Rough-and-tumble Bednar fits 145-pound class
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Tyler Debnar, right, of Beth-Center is tangled with Gabe Kubasky of Southmoreland during their 145-pound match at the WPIAL Class 2A Championships at Chartiers Valley Friday. Debnar won by decision.
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Darius Simmons, front, of Burgettstown tries to break the hold of Bill Selembo of Greensburg Salem during their 107-pound match at the WPIAL Class 2A Championships at Chartiers Valley Friday. Simmons won by fall.
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Alex Medlen, top, of Beth-Center tries to pin Logan Shriver of Ellwood City during their 107-pound match at the WPIAL Class 2A Championships at Chartiers Valley Friday. Medlen won by decision.
HEIDELBERG – Arguably, the 145-pound weight class at this year’s WPIAL Class 2A Championships is the toughest of the tournament.
Wrestlers don’t need a helmet and shoulder pads but it might not hurt to have them on hand.
Not only did the top seed in the weight class, Logan Richey of Quaker Valley, get beat in the tournament’s quarterfinals, he got pinned by Kole Doppelheuer of Belle Vernon.
And that wasn’t ketchup from a hot dog dripping from the lip of Tyler Debnar of Beth-Center, the third seed in the weight class. It was blood, remnants from a 10-5 decision over Gabe Kubasky of Southmoreland in the quarterfinals.
“This feels great. I’d rather go out there and work for the win than just go out and beat somebody,” said Debnar, a senior.
Semifinals are at 11:30 this morning with the finals set for 3:30 p.m.
The top eight wrestlers in each weight class advance to the PIAA Class 2A Southwest Regional tournament next weekend in Altoona.
Debnar will be in Altoona to wrestle and, depending on how he does today, could be in one of the seeded positions.
It didn’t always look so rosy for Debnar. He lost in the 145-pound finals of the Southern Sectional to Jonah Erdley, a freshman from Frazier, 1-0. He came into this tournament winning five of his last eight bouts.
But he opened this tournament with a pin of Kaiden Gondor, a senior from Greensburg Salem.
Against Kubasky, another freshman, Debnar lost a 5-0 lead when Kubasky put him on his back for a five-point move to tie the match in the second period
“I was very worried, especially when he put me on my back,” said Debnar. “I just kept fighting through.”
Because that’s the type of wrestler Debnar is, a fighter.
“That’s a tough wrestler out there,” said Beth-Center head coach Gary Welsh of Kubasky. “The 145-pound weight class is very, very deep. You just saw the No. 1 seed get beat. The weight class is open and I like Tyler when he’s wrestling like that.”
Welsh said Debnar isn’t much of a technician but make a mistake and Debnar will make you pay.
“He lives in weight room,” Welsh said. “When he’s not wrestling his best, it’s usually not something the other guy does. It’s usually what Tyler does. Sometimes, he wants too much too fast.”
Chris Vargo of Bentworth, the top seed at 127, had little trouble making it to the semifinals. Vargo, looking for his third WPIAL championship, took a 15-4 major decision from Matt Denninger of North Catholic in the first round and won by 18-3 technical fall over Joseph Longhi of Mount Pleasant.
Vargo gets Tyler Clark of Frazier in the semifinals.
Tyler Berish of Beth-Center collided with Jack Diemert of Quaker Valley and bruised his knee. But even on one leg, Berish, the top seed at 152 pounds, still managed to pin Diemert in 1:20.
After getting his hand raised, Berish limped off the mat.
“We’ll ice it and put heat on it,” Welsh said. “We’ll have him get up in the middle of the night so he can move it around. We don’t want it to get stiff.”
Jorden Williams (114) and Jessie Orbin (172) each punched their tickets to Altoona with a pair of wins. Orbin won a thrilling 10-8 decision in the quarterfinals over Landon Conroy of Albert Gallatin and Williams pinned Dylan Kim of Derry in 54 seconds in the quarterfinals.
Two pins put Vitali Daniels of Bentworth, the top seed at 215, in the semifinals. Braedon Welsh of Fort Cherry, the top seed at 172, took the same path.
Burgettstown and Burrell each had 11 wrestlers still alive to qualify and each had five in the semifinals.