Burgettstown’s Kemper brothers celebrate differences
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Shane, left, and Riley Kemper are among the section wrestling champions who fill the lineup for Burgettstown. The Blue Devils and eight other local teams will participate in the 29-team Chartiers-Houston Tournament that begins today.
Shane, left, and Riley Kemper are different sizes, but have the same goal in wrestling - win a state title.
The first thing you notice about Shane and Riley Kemper is their size.
Riley is nearly a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier.
There is only one grade difference between them, Shane being a freshman and Riley a sophomore at Burgettstown High School. They are members of the Blue Devils’ wrestling team.
And if you guessed that it was the 220-pound Riley who had the bigger portion of meals at the dinner table than the 113-pound Shane, well you’d be wrong.
“When we were little, I ate more than him all the time, but he just grew bigger than me,” Shane said with a wry smile. “It’s weird. Eventually, I want to get to that size but I’m good where I am right now.”
“I think it’s genetics,” Riley Kemper said. “He beats me only when I let him.”
While the heavier Riley wins most of the showdowns with his brother on the wrestling mat when they do workout together, the younger Kemper gets some valuable experiences handling larger wrestlers.
The one thing the Kempers share this is week is the opportunity to compete in the PIAA Class AA Southwest Region Tournament, which gets underway at Indiana University today at 2 p.m. with preliminary round action.
Quarterfinals are at 5:45 p.m. today, semifinals noon Saturday and finals at 5:45 p.m.
The top five wrestlers in each weight class advance to the PIAA Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey March 8-10.
Shane Kemper made the region tournament by finishing second at the WPIAL Championships and Riley was fifth at 220. Both have eyes on qualifying for the state tournament in Hershey.
“I’ve been up there to wrestle in (Junior Olympics) but it was at the (Hersheypark Arena),” said Shane Kemper, who has a 29-8 record. “I’ve never been to the Giant Center.”
Shane Kemper entered the WPIAL tournament as the second seed in the weight class. He opened with a pin of Travis Lasko of valley in 5:42 and followed it with a 5-0 shutout of Doug Bittner of Mt. Pleasant in the semifinals. In the finals, Shane Kemper dropped a 6-0 decision to top-seeded Ian Oswalt of Burrell.
“My expectations were that I had a nice shot, where I was set up at, that I could get to the finals,” said Shane Kemper. “I knew once I got there, I would probably have Oswalt. He’s a tough kid but I thought I could compete with him. I can’t wait (for this tournament) because it’s a chance to go and compete with the best wrestlers in the region.”
Riley Kemper began the WPIAL tournament as the No. 2 seed but fell to Connor Main of West Greene, 4-0, in the first round.
But Riley Kemper battled back, pinning his way to the fifth-place bout. That was where the Blue Devils sophomore notched his third consecutive pin, sticking Cody Weber of Washington in 3:49.
“I think I wrestled very well but I need to improve for (the region tournament),” said Riley Kemper, who is 29-10. “I need to get better with my takedown shots and working from the bottom position.”