Quaker Valley’s Kazalas, West Mifflin’s Brown make quick work of foes at Allegheny County tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, January 20, 2018 | 9:35 AM

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John Rocco Kazalas and Gerald Brown are ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL in their weight classes by the Tribune-Review.

They also are highly ranked in the state.

Kazalas, a junior from Quaker Valley, is ranked No. 1 at 132 pounds in Class AA by PaPowerWrestling.com, and Brown, a senior from West Mifflin, is ranked No. 2 in the state in Class AAA at heavyweight behind Kiski Area's Isaac Reid, who recently returned to wrestling after recovering from a blood clot.

Both showed why they are highly ranked during Day 1 of the 17th annual Allegheny County Wrestling Tournament at Fox Chapel. Action resumes at 11 a.m. Saturday with the semifinals. The finals are slated for 6 p.m.

Both breezed to victories, and they weren't alone.

The officials assigned to the tournament had a busy day slapping the mat. There were 343 matches during the less than four-hour session, and 246 resulted in pins.

Kazalas had three pins in 5 minutes, 36 seconds, the quickest being 32 seconds; Brown had two falls in 1:52. He had an 18-second pin of Shaler's Jeff Bonnette in the quarterfinals.

“My coach told me to go out and get the job done quickly to conserve energy,” Kazalas said. “So that's what I did, went out and had fun.”

Kazalas placed sixth at the state championships at 126 pounds last season. He placed third at WPIALs and PIAA Southwest Regionals. He lost in the finals of the 2017 ACWT, falling to Penn Hills junior Justin Perkins.

Perkins was scheduled to defend his title, but he pulled out of the tournament at the last minute. Kazalas (18-1) did avenge that loss to Perkins at the West Mifflin tournament in December, winning 3-2. Kazalas' only loss this season was to Hempfield freshman Ty Linsenbigler, 9-0, at 138 pounds.

“Losing here last year gives me motivation,” Kazalas said. “It left a sour taste in my mouth. I know if I want to achieve my goals I have to be more aggressive and set the pace. I can't let my opponents slow me down.”

Kazalas will face Montour's Nick Reconnu in the semifinals. Thomas Jefferson sophomore Brendan Finnerty will face Shaler senior Garrett Reinsfelder in the 132-pound semifinal.

Brown's road block last season — Montour's Roman Macek — has graduated.

“Yeah, he beat me a year ago in the semifinals, at the WPIALs and at the states,” Brown said. “I learned I have to be more patient and can't rush into things.”

He got done quickly on Friday.

Brown (22-1) has already won at the West Mifflin and Indiana's Bo Wood tournaments. He placed third at the prestigious Beast of the East tournament and won the award for most pins in the least amount of time.

“That was a confidence-builder for sure,” Brown said of the Beast of the East tournament. “There were a lot of great wrestlers there. This tournament will benefit me. There are good heavyweights here.”

Brown will face Penn Hills' Deshawn Butler in the semifinals. North Allegheny's Derek Devine and Mt. Lebanon's Nathan Hoaglund are the other semifinalists at heavyweight.

Only one No. 1 seed lost during Day 1. That was South Park freshman Joey Fischer (17-2) who got caught in a cradle and was pinned by North Allegheny freshman Max Stedeford in Round 1 at 106 pounds.

There was one No. 2 seed who lost. Quaker Valley senior Keegan Forsythe (15-4) fell to Baldwin junior Connor Sidoruk, 7-5, in sudden victory at 170.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Quaker Valley, West Mifflin