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PT, Slinger dominate CH tournament

By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 2 min read
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By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Jake Slinger polishes off another pin in the heavyweight finals of the Chartiers-Houston wrestling tournament.

The Upper St. Clair senior not only won the weight class at the event but took home the trophy for Most Pins. He felled all four of his opponents, using just 4 minutes, 39 seconds, to claim his third straight championship in the tournament.

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By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Peters Township’s Jeff Markert manhandles Peyton Hearn on his way to victory, 7-0, in the 170-pound final at the Chartiers-Houston wrestling tournament.

With three champions, Peters Township captured runner-up honors in the team competition while Jake Slinger grabbed individual acclaim during the Chartiers-Houston Wrestling Tournament. The event kicks off the scholastic mat season annually.

Under first-year coach Derek Evanovich, who is a PT product, the Indians racked up a 161.5 score, just 3.5 points shy of the first-place trophy secured by Armstrong. In the 27-team tournament, Upper St. Clair (137) finished fifth and South Fayette (127) followed in sixth place.

For the Indians, Donovan McMillon (152), Jeff Markert (170) and Brandon Matthews (182) each won gold. Coltin Jezioro (160) secured silver. Bryce Wilkes (120) and William Kail (132) earned bronze medals.

McMillon kicked off Peters Township’s run at the team title with a 5-1 decision over Grant Walnoha of Upper St. Clair at 152. The sophomore was a runner-up last year in the 132-pound weight class.

“These are all new faces,” McMillon said, “but I was motivated. This was my revenge tournament.”

After Jezioro lost a 5-2 decision to Hunter Milligan of Albert Gallatin at 160, Jeff Markert shut out Conneaut Area’s Peyton Hearn, 7-0, at 182 pounds.

Matthews followed with a 5-4 decision over Logan Harmon of Armstrong at 182. He scored three points in the third period to take a commanding 5-2 lead.

Meanwhile, Slinger left no margin for his opponents. The Upper St. Clair senior pinned all his foes, including South Fayette’s Quentin Franklin in 66 seconds, to capture the heavyweight title. With four falls, he also won the Most Pins award given in the tournament. Slinger took under a minute to win his semifinal match. His longest bout lasted 84 seconds and came in the opening round of action. His quarterfinal bout ran 70 seconds.

USC’s Harvey Rauch dropped an 11-8 decision to Beth-Center’s Dominic Fundy in the 195-pound finals for runner-up honors. Teammates Quinn Murray took third at 220 while Dan Kyle (132) and Sean Martin (160) finished fourth.

In addition to Murray, South Fayette managed two, bronze medalist in Noah Broyles (106) and Eli Brinsky (152) as well as two, fifth-place finishers in Dawson Anderson (126) and Mark Kurchena (220).

Editor’s note: Joe Tuscano contributed to this story.

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