Westmoreland County Coaches Association Wrestling Results

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, January 12, 2014 | 7:13 AM

In arguably the toughest high school wrestling county in the state of Pennsylvania, if not the entire country, Franklin Regional stood high above its competition, outdistancing its closest competitor by more than 100 points at the 17-team 2014 Westmoreland County Coaches Association Wrestling Tournament held at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville Saturday night. Capturing gold medals in six of the 14 weight classes, the Panthers scored 290.5 team points, easily outdistancing second place Kiski Area (187 points) and third place Latrobe (186.5 points). It was the second successive WCCA team title for Franklin Regional.

The Panthers won the two lightest weight classes with championship performances from Devin Brown (106 pounds) and Spencer Lee (113 pounds). Brown, ranked #3 in the country by Intermat, pinned Hempfield’s Vincent Distefanis midway through the first period. Lee, ranked #1 in the nation at 113 pounds, defeated Latrobe’s Ethan McCoy by a 9-5 decision.  Franklin Regional also won four straight titles in the middle weights. Tyler Smith won a battle of returning state champions with a 3-2 win over Hempfield’s Sam Krivus. This bout was much closer than the last time the two combatants met. Smith ranked #2 in the USA, defeated Krivus, ranked #3, 7-0 at the Powerade Christmas Tournament two weeks ago.  Mike Kemerer (138 pounds) won his second Westmoreland County crown, while Josh Maruca (145) and Josh Shields (152) both captured their third WCCA title for the Panthers. In all, 13 of 14 Franklin Regional wrestlers placed among the top six in their respective brackets.

Kiski Area was led by weight class winners Tyler Worthing (195) and Shane Kuhn (285), while Latrobe’s Luke Pletcher (120) and Zack Zavatsky (182) earned gold medals. Pletcher, ranked #1 in the country, also won a battle of returning state champions with a 4-2 decision over Derry’s Mickey Phillippi. Belle Vernon, the fourth place squad with 152 points, also had two champions in Austin Bell (160) and Milton Kobaly (170). Also winning titles were Valley’s Pat Dewitt (126) and Hempfield’s Fred Mantsch (220).

TEAM SCORING:

1. Franklin Regional 290.5,
2. Kiski Area 187
3. Latrobe 186.5
4. Belle Vernon 152
5. Hempfield 129.5
6. Burrell 124
7. Greensburg-Salem 106
8. Penn-Trafford 103
9. Valley 82.5
10. Southmoreland 66
11. Yough 59
12. Derry 44
13. Mt. Pleasant 36.5
14. Ligonier Valley 34
15. Norwin 30
16. Kiski School 26
17. Jeannette 19.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:

Weight: 106 pounds
5th – Brady Shaw (freshman), Greensburg Salem dec Jacob Dunlap (freshman), Belle Vernon, 1-0
3rd – Cole Lambie (sophomore), Southmoreland dec Matt Siszka (freshman), Kiski Area, 6-5
1st – Devin Brown (junior), Franklin Regional fall Vincent Distefanis (freshman), 1:03

Weight: 113 pounds
5th – Jihad Ratliff (sophomore), Valley dec Matt Dean (junior), Hempfield, 12-5
3rd – Austin Griffiths (junior), Southmoreland dec Chris Eddins (sophomore), Greensburg Salem, ride-out
1st – Spencer Lee (freshman), Franklin Regional dec Ethan McCoy (sophomore), Latrobe, 9-5

Weight: 120 pounds
5th – Brendan Hasson (senior), Belle Vernon dec Joe Blumer (freshman), Kiski Area, 5-2
3rd – Justin Patrick (senior), Kiski School maj dec Gus Solomon (freshman), Franklin Regional, 10-1
1st – Luke Pletcher (sophomore), Latrobe dec Mickey Phillippi, Derry, 4-2

Weight: 126 pounds
5th – Joel Cawoski (freshman), Greater Latrobe dec Mitchell Hartman (sophomore), Belle Vernon, 6-4
3rd – Dom Giannangeli (junior), Franklin Regional forf Anthony Marra (freshman)
1st – Pat Dewitt (senior), Valley dec Ryan Hardaway, Kiski Area, 6-4

