Double trouble: Sentipal, Vargo lose in semis
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Chris Vargo of Bentworth is on top of Brock Weiss of Jersey Shore during the 120-pound semifinal Friday in the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships.
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Chris Vargo, left, of Bentworth is put in an odd position by Brock Weiss of Jersey Shore during the 120-pound semifinals in the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships.
By Joe Tuscano/Staff writer/jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Parker Sentipal, right, of Burgettstown tries to escape the hold of Aaron Seidel of Northern Lebanon during the 106-pound semifinals of the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships Friday.
HERSHEY – Wrestling can be a cruel sport at times.
And Friday night was one of those times.
Parker Sentipal of Burgettstown then Chris Vargo of Bentworth were handed stinging losses in the semifinals of the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center.
And to make matters worse, the bouts really weren’t close.
Sentipal, only a sophomore and the Southwest Region champion with a 41-1 record, took an 11-0 drubbing from another freshman, Aaron Seidel, of Northern Lebanon.
Vargo, a third-place finisher at last year’s state tournament, gave up the last five points after taking a 5-2 lead to eventually give up a 7-5 decision to Brock Weiss of Jersey Shore.
“I think nerves played a part. He’s been on the big stage before but you can’t win if you don’t take any shots,” said Burgettstown head coach Joey Vigliotti. “When you get to the semifinals, you can plan all you want but anything can happen.”
Vigliotti said Sentipal “will be OK. He’s just a sophomore and has two more years.”
Bentworth head coach Mike Shrader said he expects Vargo, also a sophomore, to wrestle back and take third.
“We teach kids to prepare for a loss,” he said. “You’re not going to win every match.”
Vargo gave up an early takedown but rallied for the next five points to go up by three, 5-2. But Vargo would go cold on offense against the taller Weiss.
“We went out and did what we wanted to do,” Shrader said. “He didn’t push the action. Near the end, he was up a bit and it was up to his coaches to continue to reinforce that.”
Sentipal trailed 2-0 after one period, then gave up five straight points to make it 7-0 after two periods.
“You have to have short memories about bouts like that,” Vigliotti said. “You can pout for a little while, sit in the back, clear your head and wash your hands.”
The final round of consolations for the day began at 9:30 p.m. and did not end in time to make this edition.
Vitali Daniels, a 215-pound sophomore at Bentworth got knocked into the consolation round with a 9-0 shutout by No. 3-seeded Brad Morrison of West Parry, a Southeast Region champion.
He was knocked out of the tournament by Abe Keep of Girard, 8-6, in the consolations.
Tyler Berish’s run for the gold ended in the 152-pound quarterfinals with a 3-1 loss to the No. 2-seed Devon Deem of Montgomery, a Northeast Region champion.
Berish decisioned Kane Kettering of Reynolds, 1-0, and then fell to Cooper Price of Wyoming Area, 4-0. Berish will battle for seventh place.
Kyle McCollum of Beth-Center stayed alive in the consolation round with a 3-1 decision over Ashton Sipes of Tyrone at 138 pounds. He will battle for seventh place.
Washington heavyweight Cameron Carter-Green won his second bout in consolations, a 5-3 decision over Cooper Lingenfelter of Bedford.
After a win in the consolation round, Carter-Green was eliminated at heavyweight, 4-2, by Leo Muzika of Faith Christian Academy.
After being sent to the consolation round at 126 pounds, Burgettstown’s Gaven Suica won three straight bouts, the latest a 6-2 decision over Trevor Husick of Tussey Mountain. He will wrestle for seventh place.