McGuffey qualifies for state team wrestling tournament
By Joe Tuscano
Contributing writer
McMURRAY – While he might not like the mantle of Nostradamus, McGuffey wrestling coach Jared Roberts knows a good wrestling team when he sees it. And Derry lived up to his billing.
Following the first two rounds of the WPIAL Class 2A Team Tournament Wednesday, which McGuffey swept, Roberts was talking up his next opponent, Derry, and he was right.
In the semifinals Saturday at Peters Township High School, the Trojans had their way with McGuffey, taking a 48-16 victory in the semifinals.
But McGuffey rallied in the consolation round of this tournament with a 36-31 victory over Laurel. Derry, meanwhile, went on to win the team title with a 37-13 spanking of perennial champion Burrell.
McGuffey, which moved its record to 17-2, will travel to Bishop McCort in Johnstown to wrestle District 10 runner-up General McLane (12-3) on Tuesday (4:30 p.m.) in the opening round of the state tournament. The winner will wrestle District 6 champion Bishop McCort (13-0) at 6:30 p.m. Derry (13-0) will host District 6 runner-up Penns Valley and Burrell (16-3) travels to take on District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge.
“Every bout mattered,” said Roberts. “Derry is a really good team, top to bottom. They are the No. 1 public school in the state and No. 5 overall. I know they were seeded second but those were more of a reflection on what happened last year.”
McGuffey defeated Laurel, 36-31, to secure third place. None of the 2A teams were eliminated from the tournament. The consolation match was held for seeding purposes.
“We were in both matches,” Laurel head coach Kevin Carmichael said. “I don’t think anyone anticipated that out of us. It is hard to explain, but when you are with these kids in the practice room every day, and you see our schedule and the teams that we have wrestled, it’s nice for me to walk in a gym and know we are never out of it.”
“We were in the exact same situation last year and got beat pretty good by Derry,” said Roberts. “Wrestling is like that. When you lose, you battle back and focus on the next match.”