Feb 11, 2016 3 min read

HERSHEY – Canon-McMillan’s wrestling team returned to the scene of some of its most memorable accomplishments in the program’s history.

The Giant Center in Hershey, where the Big Macs carved out five PIAA team titles in three seasons, hasn’t changed much but the lineup for the Big Macs has changed.

On this night, it didn’t matter.

The Big Macs stretched their muscles, winning 10 of the 14 bouts, and crusied to a 46-21 victory over Jersey Shore in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA Team tournament.

Canon-McMillan, runners-up in District 7, advanced to today’s quarterfinals against District 1 champion Boyertown, a 61-12 winner over District 9 champion Clearfield in a first-round match.

“Neither team got out to many runs,” said Canon-McMillan head coach Jason Cardillo. “We had a long bus ride up here and we were a little flat. I think (today) we’ll be on our toes against a better team. We got some forfeits and we got some guys caught in some situations on the mat.”

The Big Macs won with the same type of aggressiveness and technique they employed when coached by Chris Mary a few years ago. They could beat you in a number of different ways.

This team might not have that type of firepower that Solomon Chishko, Dalton Macri, Connor Schram, Cody Wiercioch and others provided, but it does have the grit to persevere.

“I was here as a freshman but I didn’t wrestle. I was a backup,” said Declan Lewis, a middleweight who was part of a key three-decision run by Canon-McMillan. “It was pretty nerve-wracking with all the people there. I had a lot of fun. That run was huge.

“This was an awesome experience and those guys had a lot of fun when they were here. I wanted to, too.”

Wins by Tim Hritsko (132), Anthony Mastrangelo (138) and Lewis (145) pushed Canon-McMillan’s lead to 15-6 and it was needed because Jersey Shore tied the match with a decision by Seth Young at 152 and a pin by Hayden Swartwood at 160.

Tommy James won a major decision at 170 to send C-M to a 19-15 lead, and James Zeremenko, whose pin against Kiski decided the semifinal match in the District 7 semifinals, got another big pin at 182 to push the Big Macs to a 25-15 bulge.

Nick Konyk’s technical fall put the match away, 30-15, because Jersey Shore forfeited at heavyweight and 113, where Brendan Furman and Logan Macri waited.

“We had a first-year kid at one weight and we would have sent him out if we needed to,” said Jersey Shore head coach David Herman. “A couple other kids we just decided not to wrestle them. Canon-McMillan is a very tough team, very physical. They are tough through the center. We knew what we were coming into and what type of team they are.”