Sweet season for wrestling coaching finalists
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The Coach of the Year finalists in wrestling celebrated some sweet moments in Hershey.
Some came during the team tournament, and some came during the individual event.
For their efforts, Jeff Havelka of Canon-McMillan, Joe Throckmorton of Waynesburg and Mark Caffrey of McGuffey are finalists at the Tri-County Athletic Directors Coach of the Year Banquet, which will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 29, 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 Washington County Special Olympics.
Winners will be revealed at the banquet.
Caffrey led the Highlanders to a second-place finish in the WPIAL Class AA Section 2 Tournament, and a third-place spot in the WPIAL Team Tournament with a win over Freedom. McGuffey qualified for the state team tournament with that win. The Highlanders team season ended in the first round of the state event with a loss to Harbor Creek. Caffrey took five wrestlers to the state tournament, including Christian Clutter, who finished fourth at 170.
In his first season as head coach of Canon-McMillan, Havelka led the Big Macs to a Section 4-AAA title, a runner-up finish to Kiski in the WPIAL Class AAA Team Tournament and a fourth-place finish in the PIAA Team Tournament after falling to Erie Cathedral Prep in the consolation finals. Havelka was in the corner when Logan Macri won the 120-pound title and Gerrit Nijenhuis took third at 160 pounds in the individual tournament. Macri also won a WPIAL title, Nijenhuis was second and Tim Hritsko was fourth at 138 pounds.
Throckmorton guided the Raiders to a second-place finish in the Section 4-AAA tournament, falling to Canon-McMillan in the finals, and fourth place in the WPIAL Team Tournament. Throckmorton took four wrestlers to the PIAA Class AAA Championships. Wyatt Henson was fifth at 120 and Caleb Morris finished seventh at 126 pounds. Henson was third in the WPIAL Championships and Morris, Jackson Henson (138) and Kyle Homet (170) each took second.