Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Michael Binni
School: Canon-McMillan
Sport: Wrestling
Binni’s week: Binni entered the Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association Wrestling Tournament unseeded but beat three of the top four seeds to win the 106-pound title Saturday at Albert Gallatin High School.
He opened the tournament with a pin in 1:15 of Collyn Bell of McGuffey then knocked off third-seeded Jordan Marosz of Peters Township in the quarterfinals with a pin in 5:20. Binni stuck Tairen Bundy of Ringgold in 3:22 of the semifinals before winning an 8-2 decision over A.D. Nelson of Trinity in the finals.
“I was a little nervous,” said Binni. “But it was more like excited than nerves. It was like, ‘Let’s do this; I’m pumped.'”
Binni’s performance was critical to Canon-McMillan winning the team title over defending champion Waynesburg. The Big Macs had 225 points and the Raiders’ 218.
Binni missed last year’s tournament because he couldn’t eliminate Logan Macri, who won the 113-pound title over the weekend. Now, he is providing the Big Macs a strong opening punch in the lightweights.
“Michael came out of nowhere,” said C-M head coach Jason Cardillo. “He had three pins and a very decisive win in the finals against a kid coming down from 113.”
From east to west: Binni was born in the Philadelphia area and attended school in Bucks County. He left for Western Pennsylvania when he was in sixth grade because of his father’s job. He saw the difference between the wrestling level from both sides of the state.
“It’s a lot tougher out here,” said Binni. “But I like it because it’s more competitive.”
At nearly all his matches, Binni is sure to have some cheerleaders in his two brothers, 10-year-old Andrew and 8-year-old Vincent. Having them there is as close to a superstition as he gets. He can credit them for bringing a good showing in the Powerade tournament, where he won three of five bouts and came within two wins of placing. He went 4-2 in the North Canton Holiday Tournament and was fourth in the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic. In each, he wrestled seeded wrestlers.
“I don’t worry about seeds. I just go out and do the best I can,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s the first seed or whatever. That’s just how my mind works.”
Compiled by Joe Tuscano