Burrell wrestling cruises to 18th straight section title

By: George Guido
Monday, February 8, 2021 | 10:30 PM

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In this pandemic era when “new normal” has become a catch phrase, there is still one old normal: Burrell wrestling.

The Bucs won their 18th consecutive section title Monday night with a 49-18 victory over Mt. Pleasant (10-6) at Valley High School.

Burrell (10-1) won all but one of the contested matches, with the Vikings getting two wins on forfeits. The Bucs are Trib HSSN’s No. 1 Class AA team, and Mt. Pleasant is No. 3.

The last time Burrell lost a section title was to Mt. Pleasant in 2003.

“They’re a pretty tough team. Mt. Pleasant did very well at the (Westmoreland) county tournament,” Burrell coach Josh Shields said. “We figured they were going to come in with some confidence, and they did. But we did a really great job in the lower weight classes to put the match out of reach early.”

Senior Ian Oswalt, three-time WPIAL champion, returned to the mat after a two-week absence and won a 9-0 major decision over Conor Johnson.

Said Oswalt: “It felt good, to get out there for my team, but it’s really not how I wanted to perform. I needed that little burn in my lungs. But you stay away from wrestling for two weeks, and you’re out of condition.”

Oswalt is ranked No. 1 at 138 pounds, but he wrestled Monday at 145.

It didn’t take long for Burrell to get on the scoreboard as Cooper Hornack pinned Joseph Longhi 38 seconds into the bout at 106.

Following Sean Cain’s forfeit win at 113, Burrell reeled off nine straight victories, including Shawn Szymanski’s injury default over Brady Poole at 126. Poole suffered a neck injury and is scheduled be examined Tuesday.

Dayton Pitzer, one of the WPIAL’s top wrestlers, recorded a pin in 26 seconds in the 215-pound match, and Ian Fasano won by forfeit at 285 to conclude the evening. Pitzer is ranked at the top in Class AA at 215.

“I knew going into this what they have,” said Mt. Pleasant coach Zach Snyder. “They have a stud lineup. They’re a perennial powerhouse for a reason. I had no intention of bursting on the scene and bring my guys here to dethrone them.”

The twin victories gave Shields 102 dual match wins for his career. He reached the 100 mark Friday against Thomas Jefferson.

“That’s sweet, but I really don’t keep track of my personal record,” Shields said. “It’s all about what the team accomplishes. I’m just lucky enough to coach these guys.”

Vikings Lucas Shaulis (138) and Jackson Hutter (160) were keeping things close. But Aaron Edwards eventually pinned Shaulis, and Damien Barr did the same to Hutter.

“Every match that I thought we needed to win, they won,” Snyder said. “Guys were in the matches against quality guys.”

Now, Burrell will set its sights on sustaining another streak as it seeks its 15th straight WPIAL team title later this week. The brackets are slated to be unveiled Tuesday.

Mt. Pleasant 73, Valley 0 — The host Vikings only had two wrestlers as Mt. Pleasant’s Vikings won a number of semifinal forfeits. A highlight was a close battle at 132, where freshman Jamison Poklembo used a late takedown and held on to defeat Valley’s Dion Lyons.

Burrell 51, Derry Area 12 — Connor Hornack, Aaron Edwards and A.J. Corrado won by pins as the Bucs cruised to the semifinal victory. Ty Cymmerman and Nick Reeping recorded decisions for the Trojans (5-8).

Tags: Burrell, Derry Area, Mt. Pleasant, Valley