Feb 16, 2016 4 min read

After dispatching Jersey Shore, 46-21, Canon-McMillan’s hopes for a PIAA team wrestling title faded when the Big Macs dropped a 37-20 decision to Boyertown in the quarterfinals. Though they bounced back and beat Tunkhannock, 34-18, in a second-round consolation match, the Big Macs left the Giant Center in Hershey without any hardware when they lost to Kiski Area, 32-22, the third-round consolation.

Belle Vernon, the WPIAL champion, beat the Cavaliers, 36-26, and then went on to best Nazareth, 30-28, to finish third in the tournament. Boyertown was the PIAA runner-up, falling to Bethlehem Catholic, 37-20, in the championship match.

The showing for the Big Macs did not diminish the team season. They were section champions and WPIAL runner-ups to the Leopards.

“The high point (of the team season) was making it to the WPIAL finals,” said C-M mat boss Jason Cardillo. “There are always highs and lows during the season but getting there was certainly a high point.”

For many Big Macs, the high point is yet to occur. Now, they look forward to the individual championships. The road back to Hershey begins with Section 4 action Feb. 27 at Trinity. The WPIAL championships are set for March 3-5 at Penn Hills. The PIAA finals will be held March 10-12 at the Giant Center.

Having already been to Hershey will help the C-M individuals that qualify. “It makes a huge difference,” Cardillo said. “They know the area. They know the routine. They have wrestled in front of a big crowd. They won’t be star-struck.”

The Big Macs were hardly star-struck in their opening win against Jersey Shore in the team tournament. James Zeremenko (182), Nick Konyk (195) and Tommy James (170) were the big winners with a pin, technical fall and major decision respectively, enabling C-M to open up a 30-15 advantage. Heavyweight Brendan Furman, Logan Macri (113) and Matt Oblock (126) won by forfeits. Declan Lewis, Tim Hritsko, Anthony Mastrangelo and Michael Binni registered decisions for the Big Macs.

In the loss to Boyertown, Hritsko gave the Big Macs their only lead, 3-0, winning a decision at 132 to open the match. Blaze Kansco scored a technical fall at 160 while Macri, Oblock, Konyk and Furman won decisions.

In the win against Tunkhannock, Zeremenko, Konyk and Furman recorded falls. Macri registered a technical fall. Binni, Oblock, Hritsko and Kansco won with decisions.

Against the Cavaliers, whom the Big Macs beat in the district semifinals, Micah Kusturiss did not wrestle. He won for C-M in the WPIAL Final Four. Kiski won eight of the 14 bouts, including two by falls.

AA action

The individual wrestling schedule kicks off with section tournaments Feb. 20. South Fayette and Chartiers-Houston travel to Ellwood City while Keystone Oaks will compete at Avonworth. McGuffey hosts the Section 2 event. The top five finishers in each weight class advance to the WPIAL championships set for Feb. 26-27 at South Fayette. There, the top seven will qualify for the Southwest Regional set for March 4-5 at Canon-McMillan.

Mike Carr from South Fayette is a two-time champion along with South Park’s Greg Bulsak and Jake Wentzel. All are defending state champions. Carr and Wentzel are undefeated this season.

In addition to Canon-McMillan, Class AAA individuals from Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township will begin their quest for WPIAL titles on Feb. 27. The section tournament sites are Kiski (1), Ringgold (2), Fox Chapel (3) and Trinity (4). The top five finishers in each weight class move on to the district finals set for March 4-5 at Penn Hills.

The PIAA tournament will be held March 10-12 at the Giant Center. The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic will be held March 26 at the Fitzgerald Field House.