teammates in Hershey: Costa Moore at 106, Ken Hayman at 126 and Tanner Rohaley at 145 pounds. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class receive medals.
Compiled by Joe Tuscano