Medals not right tint for local Double-A wrestlers
Joe Tuscano/Staff writer
Gaven Suica of Burgettstown, right, tries to slide out of the hold of Eli Bounds of Boiling Springs at 126 pounds during the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey Saturday.
By Joe Tuscano/Staff writer/jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
Chris Vargo of Bentworth has Hunter Gold of Conneaut Area in trouble at 120 pounds during the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey Saturday.
By Joe Tuscano/Staff writer/jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
Parker Sentipal tries to get control of Carter Beck of Saegertown at 106 pounds during the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey Saturday.
HERSHEY – It wasn’t that there weren’t a plethora of medals spread out among the local wrestlers in the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships Saturday.
It was just that they were not the ones they had in mind.
Burgettstown’s Parker Sentipal took fifth at 106 pounds and Bentworth’s Chris Vargo was fifth at 120.
And those were the top two finishes among the area’s Class 2A placewinners.
“I hope the kids learned to stay in the fight,” said Beth-Center head coach Gary Welsh, who had two eighth-place finishers in 132-pounder Kyle McCollum and 152-pounder Tyler Berish. “I think Kyle, he lost in the opening round and won three straight to medal.”
Local wrestlers took home five medals and some, such as Gaven Suica of Burgettstown, overcame an injury. For Suica, he wrestled with a broken foot. He lost a 6-4 decision to Eli Bounds of Boiling Springs for seventh place at 126 pounds.
Sentipal of Burgettstown made it to the semifinals but lost twice and finished fifth after defeating Carter Beck of Saegertown, 3-1, at 106 pounds.
“I went out there to wrestle my match, and win, and that’s what I did,” said Sentipal of how he prepared after losing in the semifinals. “I never wrestled him before, or saw him wrestle before. So I had to go out and wrestle my own match.”
Vargo of Bentworth followed Senitpal’s path, losing in the semifinals, then losing again before shutting out Hunter Gold of Conneaut Area, 12-0, at 120 pounds.
“This doesn’t take the sting away from losing,” said Vargo.
Vargo believes his 2-1 loss to Cooper Hornack of Burrell in his first consolation match was tied to his 7-5 semifinal loss to Brad Weiss of Jersey Shore. The two happened an hour apart.
“He pushed me and I haven’t been pushed a lot this season,” said Vargo. “He took advantage of it. It’s a heartbreaker but it is what it is.”
Tyler Berish of Beth-Center matched his teammate’s finish of eighth after a 1-0 loss to Hunter Hohman of Grove City.
“I don’t think anything can match the atmosphere, the intensity, the whole surroundings of the Giant Center,” said Welsh.
“These kids have been coming up here since they were 5 or 6 and they dream of being on that floor.”