Wrestling finalists made right moves
It was a turbulent wrestling season, complete with upsets and unexpected success stories.
That’s what made the season that the finalists in wrestling put together so impressive.
Canon-McMillan’s Jason Cardillo, Waynesburg’s Joe Throckmorton and Beth-Center’s Gary Welsh not only had strong team portions of the season but celebrated while their wrestlers won medals in the state tournament.
All three will be honored, and the winner will be announced, at the Tri-County Athletic Directors Coach of the Year Banquet, 5 p.m. Sunday, April 23 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Meadow Lands.
Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and are on sale at Washington High School, 201 Allison Avenue, Washington, Pa., 15301. Reservations can be made by calling Washington athletic director Mike Bosnic at 724-223-5085, ext. 2091.
All proceeds from the banquet benefit Special Olympics.
Cardillo led the Big Macs to another section team title, extending a streak that goes back to 2001. They took third place in the WPIAL Team Tournament and finished third. That qualified them for the state event, where the Big Macs went 2-2.
In the individual tournament, Cardillo was in the corner when Brendan Furman won the Class AAA heavyweight title. Gerrit Nijenhuis took third at 152 pounds and Logan Macri took fifth at 120 pounds.
Cardillo made news after the season by announcing his retirement to spend more time with his family.
Throckmorton led the Raiders to a second-place finish behind Canon-McMillan in the Section 4 race and a spot in the WPIAL Team Tournament. The Raiders won their first-round meet against Butler but fell to Franklin Regional in the quarterfinals.
Throckmorton brought three wrestlers to Hershey for the individual tournament and one – Colin McCracken – medaled, taking third place at 195.
Welsh resurrected the Bulldogs’ team fortunes by finishing third in Section 2, earning a spot in the WPIAL Team Tournament. Beth-Center stopped Chartiers-Houston in the first round before falling to South Fayette in the quarterfinals.
In the individual postseason, Welsh qualified two wrestlers for the state tournament, including Dom Fundy, who won WPIAL and Southwest Region titles. Fundy made it to the 182-pound finals in Hershey and took the silver medal after a 6-0 loss to Cody Mulligan of Saegertown.