Plum wrestlers look forward to Allegheny County tournament

By: Michael Love
Saturday, January 14, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Last year, the Plum wrestling team took home 10 place medals and a third-place team finish from the Allegheny County tournament at Fox Chapel.

The Mustangs return to Fox Chapel on Friday with nine of those 10 medalists set to compete — Vinnie Citrano graduated — and coach Mike Supak said he’s excited to see what his team can do.

“We have a lot of kids who are wrestling really well right now and are looking forward to some big opportunities to show what they have,” Supak said shortly after Plum scored a 54-15 victory over Shaler in a Section 1-3A matchup (Jan. 11) at Plum High School.

“Allegheny County is always a great tournament at this part of the season. It is a great test for the guys to measure themselves against some really good competition. The team always seems to come together really well there. They rally around each other, and I am sure that will be the case this weekend. It is a great tradition to be a part of.”

Junior Rylen Campbell led the way at the 2022 Allegheny County event with a second-place finish. He fell to North Allegheny’s Casey Walker, 10-6, in the 106-pound finals.

Junior Antonio Walker (126) placed fourth, and junior Jack Tongel (160) was fifth, while senior Andrew Claassen (172) secured fifth.

Junior Sam Snyder (113) and senior Olandis Freeman (285) each placed seventh, while junior Charlie Cambell (138), senior Dakota Pisano (145) and senior Frank Macioce (215) garnered eighths to help Plum take third with 198.5 points behind only North Allegheny (222.5 points) and Quaker Valley (209).

The Mustangs hope for big things again at the Allegheny County Tournament while also maintaining success this season in tournament settings.

Plum placed second at both the season-opening Eastern Area Invitational at Gateway and added a runner-up finish at the annual Southmoreland Holiday Classic.

Eight Mustangs placed at Southmoreland and were led by Rylen Campbell (114) and Snyder (121) who captured titles at 114 and 121, respectively.

Two Plum wrestlers found themselves positioned in the Trib HSSN WPIAL individual top-5 rankings released Jan. 8.

Freshman Owen Campbell, 12-4 heading into this week, was No. 4 at 107, while Rylen Cambell was No. 4 at 114 in compiling a 14-1 record with seven pins, one major decision and one technical fall.

“Owen has had a pretty good year with some good tests so far,” Supak said. “He seems to be getting better every week and is really excited for counties.

“Rylen was happy with placing second at counties last year, but he really wants to bring home a title this year, and I think he is in a good position to do that.”

Plum hoped to finish off a strong Section 1-3A schedule in winning fashion Wednesday against Kiski Area.

The Mustangs entered the match with momentum and the knowledge that they owned a 41-30 victory over the Cavaliers in the third-place match at the Hampton Dawg Duals on Dec. 10.

“Even though we wrestled once already, the guys aren’t taking anything for granted,” Supak said prior to the Kiski Area match.

“Kiski and Armstrong (Jan. 25 at Plum) are two matches we have up on our white board in real big letters. We want to finish our section matches strong.”

Plum went 4-1 at the Hampton Dawg Duals with its only loss coming against Seneca Valley, 36-25.

The Mustangs upped their section record to 3-0 with its dominant victory over Shaler.

Walker, who went 48-12 in his first two varsity seasons, including a 26-8 mark last year, made a successful season debut in his return from injury.

He recorded a pin in 2:47 at 172 pounds as Plum scored points in 10 weight classes.

“When he couldn’t practice or do anything for a while he looked like he was beside himself,” Supak said.

“But now that he is back on the mat and able to compete again, he’s smiling and has a ton of energy. He’s back to being one of the first in the (practice) room and last ones out, putting in so much time and doing that extra work.”

Owen Campbell (107), sophomore Trent Reese (133), senior Dakota Pisano (152) and sophomore Julien Sepelyak (160) each recorded pins against the Titans, while Snyder (121) produced a tech fall, and Charlie Campbell (145) contributed a major decision.

The senior class, including Carl Raitano and Jay Thornton, was honored before the match with Shaler.

“I coached them from seventh grade all the way up to this year,” Supak said.

“It was a special time to honor those guys. It shows that wrestling is like a family. The seniors recognize how much they were a part of something they will remember for the rest of their lives. It was nice they could celebrate around a good win.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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