It was a busy high school wrestling weekend in not only the state of Pennsylvania, but also the WPIAL in particular. In true fashion, District 7 action didn’t disappoint. We saw individual teams showcase their dominance; top-rated prep wrestlers prove why they are such heralded recruits, destined to go Division I; other grapplers accomplish statistical milestones; and much more.
In case you missed it, here are five takeaways from this past weekend (Jan. 22 – Jan. 24) across PIAA and WPIAL wrestling.
Waynesburg Central Wrestling Looks Unbeatable
Waynesburg Central, arguably the WPIAL’s complete team in Class 3A, looked utterly dominant this weekend as it rolled through the Kiski Cavalier Duals on Saturday, winning all five matches, outscoring opponents by a combined 303-28 margin. Waynesburg earned wins over Franklin Regional, Kiski, Penn Trafford, Mt. Lebanon and Seneca Valley on the day.
The only other competition this season for the Raiders was a 65 to 3 dual meet decision against Chartiers Valley back on Jan. 8. On Monday, Jan. 25, the Raiders will look to improve to 7-0 on the 2021 season with a win at South Park. Wrestling is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
The Burrell Bucs Suffer First Loss of 2021 at the Ultimate Duals
Burrell, who won its 14th consecutive WPIAL Class 2A title last year, stumbled first the first time this season after recording a 1-1 performance at the Ultimate Duals, a tri-meet involving Brookville, Chestnut Ridge, and Burrell, Saturday. Burrell won its first match of the day, a 36-32 decision over host Brookville, before falling to Chestnut Ridge by way of a 33-30 score, despite four Bucs’ wrestlers securing falls during the defeat. With the loss, Burrell falls to 4-1 on the season. The Bucs will look to bounce back Monday, Jan. 25 against Penn Trafford.
The First Girls PIAA Wrestling Event Took Place at Governor Mifflin
Girls wrestling in Pennsylvania made historic strides on Saturday, hosting one of the first girls tournament in the state. Five schools competed at Governor Mifflin High School in the Keystone State’s first event of this kind.
Annville-Cleona, Easton, Gettysburg, Governor Mifflin and J.P. McCaskey brought their newly formed girls teams to Shillington to compete. These are just five of the nine schools in the state to sponsor girls wrestling programs this winter.
The event is yet another step toward having girls wrestling become a fully sanctioned varsity sport in wrestling-rich Pennsylvania.
Two PA Grapplers Earn 100th Career Wins
Congratulations are in order for Cooper Gilham of Bald Eagle wrestling and Chanz Shearer of Seneca Valley wrestling. These two seniors both joined the elusive 100-win Club while competing for their respective high school’s this weekend. Gilham’s 100th win came in a 6-2 decision over Bellefonte’s Nathan Smith. For Shearer, a Clarion wrestling signee, his century-mark victory came while competing at the Kiski Cavalier Duals.
Mt. Lebanon 189-pounder, Mac Stout, Continues His Outstanding Junior Campaign
On Saturday, junior Mac Stout, went 5-0, with two major decisions, two pins and a 15-0 technical fall while competing at 189 pounds for the Blue Devils at the Kiski Cavalier Duals. Over those matches, Stout surrendered just two points. With the wins, Stout improves to 13-0 on the season. He will look to best his 2020 PIAA runner-up performance of a year ago this season in 2021.
Stout, a top-10 high school recruit in the class of 2022, will be fun to watch this weekend as he looks to keep his undefeated season alive as he attends one of the nation’s toughest high school tournaments in the 2021 Powerade Wrestling Tournament at Monroeville Convention Center Jan. 29-30.
The junior is currently ranked No. 2 at 182 pounds nationally, according to Trackwrestling. Stout, the younger brother of 2020 Pitt NCAA qualifier Kellan Stout and Princeton freshman Luke Stout, has skyrocketed up the rankings lately. As a freshman, Stout won his section, but did not place at the regional tournament while wrestling at 160 pounds. As a sophomore however, Stout won both his section and region en route to a second-place finish in the 160-pound bracket at the state tournament. Stout will likely eclipse 100 career wins later this season.
