South Fayette finishes third in WPIAL team tournament
Andrew John appears to have the upper hand against Gage Nicolella but the McGuffey grappler turned the tables and posted a pin at 5:01 as the Highlanders upset South Fayette, 33-28, in the semifinals of the WPIAL Class AA team tournament. Despite the defeat, the Lions bounced back to beat Jefferson-Morgan, 37-30, in the consolation contest and qualify for the PIAA team tournament.
South Fayette wrestlers and their coach, Rick Chaussard, react after the Lions suffered a fall in the final bout and dropped a 33-28 decision to McGuffey in the WPIAL Class AA team tournament. The semifinal loss prevented the Lions from reaching the championship match for the third time in a row.
Dillon Richey controls the action against Christian Dedi during the 160-pound match. Richey’s 3-0 decision helped McGuffey post a 33-28 win against South Fayette in the WPIAL Class AA team tournament.
Officially it took 22 seconds for McGuffey to end South Fayette’s vision of winning a WPIAL team title in wrestling. But, the Lions’ dream dissolved long before Ryan Steinstraw recorded the fall at heavyweight, giving the Highlanders the upset win, 33-28, during the semifinal match held inside the Canon-McMillan High School gymnasium.
“The matchups went the way we thought they would,” explained South Fayette coach Rick Chaussard. “We just didn’t win. We gave up a fall we didn’t expect at 113, and I knew we were in trouble at that point.”
At 113, Gage Nicolella registered a late, third-period pin (5:01) that titled the match in McGuffey’s favor. The Highlanders also picked up key wins with Aaron Harris at 132 and Huey Gillespie at 182. Despite the valiant efforts of Joe Bastaroli, Gillespie held on for a 7-6 decision.
Though Brett Beltz followed with a fall at 195 and Rasaun Culberson escaped with a narrow victory, 4-3, at 220 for the Lions, Steinstraw, who outweighed Thayer Phillips by 34 pounds, sealed the victory with the first-frame fall. The pin by Beltz gave him 100 victories for his high school career.
The Highlanders constructed a 21-0 lead through the first five weight classes before Mike Cusick put the Lions on the scoreboard with a second-period pin (2:40). Mike Carr followed with a major decision at 145. Ben Previte won, 4-1, at 152 and J.J. Walker won by forfeit at 170.
Despite the defeat, South Fayette bounced back with a 37-30 win against Jefferson-Morgan in the consolation match and secured a berth in the PIAA team tournament.
Though the Lions slipped behind, 9-3, at the start of the match, they roared into the lead, 22-9, thanks to falls from Shane Ging at 132 and Carr at 145, and decisions from Cusick (major) at 138 and Previte at 152.
Andrew John started the match at 113 with a decision, 3-2, over Josh Agnew. Walker won with a fall at 170. Beltz earned a 6-0 decision at 195 and Culberson won by forfeit at 220.
With a tech fall against Jasper Wolfe, Brendan Howard broke the Jefferson-Morgan school record for victories. The 126-pound grappler now has 144 career wins.
With the win, South Fayette was scheduled to face Saegertown Feb. 2 in a preliminary playoff round in the PIAA team tournament. Saegertown entered the event as the District 10 runner-up to Reynolds. The first round of the Class AA tournament was set for Feb. 5 and the finals were scheduled for Feb. 7 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“Being the third-place team, we have a harder road (to Hershey),” explained Chaussard. “District 10 has some good teams. There’s not much time to prepare and not much time to reflect (on the WPIAL tournament.)”
NOTES: Burrell defeated McGuffey, 38-25, to capture its ninth straight WPIAL Class AA team championship. Franklin Regional defeated Belle Vernon, 33-27, to claim the Class AAA title.