Feb 23, 2025 3 min read

By Joe Tuscano

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

HEIDELBERG – There are matches in your wrestling career that are better than most.

Take Owen Ivcic for example. The 160-pounder from Bentworth trailed 12-6 against Chaney Lewis of the Neighborhood Academy in his semifinal bout.

All Ivcic did was score nine points in the final 90 seconds of the match for a wild 15-14 victory. That win gave Ivcic the momentum he needed in the 160 finals, where he took a 10-2 major decision from Ryan Celaschi of Frazier in the WPIAL Class 2A Championships at Chartiers Valley High School Saturday.

The top eight wrestlers in each weight class advance to the regional tournament this week in Altoona.

“It was a real barn-burner in the semifinals,” said Ivcic. “I had to come back down eight and that took some guts. I knew I could do it. I never had a match like that before. I knew I had to pick up the pace for the finals. Now I hope this catapults me (this) week.”

Fort Cherry’s Braedon Welsh had a rough-and-tumble victory over Braiden Sudor of Carlynton. The two got into it a few times, with Celaschi pulling the black athletic tape away from Welsh’s arm and chest. That’s OK. It just motivated the Fort Cherry 215-pounder on the way to a 10-2 victory.

“My sternum and shoulder popped out and I wear it to hold everything in place,” said Welsh, who now has two gold medals from this event. “The whole match he was just grabbing the whole thing. Kids like that try to mess with you.”

Colin Whyte of West Greene made a few mental errors but still had enough in him to take a 10-4 over Henry Barbish of Carlynton at heavyweight. Barbish threw an elbow into Whyte’s back, nearly sending him to the floor.

“I think I wrestled good but I shouldn’t have given up that takedown. Definitely he caught me on one of those moves.”

McGuffey’s Lucas Barr won the first local gold medal, stopping Julian Bertucci of Burrell, 10-4.

“I thought I wrestled very well, was aggressive and got my shots down,” said Barr after his 139-pound win. “It’s a very big milestone to win here but I have my eyes set on next week.”

In other matches, Javeon Chambers of Highlands had a takedown and reversal to stop Darius Simmons of Burgettstown in the 107 finals, 10-0.

Danny Smith of Burgettstown had a thrilling pin to win his semifinals bout but his fortune ran out in the finals against Antonio Boni of Central Valley. Boni won by fall in 2:27 in the 127-pound final. It was

Boni’s third straight title.

Drake McClure of Bentworth came up one point short in his 133-pound final against Anthony Mucci of Derry, 3-2.

Thirty-two wrestlers from the O-R’s coverage area qualified for the Southwest Regional.