Dec 4, 2023 By Joe Tuscano 3 min read

HOUSTON – Losses in wrestling are like bubble gum on the bottom of your shoe. You can do your best not to think about it but every step you take reminds you of it.

That is what Chris Vargo deals with every time he walks onto the wrestling mat.

Vargo, a senior from Bentworth High School, came within one point of becoming a state champion, losing a 2-1 decision to Cooper Hornack of Burrell in the 127-pound PIAA Class 2A finals.

But if the season goes the way Saturday’s finals of the season-opening Chartiers-Houston Tournament did, there will be little to worry about.

Vargo, now free of a knee injury that plagued him last season and relieved after choosing Edinboro University to extend his wrestling and academic career, looked like a champion during his 12-3 rout of Burgettstown’s Parker Sentipal in the 133-pound finals in the C-H gym.

“It’s good to get this first tournament out of the way,” Vargo said. “I wrestled him in the practice room but never in a match. We’re good friends, looking forward to being roommates in college.”

Gavin Suica of Burgettstown and Vitali Daniels of Bentworth are also attending Edinboro.

“We’re all going up there and we’re all going to lay the hammer down,” said Vargo. “All my knee problems are fixed. I have nothing holding me back anymore. I’m going out there and having fun.”

Daniels rolled to the 189-pound title with an 18-2 technical fall against Jake Layhue of Beth-Center. Layhue attends school at California where he played football this season for the Tri-County South champion Trojans. Daniels wrestled at 215 last season.

“I can lose the weight. I’m really just a couple pounds away from 190,” said Daniels. “I definitely have a better shot at winning at this weight. I wanted to dominate in this tournament and I feel I pretty much did that. I wrestled a combined 1:46.”

Burgettstown followed up its first WPIAL team tournament title by winning the team title in this tournament.

“We got a lot of work to do,” said Burgettstown head coach Joey Vigliotti. “We won the tournament but we can’t be satisfied with that. Some of the kids that didn’t place should have. Some that placed should have placed higher. We’re going to work to defend (our WPIAL title) but we have a lot of work to do.”

Every year, this tournament stands as the coming out for several wrestlers. This year, it might just be Nicholas McGarrity’s turn. All the freshman from Peters Township did was win all four bouts in a combined 2:51 to not only win the 107-pound weight class but also win the pinner’s award given yearly at the tournament.

“I didn’t expect to do as well as I did,” said McGarrity. “But I expected I would win in the end. I was pretty confident.”

McGarrity’s brother, A.J., finished second at 145 pounds.

And finally, Joe Baronick of Burgettstown no longer wears the long mullet but that doesn’t mean he has changed much from a strong season last year. He edged Washington’s Joe Wilson, 3-1, in the heavyweight finals.

“I think I wrestled well, made a few mistakes but I can fix those things in the room on Monday,” said Baronick. “Overall. It was a very good tournament.”

Drake McClure of Bentworth pinned Ejiro Montoya to win the 121-pound weight class. Johnny Baiano stopped Mason Wright of Beth-Center, 4-2, in the 127-pound finals.