Wrestlers advance to regionals
Seven South Fayette grapplers placed in the top seven during the WPIAL Class AA tournament held last weekend at Canon-McMillan High School, qualifying them for the Southwest Regional Tournament scheduled Feb. 23-24 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Berths in the PIAA tournament are set for March 8-10 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Mike Cusick (145) and Eli Brinsky (138) earned bronze medals during the WPIAL championships. While Brinsky won in overtime in his consolation match against North Catholic’s Matthew Ferraro, Cusick posted a 5-1 decision against Carlynton’s Olgyn Melnyk. Both Brinsky and Cusick were crowned Section 3 champions in that tournament held the previous evening, Feb. 16, at Canon-McMillan.
Michael Dedi finished fourth at 160. The 160-pound grappler lost his consolation bout to Avella’s Robbie West by fall in 4:51. Dedi was a bronze medalist in the section tournament.
At heavyweight, Quentin Franklin finished fifth. He won his consolation bout, 5-1, against Beth-Center’s Ronald White. Franklin was the section runner-up at 285.
Dalton Hirt also placed fifth. The 152-pound wrestler pinned Derry Area’s Trey Weinell in his consolation bout. Hirt was a third-place winner in the section.
Placing seventh were Colin Dunn at 120 and Jake Walker at 195. Dunn was the section champion while Walker was a runner-up.
Though they did not advance to the regional, four other Lions experienced success at the sectional level. Noah Broyles (106), Gary Loeffler (126), Luke Finestone (132) and Joe Bastaroli (182) each placed third.
Nick Whittington scored a 5-2 decision against Noah Hutherson from Valley to place fifth at 170 and qualified for the regional tournament. The Keystone Oaks sophomore was the Section 3 champion, scoring a 1-0 win against Autsin Mele from Burrell in the final.