Kiski Area’s heavyweight out with injury
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Kiski Area senior Isaac Reid has been sidelined by a medical issue and coach Chris Heater is not sure when or if his star heavyweight will return.
“Isaac is dealing with a medical issue,” said Heater of Reid, a three-year starter who placed second at 285pounds in the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A tournaments last year. “There’s no timetable on his return. We’re hoping to have him back for the postseason tournaments. He just needs to work on getting healthy.”
Reid, who accumulated 106 wins over the past three years, entered his senior year as the favorite to win WPIAL and PIAA titles. He was also the favorite at the Powerade Christmas Tournament, after finishing second last year.
Junior Zack Insko has the unenviable task of replacing Reid.
“Zack has been Isaac’s backup,” Heater said. “He has a chance to step up and take advantage of the situation.”
Kiski Area is ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 3A by the Post-Gazette. Canon-McMillan is No. 2. The two face off in a non-league showdown Friday night at CanonMcMillan. The varsity match begins at 7 p.m.
“We’re really looking forward to the Canon-McMillan match,” Heater said. “It will show us whether we are worthy of the No. 1 spot in the rankings.”
Beast of the East
West Mifflin attended the Beast of the East tournament for the first time in school historylast weekend. The Titans were among 120 schools represented at the tournament, which is considered the top regular-season tournament inthe country.
Titans coach Tony Salopek wanted to see how his top grappler — Gerald Brown — would fare against competition from across the country. Brown is a fouryear starter at 285 pounds who placed fourth in the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments in Class 3A last season.
“Gerald was seeded No. 2, but got off to a bad start,” Salopek said. “An unseeded kid beat him in the first round. It was a big shock, but Gerald didn’t let it get him down. He won eight straight matches in the consolation bracket to place third. He even avenged his only loss by pinning that kid in the consolation semifinals.”
With Reid possibly out of the picture, Brown becomes the top heavyweight in the WPIALand PIAA.
“Placing fourth at Hershey showed Gerald that winning a PIAA title is within his reach,” Salopek said. “It’s been his goal since our drive back from Hershey in March.”
Waynesburg had four placewinners at the Beast of the East tournament. Jackson Henson (138) and Kyle Homet (170) placed fourth, Trey Howard (152) was seventh and Caleb Morris (132) was eighth.
Laurel Highlands senior Ian Edenfield placed fifth at 220.
Powerade
Seneca Valley senior Louis Newell and North Hills sophomore Sam Hillegas will be wrestling in the Powerade Christmas Tournament Jan. 29-30 at CanonMcMillan High School, but not in the same weight class.
Hillegas won WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A titles at 113 last year as a freshman. Newell was his opponent in both title matches.
Newell began the season at 126 pounds, but is moving down to 120 for the Powerade Christmas Tournament.
“Our plan was to have Louis drop after Christmas when we get the 2-pound weight allowance,” Seneca Valley coach Kevin Wildrick said. “He’s in great shape. He’s also played soccer the past three years, so he’s well conditioned year round.”
Newell completed his stay at 126 with an impressive performance at the King of the Mountain tournament. Newell claimed his second title by dominating his weight class. He was one of seven Raiders who placed in the 32team tournament.
“We finished fourth in the team standings, 3.5 points out of third place,” Wildrick said. “I’m very impressed with our performance.”
Hillegas has yet to wrestle due to an ear infection.
“Sam got hit during our second scrimmage and his ear hasn’t healed as quickly as we had hoped,” North Hills coach Jose Martinez. “We’re hoping to have him back for the Powerade tournament.”
Hillegas, a Powerade tournament champion last year at 113, will begin the season at 126. Claiming a second title will be much harder as Jefferson-Morgan senior Gavin Teasdale, a three-time Powerade, WPIAL, and PIAA tournament champion, is the favorite at 126.
“His weight is good. His conditioning is great,” said Martinez of Hillegas. “I think he will be ready, but I don’t want to take a chance if it’s not totally healed. I don’t want to rush him back.”
Chartiers Valley
Chartiers Valley will be spending the holidays in Florida. The Colts are entered in a KSA tournament, which is being held in Orlando at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Arena.
“We’re leaving the day after Christmas,” Chartiers Valley coach Bill Evans said. “We will practice on the 27th, then wrestle on the 28th and 29th. There are 40-50 teams from all over the country. We will each wrestle seven or eight dual meets. Then we have a couple days to spend at Disney’s parks.”
Evans, his squad of 15, and a group of parents, will return on New Year’s Day.
“We’ll be on a bus riding home when New Years hits,” Evans said. “It should be a lot of fun. The kids will get to face a lot of different competition over the two days. It should be a good bonding experience for the boys.”
Final finish
Area wrestling fans will have a rare chance to see the finals of all three major holiday tournaments. The Steve DeAugustino Holiday Tournament at West Mifflin begins Dec. 27 and concludes Dec. 28. The Southmoreland Holiday Tournament begins Dec. 28 and concludes Dec. 29. The Powerade Christmas Tournament begins Dec. 29 and finishes up Dec. 30.