North Allegheny wrestlers building foundation at individual tournaments

By: Josh Rizzo
Thursday, January 16, 2020 | 7:26 PM

The North Allegheny wrestling team has taken full advantage of having more wrestlers at individual tournaments during the season.

By bringing 18 or 19 wrestlers to various events, the Tigers have been laying the foundation for building a deep roster. Winning the Mid-Winter Mayhem event Jan. 11 at IUP helped bolster the foundation for North Allegheny.

The Tigers had three individual champions — Nick Gorman (106 pounds), Dylan Coy (120) and Max Stedford (138) — and won the event by 73 points, with Forest Hills placing second.

North Allegheny (5-0) rode the momentum into a 51-25 win over Hampton to clinch the Section 3B title.

“It’s something we’ve done the past couple years,” Tigers assistant coach Dan Heckert said. “We like the tournament setting, especially with the changes in the rules. You can bring extra guys. We brought 19 guys to the Panther Holiday Classic and will have 18 at counties.”

Gorman impressed at the Mid-Winter Mayhem Tournament, pinning Penn-Trafford’s Troy Hohman in 1 minute, 33 seconds in the championship bout.

“He was a kid who qualified for junior high states, but didn’t place,” Heckert said. “He’s been growing through the season and getting better. He had a great match in the finals at Mid-Winter Mayhem. He’s growing and showing some definite spark for the team.”

Grant MacKay (152), Nic Marcenelle (195) and Ben Grafton (285) all placed second for North Allegheny at Mid-Winter Mayhem.

Heckert hopes that all of these wrestlers will use all of these experiences to help North Allegheny march on in the team playoffs.

The Tigers have developed necessary depth to help out in key weight classes.

“We’re still trying to figure that out,” Heckert said. “We’ll get a good gauge of where we are (vs. Hampton) and next Wednesday. Based on our schedule, we haven’t wrestled many dual meets. It’s time for them to step up and see where we’re at. We’ve wrestled well, but we’re not satisfied. There’s room for improvement with every wrestler.”

Tags: North Allegheny