Waynesburg hangs on, edges Canon-McMillan
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan’s Brandon Dami works to turn Waynesburg’s Luke Rush on the way to a 15-2 major decision in the 121-pound bout Wednesday.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Nate Jones overpowers Canon McMillan’s Josiah Gardner as he works to a 12-7 decision in the 152-pound bout, turning the momentum of the dual meet.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Roan Tustin looks for a landing as he is pulled over by Canon-Mac’s Blake Ward in the 172-pound bout.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Jake Stephenson lunges at Canonsburg’s Racer Lister in the opening of the 160-pound bout of the dual meet at Canonsburg.
CANONSBURG – Prior to the start of the season, Waynesburg head wrestling coach Kyle Szewczyk felt his team’s dual meets were going to be won or lost from the 145-pound weight class and up.
Szewczyk didn’t know what a Nostradamas he was.
In the opening dual meet of the season, Waynesburg won seven of the first nine bouts from the 133-pound start and hung on for a 30-27 victory over Canon-McMillan in a non-section bout.
“Depending on the coin toss, and everything else, that’s where our depth is,” said Szewczyk. “That’s the way things went. We got the ball rolling there and got a lot of momentum right away and kept it going.”
Canon-McMillan had momentum before the dual meet, watching a tribute to Manuel “Buns” Pihakis on the indooor screen on the wall before the match began. Pihakis, known fondly in the wrestling world as Mr. Canon-Mac, died last month.
“It was fantastic,” said Canon-McMilllan head coach Brian Krenzelak. “That’s what Buns used to say. This night was all about him. He would have loved a match like that.
“We picked this match on purpose. We knew they were picked No.1. Our guys pushed the pace. We gave them all they could handle tonight. Our guys were in good shape.”
After splitting the first two bouts, Waynesburg went on a winning streak. Two-time state champion Mac Church received a forfeit at 145.
And in the best bout of the run, Nate Jones turned Josiah Gardner in the final seconds for a 12-7 decision at 152 pounds. The match was tied 7-7.
“I got a little nervous, but I know I can outhip a lot of other guys,” said Jones. “I’m comfortable with that. I wrestled a couple guyg in the room just so I can get a feel for the position like that. That makes me feel more comfortable on the match.”
Jones said he felt the momentum swing after his victory.
“When I got put on my back, I felt the momentum change,” said Jones. “I knew he would come at me hard and I used it to my advantage. As soon as my crowd got into it, it just felt great.”
“We had to have his match,” Szewczyk said. “It went back and forth. The last scramble with about 10 seconds left won the match. It was pretty entertaining.”
Jake Stephenson pinned Rob Litster in 2:47 at 160 pounds and Roan Tustin shutout Blake Ward 10-0 at 172 pounds to make it 23-6.
Rocco Welsh, coming off his first state title, won a 17-7 major decision at 189 to give Waynesburg a 27-6 lead.
Matthew Furman finally stopped the Raiders run with a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Brodie Evans at the 215 weight class.
Canon-McMillan began its comeback after the turn. Collier Hartman pinned the Raiders’ Floyd Huff at 107 pounds.
Tanner Mizenko kept things alive for Canon-McMillan with 6-4 overtime win against Ky Szewczyk and Brandon Dami followed with a 15-2 major decision over Luke Rush to cut the Raiders’ lead to 30-22.
Andrew Binni finished the meet with a 22-7 technical fall over Albert Medlen at 127 pounds.
Waynesburg won seven bouts and C-M six.
“It’s a big rivalry, so beating (the Big Macs) is always fun,” Jones said. “I know we’ll see them again in the postseason.”