Raiders’ Henson leads H-S All-Area Wrestling Team
The following is the 2020 All-Area 蘑菇视频 Wrestling Team. The individuals on the team were mostly selected on their performance in the postseason; however there may be exceptions.
Class AAA
Wrestler of the Year: Wyatt Henson, Waynesburg Central.
Henson won a state championship as a sophomore at Christian Brothers College High School in Missouri, but the Iowa recruit wanted to be on top of the mountain in one of the best states for wrestling in the country, and Henson accomplished that feat with a 4-3 decision over North Hills鈥� Sam Hillegas in the 138-pound final at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Hillegas, who is a two-time state champion and finished his high school career with a record of 157-5, defeated Henson, 8-3, earlier in the season during the semifinals at Powerade, but Henson earned a 4-3 win over Hillegas in the WPIAL Class AAA Final, and was able to do it again a week later.
Henson finished his junior season at 50-5. He wrestled for the Raiders as a freshman, and finished fifth in the state at 120.
Coach (staff) of the Year: Joe Throckmorton, Waynesburg Central.
Throckmorton is no stranger to success on the mat, as he won a state title for the Raiders in 1980, and he consistently has Waynesburg in the top 10 of the WPIAL year-after-year. The Raiders, who are technically a Class AA school, started the season off with a non-section victory over Burrell, which won its 14th straight Class AA Team Title, and rode that momentum to their first WPIAL Team Championship since 1989. Waynesburg defeated Seneca Valley, 33-30, in the District 7 Final. The Raiders advances all the way to the PIAA Class AAA State Final before losing to Nazareth, 38-21.
Waynesburg finished its dual-meet season 4-0 in section action and 15-1 overall. The Raiders also competed in the Powerade (3rd place), Ironman (10th place) and Beast of the East Tournament (12th place), which are considered the top three tournaments in the country. Waynesburg had one state champion, a runner-up, third-place, fifth-place and sixth-place finisher at the individual state tournament where the Raiders finished third.
106: Mac Church, Waynesburg Central, third place at state tournament
113: Mason Prinkey, Connellsville, state qualifier
120: Jace Ross, Connellsville, eighth place at state tournament
126: Rocco Welsh, Waynesburg Central, second place at state tournament
132: Cole Homet, Waynesburg Central, fifth place at state tournament
145: Jared Keslar, Connellsville, fourth place at state tournament
152: Nate Stephenson, Waynesburg Central, regional qualifier
160: Luca Augustine, Waynesburg Central, sixth place at state tournament
170: Eli Makel, Waynesburg Central, regional qualifier
182: Dakoda Rodgers, Connellsville, regional qualifier
195: Noah Tustin, Waynesburg Central, regional qualifier
220: Cole Weightman, Belle Vernon, sixth place at state tournament
285: Ryan Howard, Waynesburg Central, regional qualifier
Honorable Mention: Albert Gallatin, Grant Lindsey (120), Shawn Loring (285); Belle Vernon, Logan Hoffman (160); Connellsville, Chad Ozias (106), Hunter Claycomb (126), Zachary Bigam (132), George Shultz (152), Casper Hinklie (160), Dennis Nichelson (170), Seth Kuhns (220); Ringgold, Noah Mimidis (113), Jacob Duncan (152), Logan Vickers (160); Waynesburg Central, Nate Jones (113), Colton Stoneking (145), Darnell Johnson (182).
Class AA
Co-wrestlers of the Year: Ryan Michaels, Elizabeth Forward; Thayne Lawrence, Frazier.
Lawrence was looking to become the 47th three-time state champion, but the senior fell one victory short in a controversial 11-8 setback to Notre Dame 鈥� Green Pond蘑菇视频 Andrew Cerniglia in the 160-pound final. Lawrence finished his senior season at 24-1, and had a career record of 120-12. The Lehigh University recruit was a four-time WPIAL Champion and two-time Southwestern Regional Champion.
Michaels made program history in becoming the first Warrior to compete in the state final. He dropped a 7-4 decision to Troy蘑菇视频 Sheldon Seymour at 120. Michaels was set to wrestle for Jefferson-Morgan graduate Cary Kolat in college at Campbell University, but Kolat was named the head coach at Navy on March 20.
Michaels was 45-3 in his final high school season, and 123-11 in three years on the varsity squad. He didn鈥檛 wrestle varsity in ninth grade. Michaels won two WPIAL and two regional titles, and was a three-time state qualifier. He finished third in the state as a junior.
Coach (staff) of the Year: Rich Scheuermann, Elizabeth Forward.
Scheuermann has been the head coach of the Warriors for 27 years, and the 30-year veteran guided Elizabeth Forward to a 5-0 record in Section 3-AA (3B). The Warriors hosted the Section 3-AA Team Tournament, but lost in the finals to eventual champion, Burrell, 61-15. Elizabeth Forward qualified for the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class AA Team Tournament before losing at McGuffey, 44-33, to finish its dual-meet season at 11-4. The Warriors had three state qualifiers and five advanced to the regional tournament.
106: Shane Momyer, Yough, regional qualifier
113: Luke Geibig, Mount Pleasant, state qualifier
120: Kyle McCollum, Beth-Center, regional qualifier
126: Damian George, Mount Pleasant, state qualifier; Dylan Bruce, Elizabeth Forward, state qualifier
132: Tyler Berish, Beth-Center, regional qualifier
138: Todd Fisher, Beth-Center, regional qualifier
145: Noah Hunnell, Elizabeth Forward, regional qualifier
152: Austin McBeth, Southmoreland, regional qualifier
160: Patrick Brewer, Mount Pleasant, regional qualifier
170: Glenn Christner, Yough, regional qualifier
182: Anthony Govern, Southmoreland, regional qualifier
195: Ethan Cain, Elizabeth Forward, state qualifier; Bret Huffman, Southmoreland, state qualifier
220: Jonathan Wolfe, Jefferson-Morgan, state qualifier
285: Nick Murphy, Elizabeth Forward, regional qualifier
Honorable Mention: Bentworth, Noah Weston (138), Owen Petrisek (170); Beth-Center, Davis Stepp (106), Tyler Fisher (126), Trevor Pettit (145); Elizabeth Forward, Austin Wilson (106); Frazier, Jacob Thomas (113), Matthew Kordich (220); Mount Pleasant, Noah Gnibus (138), Kyle Jones (152); Southmoreland, Nicholas Yeskey (138); West Greene, Parker Smith (126).
Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic canceled: Michaels and Lawrence were scheduled to wrestle, and Throckmorton to coach a team of WPIAL All-Stars against a team of Maryland All-Stars at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, but the event has been canceled due to the coronavirus. The organizers were hoping to reschedule the event, but it seems unlikely at this time.
Note: Wrestlers of the year in both classifications are not listed as the top spot in their weight class as they are considered to be in their own unique category. Mount Pleasant蘑菇视频 Dayton Pitzer was out for the season due to an injury, but should be back next year as a junior. Pitzer won a state title as a freshman.
Sports writer Jonathan Guth covers high school wrestling for the 蘑菇视频. He can be reached at jguth@heraldstandard.com.