Trib HSSN Wrestling Team of the Week: Burrell Buccaneers

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 | 4:09 PM

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Burrell

Burrell winning a WPIAL Class AA championship is a tradition unlike any other — each February, the Bucs end up on top.

The longest WPIAL wrestling championship streak in WPIAL history reached 13 years Saturday as Burrell beat Freedom, 54-21, at Chartiers-Houston.

Seven different wrestlers — half of the Bucs who took the mat — pinned their Freedom opponent as Burrell beat the Bulldogs in the WPIAL final for the third time in four years. Five different Burrell wrestlers had pins in the team’s semifinal rout of Beth-Center.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter whether a groundhog saw his shadow on Saturday: Either way, Burrell seemed destined to win another title. To put the streak in perspective, the second-longest championship streak in WPIAL wrestling history stands at four years.

OTHER NOMINEES:

Kiski Area: Maybe it gets overshadowed by the length of neighboring Burrell’s championship streak, but the Cavaliers’ run of three straight WPIAL Class AAA titles deserves plenty of plaudits, as well. Kiski Area blasted Seneca Valley, 49-17, in the Class AAA finals Saturday at Norwin to complete its three-peat. Six different Cavaliers wrestlers had pins in the win, helping the team record the largest margin of victory in a Class AAA final since Canon-McMillan’s 53-12 win over North Allegheny in 2012.

Seneca Valley: The Raiders ultimately fell short against Kiski Area, but they did make it to the WPIAL championship match for the first time in school history. Seneca Valley took down Waynesburg, 39-36, in the semifinals, forfeiting the final four bouts after it clinched its spot in the finals.

Canon-McMillan: The Big Macs will wrestle in Hershey for a fourth consecutive season after beating Waynesburg in the Class AAA third-place match and dispatching City League champion Carrick in the PIAA Class AAA preliminary round Monday.

Freedom: The Bulldogs are becoming a constant presence deep in the Class AA postseason, as they advanced to the WPIAL championship match for the third time in four seasons and clinched a spot in the PIAA tournament.

Beth-Center: Although Beth-Center won’t wrestle in Hershey after falling to Conneaut in a PIAA Class AA preliminary match, the Bulldogs turned back the clock to the mid-1980s after advancing to the WPIAL semifinals and ultimately finishing in third place. It was B-C’s first semifinal trip since 1984.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Beth-Center, Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Freedom, Kiski School, Seneca Valley