Homet fuels Waynesburg
Raiders claim 3rd consecutive Class 3A crown
Kyle Szewczyk knew it was a risky move, but Waynesburg’s first-year coach was determined to give senior Cole Homet a chance to shine Saturday in his final appearance in the WPIAL Class3A team tournament.
Waynesburg was making its third consecutive appearance in the title match and had built a 12-3 lead when Homet stepped onto the mat for the 145-pound bout against Connellsville’s Chad Jesko.
It was a huge surprise to the large crowd at Peters Township High School, because Homet had wrestled only one bout in the 2021-22 season after suffering a lifethreatening injury in an automobile accident that left him with limited use of his left arm.
“A week ago, I told Cole that he would be wrestling at 145 pounds in the title match against whoever was there, regardless of which team we faced,” Szewczyk said. “I told Cole that he needed to be a part of this, not just on the bench.”
Homet responded with a hard-fought 5-4 win over Connellsville’s Chad Jesko and the Raiders rode the momentumto a 35-18 victory for their third consecutive WPIAL title.
“It could blown up in my face,” Szewczyk admitted. “Even if he would have lost, I wanted Cole to have that opportunity. It didn’t surprise me that he figured out how to win with one arm over a high-level, quality opponent.”
It was the 123rd victory and second this season for Homet, who placed seventh, fifth and second in the PIAA individual championships thepast three seasons.
“I just go out there and give it everything I got and I give all glory to Jesus Christ,” Homet said. “He works through me. Seven months ago I almost died and now I am able to help my team win a third WPIAL title. It’s awesome. It’s incredible.”
The title match began at 113 pounds and Waynesburg opened with four consecutive victories. Ky Szewczyk posted a 6-2 win over Evan Petrovich. Joseph Simon recorded a 5-2 win Jacob Layton at 120. Zanger Phaturos registered a 9-3 win over Gabriel Ruggieri at 126. Mac Church capped the 12-0 run with a 7-3 win over Chad Ozias.
Connellsville got on the scoreboard with freshman Lonzy Vielma posting a 7-5 upset of Coleton Stoneking at 138. Then came Homet’s victory.
The Falcons cut Waynesburg’s lead to 15-12 with wins by Ethan Ansel, a 5-0 decision over Nate Jones at 152, and Jared Keslar’s pin of Nate Kirbyat 160.
Waynesburg’s Rocco Welsh followed with a 22-5 technical fall of Zach Bigam at 172. Raiders pins by Eli Makeland Noah Tustin at 215 and 285 pounds clinched the victory.
“Cole is the toughest kid I’ve ever seen,” Welsh said of his teammate. “I have a lot of respect for him. It’s an inspiration to watch him wrestle. He’s in so much pain and still goes out there and gets a win. That motivates everybody to win.”
Waynesburg (16-0), the top seed, earned its third consecutive trip to the final with a 36-22 semifinal win over Canon-McMillan(11-5). It was the third time in 17 days the two teams faced off and the Raiderswon all three times.
Connellsville (18-2), the No. 3 seed, advanced with a semifinal win over No. 2 seed Latrobe (12-1). The Falcons rallied from a 21-18 deficit with four consecutive victories to pull out a 37-27 win. It avenged a 38-19 loss to the Wildcats Jan. 26 in the Section 2 final.
Latrobe rebounded with a 40-25 win over Canon-McMillan in the consolation match for third place.
All four teams qualify for the PIAA team tournament, which begins Monday with Latrobe facing City League champion Carrick and Canon-McMillan going against District 3 third-place finisher Cumberland Valley, bothon the road.
Waynesburg and Connellsville get a bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals, which will be held in