2022 Valley News Dispatch Wrestling All-Stars
By:
Saturday, March 26, 2022 | 6:59 PM
Burrell freshman Calio Zanella looks to pin Avonworth’s Mike Tabano at 113 pounds at the WPIAL Class 2A championships Feb. 18 at Canon-McMillan.
Burrell’s Niko Ferra pins Mt. Pleasant’s Ethan Bentler in the 132-pound bout during the Class 2A Section 3 team wrestling championship Jan. 26 at Mt. Pleasant.
Valley’s Micah Hughes
Kiski Area junior Ethan Connor prepares to wrestle Penn-Trafford’s Brett Hampton during their 2021 Section 1A-3A championship match.
Jrake Burford of Highlands has his hand raised after defeating Austin Smith of Abington Heights at 145 pounds at the PIAA Class 2A tournament March 10 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Kiski Area wrestler Ryan Klingensmith works out during practice Dec. 6, 2021.
Burrell’s Shawn Szymanski beats Jefferson Morgan’s Chase Frameli in the 145-pound bout during the WPIAL Class 2A Wrestling Championship on Feb. 19 at Canon-McMillan.
Kiski Area’s Mark Gray
Burrell’s Damian Barr works to pin Montour’s Riley Hensley at 160 pounds during the WPIAL Class 2A team quarterfinals Feb. 2 at Burrell.
Kiski Area’s Enzo Morlacci works against Penn-Trafford’s Wesley Stull in the 160-pound bout during the WCCA championship match Jan. 8 at Kiski Area.
Burrell’s Cole Clark takes on Tucker Paynter of Trinity at 189 pounds at the PIAA Class 2A tournament March 10 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Kiski’s Stone Joseph (top) works against Carter Dilts during practice Dec. 9, 2020 at Kiski Area.
Valley’s Chuck Perkins
Calio Zanella
Burrell, fr., 113 pounds
2021-22 record: 29-15 Overall record: 29-15
Helped the Bucs reach the WPIAL Class 2A team finals. He placed fifth in the WPIAL tournament and qualified for the PIAA Southwest Regional, where he went 1-2. He was one of the better freshmen in the A-K Valley.
Vincent Citrano
Plum, sr., 132 pounds
2021-22 record: 29-3 Overall record: 102-20
Citrano was the Allegheny County champion, defeating Thomas Jefferson freshman Maddox Shaw. He won his first section title. He finished sixth in the WPIAL tournament.
Niko Ferra
Burrell, sr., 132 pounds
2021-22 record: 34-20 Overall record: 88-51
Ferra was an unsung hero for the Bucs. He won some big matches to help the team finish second in the WPIAL Class 2A. After losing his first match of the WPIAL tournament, he battled back and finished fifth to qualify for the Southwest Regional. He earned a berth in the state tournament with a sixth-place finish.
Micah Hughes
Valley, sr., 132 pounds
2021-22 record: 8-5 Overall record: 49-31
Hughes strung together three consecutive wins in the consolation bracket to place at the WPIAL Class 2A tournament and earn a berth in the Southwest Regional. Having battled injuries in his career, he also placed in the WPIAL tournament as a sophomore and advanced to regionals.
Ethan Connor
Kiski Area, sr., 138 pounds
2021-22 record: 31-13 Overall record: 64-37
Connor played a key role in helping Kiski Area capture the Section 1-3A title. He placed third at the WCCA tournament, finished third in the section tournament and was one win from qualifying for the PIAA championships.
Jrake Burford
Highlands, sr., 145 pounds
2021-22 record: 37-11 Overall record: 113-36
Burford was a three-time section runner-up. He finished fourth in the WPIAL Class 3A tournament and qualified for his first state tournament. He was the Allegheny County champion, defeating North Allegheny’s Travis Stipetich.
Ryan Klingensmith
Kiski Area, sr., 145 pounds
2021-22 record: 24-8 Overall record: 71-28
Reached the WPIAL tournament three times after placing second in Section 1 the past two seasons. He helped the Cavaliers to the Section 1-3A title by defeating Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional. He finished second in the WCCA tournament.
Chuck Perkins
Valley, so., 145 pounds
2021-22 record: 21-7 Overall record: 30-14
Perkins had a good season that saw him finish fifth at the WPIAL Class 2A tournament and qualify for the PIAA Southwest Regional.
Shawn Szymanski
Burrell, sr., 145 pounds
2021-22 record: 33-11 Overall record: 97-46
Szymanski was a WPIAL Class 2A champion. He placed sixth in the PIAA Southwest Regional and qualified for the PIAA tournament. He helped the Burrell wrestling team reach the team finals and win a match in the state tournament.
Mark Gray
Kiski Area, sr., 152 pounds
2021-22 record: 28-10 Overall record: 28-10
One of the top freshmen in the WPIAL just missed qualifying for the PIAA meet. He placed fifth in the WPIAL tournament, where he went 4-2. He placed second in the Section 1-3A tournament and third in the WCCA tournament.
Damian Barr
Burrell, sr., 160 pounds
2021-22 record: 23-11 Overall record: 48-26
Barr earned a spot in the state tournament after placing fourth in the WPIAL tournament and fifth in the Southwest Regional. He played a big role in helping the Bucs to a second-place finish in the WPIAL Class 2A team tournament.
Enzo Morlacci
Kiski Area, sr., 160 pounds
2021-22 record: 35-9 Overall record: 104-33
Morlacci ended his stellar career by finishing sixth in the PIAA Class 3A tournament. He reached the PIAA semifinals before falling to Connellsville’s Jared Keslar, the PIAA and WPIAL champion. He placed fourth in consecutive WPIAL tournaments. He de-committed from Lehigh and will pursue a film career.
Cole Clark
Burrell, sr., 189 pounds
2021-22 record: 34-17 Overall record: 77-52
Clark earned a berth in the PIAA Class 2A tournament with a third-place finish in the WPIAL tournament and a sixth-place finish at the Southwest Regional. He played a key role in helping the Bucs reach the PIAA team tournament.
Stone Joseph
Kiski Area, sr., 285 pounds
2021-22 record: 20-8 Overall record: 68-28
The Cavaliers heavyweight had a strong WPIAL Class 3A tournament, where he placed third. He lost in the semifinals to WPIAL champion Billy McChesney of Greensburg Salem, 4-3. Injuries hampered his career. He pinned Trinity’s Ty Banco and Butler’s Jacob Pomykata to finish third. He plans to attend Gannon.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Burrell, Highlands, Kiski Area, Plum, Valley
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