TJ stuns Connellsville for 30-29 victory

Penalty point puts Falcons in a hole

Thomas Jefferson’s wrestling program might have recorded a first Wednesday in its match at Connellsville. The Jaguars defeated the Falcons, 30-29, to finish first in Class 3A Section 2A, and a penalty point for unsportsmanlike conduct called on the Falcons after the 145-pound bout was the deciding point.

“I can’t remember the last time Thomas Jefferson beat Connellsville,” Jaguars coach Michael Ladick admitted. “In fact, it may be the first time we’ve ever beat them. It’s a big step for our program.”

Dom Serpiglia (285), Brendan Finnerty (145) recorded pins for Thomas Jefferson (5-0), ranked No. 8 in WPIAL Class 3A. Mason Prinkey (113) had a pin for Connellsville (4-1).

It was Finnerty’s match that led to the decisive penalty.

Other Class 3A

• No. 7 Waynesburg (4-0) claimed first place in Section 4B with a 50-24 home win against No. 10 Trinity. Cole Homet (119), Trey Howard (145), Spencer Lesinski (220) and Ryan Howard (285) had pins for the Raiders.

• North Allegheny (5-0) won a battle of Section 3B unbeatens with a 39-31 victory against visiting Hampton (4-1). Dylan Coy (106), Max Stedeford (138) and Jon Hoover (170) recorded pins for North Allegheny.

• No. 4 Canon-McMillan (4-0) earned the top spot in Section 4A with a 56-15 road victory against South Fayette (3-1). The Big Macs recorded eight pins and a technical fall.

• Mt. Lebanon (5-0) broke the tie for first place in Section 2B with a 36-33 win against No. 9 Peters Township (4-1). Pins by Regis Wintermantel (220) and Nathan Hoaglund (285) clinched the victory for Mt. Lebanon. Mike Kail (138) also had a pin for the Blue Devils.

• No. 2 Hempfield (5-0) earned the top spot in Section 1B with a 39-21 victory against Greensburg Salem (4-1).

Class 2A

• No. 9 Beth-Center (4-0) claimed first in Section 1B with a 34-33 road victory against No. 4 McGuffey (31). The match ended in a 3333 tie, but the Bulldogs were awarded the victory by criteria 3, the most pins, defaults and forfeits.

• No. 1 Burrell (4-0) broke the tie for first in Section 3A with a 57-19 win against No. 10 Valley

The top three finishers in each subsection advance to the WPIAL section tournaments, which will be held Jan. 23.