Mar 25, 2017 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – Canon-McMillan senior Brendan Furman found a positive to his loss at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, Saturday at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House.

Furman (138-33), a Cornell recruit and PIAA Class AAA champ, lost 3-0 in the 285-pound bout to Trent Hillger (241-8), a Wisconsin recruit and three-time Michigan champion.

“I lost the match, but I learned a lot,” Furman said. “He was the first kid to ride me out all year. Now I know my flaws on bottom and what to work on. There’s always a positive, even when you lose.”

Neither wrestler provided much offense in the first two periods, as the only point scored was Hillger’s second-period escape. Furman took the bottom position in the third period, but couldn’t escape.

“I felt pretty good the first two periods,” Furman said. “I took bottom in the third period, but didn’t shoot up right away and I let him get the leg in. He has very good hips and was able to break me down and ride me and even turn me.”

Despite the loss, Canon-McMillan coach Jason Cardillo was impressed with Furman’s performance.

“It would have been nice to see him get a win,” Cardillo said. “I thought he wrestled well. I thought he ressed the action. He just got caught in the legs in the third and couldn’t get out. If he could have got out, it would have been a different story. [Hillger] only shot once. The kid did what he had to win.”

Furman finished the season with a 47-3 record.

”I’m really proud of Brendan,” “He worked really hard to get here. He reached his goal of winning a state title. Getting to wrestle here is a bonus. It’s an honor for him to wrestle in The Classic.”

The season is not over for Furman, who will be competing at Flo Nationals next weekend at IUP.

Nino Bonaccorsi (147-21), a Pitt recruit and two-time PIAA Class AAA runner-up, recorded a 12-2 victory against Jacob Hart (157-16), a four-time West Virginia champion, in one of two bouts at 182.

In the preliminary match, Georgia made its first appearance at The Classic. The WPIAL All-Stars won eight of the 13 bouts to record a 29-18 victory over the Georgia All-Stars.

Waynesburg Colin McCracken shut out Constantine Gavalas of Georgia, 7-0. It was 5-0 after the first of two competitive periods. McCracken added a takedown in the second.

Belle Vernon’s Jacob Dunlop (113) and Bill Korber (220) eached suffered losses.