Macy leading Char Valley grapplers into sectionals
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Freshman Christopher Beatty is one of several Chartiers Valley underclassmen hoping to gain more than experience during the WPIAL individual section wrestling tournaments coming up on Feb. 23.
Macy
Zachary Macy celebrates his 100th career wrestling match.
With experience in the WPIAL team wrestling tournament and exposure in the Allegheny County Championships as well as the Buckeye Local Panther Classic, Chartiers Valley enters the individual championship season with optimism.
Section tournaments will be held Feb. 23 at Kiski, Connellsville, Fox Chapel and Chartiers Valley. The top five finishers advance to the WPIAL championships set for March 1-2 at Canon-McMillan High School. The top four finishers move on to the PIAA state tournament to be held March 7-9 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“We were excited to be part of the team tournament and at counties we did well, but not great,” said CV skipper Bill Evans. “We are a young team, with a majority of our starters being underclassmen, so these were great experiences for our wrestlers. Of course, there is always room for improvement in every match and in every wrestler’s finish.”
Zachary Macy is having a big finish. The senior recently registered his 100th career win. During the Colts’ win against Hampton on Jan. 28 in the opening round of the WPIAL Class AAA team tournament, Macy felled Jacob Premick in 1:09 of the 138-pound bout.
For Evans, Macy’s win was not only “really exciting” but memorable. Lifetime friends with the Macy family, Evans has watched Zach wrestle since he was 5.
“We have had a handful of 100 match winners over the years” Evans said, “but considering I grew up with Zachary’s family, this one was really special.”
Macy has succeeded on the mats the usual way. The Seton Hills recruit has earned it.
“Zachary shares the same qualities that you see in any person that has success over a period of time,” Evans said. “He works hard, he is really dedicated and focused, doesn’t cut corners, has great attention to detail, is always looking to improve and grow on a daily basis. He has the qualities that every champion has.”
Macy is not only coming off his 100th career win, he also had a strong showing in the Allegheny County tournament. He finished runner-up to Nate Lukez from Pine-Richland.
“In my opinion, Zachary’s matches are the most fun to watch. The kid just wrestles,” Evans enthused. “He doesn’t look at the clock or the scoreboard. He just goes all out for six minutes. He is a pleasure to coach because he gives you something to coach the entire time. His hustle and relentless attitude make it fun to be in his corner.”
Based on their showing in the county, other CV wrestlers that may be fun to watch during the upcoming individual tournaments include: Murat Zaynullaev, Cody Trout, Christopher Beatty and Josh Sarasnick. Sarasnick and Beatty were also winners along with Chase Bruggeman, Ismoil Shokirov, Ashton Sadowski, Tony Montgomery, Luke Potts, Hunter Drain and Donovan O’Malley in the dual meet against Hampton.
During the county championships, Zaynullaev finished fourth in the Allegheny County tournament at 170 pounds. Trout finished sixth in the 132-pound weight class, which is dominated by Sam Hillegas. The North Hills junior, who is committed to Virginia Tech, already owns two PIAA state titles. Beatty and Sarasnick finished seventh and eighth respectively at 126 and 195.
During the Buckeye Classic, in which the Colts took fourth in the team standings, Macy earned runner-up honors at 132 while Sadowski (106), Montgomery (113) and Zaynullaev (170) all finished fourth.