South Fayette ready for WPIAL team wrestling run
Keystone Oaks junior Joey Kazalas (left) goes head to head with Zach Jablonski from Moutour during the heavyweight finals of the Allegheny County Tournament. Kazalas, who finished as runner-up in the event, leads the Golden Eagles into the first round of the WPIAL Class AA tournament. KO travels to Jefferson-Morgan for a 6 p.m. match Jan. 25.
South Fayette’s Mike Carr blanked David Kelly of Pine-Richland, 7-0, for the 138-pound title in the Allegheny County Tournament. The undefeated grappler leads the Lions into the WPIAL Class AA team tournament after winning their third straight section title. South Fayette hosts Indiana at 6 p.m. Jan. 25.
Thanks to victories against Burgettstown, 42-25, and Freedom, 33-28, South Fayette clinched the Section 1-AA title and entered the WPIAL Class AA team tournament as the No. 2 seed behind defending champion Burrell.
The Lions begin their quest for the district title at 6 p.m. Jan. 28 against Indiana in the South Fayette Middle School gymnasium. The winner of the match takes on the victor in a simultaneous bout between Southmoreland and South Allegheny.
The WPIAL AA semifinals will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 31 at Canon-McMillan. The championship match follows at 3:30 p.m.
This is the third year in a row that the Lions will enter the team tournament as a section champion and as the second seed. South Fayette has finished runner-up to Burrell the past two seasons. The Lions lost last year’s title match, 34-28. They dropped the final two bouts, giving the Buccanneers their eighth straight WPIAL AA championship.
“As a team,” said senior Mike Carr, who is undefeated this season, “I think we are wrestling well. This year, we want to get that [WPIAL] team title.”
South Fayette took the tough road to the WPIAL team tournament.
Because the school’s football team won a second straight state title and did not finish its season until December 13, the Lions competed without six of its top wrestlers for much of the first portion of the season. SF’s top wrestlers, who are also football players, include: Jasper Wolfe (126), Shane Ging (132), Brett Beltz (160), J.J. Walker (170), Rasaun Culberson (195) and Thayer Phillips (220),
However, South Fayette managed to construct a 15-1 record while the football players rounded into wrestling shape. The Lions capped the regular season with a 48-26 win over South Park to claim the subsection before securing their third straight Section 1-AA title.
The Lions beat Freedom in the semifinals while Burgettstown dispatched Chartiers-Houston, 51-15, to advance to the finals. For the championship, South Fayette dismissed the Blue Devils to improve to 17-0 overall.
Though Rasaun Culberson started SF’s defense with a fall at 195, Burgettstown constructed a 25-12 advantage. South Fayette bounced back. The Lions won seven bouts in a row.
In the match, Andrew John (113), Ging (132) and Ben Previte (152) registered falls for the Lions. Christian Dedi (160), Beltz (170) and Walker (182) won by decisions. While there were no matches at 120 and 138, Scott Rzepecki picked up the biggest decision, edging Evan Pethtel, 9-8.
“At that juncture in the match it was huge. It was a momentum-changer,” said SF head coach Rick Chaussard. “It was the swing match.”
Whenever Carr wrestles, matches swing in South Fayette’s favor. He is a WPIAL individual champion as well as a PIAA medalist. He most recently won his second straight Allegheny County title.
Ging, Walker and Beltz follow Carr, as each has only suffered one loss this season. Walker, like Carr, is a WPIAL champion and a PIAA medalist, earning silver last March at Hershey.
NOTES: Joey Kazalas leads Keystone Oaks into the WPIAL Class AA tournament. The junior is coming off a runner-up finish in the Allegheny County championships.
After pinning Thomas Jefferson’s Kris Friedman and South Fayette’s Jeremy Carter, Kazalas defeated Ka’Dale Coles from Avonworth 9-3, in the semifinals. Kazalas dropped a 3-2 decision to Zach Javlonski from Montour in the heavyweight finals.
Jefferson-Morgan hosts Keystone Oaks at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA tournament. The winner will face the victory in the Burgettstown versus Beth-Center match at 7:30 p.m.
In other Class AA first-round action, Chartiers-Houston wrestles South Side at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 at McGuffey.
Burrell, which has won eight straight WPIAL team titles, received a first-round bye. The Buccaneers will take on the winner between Mount Pleasant and Freedom at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25. Burrell, which has won nine team titles in 11 years, posted a 7-5 record in dual meet competition this season.
McGuffey (18-3) and Jefferson-Morgan (8-5) are seeded No. 3 and No. 4 in the Class AA tournament.