WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
Tri-State Sports & News Service
The Powerade Christmas Tournament features nine wrestlers who have won a previous title. At least two of them will have to settle for something less at this year’s showcase.
The prestigious 54-team tournament, which includes teams from Pennsylvania and seven other states, begins Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. at Canon-McMillan High School.Two weight classes feature a pair of returning champions.
Norwin’s Kurtis Phipps is a two-time Powerade Tournament champion, threetime WPIAL champ, and two-time PIAA runner-up, but is seeded No. 2 in the 126pound weight class. Phipps won his first Powerade Tournament title at 106 pounds became the first eighth-grader to win a Powerade Tournament title, when he claimed the 113-pound crown in 2017 while competing for Lake Highlands Prep in Florida. Bouzakis is now at Wyoming Seminary in eastern Pa., after winning three Florida state titles.
“It’s a big boost for the tournament to have Wyoming Seminary back again,” Norwin coach Vince DeAugustine said. “We want to be tested by the best teams and Wyoming Seminary might be the best team in the country. It will be a good test for Kurtis and our team.”
Wyoming Seminary made its first appearance at the Powerade Tournament in 2017 and won the team title by 70 points. The Blue Knights are a heavy favorite to
win again this year after claiming a title at Walsh Jesuit’s Ironman Tournament two weeks ago.
The other weight class that features two returning champs is 138. North Hills’ Sam Hillegas is the top seed and Wyoming Seminary’s Beau Bartlett is the No. 2 seed.
Hillegas is a two-time Powerade Tournament champ, three-time WPIAL champ, and two-time PIAA champ. Hillegas won his first Powerade Tournament title at 113 pounds in 2016, placed third at 126 in 2017, and won at 132 last year. Hillegas suffered his first career loss in the 2017 Powerade semifinals, 2-0, to Bartlett, who then handed Jefferson-Morgan’s Gavin Teasdale his first loss in the title match.
Seneca Valley’s Alejandro Herrera-Rondon is also a returning champ and top seed. Herrera-Rondon, a two-time PIAA champ, has moved to 132 after winning a Powerade Tournament title at 113 last year.
“Alejandro has added incentive this weekend,” Seneca Valley coach Kevin Wildrick said. “Wyoming Seminary’s Drew Munch is the No. 3 seed. Munch won the 132-pound title at the Ironman Tournament two weeks ago. Alejandro would have faced him in the title match if it wasn’t for a controversial call in the semifinals.”
Braxton Amos of West Virginia’s Parksburg South is also a two-time Powerade Tournament champ. He’s won a pair of titles at 220 and returns at the same weight.
The other three returning champs are: Reynolds’ Gary Steen, DuBois’ Ed Scott, and Connor O’Neil of DePaul Catholic in New Jersey.
Steen has moved to 113 after winning at 106 last year. Scott won at 138 last year and is now at 152. O’Neil has moved to 170 after winning at 160 last year.
The 54-team field includes 24 WPIAL teams: Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Connellsville, Derry, Elizabeth Forward, Ellwood City, Franklin Regional, Freedom, Hampton, Hempfield, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Mt. Lebanon, Mount Pleasant, North Hills, Norwin, Peters Township, Quaker Valley, Seneca Valley, South Park, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Waynesburg, and West Allegheny.
The other entries from Pennsylvania are Cedar Cliff, Chestnut Ridge, Council Rock North, DuBois, Erie Cathedral Prep, Forest Hills, Malvern Prep, Mifflin County, Montoursville, Pope John Paul II, Reynolds, Saegertown, St. Joseph’s Catholic, Stroudsburg, and Wyoming Seminary.
The out-of-state entries are Arlington Martin (Texas), Bullis School (Md.), Camden Catholic (N.J.), Christiansburg (Va.), DePaul Catholic (N.J.), Howell (N.J.), Mason (Ohio), Moeller (Ohio), Oscar Smith (Va.), Parkersburg (W.Va.), Parkersburg South (W.Va.), Riverbend (Va.), St. Clairsville (Ohio), Turner Ashby (Va.), and Wadsworth (Ohio).
The two-day tournament concludes Saturday, with semifinals at 11 a.m., and finals and consolation finals at 5 p.m.