Dec 26, 2018 3 min read

It’s been a motivational point for Gerrit Nijenhuis this season.

The junior from Canon-McMillan High School was involved in one of the more controversial bouts in last March’s PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

It came in the semifinals of the 160-pound weight class in an overtime bout against Carter Starocci of Erie Cathedral Prep. Tied 1-1, Starocci was awarded a takedown in the final seconds that most did not believe he had to defeat Nijenhuis, 3-1.

Starocci locked a cradle but Nijenhuis rolled through, breaking the hold and actually emerged in a takedown position as the buzzer sounded.

Boos rained down and the C-M coaches leaped out of their chairs in the corner to protest the call. The referee met briefly with the mat judge, then raised Starocci’s hand, drawing more boos and more yells from the C-M coaches. Nijenhuis would go on to finish third.

“I’d like another shot at him,” said Nijenhuis, who surpassed 100 career wins last week. “Hopefully, he’s going to be in my weight class.”

The two could meet again this weekend as they are seeded Nos. 1 (Starocci) and 2 in the 182-pound weight class at the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament. Action gets underway at Canon-McMillan at 8 a.m., Friday. Quarterfinals are at 7:30 p.m. that night. Semifinals are at 11 a.m. Saturday and finals follow at 7 p.m.

The junior varsity tournament runs today, starting at 1 p.m.

Interestingly, Starocci went on to win the weight class with the help of another controversial call, this time a stalling call at the end of the third period to tie the bout, 4-4, against Belle Vernon’s Zach Hartman. Starocci went on to a 6-4 victory with a takedown in the first overtime.

“I feel I won that match (in Hershey) but I don’t want to hold on to that (disappointment),” Nijenhuis said. “I put it in the past, learned from it and came back better. It was tough but you’ve got to (put it out of your mind).”

Starocci, who recently committed to Penn State University, is ranked second in the nation at 182 by Intermat. Nijenjuis is fifth.

The 182-pound weight class won’t be easy to win. Scott Joll of Belle Vernon, who was third at Powerade and fifth in the state at 170 last season, is the No. 3 seed. Luke Stout of Mount Lebanon, who was fourth at states at 160, is the fourth seed.

Nijenhuis finished third at 152 in last year’s tournament, losing to Hartman in the semifinals. He is one of the leaders on a younger, less experienced Big Mac team now.

“My role on this team is to help the young guys,” Nijenhuis said. “Our expectations at Canon-Mac never change. We’re always competing for a state medal or WPIAL title, and it’s going to stay that way.”

Other local top seeds are Kurt Phipps of Norwin at 120; Colton Camacho (126) of Franklin Regional; defending state champion Sam Hillegas (138) of North Hills; and Max Shaw (195) of Thomas Jefferson.