Frazier’s Lawrence rallies in 172 final
Falls into early hole again, comes back for 9-4 decision after forcing overtime
The stage keeps getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher, and Frazier’s Rune Lawrence just keeps on delivering.
Fresh off a stunning pin against Penns Valley senior Malachi Duvall in the 172pound final last week in the PIAA Class 2A Southwest Regional tournament, Lawrence faced off with Duvall in a rematch Saturday for the inaugural PIAA Class 2A West Super Region title. Once again, Lawrence fell into an early hole, only to dig himself out for a thrilling come-from-behind win at IUP’sKovalchick Complex.
“It’s pretty sweet,” Lawrence said. “Kind of the same thing happened [as last week]. I went out there and fell behind early, wrestled hard, came back and got the win.”
This time, Lawrence scored a tying takedown late in the third period to send the match to overtime, then took down Duvall and to his back for the clinching takedown. He nearly pinned Duvall for the second time in as many weeks, but instead settled for a 9-4 decision.
“I knew I had to take him down,” Lawrence said. “Altogether, I just wanted it more, I think.”
Lawrence (27-1) was one of five WPIAL wrestlers to earn gold medals at the West Super Region, which serves as the final stop on the way to Hershey before next week’s PIAA tournament. South Park senior Joey Fischer, Laurel sophomore Grant Mackay, Burrell senior A.J. Corrado and Mount Pleasant junior Dayton Pitzer also tookhome gold medals.
The only WPIAL wrestler inClass 2A with a state title to his name, Pitzer looked utterlydominant in pinning his way to the top of the podium. Pitzer (39-2) needed only 54 seconds to pin his semifinal opponent before scoring a 33second pin against Philipsburg-Osceola’s Parker Moore inthe 215-pound final.
A 2019 PIAA champion at 182 pounds, Pitzer missed all of his sophomore season with an injury, but has returned to peak form. The Vikings junior has a remarkable 30 pins on the season and 58 for his career.
“I’m just going out, taking it one match at a time and just having fun,” Pitzer said.
Fischer (21-0) had a 7-3 decision in the semifinals and a 3-0 win against Hickory’s Connor Saylor in the 126pound final to keep rolling into his final PIAA tournament. After finishing fourth at states as a sophomore and second last year, Fischer believes everything is coming togetherfor him as a senior.
“I definitely think it’s my year,” Fischer said. “There’s good competition. This is Pennsylvania. Everybody is good.”
Mackay(37-3) wrestled like a machine, with a pin in the quarterfinals followed by a 50 decision in the semifinals and a 17-6 decision against NorthStar’s Connor Yoder in the 152-pound final. Corrado (31-0) needed overtime to win both his semifinal and championship match, but he outlasted Johnsonburg’s Cole Casilio for a 3-2 decision in the ultimate tiebreaker periodin the 160-pound final.
“I felt a little sloppy today,” Corrado said. “At least we have time to go back and work on some stuff, and I’ll be back for states.”
Buccaneers freshman Cooper Hornack (26-2) and senior Ian Oswalt (21-2) each are headed to Hershey after runner-up finishes, as are Blackhawk senior Kenny Duschek (24-3) and Freedom senior Trent Schultheis (325). Bentworth freshman Chris Vargo (17-1), Carlynton senior Oleg Melnyk (275) and McGuffey senior Ethan Barr (20-7) each finished in third place, while Knoch senior Eli Reese (16-5) finished in fourth to punch his ticket to states.
In all, the WPIAL had 13 wrestlers qualify for the PIAA Class 2A tournament, taking place Friday at Giant Center. The top four finishers in each weight class qualified for states, which will feature eight-man brackets comprising four wrestlers from each Super Region.
Last month, when players started blasting the NBA’s decision to stage its All-Star Game in the middle of a pandemic, Stephen Curry shrugged and reacted with pragmatism.He didn’t sound excited, but he also wasn’t heated. He just referred to what 12 years in the league have taught him.
“It’s a business,” the Golden State Warriors superstar told reporters. “And we understand that. We know what we signed up for.”
During the NBA’s socially progressive moments, it’s tempting to crank up the hyperbole and extol its idealism. The league answers the moment quite well. But that makes it more of a chameleon than a sport forever committed to a cause. It always resets to its ultimate goal, which is to make as much money as possible. And that is what this season and all of its conflicts have been about — getting back to business. The business must be preserved, come what may.
The bubble of last summer and fall burst long ago. The athletes aren’t dictating return-to-play terms this time. Social justice is not a central theme this season. While health and safety from COVID-19 remain part of the focus, the league did not build a fortress to keep out the coronavirus. Back to real life. Back to cold business. If the transition seems jarring, youmay have forgotten what you signed up for.
It shouldn’t excuse commissioner Adam Silver and the league from scrutiny of their recent decisions. But the reality is that the NBA is moving back toward the center of the fan base and focusing on protecting revenue streams. The All-Star Game, despite the money earmarked for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is mostly an opportunity to take care of TV partner Turner Sports. The decision to return for a new season just 71 days after Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals was about satisfying the TV partners. Silver’s edict to Dallas owner Mark Cuban and the rest of the league that “all teams will play the national anthem” was a polarizing attempt to re-establish behavioral norms after a year of protest.
Naturally, there has been friction. Most owners are trying to reassert their control. Players continue to push for more freedom and a stronger voice. After everyone came together in the bubble, there’s no unifying force rightnow, except for the matter of salvaging revenue. So the NBA, like every other league, is desperate to normalize during an abnormaltime.
The league is just doing what it knows and hoping to getto daylight.
After the shortest offseason in league history, the NBA has spent the first half of this campaign trudging, sometimes foolishly. The best thing about the season is that it’s half over. This is a strangely triumphant fact, not a criticism. This is verification that the NBA, same as every other weary league, weary business and weary person, has accomplished forward movement, somehow.
Still, fatigue defines the journey.
The product still looks good because offenses are so efficient, but with Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis injured, there isn’t a proven, dominant team right now. At 27-9, Utah has the NBA’s best record. The Jazz is fun to watch, and it’s statistically impressive, but has yet to make a deep playoff run. Until it does, questions willlinger.
It would be wonderful if we receive the answers this springin lively arenas.
Forthe past year in sports, seasons have not been experienced, not in a familiar sense. They have been simulated, staged in largely empty venues and made to look nice —or nice enough — for TV.
How will an All-Star Game in this environment look? It’s a minor curiosity, but I’m not sure it’s worth the COVID-19 risk to find out. This is why LeBron James initially declared he had “zero energy and zero excitement” about it. But he will be in Atlanta, leading Team LeBron. It’s a business. He knows what he signed up for.
The whole NBA is tired. It tries to mask fatigue nightly, but you sense the weariness in everything it does.