Big step: McGuffey stomps way into semifinals

1 / 6

McGuffey's Emmett Wolfe sinks a cradle on Avonworth's Andy Le on the way to a pin and his 100th career win in the 133 pound bout of the first round of the WPIAL 2A team championship at McGuffey on January 29.

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

2 / 6

McGuffey's Gage Clayton dominates Avonworth's Dimitri Velisaris on the way to a win by fall at 160 pounds in the first round of WPIAL 2A team action at McGuffeyon January 29.

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

3 / 6

Highlander Lucas Barr works against Avonworth's Michael Tabano on the way to a pin in the 139 pound bout of the January 29 WPIAL 2A team quarter final round at McGuffey.

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

4 / 6

McGuffey's Emmett Wolfe topples Laurel's Taelo Simoni on the way to his second pin of the night as the Highlanders earned victory in the WPIAL 2A quarter final team championship at McGuffey on January 29.

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

5 / 6

Beth Center's Malachi Peak leans into Laurel's Domenic Willis in the 189 pound bout of the first round of the WPIAL 2A ream championship at McGuffey on January 29. Peak won by technical fall in the team's unsuccessful bid to advance.

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

6 / 6

Highlander Victor Bonus works against Avonworth's Luke Maddalena in the 145 pound bout of the WPIAL 2A team championship quarterfinal at McGuffey on January 29. Bonus won the bout by pin at 3:11.

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

[expand]

close

By Joe Tuscano

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

CLAYSVILLE – Meet the new McGuffey Highlanders wrestling team.

They are a lot like the teams of the 1990s, only tougher.

The Highlanders tore up Laurel Wednesday night in front of a large crowd inside McGuffey’s gymnasium in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 2A Team Tournament. They advance to Peters Township for the next two rounds on Saturday.

The Highlanders got there with a 45-24 victory over Laurel in the second of two dual meets last night. McGuffey stomped on Avonworth 62-11 in the first match.

To top off the night, the Highlanders had their second wrestler pass the 100-win total when Emmett Wolfe pinned Andy Le at 139 pounds in the first dual meet.

“The kids believed in themselves,” said McGuffey head Jared Roberts. “They expected this. They had goals and they are confident right now.”

Lucas Barr, the Highlanders’ outstanding 139-pounder, reached 100 wins earlier this season. Jeremy Hunter holds the school record with 171 wins.

“Both of them are juniors,” Roberts said. “One hundred wins is a lot and to get it as a junior … we’re proud of both of them.”

Wolfe had two pins while Barr won both of his matches by technical fall.

“I knew I was going to hit it,” said Wolfe. “I had 99 heading into the finals of last week’s (Grove City) tournament but I lost.”

Laurel won three of the first five bouts to take a 21-12 lead. But McGuffey took seven straight after that to put the match out of reach.

McGuffey, which has been ranked No. 2 behind top-seeded Burrell most of the season, now has the chance to make its mark Saturday. The Highlanders will face second-seeded Derry in the semifinals (10 a.m.).

Against Avonworth, McGuffey got pins from Wolfe, Victor Bonus (145), Gage Clayton (160) and Reid Teagarden (172). McGuffey moved to 17-4 with the two wins.

In the other first-round match, Beth-Center dropped a 53-20 decision to Laurel. Malachi Peak had a technical fall for the Bulldogs.

“We knew what to expect here,” said Beth-Center head coach Gary Welsh. “The injury bug hit us hard and continues to bite us.”

The Bulldogs have a 6-8 record.