Wilson, McCracken lead Waynesburg charge at Powerade
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg’s Colin McCracken pins Kiski’s Tyler Worthing in the 182 pound bout in the Powerade quarterfinals.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg’s Shaun Wilson wrestles Belle Vernon’s Brock Godzin in the 138 quarterfinals. Wilson won and advanced in the tournament.
CANONSBURG – Shaun Wilson and Colin McCracken battled their way through the first day of the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament like every other wrestler: one bout at a time.
Both talented Waynesburg High School athletes won three bouts, the requirement to reach the semifinals, which begin 11:30 this morning. They will be joined there by Jefferson-Morgan defending state champion Gavin Teasdale, who moved to 54-0 in his varsity career with his three wins at 113 pounds Tuesday.
If successful in the semifinals, then one more bout awaits, in the 7:30 p.m. finals, which will be held in a packed gymnasium at Canon-McMillan High School.
Belle Vernon, which sent eight into the quarterfinals and had three advance to the semifinals, leads the team scoring with 128.5 points. Wyoming Seminary, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, was second with 117 points. Kiski was third with 115 points, followed by Reynolds (99) and Lockport, Ill. (93.5).
Waynesburg is in 12th place with 77 points.
Wilson, a 138-pound senior who finished third in this event last year, made his way to the semifinals beginning with a 5-0 decision over Jude Mattocks of Saegertown and followed it with a 3-2 squeaker over Baylor Fernandes of Lockport, Ill., and capped the day with a 6-4 decision over Brock Godzin of Belle Vernon. Wilson will have his hands full in the semifinals, where he takes on Luke Pletcher of Latrobe, a state runner-up last year.
Wilson said he’s been working more on getting out on bottom but his three takedowns determined this match.
“I work on it here and there,” he said. “Waynesburg in general has a hard time getting off bottom but we seem to be doing all right. It’s really important to make it to the semis. It’s a guaranteed place.”
Waynesburg head coach Joe Throckmorton said the key for Wilson and other Raiders is to realize what’s important on the mat.
“We’re learning the right things to do,” he said. “Those two kids (Wilson and McCracken) should’ve been at the state tournament last year. They have that kind of talent. Just some little tweaks are needed. They just have to learn how to win each period.”
McCracken, the No. 3 seed who finished third at Powerade last year, opened with the first of three pins: 1:31 over Austin Crouch of Chestnut Ridge. He then stuck Chaston Holley of Cabell Midland in 3:29 before disposing of Tyler Worthing of Kiski in 1:04. McCracken gets Jake Woodley of North Allegheny in the semifinals.
“We had a lot of confidence in him going in,” said Throckmorton. “Colin has been pinning a lot of guys this season.
“We had an up-and-down quarterfinals. We ended up with two big wins.”
The top-seed Teasdale had no problems running his season record to 8-0. He started with a 18-2 technical fall over Colten Beck of Saegertown and followed with an 18-6 major decision over Danile Percelay of DePaul Catholic, N.J. A 22-9 major decision over Jaxson Roney of Plainview, Okla., put Teasdale in the semifinals, where Matt Parker of Pennridge waits.