Mt. Lebanon wrestler pins down WPIAL title
Scholastic wrestling bouts consist of three two-minute periods.
During the WPIAL/Southwest Regional tournament, Mac Stout of Mt. Lebanon used just 5:36 to dispatch four opponents and capture a championship at 189 pounds.
“Mac didn’t spend a lot of time on the mat,” said his coach Marc Allemang.
Then again, that’s his style.
“My goal is to get off the mat as fast as possible. Work for the pin,” Stout said. “It’s best to try to get it over with and leave nothing to chance. Wrestling efficiently reduces a lot of things.”
In claiming his second career WPIAL title, Stout reduced the competition to shards.
He opened action with first-period falls against Penn Hills’ Aidan Pham (1:00) and Hampton’s Jayden Resch (1:07). In 20 seconds he dispatched Owen Ott from Penn-Trafford to advance to the championship match.
Stout won by technical fall, 18-2, against Waynesburg’s Brody Evans in the finals. The match lasted three minutes, nine seconds.
“It all went pretty fast so there wasn’t much take away,” Stout said. “It was fun but I surprised myself. To do all that in less than a whole match was amazing.”
Those on the selection committee for Outstanding Wrestler agreed as Stout was chosen for the prestigious award.
“I never thought about being the wrestler of the meet but it was cool to be named. It definitely means a lot. An extra little bonus to top off the title but not more significant,” Stout said.
Former Mt. Lebanon High School coach and former Peters Township standout Bill Lewis presented Stout with the plaque.
“That was a really nice moment,” said Allemang.
While there were a lot of incredible matches throughout the tournament, especially in the finals and while Stout’s bouts did not match that drama in back and forth action, he was the ‘dominant’ wrestler in his bracket, added Allemang.
“Mac is so humble he would not have thought twice if that award had been handed off to someone else,” Allemang stated. “Mt. Lebanon continues to be proud of the things he has accomplished but we are even more proud of who he is as a person. He is a great role model and a great representative for our program.”
Because of his triumph, Stout advanced to the PIAA Championships held March 10-12 at the Giant Center in Hershey. As a sophomore, he was a state runner-up. Last year, he was unable to compete because of an injury.
“The state title has always been the ultimate goal,” Stout said. “So, while winning a second WPIAL title was a great win and achievement, it was just another stepping stone towards the end goal.”
Because he was in control of his WPIAL final, Stout managed to stay on the mat long enough to tweak some moves in preparation for states.
“Mac was confident that he could score from his feet so he spent a little more time in the match working his tilts from the top position,” Allemang said. “Three pins and a technical fall en route to a WPIAL championship is incredibly impressive. Mac is a special kid but it was not lost on him that there was another important week of wrestling to go.”
Perhaps that is why he was so quick to get on with the regional competition.
“I had fun but I didn’t want to leave anything up to chance. Mentally and physically I am there and I have to be ready to go at states because it’s the last tournament and one of the biggest in the country.
“All the work is done. Whoever shows up with their best A game is going to be the winner. My objective is always to get the job done and not toy around with anyone. Get the pin and win. Just do it.”
The WPIAL held its individual wrestling championships in Class AAA on March 4-5 at Canon-McMillan High School.
The event also served as the Southwest Regional and the top four finishers in each weight classification qualified for the PIAA championships held March 10-12 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
In addition to WPIAL champions Mac Stout of Mt. Lebanon and Dylan Evans from Chartiers Valley the following area wrestlers earned berths in the state tournament:
• Darius McMillon. The Peters Township freshman finished runner-up at 113. Though he dropped his final, 1-0, to Tyler Chappell from Seneca Valley, McMillon scored three pins in the tournament, the fastest coming in 72 seconds.
• Brady Joling. The Chartiers Valley junior finished fourth at 113.
• Mason Kernan. The Bethel Park sophomore finished fourth at 120.
Other place winners at the WPIAL tournament included: South Fayette senior James Anderson, sixth at 120; CV senior CC Beatty, fifth at 160; CV senior Joshua Sarasnick, sixth at 215.