Feb 20, 2025 5 min read

Devin McCauley (center) led a group of five Mt. Lebanon grapplers at the Souther Sectional. McCauley won a championship at 172. Pictured with McCauley from left are: Jonahan Emma (fourth), Cole Gibbons (second), Ben Lloyd (second) and Evan Sala (second). All advanced to the WPIAL Class 3A championships held Feb. 21-22.

Devin McCauley of Mt. Lebanon along with the Peters Township duo of Nick McCarrity and Darius McMillon captured wrestling titles at the Southern Sectional held Feb. 15 at South Fayette High School and advanced to the WPIAL Class 3A championships held at Canon-McMillan.

McCauley (25-11) scored a sudden victory, 6-3, against Moon’s Michael Olszewski to secure the championship in the 172-pound weight class.

A senior, McCauley opened tournament action with a 7-3 win against Peters Township’s Parker Nave. He used a major decision, 14-2, to topple Bryce Catanzaro from Upper St. Clair in the semifinals.

“Devin was a pleasant surprise, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say we were shocked by his performance,” Lebo mat boss Marc Allemang said. “Devin is one of the hardest workers in our room and all the pieces for him to be successful were there all year, it was just about putting those pieces together.”

While McCauley placed in several tournaments this winter, since the Allegheny County championships, he has wrestled with more confidence and purpose, says Allemang.

“I don’t think he is necessarily doing anything different in practice, but like with most things his confidence in himself is high right now and that has had a positive impact on his wrestling,” Allemang said. “It is a good time to be wrestling at your best.”

Several other Lebo grapplers were in top form as the Blue Devils advanced five total qualifiers for the district finals, including McCauley. They also had four finalists, tying them with West Allegheny and Canon-McMillan for the most.

“We had a good tournament overall,” Allemang said.

Evan Sala (127), Cole Gibbons (152) and Ben Lloyd (285) all finished as runners-up in their respective weight classes. Jonathan Emma finished fourth at 121.

“Jonathan, Evan, Cole and Ben wrestled hard, but got tested,” Allemang said. “All of those guys are at their best when they are getting to their ties, moving their feet, and being on the attack from neutral. They are all super hard to wrestle because they all have a high wrestling IQ and have dedicated a lot of time to this. They have also grown from previous losses.”

Meanwhile, McGarrity and McMillon continue to progress after each triumph.

McGarrity improved to 32-4 on the year and 75-8 in his career after securing his second section title in two seasons.

A sophomore, McGarrity decisioned West Allegheny’s Michael Johnson, 6-3, to claim the 107-pound weight class. He edged Moon’s Bryce Thomas, 4-3, in the semifinals.

McMillon raised his season record to 43-4 overall and career mark to 122-25 after claiming the 152-pound crown. McMillon defeated Gibbons, 4-1, for his second section title.

A senior, McMilllon rolled up a pair of tech falls in reaching the finals.

Meanwhile, Bethel Park pushed 10 of 11 of its entered wrestlers through to the districts. The Black Hawks did not have a sectional winner.

“Overall we did well but we do not believe we wrestled our best,” said BP coach Tyler Nauman. “This happens but half way through the sectional tourney we pulled the team together, talked to them, and they were able to finish strong.”

Hunter Goelz was one of BP’s two runners-up. After pulling off a 12-9 sudden victory against No. 2 seed Roan Tustin from Waynesburg, in the semifinals, Goelz dropped a 6-1 decision to Canon-McMillan’s Brayden Collins in the 215-pound final.

“Hunter wrestled probably the best we have seen him in our three years with the Hawks,” Nauman said. “He was confident and he wrestled hard putting himself in positions where he is good.

“Even falling behind 6-1, he remained confident and wrestled smart to complete a huge comeback win,” Nauman enthused. “The Canon-Mac wrestler is a very talented kid and was able to get Hunter in a couple important moments in the match. Hunter still wrestled hard and never gave up.”

Ethan Higgins was BP’s other finalist. The senior lost to Baldwin’s undefeated grappler, Ramil Islamov by tech fall in the 145-pound championship match.

“Ethan did exactly what he needed to do. He was a high seed and knew he should be in the championship match with Ramil,” Nauman said.

“Ramil is a very very talented wrestler,” he continued. “He will be very challenging to beat, not just for Ethan but for anyone in WPIAL, regional, and state.”

Pierce Reinhart (121), Colton Fisher (127) and Aiden Stout (139) all took home third-place medals for the Black Hawks.

Other place winners that advanced to the districts for the Black Hawks included: Seth Miller, fifth at 133; Ian Bucheli, fifth at 152; Maksim Miller, fifth at 160; Caleb Crawford, fourth at 172; and Michael Gibson, fourth at 285.

During the tournament, Nauman and his assistant coach Ryan Gossett were recognized. Nauman was honored as Section 3 Coach of the Year while Gossett earned the distinction as Section 3 Assistant Coach of the Year.

The top six finishers in each weight classification advanced to the districts.

Talan Mizenko finished runner-up at 139 and was one of several South Fayette grapplers to advance to the districts. The top six finishers in each weight classification gained a berth in the WPIAL championships. The other Lions to qualify included: Brock Dennison, Luke Dunlap and Peter Leventis.