Chartiers Valley senior wrestles up county championship
Chartiers Valley senior CC Beatty cruised to victory in the Allegheny County wrestling championships.
“He blew through the bracket,” said CV head coach Bill Evans. “He did a fantastic job.”
After picking up pins in his first four matches, Beatty won a decision over North Allegheny’s Adam Rohan, 5-2, to win the 160-pound weight classification.
“CC had a great final. He beat a very solid, good wrestler. He was in total control and showed a lot of maturity,” said Evans.
“CC was super gritty. In positions where many wrestlers give up points, he didn’t. He showed a lot of intestinal fortitude. He fought through things, demonstrated mental and internal strength.”
On the mats, Beatty does rely on smarts and power.
He possesses a 5.0 GPA and plans to become a cardiologist. Among the colleges he is interested in are Colgate, Cornell and several other Ivy League schools.
He also excels in football. A linebacker, he led the Colts in tackles and in sacks last season.
Beatty relied on athleticism rather than finesse in the opening rounds of the tournament. He pinned Victor River of Fox Chapel in 62 seconds in the first round then felled James Spellman from Moon in 93 seconds in the second round of competition.
After putting Michael Ulery of Shaler on his back in 2:26, Beatty needed only 32 seconds to beat Sebastian Lopez from North Hills in the semifinals.
“Going into the finals, CC had the lead for most pins in the least amount of time,” said Evans. “He did great getting to the championships.”
Beatty has done well recovering from an injury. At the start of the season, he suffered a head wound that required staples to repair. Yet, he competed in the Colts’ opening match against Canon-McMillan.
Since he has recovered, Beatty is undefeated. This winter, he is 16-5 overall and owns an 86-29 record after the Colts’ competition against South Fayette.
Evans expects the best is yet to come for Beatty although he competes in one of the toughest weight classes in the WPIAL.
“Nobody wants to wrestle him because he is super strong and motivated. He has a fire in his belly,” Evans said.
“We expect him to battle for a state berth. If he pulls off a good (WPIAL) tournament, he can get into the finals and fight for one of the four spots.”
Beatty is also fighting to rack up 100 career victories.
“He’s a great character kid. Polite, positive and bright,” Evans said. “Everybody loves him. He’s a coach’s dream. Comes ready to go and works his tail off.”
CV places 8th
Chartiers Valley finished eighth in the Allegheny County Championships team standings with a 149.5 score. North Allegheny won the title with 222.5 points. In addition to CC Beatty, the Colts put three more wrestlers on the podium.
Dylan Evans finished runner-up to Kelin Laffey of Pine-Richland in the 152-pound weight class. Evans dropped a 3-2 decision to Laffey in the finals.
The pair are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the state and are wrestling partners at Quest. A senior, Laffey is a Pitt recruit.
“Dylan and Kelin have wrestled each other since they were younger and it’s always been a close match,” Evans said. “Kelin did a good job of slowing the match down and Dylan let the match stay too tight too long.
“The more activity the better for Dylan. He can force his style by opening up earlier. It’s an adjustment we will make.”
Evans is expected to make a run at a WPIAL and PIAA title in March. As a sophomore last winter, he earned his second state medal by finishing fourth. Evans also finished fourth in the West Super Regional. He was the WPIAL bronze medalist and the Section 4-AAA runner-up.
Josh Sarasnick (215) and Brady Joling earned bronze medals (113) at the county championships.
Sarasnick won a decision over Mason Dibon from Shaler in his consolation bout while Joling pinned Rhamil Islamov of Baldwin in 15 seconds.
Joling is ranked No. 3 in the WPIAL. A junior, he is being recruited by George Mason and hopes to pursue a career in the medical field.
“He’s another one of my stellar student athletes,” Evans said. “He has a great work ethic and makes good decisions and that shows on the mat.”