Waynesburg repeats as team champions against depleted SV
Joe Tuscano/observer-reporter
Zander Phaturos of Waynesburg works for backpoints against Jacob Eubanks at 126 pounds Saturday.
By Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Colten Stoneking (front) has Evan Vetter of Seneca Valley in a bad spot during their 132-pound match Saturday.
Joe Simon of Waynesburg (front) is in a predicament with Tyler Chappell of Seneca Valley during the 113-pound match Saturday.
Cole Homet of Waynesburg tries to turn Wayne Pirt of Seneca Valley during the 138-pound bout Saturday.
CANONSBURG – If only all team title victories were this easy.
Waynesburg High School defeated Seneca Valley again in the WPIAL Class AAA Team Tournament only under much different circumstances than last season.
Seneca Valley, holding most of its top wrestlers out of the lineup, got destroyed by top-ranked Waynesburg, 67-3, Saturday afternoon at Canon-McMillan High School.
It was the largest defeat in the history of this event.
Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, who won two state titles, Antonio Amelio, Chanz Shearer and a handful of other starters did not compete for the Raiders, who were ranked second in most wrestling polls.
A message must have got out before the match because only four people were sitting in the Seneca Valley cheering sections.
“I looked up and saw how many fans were there, and thought it was weird,” said Rocco Welsh, the 152-pounder from Waynesburg who was hoping for a rematch with Herrera-Rondon.
The two met in the Powerade finals and Welsh was hoping to meet him again.
“We put the best guys we could put out there,” said Seneca Valley head coach Kevin Wildrick. “I can’t speak on any one individual. I don’t know how many starters were not out there.”
Frank Vulcano, athletic director at Canon-McMillan and head of the WPIAL wrestling steering committee, said he was unaware who Seneca Valley was sending out to wrestle.
His only complaint was that the tickets allotted Seneca Valley fans in this coronavirus situation could have been used for other fans.
Meanwhile, Waynesburg prepares for the PIAA Team Tournament, which was pushed back in the schedule because of the pandemic. More information is expected this week.
Waynesburg head coach Joe Throckmorton, who led the Raiders to their third Class AAA title and seventh overall, said he was unaware of who was in Seneca Valley’s lineup.
“I did not know that,” said Throckmorton. “We anticipate for the best of the best. If it changes, we adjust on the fly.”
No need to adjust much here.
Returning state champion Wyatt Henson started it off well for Waynesburg with a pin of Teagan Leighty in 51 seconds at 145 pounds.
Welsh found Andrew Maser on the other side of the mat, not Herrera-Rondon, and the Raiders sophomore pinned him in :56.
“I was looking for a rematch,” said Welsh. “I was kind of disappointed that I didn’t get to wrestle him. We were looking forward to a hard match. But it was fun because we pinned all our kids. We were having fun out there.”
Nate Stephenson won by 16-0 technical fall over Marshall Adamson at 160 pounds and Darnell Johnson (172) and Eli Makel (189) both registered pins to give the Raiders a 29-0 lead.
Noah Tustin (215) won by default over Liam Volk-Klos in the first period and Ryan Howard got his fifth straight pin, this time over Sennaca Harney, who was giving up 60 pounds at heavyweight.
Ky Szewczyk (106) and Mac Church (120) both received forfeits and Zander Phaturos pinned Jacob Eubanks in :46 to stretch the Waynesburg lead to 59-3.
Colton Stoneking (132) got a decision and Cole Homet (138) a technical fall to wrap things up for Waynesburg.
“We had a good dual meet with them last month and we were four points away from winning every bout,” said Throckmorton. “If we wrestled the way we can wrestle, we knew we’d be successful. We were surprised at some of the matchups but I think they were just protecting their seeds for WPIAL.
“I’m not angry at them. This is a season of surprises and we’re just happy to repeat as champions.”