Burrell tops South Fayette to claim 15th straight section title

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 25, 2018 | 12:20 AM

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Danny McCarthy can count his number of wrestling matches this season on one hand, the result of an ankle injury that kept him off the mat.

But given an opportunity to come through in crunch time, McCarthy came through.

McCarthy’s overtime victory over South Fayette’s Dalton Hirt at 152 pounds helped Class AA No. 1 Burrell win the Section 3 team tournament 43-22 for their 15th consecutive section title.

“It feels good to be back,” McCarthy said. “It feels very good. When you miss a lot of matches, you want to get on the mat, you want to keep wrestling. It feels good to get my name called again.”

McCarthy said he needs to wrestle better than he did as he continues to work his way back.

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That gave Burrell (7-5) a 28-22 lead with three bouts remaining, and Corey Christie and Shaun Gates followed with pins that clinched the title.

“(There were) good matches all around, top to bottom,” Burrell coach Josh Shields said. “Good effort. I thought we started out a little slow, but we really kicked it in during the meat of our lineup. That’s what it takes.”

Burrell extended its overall section winning streak to 103 matches, putting it among death and taxes in reliability.

“It’s amazing,” McCarthy said. “Burrell’s never been better. We’re getting stronger every year, work harder every day. It’s just great.”

No. 5 South Fayette (10-6) took a 15-0 lead through three weight classes thanks to a decision by Mark Kurchena and pins by Jake Walker and Quentin Franklin. But then the match turned over to the lighter weight classes, Burrell’s strength, and the Bucs won nine of the final 11 bouts.

Trent Valovchik (106 pounds), Colby Christie (113), Bryan Gaul (126), Corey Christie (160) and Gates recorded pins. Ian Oswalt (120) won by major decision, and A.J. Corrado (138), McCarthy and Austin Mele (182) had decisions.

“Getting bonus points down low and working our way up, that’s what it comes down to, man,” Shields said. “In the postseason, you count on your guns. We had our guns, they had their guns. Let’s go to battle and see who comes out on top. They stepped up today, and each match is going to get tougher and tougher.”

The win set Burrell up for the WPIAL team playoffs next week; the Bucs are seeking their 12th straight title.

“This team is really good, and we have the potential to accomplish a lot,” Corrado said.

South Fayette and Burrell wrestled at the Brookville Duals last weekend, with the Bucs rolling to a 57-15 victory in a match where both teams rested some starters.

“I thought we closed the gap on them,” South Fayette coach Rick Chaussart said. “They’ve got a lot of horses, and we needed to save on bonus points. We definitely did not do that.”

Burrell defeated Quaker Valley, 75-3, in the semifinals. Corrado upset John Rocco Kazalas, the top-ranked 132-pounder in PA Power Wrestling’s state rankings, and Mason Slahtovsky and Jason Templer got pins.

Valley finished third, bouncing back from a semifinal loss to South Fayette to beat Quaker Valley, 39-35, in the consolation match.

“It feels pretty good,” said Noah Hutcherson, whose decision at 170 pounds clinched the win over QV. “We could all wrestle better. … We’re just going to go out there and wrestle our best (in the playoffs).”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Burrell, Quaker Valley, South Fayette, Valley