O-R Athlete of the Week: Will Wagner, Charleroi
Name: Will Wagner
School: Charleroi
Sport: Basketball
Class: Senior
Wagner’s week: The 6-1 swingman scored 38 points and passed the 1,000-point plateau in a 66-62 loss Friday to Brownsville in overtime in a Class 3A Section 4 game.
He hit the mark with a layup in the third quarter.
Wagner went into the game needing 27 points to match the milestone his father, Bill, did in 1997.
“It was a big thing and we talked about it a lot.” said Wagner, who is averaging 30.5 points per game.
Wagner is the eighth player in Charleroi history to reach the 1,000-point mark in their careers and third under head coach Bill Wiltz.
Earlier this season, Wagner scored a career-high 41 points in a 73-66 victory over Monessen. That was three points away from breaking the gym scoring record of 43. Sam Micelli holds that record.
Six games later, Wagner would tie the mark by scoring 43 points in an 81-70 win over Waynesburg. He scored 30 points in a 52-41 win over McGuffey Jan. 4.
So what happened to turn Wagner from a good scorer to a great scorer?
“His confidence has been the reason why,” Wiltz said. “Being a senior and being a leader. He stepped into a leadership role this year and put the team on his back.”
Now the number to watch is 1,456, the school record for points in a career. The record is held by Wagner’s father.
“We have a bet on whether I’ll break it or not,” was all Will Wagner would say.
An outdoorsman: Not only is Wagner terrific inside a gymnasium, he’s pretty good outdoors, too.
Wagner is a member of the Charleroi golf team and regularly shoots in the 40s.
“My golf game is getting pretty good,” he said. “My dad stopped playing me once I started beating him.”
Add hunting, fishing and biking to his list of outdoor activities.
He didn’t get a deer this season but loves to go to the family’s cabin in Franklin.
The biggest fish he ever caught was a rainbow trout when he was younger. He doesn’t remember the weight.
He often bikes at Mingo Creek Park in Finleyville and Cedar Creek Park in Belle Vernon.
Compiled by Joe Tuscano