WPIAL team wrestling roundup: Penn-Trafford takes down Kiski Area; Fox Chapel gets dramatic win
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Monday, January 30, 2023 | 11:02 PM
Penn-Trafford’s Jake Lang rolls Kiski Area’s Clayton Cramer on his head during the 114-pound match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Fox Chapel’s Michael Worsen (top) controls Bethel Park’s Jonah Stearman during the 114-pound match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Bethel Park’s Aiden Bench (right) takes down Fox Chapel’s Adam Haines during the 121-pound match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Kiski Area heavyweight Jack Crider picks up Penn-Trafford senior Joe Enick during their match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Penn-Trafford’s Jake Lang tries to take down Kiski Area’s Clayton Cramer during the 114-pound match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Kiski Area freshman Cooper Roscosky holds on to the leg of Penn-Trafford senior Owen Ott during their 215-pound match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Kiski Area’s Mark Gray (top) battles Penn-Trafford’s Tasso Whipple during the 172-pound match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Kiski Area freshman Cooper Roscosky grabs the legs of Penn-Trafford senior Owen Ott during their 215-pound match in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship preliminary round Monday.
Penn-Trafford stunned wrestling fans a week ago when it defeated Norwin to create a three-way tie in Section 3-3A.
The Warriors kept that momentum going Monday in the preliminary round of the WPIAL Class 3A team championships.
Penn-Trafford reversed an early season loss to Kiski Area by defeating the Cavaliers, 33-27. The victory advanced the Warriors to a first-round match at No. 2 Canon-McMillan on Wednesday.
A sudden victory by Jake Lang at 114 pounds and hard-fought wins by Dylan Clayton at 145 and Owen Ott at 215 proved to be the difference.
Lang was pinned by Noah Henry the first time the teams met Dec. 17 in Kiski Area’s 39-36 win. Henry was injured and not available Monday. Lang scored a takedown in overtime for a 6-4 win.
“That was a big win, but I felt everyone wrestled well,” Penn-Trafford coach Travis McKillop said. “It was a good team victory. Now we’re off to Canon-McMillan.”
The Warriors got pins from heavyweight Joe Enick and junior Hayden Coy (127). The Cavaliers had only one pin, which was by senior Ryan Klingensmith (133).
Kiski Area led 9-0 after Mark Gray used a takedown in overtime to edge Tasso Whipple, 8-6, at 172, and Evan Artman received a forfeit win at 189.
Penn-Trafford then won the next four bouts starting with Ott’s 6-2 victory against Cooper Roscosky at 215. Enick followed with a pin, freshman Dylan Barrett received a forfeit at 107 and Lang made it 18-9 with his decision.
Penn-Trafford never looked back.
“I don’t think there was a turning point,” McKillop said. “We wrestled straight up. I thought we looked good and were consistent and were fired up. They picked each other up when we failed.
“The big dogs won the matches that they were expected to win. I’m proud of them.”
Kiski Area’s Amari McNeil stopped the run with a victory, but Coy extended the lead with his pin.
Klingensmith countered that pin for the Cavaliers, but a forfeit to Nate Hernandez at 139 and Clayton’s win sealed it for the Warriors.
“They won some of the tight matches,” Kiski Area coach Chris Heater said. “If the overtime match goes our way, it might have changed the final score.
“Not having Noah took a guy out. We had a pin there the last time. But Penn-Trafford has a good program, and they have a lot of tough kids. They wrestle you hard. We knew it would come down to the wrestled matches.”
Fox Chapel 34, Bethel Park 28 — Sometimes in a crucial situation, you have to dig deep.
That’s what Fox Chapel’s Adrian Valdez did Monday night in a WPIAL Class 3A preliminary round match against Bethel Park.
With the score of the match deadlocked 28-28, Valdez trailed Bethel Park’s Dheyaa Danyan, 7-2, after the first period of the final bout. He was nearly pinned, but in the second period, he took Danyan down and pinned him to send the Foxes to the first round against No. 1 Waynesburg.
“That’s how he wrestles,” Fox Chapel coach Michael Franks said. “He was trying to give me a heart attack. But he got the job done.”
Fox Chapel, which trailed 28-22 with two matches left, got a pin from Alexander Kaufmann to tie the score. Michael Worsen (114) and heavyweight D’Angelo Hamilton also recorded pins for Fox Chapel.
Bethel Park got pins from Aiden Stout (133), Ethan Higgins (145) and Landon Hartman (215).
Jefferson-Morgan 55, Valley 15 – Ronin Kramer (121), Deakyn Dehoet (139), Grant Hathaway (145), Levi Heath (215) and Landon Heath (285) had pins to lead Jefferson-Morgan (8-2) to a Class 2A preliminary round win. Connor Pinchok (114) and Chase Frameli (160) also won for the Rockets. Brendon Knuckles (127) and Jeremy Hughley (172) recorded pins and Kyren Veasley won by decision for Valley (11-6). Jefferson-Morgan will meet Quaker Valley in the first round Wednesday.
Southmoreland 45, Carlynton 24 – Faryn DeWitt (114), Kashton Bish (139), Gabe Kubasky (145), Tristan Ice (189) and Mason Neiderhiser (285) recorded pins and Shawn Hollis (160) won by decision to lead Southmoreland (8-4) past Carlynton (7-3) in a Class 2A preliminary round match. Chase Brandebura (172) won by pin, Dominic Ciabattoni (127) by tech fall, Ashton Donlin (133) by major decision and Braiden Sudor (215) by decision for the Cougars. The Scotties will meet Burgettstown in the first round Wednesday.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Kiski Area, Penn-Trafford
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