Wrestling notebook: Coaching milestones highlight season

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | 8:30 PM

This has been a season of coaching milestones.

McGuffey coach Mark Caffrey recently reached the 400-win milestone, Greensburg Salem coach Randy Parsley hit the 200-win plateau and Derry coach Mike Weinell achieved 100.

In the first weekend of the season, at the Hampton Duals, Hempfield wrestling coach Vince DeAugustine reached the 200-win mark. DeAugustine currently is 218-51.

During his 13 years as a coach, DeAugustine coached the Spartans to the 2007 WPIAL title and has coached six state champions: Jake Kemerer (2008 and '09), Sam Krivus (2014 and '15), Steve Santia (2007) and Jarod Verklereen (2017).

“I didn't get excited about the team thing, but you have to have individual success to have team success,” said DeAugustine, a two-time state champion at Hempfield. “That's why we put so much stock on the individual success.

“I'm proud that I reach that goal because it means we're doing something right.”

What really makes DeAugustine proud is how many of his wrestlers have gone on to have success on the collegiate level.

“My goal is to make them better young men, as well as them reaching their athletic goals,” DeAugustine said. “We've put a lot of kids in college and during my 13 years here the wrestlers have earned $2.3 million in scholarships. That's a challenge for me, to get these guys scholarships.”

DeAugustine has sent wrestlers to Army, Penn State, Oklahoma, Lock Haven, Duke and three to Johns Hopkins.

Approaching milestone

Ligonier Valley senior Robby Patrick looks to join an elite club this weekend at the District 6 Class AA tournament in Altoona.

If he wins the 170-pound class, he will become the 26th wrestler to win four district titles and the 13th in Class AA.

That list includes four-time state champion Mike Johnson of Lock Haven, Blairsville's Scott Thompson (2012-15) and Andrew Doak (2012-15) and Central Cambria's Max Murin (2014-17).

Wrestling legend passes

The founder of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, Gene Bowman, died Tuesday. He was well-known in the Canonsburg community. He was 88. Bowman was a three-time WPIAL champion who graduated from Canonsburg in 1947

Teasdale falls again

Jefferson-Morgan senior Gavin Teasdale was beaten for the second time this season when he fell 8-4 to Caleb Rea (36-4) of Weir (W.Va) at the Buckeye Local Panthers Classic Tournament in Rayland, Ohio. Teasdale, who is ranked No. 1 at 126 pounds, was wrestling at 132. Teasdale (27-2) lost in the finals at the Powerade Christmas Tournament earlier this season.

Milestone reached

Beth-Center junior Dominic Fundy reached the 100-win mark at the Bedford Tournament, and Kiski Area's Cam Connor reached the 100-win mark in the WPIAL finals.

Fundy has 103 wins, but a hand injury has ended his season.

Section slate

While the Class AA individual section tournaments begin this weekend, the Class AAA section doesn't get underway until Feb. 24.

The section sites are Kiski Area (Section 1), Connellsville (2), Fox Chapel (3) and Trinity (4).

The WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA Southwest Regional are March 2-3 at Canon-McMillan.

The PIAA championships are March 8-10 at Hershey's Giant Center.

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: Bentworth, Connellsville, Fox Chapel, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Jefferson-Morgan, Kiski School, Ligonier Valley, McGuffey, Trinity