Familiar foe awaits Teasdale in Classic
Tri-State Sports & News Service
The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic annually features a handful of four-time state champs, but they are usually on the United States All-Star team.
Only nine four-time champs have wrestled for the Pennsylvania All-Star team in the 43-year history of the event. Jefferson-Morgan senior Gavin Teasdale will be the 10th.
Teasdale claimed his fourth PIAA Class 2A tournament title March 10, thus becoming the 13th wrestler to achieve the feat in the 81year history of the state tournament. The other three four-time champs reached the milestone before the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic made its debut in 1975.
“I’ve been going to The Classic since Nico wrestled,” said Teasdale, referring to Franklin Regional graduate Nico Megaludis, who was a member of the Pennsylvania All-Star team in 2011. “It’s awesome seeing all the great wrestlers. And it’s in Pittsburgh. It’s been one of my goals. It’s a great way to cap off my senior year.”
Teasdale (162-2), a Penn State recruit, will wrestle in the 126-pound bout of the feature match against Princeton recruit Patrick Glory (159-7), a two-time New Jersey state champ from Delbarton High School.
It will actually be the fourth time Teasdale and Glory meet. Teasdale beat Glory twice in the Powerade Christmas Tournament in his freshman and sophomore years, but lost to him in October at ‘Who’s No. 1’.
“I’m going to have a chance to redeem myself against Glory,” Teasdale said. “He beat me in ‘Who’s No. 1’. I want to avenge that loss. I want to end my high school career with a win.”
Teasdale is one of four WPIAL wrestlers on the Pennsylvania team. The others are Canon-McMillan’s Logan Macri, Belle Vernon’s Zach Hartman and Kiski Area’s Isaac Reid.
Macri (152-30) is a fourtime PIAA Class 3A qualifier and two-time placewinner who won the 120-pound title. He is the second member of his family to wrestle in The Classic. His brother Dalton was chosen in 2014.
“It’s been one of my dreams to wrestle in The Classic since I was a little kid,” Macri said. “Even before we moved here from West Virginia. I watched all these great wrestlers compete and thought I could be here someday. Now I’ll get my chance.”
Macri, a Tennessee-Chattanooga recruit, will face Minnesota recruit Patrick McKee (183-14), a three-time Minnesota state champ from St. Michael-Albertville High School in one of two bouts at 120.
The other bout at 120 will feature Southern Columbia’s Jaret Lane (182-9), a two-time PIAA Class 2A champ and Lehigh recruit. Lane will face North Carolina recruit Joey Melendez (136-12), a two-time Illinois state champ from Montini Catholic.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Lane said. “I’m looking forward to getting out there and wrestle one of the best kids in the country. I’ve watched The Classic online the last few years. To be picked is a real honor. I’m very excited.”
Hartman (170-25), a Bucknell recruit, is a three-time PIAA Class 3A placewinner and one-time runner-up. He competed at 160 during the postseason, but will drop to 152 for The Classic.
His opponent is the most celebrated entry of the United States team, David Carr (243-7), a five-time Ohio state champ and Iowa State recruit from Perry High School.
Reid (129-24), a Lock Haven recruit, is a two-time PIAA Class 3A finalist and one-time champ at 285 pounds. He missed the first six weeks of the season with a blood clot in his lung, but returned and won the state title.
“On Dec. 5, I thought I was having a heart attack,” Reid said. “I thought it was going to be my last day on Earth. God really blessed me. He gave me another chance.”
Reid will face undefeated Minnesota recruit Gable Steveson (171-0), a four-time Minnesota state champ from Apple Valley High School.
“Wrestling in The Classic has been a dream of mine since I started wrestling,” Reid said. “I’ve attended the last few years as a fan. Now I get a chance to be a participant.”
Carr and Steveson are among five members of the U.S. team who have won at least four state titles. The other three are Brock Hardy, Travis Whittlake Jr. and Brandon Whitman.
Hardy (185-4), a Nebraska recruit, is a four-time Utah state champ from Box Elder High School. His opponent in the 145-pound match is Ohio State recruit Sammy Sasso (180-11), a two-time PIAA Class 3A champ from Nazareth High School. The two have met several times in national freestyle tournaments.
Whittlake Jr. (196-2), an Oklahoma State recruit, is a four-time Oregon state champ from Marshfield High School. He will face North Carolina State recruit Trent Hidlay (154-14), a twotime PIAA Class 3A champ from Mifflin County. Hidlay’s brother Hayden wrestled in The Classic in 2016.
“It’s a great atmosphere,” Hidlay said. “It’s one of the premier wrestling events in this country, to be able to put the best guys in PA against the best guys from across the country. It’s great for the sport. I’m really looking forward to facing Travis Whittlake. He’s beaten me a few times in my career. I’ve got to start working hard.”
Whitman (202-3), a North Carolina recruit, is a fourtime Missouri state champ from Dundee High School. His opponent in the 195pound bout is Montoursville’s Gavin Hoffman (1769), a three-time PIAA Class 2A champ and Ohio State recruit.
The other five members of the Pennsylvania team are Reynolds’ Cole Matthews, Wyoming Seminary’s Jack Davis, Northeastern Lehigh’s Caleb Clymer, Saegertown’s Cody Mulligan and Bishop McCort’s Anthony Walters.
Matthews (177-14), a Pitt recruit, is a four-time PIAA Class 2A placewinner and two-time champ from Reynolds High School. He will face Ohio State recruit Quinn Kinner (168-6), a twotime New Jersey state champ from Kingsway High School in the 138-pound bout.
“It’s an honor to be picked,” Matthews said. “I watched my brother Austin wrestle in The Classic in 2013.”
Davis (138-24) is a twotime National Prep champion and Pitt recruit. His opponent in the 132-pound bout is Stanford recruit Real Woods (156-6), a three-time Illinois champ from Montini Catholic.
Clymer (137-25) is a threetime PIAA Class 2A placewinner who won a title at 160 this year. He will face Stanford recruit Shane Griffiths (128-13), a three-time New Jersey champ from Bergen Catholic.
Mulligan (167-19), an Edinboro recruit, is a two-time PIAA Class 2A champ, both at 182 pounds. He will face Jack Jesson (201-7), an Illinois champ and Northwestern recruit.
Walters (144-17), a Drexel recruit, is a three-time PIAA Class 2A finalist and onetime champ. His opponent in the 220-pound bout is Missouri recruit Zach Elam (20617), a three-time Missouri state champ from Staley High School.
The U.S. team has combined for 42 state titles and a 2,348-92 career record. The Pennsylvania team has combined for 23 state titles and a 2,068-223 career record.
On April 8, the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association will induct eight individuals into the Pennsylvania Wrestling