Burrell shuts out Greensburg Salem en route to section title

By: Dave Mackall
Wednesday, January 24, 2024 | 10:12 PM

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Never mind the score. That was expected. So, too, for Burrell, was securing its 20th consecutive WPIAL section championship in wrestling.

It was, in fact, a mere formality Wednesday night at Greensburg Salem.

No. 2 Burrell needed just 25 minutes to complete a 72-0 rout of the outmanned Golden Lions in a WPIAL regular-season finale, the Buccaneers’ fourth shutout in six Section 6-2A matches.

“It’s just the first step in the journey,” said Burrell coach Josh Shields, the former Bucs standout who is in his 10th season coaching at his alma mater.

“Every year is a different team. Every team has its own identity. You start the season out, and the goal is to win a section title, win a WPIAL title and win a state title. That’s always the goal. We won a section title here tonight, and it puts us in a good position for the WPIAL postseason.”

WPIAL Class 3A and 2A tournaments will commence Monday, leading to the finals Feb. 3. PIAA championships are Feb. 8-10 in Hershey.

Burrell (10-2, 6-0), which won its 23rd section title in the past 24 years, registered a first-period pin against Greensburg Salem (2-9, 1-5) in seven of the eight contested weight classes, with the remaining bout ending with a third-period pin.

“That’s pretty much the plan,” Shields said. “We’re a really balanced team, real solid, as evidenced by our shutouts. All these teams have good guys, so for us to shut out four of six matches in the section shows the strength of this team.”

Burrell got pins from Carter Thomas (121 pounds), Luca Rosa (127), Calio Zanella (139), Cooper Hornack (145), Ben Catullo (152), Patrick Nee (160), Nico Zanella (172) and Luke Boylan (215).

The Bucs also registered four forfeit victories.

“They’re very good. They’re a great team,” Greensburg Salem coach Randy Parsley said. “I look for them to do well in states. I don’t know for sure what’s out east, but I know they’re the best here in the west.”

Only top-ranked Burgettstown is ahead of Burrell in the WPIAL Class 2A rankings after defeating the Bucs a year ago in the WPIAL championship match.

“They have some guys banged up,” Parsley said of the Bucs. “When they get everybody healthy, they’re going to be hard to get. It’s amazing because they only have two seniors. It’s their whole program, from top to bottom.

“Right now, their middle school program is a little lean, but he has all those (eight) freshmen on the high school team. That makes your middle school lean because you’re taking your best kids and letting them wrestle in high school. And then, they keep getting better. By the time they get to their junior and senior years, they’re state-caliber themselves.”

Shields, who fell just short of a PIAA championship during his senior season at Burrell, is hoping his current group can produce another champ or two and accomplish something he wasn’t able to do.

“Losing in the final really motivated me going into college,” said Shields, who will be inducted into the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame next summer in Jacksonville, Fla. “It taught me not to take any shortcuts and do everything right on and off the mat.”

Shields won an NCAA championship at 165 pounds as a sophomore at Mercyhurst in 2008-09.

Burrell has produced five PIAA champions under his direction, the most recent being Hornack, who won the 127-pound title a year ago as a junior.

With their regular-season dual meet schedule complete, the Bucs turn their attention to one final event before the WPIAL Class 2A tournament begins, heading to Bedford on Friday and Saturday for the Thomas Automotive Tournament.

“It’s one of the better teams we’ve had,” Shields said. “We really don’t have any holes in our lineup.”

Tags: Burrell, Greensburg Salem