Feb 1, 2018 4 min read

Canon-McMillan’s opponent in the WPIAL Class AAA Team Wrestling Tournament changed overnight.

Hempfield, which defeated Seneca Valley in tiebreaking criteria after the quarterfinal match ended in a 31-31 tie, self-reported the use of an academically ineligible wrestler for both dual meets Wednesday.

Hempfield defeated West Allegheny, 47-24, in the first round of the tournament pod at Seneca Valley.

The disqualification of the Spartans’ wrestler changed the outcome of the Seneca Valley dual meet but it had no affect on the West Allegheny result.

The semifinal lineups now have top-seeded Canon-McMillan taking on fourth-seeded Seneca Valley and No. 2 Kiski meeting third-seeded Waynesburg. Both dual meets begin at noon Saturday at Trinity High School. The semifinal winners wrestle at 2 p.m. for the WPIAL title. The losers compete, also at 2 p.m., for the third and final spot in the state team event.

In a release sent by the WPIAL, Hempfield athletic director Greg Meisner said the wrestler was ineligible according to PIAA Academic and Curricular requirements.

“Our report cards came out this past Monday, the 29th, and (the student) was not passing four full credits required,” Meisner wrote. “However, he was eligible under our school’s Student Handbook for this week, but would have been ineligible starting this coming Monday, Feb. 5th. We have determined that under PIAA rules and guidelines that (the student) was ineligible (Wednesday) night and his match should be forfeited; thus, Seneca Valley should advance to this Saturday’s tournament.”

Tim O’Malley, executive director of the WPIAL, praised Meisner and the school for self-reporting the situation.

“As you indicate since the grading period ended and the student in question was not passing 4 full credit subjects, he then by rule (PIAA By-Law Article X Curriculum, Section 3) is ineligible to participate for the first 15 days of the next marking period,” O’Malley replied. “The error was obviously inadvertent and your willingness to step forward acknowledging the oversight is to be commended. Seneca Valley and Wrestling Chairman (Frank) Vulcano have been made aware and the brackets on the WPIAL website have been updated. Thank you again for your willingness to do the correct thing.”

In Class AA, top-seeded Burrell wrestles McGuffey and Derry takes on Freedom in the noon semifinals at Chartiers-Houston High School. The top three advance to the PIAA tournament.

Teasdale picked

for Classic

Gavin Teasdale, a three-time PIAA Class AA champion from Jefferson-Morgan High School, has been invited to compete for the Pennsylvania Team that wrestles the United States Team in this year’s Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic.

The event will be held at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House, 6 p.m., Sunday, March 27. The WPIAL wrestles Iowa in the 4 p.m. preliminary.

Teasdale is looking to become the 13th wrestler in PIAA history and the second from Jefferson-Morgan to win four state titles. Cary Kolat was the seventh wrestler to win four.

Teasdale has only one loss in his varsity career, coming in the 126-pound finals of the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament against Beau Bayless of Wyoming Seminary.

Tickets for the event can be purchased by going to www.wrestlingclassic.com

Wrestling sites

Canon-McMillan will be the site for all three WPIAL Class AA Section Tournaments and WPIAL finals. The two-day event runs Feb. 16-17.

In Class AAA, Kiski (Section 1), Connellsville (Section 2), Fox Chapel (Section 3) and Trinity (Section 4) are home sites for the one day event Feb. 24

Canon-McMillan will host the Class AAA championship March 2-3. The Class AA regional is at Indiana University Feb. 23-24.