Quiet please: Church, Welsh dominate Southern Sectional
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Rocco Welsh of Waynesburg holds the ankle of Matthew Furman of Canon-McMillan during their 172-pound bout in the WPIAL Class 3A Southern Sectional Saturday at South Fayette High School. Welsh won by decision.
Mac Church (front) of Waynesburg tries to escape the hold of Nico Taddy of West Allegheny during their 145-pound finals in the WPIAL Class 3A Southern Sectional Saturday at South Fayette High School. Church won by decision.
McDONALD – It might have been one of the oddest matches in the sterling high school career of Waynesburg’s Mac Church.
In the middle of his semifinal bout, Church, a senior and two-time PIAA champion, shushed a fan in the crowd at South Fayette’s gymnasium in Saturday’s WPIAL Class 3A Southern Sectional.
While the match was going on.
“I did,” said Church with a smile on his face. “I think it was the father of the kid I was wrestling.”
Church went on to pin Cole Gibbons of Mount Lebanon before winning the 145-pound weight class with a 6-2 decision over Nico Taddy of West Allegheny.
It was the third straight section title for Church. He finished as runner-up as a freshman.
“I wasn’t feeling too good,” said Church. “My muscles are a little tired. I think it’s rehydration or something. Maybe I cut too much weight. So I definitely have to be smarter about my weight.”
Church’s teammate, Rocco Welsh, won his fourth section title of his distinguished career with a hard-fought 9-4 decision over Matthew Furman of Canon-McMillan.
“I’m very excited about it,” said Welsh. “This was a tough section tournament.”
It was a match not made for the faint of heart. Welsh and Furman went at each other like starving dogs after a slab of meat.
“He pushes me,” Welsh said of Furman. “He’s an unconventional wrestler and he pushes me in ways I don’t get in practice. It’s hard to replicate what he’s going to do. Without a doubt, he’s helping me to be a better wrestler and I’m helping him to be a better wrestler.”
“That was a tough one,” Furman said. “The physicality and intensity really pushes us to our best ability against each other. This was by far the best match I had with him. It still stinks to be secoond behind him. But it is what it is for now.”
The top six wrestlers in each weight class advance to the WPIAL Championships next weekend at Canon-McMillan High School.
It’s been a tough season for South Fayette as seven starters were missing Saturday because of various injuries. Included in the group were Luke Dunlap, who was 15-3, and Talan Mizenko, who was 15-11. Both wrestlers are sophomores.
In other selective matches involving local wrestlers:
Cooper Smith of West Allegheny upset top-seeded Brandon Dami of Canon-McMillan, 8-6, in overtime in the semifinals. Dami was later pinned by Owen Klodowski of Baldwin in the consolation round.
In the battle for fifth place, Dami was beaten again, being pinned by South Fayette’s John Baiano, and at the end of the match, Dami reportedly shoved Baiano and was given a misconduct penalty that ended his season.
His name was not announced during the medal presentations.
Tanner Mizenko of Canon-McMillan won the 107-pound title with a 7-1 decision over Ejiro Montoya of Mount Lebanon.
In the 127-pound finals, Andrew Binni pinned Trinity’s T.J. Allison to win the gold medal. Binni finally broke through after finishing runner-up the past two years.
Trinity’s Blake Reiner had little trouble from Ethan Higgins of Bethel Park, taking a 20-7 major decision and the 139-pound title.
Gabe Stafford of Canon-McMillan had one more point than Brody Evans of Waynesburg, 3-2, to win the 189-pound title.
Eli Makel of Waynesburg took the 215-pound title with a 13-4 major decision over Canon-McMillan’s Geno Calgaro and Trinity’s Ty Banco won the heavyweight division with a pin of Zack Stromock of Peters Township.