Loaded weight classes highlight county tournament
This weekend’s Allegheny County championships are loaded with defending champions, but at least four will not be bringing home another gold medal. Eleven wrestlers enter the 18th annual tournament with at least one title under their belt.
“It’s a great weekend for wrestling fans in Allegheny County,” said Fox Chapel coach Ron Frank, the founder and director of the 37-team tournament. “Some of the best wrestlers in the state will be featured this weekend. There are some really loaded weight classes.”
The 132-pound weight class is the toughest of the 14 weight classes, as three returning champs and a runner-up are back.
North Hills’ Sam Hillegas, a two-time PIAA champion, is the top seed. He won a county title at 126 last year after missing the tournament as a freshman due to an injury.
Quaker Valley’s Conner Redinger and Penn Hills’ Justin Perkins are also returning champions. Redinger won last year as a 106pound freshman. Perkins is a two-time finalist who won in 2017, but did not participate in last year’s tournament.
North Allegheny’s Max Stedeford, a runner-up at 106 last year, is the No. 3 seed at 132. Perkins is seeded No. 7 because he missed last year’s tournament.
Two other weight classes feature a pair of returning champs.
Quaker Valley’s John Rocco Kazalas and Hampton’s Tyler Kocak are the top two seeds at 145. Both are two-time finalists who placed second in 2017. Kazalas won at 132 last year, while Kocak was the 120-pound champ.
“They met the opening week of the season at our Hampton Dawg Duals,” Hampton coach Chris Hart said. “Tyler didn’t wrestle well and [Rocco Kazalas] beat him in a close match. We’re hoping for a rematch in the county finals.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Alex Weber and Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer are the top two seeds at 152. Spencer is the defending champion, while Weber won at 138 last year.
The only two-time champ in the field is Mt. Lebanon’s Luke Stout, who has won titles at 152 and 160 and is now entered at 182. Stout has a chance to become the 15th wrestler in county history to win three or more titles. And because he’s only a junior, Stout has a chance to become a four-time champ, a feat that has been achieved only four times.
“Luke has won twice here, so we’re hoping for another title,” Mt. Lebanon coach Marc Allemang said.
The other three returning champions are Shaler’s Ryan Sullivan, Hampton’s Justin Hart and Upper St. Clair’s Jake Slinger. Sullivan has moved to 120 after winning at 113. Hart won at 182 and is now competing at 195. Slinger has moved up to 285 after winning at 220.
“Justin beat Thomas Jefferson’s Max Shaw in the county finals last year, then lost to him in the consolation for third place at the WPIAL [Class 3A] tournament,” Hart said. “It would be the rubber match if both made it to the finals again.”
North Allegheny has won three of the past four team titles, but the Tigers will be hard pressed to repeat as they do not have an entry at 182 and 195. “It’s not going to be easy without a full lineup,” North Allegheny assistant coach Dan Heckert said. “Everybody has to work harder to make up for the two weight classes we’ve been forfeiting.”
The two-day tournament begins at 10 a.m. Friday. The consolation finals will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday with the finals to follow at 6 p.m.
The wrestling postseason officially begins Wednesday with seven section tournaments to determine seeding for the upcoming WPIAL team tournaments. The top five teams from each section qualify for the WPIAL team tournaments.
At each of the section tournaments, the first-place finisher from each sub-section will wrestle the second-place team from the other sub-section. The two winners face off to determine the section champion, while the two losers wrestle for third place. The first-place team from each B sub-section will serve as host for the four matches.
A match between the two third-place teams in each section will determine the fifth participant, with those matches being wrestled at different sites.
This year marks the 11th year the WPIAL has held section team tournaments. Only two teams have won 10 consecutive section titles: CanonMcMillan and Burrell. North Allegheny has won eight section titles during this stretch.
The results of the section tournaments will play a big part in the seeding for next week’s WPIAL tournaments. The winners of the seven tournaments will be among the top seeds in their class.