Kiski Area finishes third in 3A bracket
Cavaliers win consolation matches, the last against Council Rock South
The Kiski Area High School wrestling team made its third consecutive appearance in the final round of the PIAA team tournament Saturday at Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.
The Cavaliers, however, did not appear in the Class 3A title match. Instead they were in the consolation for third place, held at the same time on a separate mat.
Kiski Area, the 2018 PIAA runner-up, placed third for the second time in three years with two victories. The Cavaliers opened the day with a 30-25 win over WPIAL third-place finisher Canon-McMillan in the consolation semifinals. It was the third time the two teams met this season and the Cavaliers won all three.
The match came down to the final bout with Kiski Area holding a narrow 27-25 lead. Enzo Morlacci clinched the victory for the Cavaliers with a 4-0 win at 152 pounds. Darren Miller (126), Cam Connor (160) and Jack Blumer (170) recorded pins for Kiski Area. Alec Hendal (220) had a pin for the Big Macs.
Kiski Area (19-1) capped its bronze-medal performance with a 34-20 win over Council Rock South in the consolation for third place. The Cavaliers jumped to a 19-0 lead with five consecutive wins. Council Rock rallied to cut Kiski’s lead to 2720, but the Cavaliers won the final two bouts to clinch. Troy Kuhn (220) had a pin for Kiski, while Miller (126) added a technical fall.
Canon-McMillan earned its berth in the consolation semifinals with a 39-26 win over District 1 runner-up Spring Ford in the third round of consolations. Jacob Houpt (106), Ken Hayman (126), Johnathan Shanahan (160), Gerrit Nijenhuis (182), and Alec Hendal (220) had pins for the Big Macs.
The PIAA Class 3A final was a rematch of the District 11 final, as Bethlehem Catholic won its second state title in a row with a 3119 victory against Northampton.
Class 2A
WPIAL champion Burrell tied for fifth place after splitting two matches in the consolation bracket.
Burrell opened the day with a 38-12 win over District 6 champion Westmont Hilltop in the third round of consolations. The Buccaneers won 11 of the 14 bouts, including a pin by Zach Rupert (195) and major decisions by Shawn Szymanski (106) and Austin Mele (160).
Burrell was not as fortunate in its next match against District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge in the consolation semifinals. Chestnut Ridge recorded two pins and two technical falls en route to a 32-29 victory. Ian Oswalt (120) and A.J. Corrado (138) won by major decisions for the Buccaneers.
The Class 2A title match was a rematch of last year’s final. District 10 champ Reynolds claimed its third consecutive PIAA title with a 3123 win over District 4 champ Southern Columbia. Chestnut Ridge placed third after posting a 46-18 win over Brookville in the consolation final.