Feb 5, 2020 4 min read

Eli Makel is one popular guy these days at Waynesburg High School.

He’s not walking around the halls, he’s floating around them.

“I’m on cloud 9 right now,” Makel said, referring to the aftermath of his WPIAL Class AAA team championship-clinching pin at 170 pounds this past Saturday against Marshall Adamson of Seneca Valley.

The pin in the final bout of the night lifted Waynesburg over Seneca Valley, 33-30.

The Raiders open their quest for a state championship against Central Dauphin, the third seed out of District 3, in the state team tournament tonight at the Giant Center in Hershey. Canon-McMillan, which finished third in the WPIAL team tournament, defeated Carrick Monday night to advance to Hershey. The Big Macs will wrestle District 3 champion Gettysburg.

Both matches are scheduled for 8 p.m. The tournament will continue through Saturday afternoon’s finals.

The new-found fame gives Makel a chance to breathe a bit from the pressures of representing one of Greene County’s wrestling family dynasties.

In delivering Waynesburg’s 18th team wrestling championship, first in 31 years, Makel completed a three-generation hat trick for his family.

His grandfather, Duane “Sonny” Makel, who passed away Jan. 18, was part of two Raiders’ WPIAL championship teams (1957 and 1959). His father, Travis, was an integral part of three WPIAL Team Tournament championships at Jefferson-Morgan (1992, 1993 and 1995). His uncle, Jason, was a member of two Jefferson-Morgan WPIAL championship teams (1992-93).

In addition to the WPIAL team championships won, the Makels also found individual success. They all were WPIAL individual champions as well.

Duane Makel won a WPIAL title in 1958. Travis Makel is a two-time PIAA champion (1994-95) and three-time WPIAL champion (1993-95). Jason Makel won a WPIAL crown in 1994.

All eyes are now focused on Eli.

“I feel like there is pressure,” the youngest Makel said. “Now with that one down, it helps a little bit. You can’t be a Makel wrestler without being part of a WPIAL wrestling championship team. While I feel the pressure, knowing they all were so successful and good helps me to go out and do well.”

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for Eli in the last few weeks. In addition to his grandfather’s passing, his great-grandmother on his mother’s side died and one of his father’s best friends died last week.

“I feel like my grandpap helped me a lot in that match,” Eli said. “I know I had a lot of help from him.”

Travis Makel said he was hopeful his son might have the opportunity to clinch the championship for the Raiders.

“I never had that opportunity,” Travis Makel said. “When I wrestled, (dual meets) started with the lowest weight and would wrestle to the heaviest weight. Now, it’s random and a meet can start anywhere.

“I was excited for him. I told him I never had a moment like that. I never told him anything about my (state championships). I didn’t want him to know but people tell him and they talk. I’m from a long time ago. I tell him it doesn’t matter. I tell him, ‘You are who you are and what you are.'”

Right now, that’s pretty good.

Eli is focused on the PIAA team championship and then will focus on the individual part of the season. He has four seasons to win his own WPIAL championship.

“Eli’s improving like crazy,” Waynesburg coach Joe Throckmorton said. “He’s been around the sport and has a lot of mat experience. I’m sure that’s his goal. Whether his family (members) won those titles, when you work as hard as we do we expect success.”

Eli also has expectations.

“There was a point, about halfway through (Saturday’s) match, I thought the championship could come down to the 170-pound bout and that it was going to be the last bout and I might be in it,” he said.

“I got really nervous, but I went out and wrestled my match. Having wrestled him in the Powerade (junior varsity) finals and having beat him 9-2 was a big help. I knew I could do what was needed. My teammates did their jobs. I just happened to be in the last match to have a chance to help us win a championship.”

That’s what Makels do best.