Fresh faces secure titles
Hillegas, Macri, Sequete turn the tables on three returning champions
Sam Hillegas, Logan Macri and Christian Sequete each faced a returning champion in the finals of the Class 3A WPIAL/ Southwest Regional tournament Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School. All three claimed a gold medal.
Hillegas (28-1), a North Hills sophomore, was the most impressive of the three, claiming his second WPIAL title by dominating the 126-pound weight class. He recorded four pins, capping the performance by decking senior Caleb Morris (40-7), a twotime champ from Waynesburg, at 4:00.
“It’s a great feeling to win another title,” Hillegas said. “It’s one of the goals I set for this season. The next is to win another PIAA title.”
Macri (35-2), a CanonMcMillan senior, made his third appearance in the finals and captured his first title with a 4-3 win against Seneca Valley senior Louis Newell (38-4) in the 120pound final. Newell was making his third titlematch appearance and lost for the second time.
“I’ve been working toward this goal for four years,” said Macri, who beat Newell for the third time this season. “Placing second twice was no fun. It’s great to finally win a gold medal in my senior year. This is the last time I will wrestle here [at CanonMcMillan], and I wanted go out as a champion.”
Sequette (33-3), a Butler senior, pulled the biggest upset of the tournament with a 9-2 win against senior Tim Wallace (34-3), a two-time champ from Albert Gallatin. Sequete’s previous best finish was fifth a year ago.
“This was the third time I faced him this year and lost both [other] times,” Sequete said. “I’m honestly suprised I beat him. This is obviously the biggest win of my career and it came in the WPIAL finals.”
Hillegas was one of four returning champions who claimed another title. The others were Norwin sophomore Kurtis Phipps, Belle Vernon senior Zach Hartman and Laurel Highlands senior Ian Edenfield.
Phipps (36-0) defended his title at 106 with a 1-0 win against Seneca Valley freshman Alejandro Herrera (428). The only score was a penalty point.
Hartman (40-1) appeared in the finals for the fourth time and claimed his second title with a 3-1 win against Canon-McMillan sophomore Gerrit Nijenhuis (40-5) at 160 pounds.
“It feels good to be back on top again,” said Hartman, who won his first title in 2016.
Edenfield (30-5) won his second title at 220 with a 6-3 win against Upper St. Clair junior Jake Slinger (33-2).
Kiski Area had the best showing of any team. The Cavaliers had four wrestlers in the finals and all four claimed a gold medal.
Cavaliers senior Noah Levett (40-6) made his second appearance in the finals and won his first gold medal when Waynesburg senior Jackson Henson (365) forfeited in the 138-pound final due to a knee injury.
Sophomore Jack Blumer ( 38- 7) upset returning WPIAL champion Luke Kemerer of Hempfield, 4-2, in the semifinals at 152, then beat Pine-Richland freshman Cole Spencer (293), 6-3, for the title.
Junior Cam Conner (375) claimed the 145-pound crown with a 2-1 win over Penn-Trafford senior Job Chishko (34-7).
Senior Isaac Reid (19-0) capped Kiski Area’s impressive performance with a 3-1 win against West Mifflin senior Gerald Brown (36-2). It was Reid’s third appearance in the 285-pound final and his first gold medal.
Also winning titles were Shaler junior Ryan Sullivan (38-1) at 113, Franklin Regional junior Colton Camacho (37-2) at 132, Belle Vernon junior Scott Joll (393) at 170, and Connellsville senior Nate Ansell (22-3) at 195.
The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for the PIAA Class 3A tournament, which begins Thursday in Hershey, Pa.