Carlynton, Chartiers Valley wrestlers focus on individual goals

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 16, 2017 | 2:18 AM

The Carlynton and Chartiers Valley wrestling teams head into the new season focusing more on individual goals than team goals.

The Cougars are short on numbers — coach Jesse Valentine expects to have only eight or nine on his roster — so they will be at a disadvantage in dual meets. Chartiers Valley coach Bill Evans, meanwhile, continues to try to build his program to compete in a section with the likes of Canon-McMillan, Waynesburg and Trinity.

The Colts got off to a good start at the Chartiers-Houston tournament. Senior Shamil Zaynullaev, a WPIAL Class AAA semifinalist at 220 pounds last season, placed second at 195. Junior Zach Macy, also a WPIAL qualifier last season, was the runner-up at 138.

Junior Tony Montgomery was fifth at 113.

Evans is expecting that trio to excel this season. Zaynullaev, Evans said, likely will remain at 195, and Macy could drop to 132.

“(Zaynullaev) got a lot stronger and leaner,” Evans said. “(Macy) did a lot of weight training and looks fantastic. He put on a lot of muscle over the summer.”

Romi Chaouk returns to the program after taking a year off. A former junior high state medalist, he will fill the 182-pound slot.

Evans also is hoping for strong showings from seniors Jake Kelly (heavyweight), Alex Conn (120) and Alec Paree (145). He also is high on junior Tommy Chilelli.

“He's a tough kid,” Evans said. “I like him a lot. I think he has a bright future.”

One wild card for the Colts is Colton Bateman. Bateman is battling an injury, and Evans is hopeful of having him back by January.

But even if Bateman can't return, Evans is enthusiastic about his collection of wrestlers.

“We have some nice, veteran talent,” he said. “A couple guys are out with injuries, and that hurts us. But it's a good solid group of juniors and seniors. It's a very mature group, and they like to compete.”

Carlynton, which co-ops with Bishop Canevin, lost its big gun to graduation. Last season, Logan Witwicki won the WPIAL Class AA title at 152.

But the Cougars return a pair of WPIAL qualifiers: sophomore Eddie Huehn and junior Elias Ward. Huehn placed fifth in the WPIAL at 106, and Ward qualified at 113 pounds.

Huehn will wrestle at 120 or 113 this season, and Ward likely will be at 106.

“(Huehn) did a lot of offseason stuff. He got a lot stronger,” Valentine said. “He did a lot of camps, and I'm looking forward to coaching him this season.

“(Ward) grew a lot. Last year, he was a little undersized for 113. He's working a lot harder in the room, so that's a positive.”

Valentine said he is eager to see how senior Lou Worrall (195) and freshman Oleg Melnyk will perform. Worrall, along with first-year heavyweight Owen Leaning, are the Bishop Canevin athletes on the roster. He is a bit of a project, having not taken up wrestling until ninth grade, but Valentine said he has improved dramatically.

Melnyk, meanwhile, is someone Valentine believes will be a force down the road.

“He might take his lumps this year, but he shows a lot of promise,” Valentine said.

Being able to hang with the competition in dual meets probably is a long shot, but Valentine is confident, like last season, he can get multiple athletes to the WPIAL tournament.

“I'm just trying to get these kids ready to go,” he said. “The numbers game just isn't working for us right now. But I'm happy with the team I have. Even the first-year guys are picking it up really fast.”

Chuck Curti is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.

Tags: Carlynton, Chartiers Valley