Five things to watch at the WCCA wrestling championships

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 3, 2019 | 10:33 PM

Here are five things to watch at the 66 ^th annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association wrestling tournament, set for Friday and Saturday at Norwin High School.

LUCKY 13

Franklin Regional senior Colton Camacho is favored to win his fourth county title. He would become the 13 ^th wrestler to achieve the goal in the 66 years of the tournament. The first wrestler to do it was Latrobe’s Tom Bell (1961-64). He would also become the fourth Franklin Regional wrestler to achieve the feat, which would tie Greensburg Salem.

Camacho can join FR alums Nico Megaludis (2008-11), Josh Shields (2012-15) and Josh Maruca (2012-15).

MILLER TIME

Kiski Area senior Darren Miller will be looking for his third county title. Miller won the Eastern Invitational and placed second at Powerade, losing to two-time PIAA champion Sam Hillegas of North Hills. Matt McCutcheon is Kiski Area’s (2010-13) only four-time champion, while Tyler Oravec (2004-06) and Shane Kuhn (2012-14) were three-time champions.

LOADED WEIGHT

There are four Powerade placewinners entered at 132 pounds. The top seed, Latrobe junior Gabe Willochell, placed fifth at Powerade; Kiski Area senior Darren Miller, the second seed, placed second; Norwin sophomore John Altieri, seeded fourth, he placed seventh; and Burrell senior Bryan Gaul is seeded fifth and placed eighth. Franklin Regional senior Zach McCann didn’t compete at the Powerade tournament because of an injury, but is seeded third.

SPOILER ALERT

Mt. Pleasant doesn’t have a full lineup this season, but the Vikings could play a big part in who wins individual titles and the team title. Mt. Pleasant has numerous freshmen who look to make an impact this weekend. The four freshmen for the Vikings are Luke Geibig (106), Noah Gnibus (113), Noah Teeter (120) and Dayton Pitzer (182).

CAVS AGAIN

If Kiski Area wins the team title at the county tournament, and it is favored to do so, the Cavaliers will tie Latrobe and Greensburg Salem for the top spot all time. The Cavaliers have won 11, including the past three, while Latrobe and Greensburg Salem have each won 12 times.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Kiski School, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Valley, Yough