Penn-Trafford’s Coy relishes Westmoreland County title

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 18, 2019 | 7:42 PM

Injuries delayed Nick Coy’s chances of winning a Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association wrestling title as a sophomore and junior.

The Penn-Trafford senior wasn’t denied this season, but it didn’t come without some anxious moments.

Coy scored an escape in the second period of the 145-pound final Jan. 5 and defeated Kiski Area freshman Enzo Morlacci, 1-0, to claim the WCCA title.

He defeated Morlacci, 6-4, in sudden victory in a dual meet Dec. 19.

“He’s a stud freshman, and he has a bright future,” Coy said about Morlacci. “Last year, I was wrestling Colt (Camacho) and we each took a shot and I jammed my neck.

“I came here hungry because I had never won a county title. I wanted to win because it was my last shot.”

Nick Coy joins his brother Cam on the long list of brothers who have won county titles.

“It’s nice to get that under my belt,” Nick Coy said. “Being in the finals twice before, I guess I learned to handle pressure better.”

Penn-Trafford coach Rich Ginther said he felt Coy wrestled cautiously.

“He needed to open up,” Ginther said. “I thought the team showed some fight. I’m happy we placed four, but we did drop a couple close matches.”

John Bachar placed second at 170 pounds, losing to Kiski Area junior Nick Delp, 4-0.

The other placewinners were Ryan Auel (113), who took fifth after defeating Valley’s Travis Lasko; and Troy Hohman (106), who was sixth after losing to Norwin’s Connor Henning.

Penn-Trafford finished 10th with 78.5 points. Tony Zona (160) and Peyton Kelly (220) each went 2-2 and missed placing in the top six.

“I would have liked to see us do a little better,” Ginther said. “This was a good test to show the wrestlers where they stood against the other wrestlers in Section 1. Now they know what they have to do to achieve their goals.”

One wrestler who would likely have placed in the tournament would have been Ginther’s son, Brett, who was out with an injury to his pinky finger on his right hand.

“I hope to be back for the individual stuff,” Brett Ginther said.

Penn-Trafford (2-3) fell short of qualifying for the WPIAL postseason tournament. The top three teams in Class AAA, Section 1A are Kiski Area, Norwin and Franklin Regional.

The Warriors are off until Feb. 2 when they will host the third annual Warrior Winter Classic.

The 10-team round-robin tournament includes Albert Gallatin, Belle Vernon, Ringgold, Mt. Pleasant, Gateway, Plum, Avella, Riverview and Allderdice.

That will help the team prepare for the WPIAL and PIAA individual tournaments in late February.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Penn-Trafford