BURRELL, WAYNESBURG LOOK TO DEFEND TITLES
After winning the WPIAL Class 3A team tournament title in February, Waynesburg wrestling coach Joe Throckmorton admitted that the title may have come a year early.
“I knew we had a lot of talent, but were a very young team,” Throckmorton said. “We had four freshmen in the starting lineup and no seniors. It’s not often that a team wins a WPIAL title with all underclassmen. It’s quite an accomplishment.”
So it should be no surprise that Waynesburg is ranked No. 1 in the Post-Gazette’s preseason rankings in Class 3A. And the Raiders are even stronger this year.
For the second consecutive year, a state champion has transferred to Waynesburg. Zander Phaturos, a junior who won an Arizona state title last year at 113 pounds, has joined the Raiders’ squad. Phaturos is the son of Lance Phaturos, who was a WPIAL champion at Riverview in 1984.
The family moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to family after the elder Phaturos retired from his position as a high school principal in Holbrook, Ariz.
Last year, Wyatt Henson returned to Waynesburg after winning a Missouri state title in 2019, then claimed WPIAL and PIAA titles for the Raiders.
Waynesburg’s lineup will also feature two freshmen who are expected to make an impact at 106 and 113: Ky Szewczyk and Joseph Simon.
“Zander will be at either 120 or 126,” Throckmorton said. “Ky is the son of my long-time assistant coach Kyle Szewczyk.”
Waynesburg is also considered the top returning Class 3A team in the state, as the Raiders placed second in the PIAA last season.
“Our goal is to win both titles this year,” Throckmorton said. “But neither will be easy, especially since we’re going through a pandemic. We need to be very careful on and off the mat.”
Below is the Post-Gazette’s WPIAL Class 3A preseason top 10.
1. Waynesburg (15-1) — The Raiders have qualified for the WPIAL team tournament 16 of the past 17 years, despite wrestling up in classification. Henson (50-4 at 138) is one of five Raiders who placed at the PIAA tournament in March. The others are Mac Church (47-6 at 106), Rocco Welsh (40-8 at 126), Cole Homet (44-15 at 132) and Luca Augustine (43-10 at 160).
2. Seneca Valley (18-4) — The Raiders advanced to the title match the past two seasons, losing to Kiski Area in 2019 and Waynesburg last season. Nine starters are back, including four PIAA qualifiers: Dylan Chappell (48-5 at 120), Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (42-5 at 132), Chanz Shearer (37-11 at 138) and Antonio Amelio (37-18 at 145). Herrera-Rondon is a twotime PIAA champ.
3. Hempfield (22-4) — Vince DeAugustine returns as head coach after two years at Norwin. DeAugustine coached the Spartans the previous 13 years. Nine starters return from a squad that advanced to the WPIAL semifinals, including three PIAA placewinners: Ethan Berginc (37-6 at 113), Ty Linsenbigler (42-4 at 145) and Isaiah Vance (41-2 at 285). Berginc won a PIAA title.
4. Latrobe (8-3) — Former Mount Pleasant coach Mark Mears returns after an 11-year break from coaching. Mears, who also serves at Latrobe’s athletic director, has high expectations. The Wildcats have seven individuals returning who had 14 or more wins last season. The top returnees are Vinny Kilkeary (30-7 at 106), Nathan Roth (33-5 at 120), Jack Pletcher (30-13 at 152) and Corey Boerio (30-14 at 182). Kilkeary is a returning PIAA champion.
5. Canon-McMillan (17-6) — The Big Macs have been a WPIAL final-four finisher 12 of the past 13 years. Seven starters from last year’s squad graduated, but seven return who recorded 20 or more wins. The top returnees are Jacob Houpt (32-15 at 106), Costa Moore (30-14 at 120), Matthew Furman (36-15 at 170) and Tyler Rohaley (33-16 at 195).
6. North Allegheny (7-3) — The Tigers have qualified for the WPIAL team tournament 35 consecutive years. Eight starters return, including four who had 27 or more wins: Nick Gorman (27-7 at 113), Dylan Coy (34-10 at 120), Nathan Monteparte (27-17 at 126) and Max Stedeford (37-9 at 138). Grant MacKay (39-12 at 152) transferred to Laurel, but the Tigers have replaced him with transfer and Arizona place-winner Colin McCorkle.
7. Kiski Area (13-4) —A three-year reign as WPIAL champions ended last season when the Cavaliers lost in the quarterfinals. Coach Chris Heater lost four starters to graduation plus junior Antonio Giordano (25-14 at 106), who decided not to wrestle this season. The top returnees are Sammy Starr (31-7 at 152), Brayden Roscosky (39-8 at 195) and Stone Joseph (16-4 at 285).
8. Connellsville (11-4) — The WPIAL began its team tournament format in 1979. The Falcons are the only team in WPIAL history to qualify all 42 years. New coach Mike Yancosky has eight starters returning. The top returnees are Chad Ozias (30-9 at 106), Mason Prinkey (33-9 at 113) and Jared Keslar (35-10 at 145).
9. Franklin Regional (7-3) — The Panthers have made 13 consecutive appearances in the WPIAL team tournament. Coach Matt Lebe has all but two starters back. The top returnees are Carter Dibert (42-3 at 113), Finn Solomon (29-7 at 126) and Garrett Thompson (24-10 at 132). Mario Sarnic is also back after missing last season with a football injury.
10. Butler ( 18- 6) — The Golden Tornado has qualified for the WPIAL team tournament 12 of the past 13 years. All but four starters are back for coach Scott Stoner, including six who had 20 or more wins. Butler’s top returnees are Levi Donnell (35-5 at 113), Steven Green (30-13 at 152) and Cooper Baxter (33-8 at 170).