Waynesburg’s Henson brothers go in opposite directions
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Wyatt Henson of Waynesburg has Cameron Enriquez of Stroudsburg on his back during their 120-pound bout of the PIAA Class AAA Championships in Hershey. Henson won a 5-4 overtime decision.
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Gerrit Nijenhuis of Canon-McMillan has Patrick O’Neill of North Penn nearly pinned at 160 pounds Thursday in the state tournament in Hershey. Nijenhuis got the pin in 3:47.
HERSHEY – Wyatt Henson had one of his best matches and his brother, Jackson, suffered through two of his worst.
The two wrestlers from Waynesburg High School were headed in different directions in Thursday’s opening rounds of the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Wyatt Henson gutted out a 5-4 overtime decision against Cameron Enriquez of Stroudsburg in the first round of the 120-pound weight class.
That’s a freshman defeating a senior.
Jackson Henson, sporting a small brace on his injured left knee, did not wrestle the way he has in the past and the two-time West Virginia state champion was shut out, 4-0, by Zach Ortman of Parkland in the first round of the 138-pound weight class.
Jackson Henson was then eliminated by Nathan Swartz of Hollidaysburg, 6-0, in the consolations.
Wyatt Henson’s victory sparked a strong day for the area. Joining Wyatt Henson in today’s 2:15 p.m. quarterfinals are Logan Macri (120) and Gerrit Nijenhuis (160) of Canon-McMillan, Caleb Morris (126) and Kyle Homet (170) of Waynesburg and Zach Hartman (160) and Scott Joll (170) of Belle Vernon.
Semifinals are at 9 a.m., Saturday with the finals following at 7 p.m.
The top eight wrestlers in each weight class receive medals.
Wyatt Henson and Enriquez were tied 3-3 after one period and traded escapes over the next two periods. In the overtime, Enriquez seemed to tire and Henson escaped with 20 seconds remaining in the third overtime for the win.
“I’d say this was my best match to this point in the season,” said Wyatt Henson, now 40-10. “My conditioning and mindset worked for me coming into this match. It was a tough match and pushed me to the limit. I wrestled him at Powerade and he beat me 12-4.”
He has another major hurdle today as Doug Zapf of Downingtown West, who won the 106-pound title last year, waits for him in the quarters.
“I just came here to have some fun and to medal,” Wyatt Henson said.
Jackson Henson hurt his knee wrestling Tim Hritsko of Canon-McMillan in the semifinals of last week’s WPIAL Championships and defaulted in the finals. He wore a brace but didn’t seem to have the same zip. He left without scoring a bout point.
“He’s adjusting a little bit with that knee,” said Waynesburg head coach Joe Throckmorton. “(Ortman) is a tough wrestler. We gave up a better seed in the tournament (last week), but you never know.”
Macri had four takedowns and two escapes in a 10-4 decision over 41-win Brandon Meredith of Spring Ford. Macri, a Southwest Region champion, meets Rafael Portilla of Carlisle, a Southcentral runner-up, in the quarterfinals.
“I knew I had to get on my offense early and widen the gap,” said Macri, who is now 36-2. “He’s a dangerous guys with some big moves. I knew if I stayed on my offense the entire match, I’d have it.”
Nijenhuis pinned Patrick O’Neill of North Penn in 3:47 to raise his record to 41-5. Nijenhuis, a regional runner-up, draws Ethan Baney of South Western, a third-place finisher in the Southeast with a 37-6 record, in the quarters.
“I took it period by period, first period worked on my shots, second period wrestle the way I wrestle,” Nijenhuis said. “I just wrestled my match.”
Morris got his escape with 58 seconds remaining for a 3-2 win over Jagger Condomitti of Northampton at 132. Morris gets Chris Wright of Central Dauphin, a Southcentral champion with a 46-1 record.
“This is it. I have to wrestle my all,” said Morris. “I beat him at the Beast of the East.”
Homet dominated Ander DiBernardo of West Chester East, 15-6. He meets Luke Nichter of Chambersburg, a Southcentral champion with a 36-6 record, in the quarterfinals.
“I just wanted to wrestle really hard,” he said. “When guys are seniors, they put a lot of pressure on themselves. I’m just going out to have fun and score points.”
Canon-McMillan’s Hritsko lost a first-round bout but is alive in the consolations.