Mt. Pleasant’s Pitzer, Derry’s DeLuca claim regional wrestling titles

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, February 23, 2019 | 10:04 PM

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Wrestlers who give up a five-point move early in a championship match usually don’t recover.

Someone forgot to give Mt. Pleasant freshman Dayton Pitzer the memo.

Pitzer rebounded from the first-period toss by Ellwood City junior Austin Walley to capture the PIAA Class AA 182-pound Southwest Regional title 9-6 on Saturday at IUP’s Kovalchick Complex.

Pitzer (39-1) was one of eight WPIAL wrestlers to win titles. All eight were first-time champions. The WPIAL is sending 31 wrestlers to the PIAA championships March 7-9 in Hershey.

After Walley (33-3) hit Pitzer with the throw, the freshman regained his composure and went to work.

“I knew there was plenty of time on the clock. I just had to escape before the end of the period,” Pitzer said. “I knew I had to continue to work. I just had to continue to wrestle until the match was over.

“I knew it would be tough to come back and that I had to work for it. But I knew I could. I was confident that I trained right.”

Pitzer continued his comeback in the second period with a takedown after Walley decided to start on his feet. In the third period, he completed his comeback.

He got an escape off the bottom and then a takedown to grab a 6-5 lead. He put the match away by turning Walley to his back for a three-point nearfall.

“I knew he was going to get tired if I pushed the pace,” Pitzer said. “I was prepared for that. At states I know I could fall behind, but I also know I can come back.”

Earlier in the day, Pitzer pinned Freedom senior Bryson Miller, a two-time WPIAL champion at 195.

Derry senior Dom DeLuca (36-1, 152-24) defeated Chestnut Ridge junior Duane Knisely, 3-2. DeLuca led 3-0 late in the second period and got sloppy on a takedown attempt, which allowed Knisely to secure his own takedown to cut the lead to 3-2.

But Knisely, who choose bottom in the third period, never could escape DeLuca’s ride to secure the win. DeLuca placed second in the regional in 2017 and ’18.

“It feels good to get this one,” DeLuca said. “I need to get on my feet. My opponents are balling up, and I need to work around it and get better.”

DeLuca had a tough match in the semifinals, defeating Central Cambria senior John Croft, 3-0.

Even though the Class AA wrestlers have a week off, DeLuca said it’s back to the room Monday to work on things.

“I have to get better,” DeLuca said. “I have to get a lot better because states aren’t going to get any easier.”

DeLuca’s teammate, sophomore Ty Cymmerman (37-6) lost in the finals for the second consecutive season, dropping a 6-4 decision to Glendale sophomore Brock McMillen, the 2018 state runner-up at 113.

Cymmerman lost to St. Joseph Catholic Academy’s Zach Witmer, 9-5, in the 2018 120-pound final.

“I want to turn the things I didn’t do well here this weekend and fix them for states,” Cymmerman said. “I thought I could beat him, but I didn’t score early enough.”

Derry coach Mike Weinell said if Cymmerman wrestled the first period like he finished, he could have won the match.

He’s eager to get back in the wrestling room with both wrestlers and fix some things to give them a chance to be state champions.

Mt. Pleasant has two other freshmen joining Pitzer in Hershey: Luke Geibig (32-12) finished fifth at 106 pounds, and Noah Teeter (35-11) placed third at 120.

Burrell, which is sending three to states, had one champion: sophomore Ian Oswalt at 120.

The other champions were South Park sophomore Joey Fischer at 106, Elizabeth Forward junior Ryan Michaels at 113, Hopewell senior Jacob Ealy at 138, Freedom sophomore Trent Schultheis at 152 and Frazier junior Thayne Lawrence at 160.

Tags: Derry Area