Streak reaches 14
Buccaneers claim 14th title in row in 2A team final
Burrell beats Burgettstown for 14th consecutive Class 2A wrestling title.
Any WPIAL wrestling fans growing tired of Burrell’s dominance and hoping to see the Buccaneers loosen their stranglehold on the rest of Class 2A would have been wise to stay away Saturday from Chartiers-Houston High School.
With some expecting Burrell to experience a bit of regression this year, the Bucs instead put on one of their most dominant performances in program history in the WPIAL Class 2A team championship final. Topseeded Burrell (10-5) won 12 of 14 matches against No. 2seeded Burgettstown (14-2) — including eight wins by fall — to take home a lopsided 639 victory, along with its 14th WPIAL championship in a row and 16th overall.
“I thought it was ours to lose, but I certainly didn’t expect us to come out here and dominate like we did,” Bucs coach Josh Shields said. “I thought it was possible, but you never know …
“Our kids came out here and left no doubt that we are the No. 1 team in the WPIAL.”
The action started at 120 pounds, when Bucs sophomore Nick Salerno scored an impressive 7-1 win against Blue Devils freshman Joey Sentipal in a battle of top-five wrestlers in Class 2A. From there, Burrell began to rack up the pins faster than a professional bowler.
At 126 pounds, Bucs senior Trent Valovchik put Burgettstown sophomore Hunter Guiddy in a banana split — an advanced technique that doubles as a painful pinning combination — to earn a fall just 17 seconds into the second period.
Burrell junior Ian Oswalt followed with a pin in just 16 seconds against Blue Devils sophomore Evan Koonse, then Bucs freshman Logan Bechtold pinned Burgettstown sophomore Anthony Lancos in 1:33 to give Burrell a 21-0 lead through four matches.
“I just wanted to go out there and dominate and obviously get the quick points for my team,” Oswalt said.
Bucs junior Simon Slahtovsky kept the shutout going with a come-from-behind, 9-5 win against Blue Devils sophomore Ryan Green, who led the match, 5-4, before Slahtovsky scored a go-ahead takedown with a little more than a minute remaining.
Then came perhaps the most anticipated matchup of the afternoon, with Burrell’s No. 2-ranked junior A.J. Corrado taking on Burgettstown junior Shane Kemper, ranked No. 3 at 152 pounds.
Corrado and Kemper proceeded with caution through a scoreless first period in their first time facing off against one another, but Corrado wasted no time putting Kemper on his back from the top position to start the second period. Corrado scored the fall in 2:28 to give the Bucs a commanding 30-0 lead.
“I like wrestling with the top guys,” Corrado said. “That’s what we come here for.”
Burrell senior Noah Linderman then came up with another clutch pin for the Bucs at 160 pounds, this one coming with just one second left in the first period against Blue Devils senior Jacob Loudin. Burgettstown finally got on the board when sophomore D.J. Slovick eked out a 2-0 decision against Burrell senior Dominic Holmes at 170 pounds, but it was too little, too late.
Burrell senior Michael Scherer put the final nail in the coffin with a 15-second fall against Burgettstown junior Garret Suica at 195 pounds. That gave the Bucs an insurmountable 45-3 lead to clinch yet another team title.
“They have some really good kids on that team. [Shane] Kemper is a state qualifier, and we pinned him,” Shields said. “So we got a lot of big wins from our kids in dominant fashion.
“I think that sort of shows where our kids are at this time of year. They’re not just satisfied with winning matches — they’re trying to pin and dominate.”
In the consolation final, No. 4 Quaker Valley (16-5) earned the right to join Burrell and Burgettstown in the PIAA team tournament with a convincing 52-27 win against No. 3 McGuffey (12-3). The Bucs and Blue Devils each receive a bye in the first round of the team tournament, which begins next week in Hershey, Pa., while the Quakers will face the District 10 runner-up Monday.