Waynesburg’s Homet ‘up’ for winning title
Moving from one weight class to another at season’s end is not unusual for most high school wrestlers. They start the season at a higher weight and work down as the season unfolds.
That’s what makes Kyle Homet different.
The junior from Waynesburg High School spent most of the season at 160 pounds and moved up to 170 for the postseason. Last week in the Section 4 Tournament at Trinity, Homet won the title.
He will be looking for the same results in the WPIAL Class AAA Championships that gets underway 11 a.m. Friday at Canon-McMillan High School, with the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. The semifinals are set to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and finals are at 6 p.m.
The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the PIAA Championships, which begin today at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“I was confident at 60,” said Homet, who has a 31-5 record. “The whole reason I bumped up is I weighed 182 before the season and when I looked at things at 60, I figured I had the skill that I might be able to go far at state there.”
Homet felt dropping the weight meant loss of muscle.
“It just killed all the muscle I had built up from lifting,” he said. “I just wasn’t enjoying the sport. When I moved back up to 70, it breathed some new life into me. I was able to wrestle a lot harder and go the whole time. I was able to go with the bigger guys because I have that extra energy.”
Homet received the third seed. The top two went to Tim Wallace, a junior from Albert Gallatin with a 31-2 record, and Alec Shaw, a senior from Greensburg Salem who is 33-1. Canon-McMillan’s Blaze Kansco (27-11), who lost an overtime decision to Homet in the section finals, received the fifth seed.
The other top seeds are Darren Miller (36-2) of Kiski at 106; Sam Hillegas (35-0) of North Hills at 113; Logan Macri (35-5) at 120 and Brendan Furman (39-3) at heavyweight for Canon-McMillan; Spencer Lee (28-0) of Franklin Regional at 126; Caleb Morris (31-4) of Waynesburg at 132; Luke Kemerer (30-2) at 138 and Jarod Verkleeren (22-1) at 145 for Hempfield; Cam Coy (30-0) of Penn Trafford at 152; Eric Hong (25-0) at 160 and Jake Woodley at 195 for North Allegheny; Nino Bonaccorsi (32-0) of Bethel Park at 182 and Ron D’Amico (35-1) of Shaler at 220.
Homet has a first-round bye in the tournament and will wrestle the winner of the bout between Jeff Markett of Peters Township and John Bachar of Penn Trafford.
If there is a local dark horse in the tournament, it might be Canon-McMillan’s Kenny Hayman, who is the eighth seed at 113. Hayman has won eight of his last 11 bouts and gained some valuable experience under pressure competing in the PIAA Team Tournament in Hershey.
“I’m hoping to make it to Hershey, but it’s going to be tough,” Hayman said after the Section 4 Tournament. “I’ve got to beat some good guys again. But, I feel like I can do it.”
Hayman’s teammate, Matt Oblock, might have the toughest path to the final of the 126-pound weight class. Oblock has to beat Lee, a three-time undefeated state champion. Lee is one of three defending state champions in this event. Coy and Woodley are the others.
Other defending WPIAL champions are Louis Newell of Seneca Valley at 113, Zach Hartman of Belle Vernon at 160, Wallace at 170, Bonaccorsi at 182 and Woodley at 195.