Weight: 132 pounds
5th – Josh Ridgeway (junior), Norwin dec Vaughn Curcio (junior), Kiski Area, 1-0
3rd – Cam Coy (freshman), Penn Trafford tech fall Austin Shaw (junior), Greensburg Salem, 16-0 at 4:30
1st – Tyler Smith (senior), Franklin Regional dec Sam Krivus (junior), Hempfield, 3-2

Weight: 138 pounds
5th – GioVonne Sanders (freshman), Jeannette dec Dan Croyle (senior), Ligonier Valley, 6-5
3rd – Mike Risnear (junior), Penn Trafford dec Jason Strange (freshman), Yough, 2-0 OT
1st – Mike Kemerer (junior), Franklin Regional dec Joey Alessandro (senior), Hempfield, 6-2

Weight: 145 pounds
5th – Philip Petit (sophomore), Hempfield Fall Zach Mattucci (junior), Greensburg Salem, 0:56
3rd – Corey Falleroni (senior), Burrell dec Ethan Smith (freshman), Greater Latrobe, 10-5
1st – Josh Maruca (junior), Franklin Regional fall Jarod Verkleeren (freshman) Belle Vernon, 5:47

Weight: 152 pounds
5th – Ethan Charlesworth (junior), Mt. Pleasant dec Jake Ardellitz (senior), Kiski Area, 7-2
3rd – Jake Shaffer (sophomore), Greater Latrobe dec Derek Verkleeren (sophomore), Belle Vernon, 3-1 OT
1st – Josh Shields (junior), Franklin Regional dec Steve Edwards (senior), Burrell, 6-4

Weight: 160 pounds
5th – Derrick Beattie (senior), Burrell forf Dom Scalise (senior), Greater Latrobe
3rd – Devin Austin (junior), Penn Trafford dec Dylan Clarke (senior), Valley, 4-1
1st – Austin Bell (sophomore), Belle Vernon dec Brandon Yant (senior), Franklin Regional, 9-2

Weight: 170 pounds
5th – Justin Short (senior), Greater Latrobe dec Lucas Richardson (senior), Yough, 2-0
3rd – Nate Painter (senior), Franklin Regional dec Nick Pattock (senior), Burrell, 5-1
1st –Milton Kobaly (sophomore), Belle Vernon dec Dakota Lange (junior), 2-1

Weight: 182 pounds
5th – John Wohlin (senior), Franklin Regional dec Clay Waldron (junior), Yough, 5-2
3rd – Alex Delp (sophomore), Kiski Area dec Jack McGillick (senior), Penn Trafford, 7-2
1st – Zack Zavatsky (senior), Latrobe tech fall Zach Pasko (senior) Greensburg Salem, 18-3 at 4:29

Weight: 195 pounds
5th – Travis Schmeling (junior), Greater Latrobe dec Billy Korber (freshman), Belle Vernon, 7-1
3rd – Matt McGillick (freshman), Penn Trafford dec Jacob Pickup (sophomore), Franklin Regional, 3-1
1st – Tyler Worthing (sophomore), Kiski Area dec Marcus Davenport (senior), Valley, 10-5

Weight: 220 pounds
5th – Derick Berberick (sophomore), Greensburg Salem fall Josh Lind (sophomore), Mt. Pleasant, 3:24
3rd – Dylan Davis (junior), Greater Latrobe dec Tom Sever (junior), Yough, 3-1
1st – Fred Mantsch (junior), Hempfield dec Chad Kuhn (sophomore), Kiski Area, 6-0

Weight: 285 pounds
5th – Grant Slezak (junior), Greensburg Salem fft Hayden Rice (sophomore), Norwin
3rd – Jacob Beistel (sophomore), Southmoreland maj dec Charlie Mazon (sophomore), Franklin Regional, 8-0
1st – Shane Kuhn (senior), Kiski Area dec Al Beattie (junior), Burrell, 5-1