Revenge tour: Burgettstown dominates, advances to semis for 1st time since 2014
Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Tyler Cody pulls his opponent, Freedom’s Jalen Foster, before pinning him in the first period Wednesday night.
Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Shane Ilgenfritz reacts after an 11-1 major decision victory in the WPIAL Class AA team wrestling quarterfinals Wednesday night. The Blue Devils defeated Freedom, 58-17.
Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Hunter Guiddy picks up Matt Schultheis during a WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal match Wednesday night.
Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Hunter Guiddy, bottom, tries to lift Mt. Pleasant’s Lucas Shaulis in first round of Wednesday’s WPIAL Class AA team wrestling tournament.
Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Anthony Lancos takes a ride over Mt. Pleasant’s Noah Gnibus in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA team wrestling tournament.
BURGETTSTOWN – The optimism in Joey Vigliotti’s voice was matched with skepticism.
Falling short of the WPIAL Class AA team wrestling tournament semifinals one season ago after a heartbreaking 42-36 upset loss to Freedom, the exasperated Burgettstown wrestling coach didn’t have many words.
“It’s coming, I think,” Vigliotti said in disappointment of missing out on the semifinals.
It came Wednesday night.
Living up to its second seed, something it failed to do last season, Burgettstown convincingly thumped both first-round opponent No. 15 Mt. Pleasant, 54-18, and seventh-seeded Freedom in the quarterfinals, 58-17, to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2014 in the WPIAL Class AA team wrestling tournament Wednesday night.
“It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been there,” Vigliotti said. “It’s about staying calm and collected. We tell our kids it’s just one at a time. If you get ahead of yourself, or when you say ‘If’ we get there or whatever, well, that’s a big if.”
The win assures one local team in the Class AA final. Third-seeded McGuffey also advanced and will wrestle Burgettstown in Saturday’s noon semifinal at Chartiers-Houston. A stalling call against the Highlanders with 17 seconds in the final bout gave Burgettstown a Section 1 title over McGuffey one week ago.
The other semifinal is top-seeded and 13-time defending champion Burrell against fourth-seeded Quaker Valley. The championship match will follow at 2 p.m.
The domination for the Blue Devils in the quarterfinal match against Freedom started with Turner Lehman. While riding, Lehman, who was wrestling up at 195 pounds, took a pair of headbutts to the face. Infused with anger, he pinned his opponent less than 30 seconds later as quick shoving ensued postmatch.
“It’s part of it, but why did he have to headbutt me?” Lehman asked. “When I had him on his back he started throwing punches at me. There’s not a place in the sport for that.”
After Lehman’s opponent, Jimmy Happ, had one team point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Blue Devils never trailed again. Rolling to eight straight bout victories, including pins from Tyler Cody (220) and Jacob Noyes (138), Burgettstown quickly turned its 6-5 lead into 40-5.
Shane Ilgenfritz, who bumped up to 113, earned an 11-1 major decision over Tanner Millward. Hunter Guiddy (126) and Anthony Lancos (132) won back-to-back decisions in the Blue Devils’ run.
“Our kids pulled together,” Vigliotti said. “Everybody from top to bottom helped. They have gone through and overcome a lot of adversity. They want it. They got a little taste of success last year. They are still hungry.”
It wasn’t the first revenge Burgettstown had on the night. Mt. Pleasant knocked the Blue Devils out of the team tournament in the first round two seasons ago.
The shorthanded Vikings, who only weighed in with 12 wrestlers, fell behind 36-0 after the opening six bouts of the night. D.J. Slovick, Lehman and Ilgenfritz all had pins in under one minute and Burgettstown extended its lead with three forfeits.
“Something you can’t control is injuries,” Vigliotti said. “Mt. Pleasant is a really tough team. If they are healthy, they are a title contender. That could have been a two- or three-point match. We didn’t match up well with them, and I don’t know how they got the No. 15 seed.”
Shane Kemper finished the first-round victory with a 2-0 decision in the final bout, his first of two victories on the night. Kemper also won by fall in 27 seconds in the quarterfinals.
“Revenge is always the best,” Kemper said. “We are past this day and looking forward to the semis.”
The gauntlet of middle and upper weights started by Kemper at 160 was again the strength of Burgettstown. In bouts wrestled at 160 and heavier, the Blue Devils were 10-2 on the night.
“It feels great,” Lehman said. “Our goal from the beginning of the season was to put a new year up on that (WPIAL championship) banner. We feel like we can really do that. To get a little revenge on the way is an extra bonus.”It’s no accident that the league’s two fastest offenses are playing for the Super Bowl title as offenses seek more and more to get playmakers the ball in space rather than just up the middle with brute force