Lions want to sharpen claws at Tri-CADA tournament
The way Rick Chaussard figures it, the South Fayette High School wrestling team is going to get a much-needed challenge this weekend.
The head coach of the Lions is preparing his team for the Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association Wrestling Tournament.
South Fayette, the No. 2 team in the Observer-Reporter Class AA Wrestling Rankings, has an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the top two teams in Class AAA: Canon-McMillan, ranked No. 1, and Waynesburg, the No. 2 team.
“We never talk about finishing second,” said Chaussard. “We always talk about finishing first. There are some other teams that will have a say in that.”
Action gets underway at 4:30 p.m. today at Trinity High School. Semifinals are 10:30 a.m. Saturday and the finals are at 2:30 p.m.
South Fayette will be looking to improve on last year’s third-place finish. On the strength of a well-wrestled finals, Waynesburg won the team title, overtaking Canon-McMillan.
“We like this event for the competition,” said Chaussard. “When they moved us from the section, we don’t see a lot of the Washington-Greene County schools anymore. Throw in Waynesburg, Canon-Mac and Trinity and this tournament gives us a good gauge on what we need to work on if we want to get to the next level.”
South Fayette lost only one senior starter from last year’s team. While the Lions don’t have a wrestler ranked No. 1, they do have ranked wrestlers sprinkled through the weight classes.
Eli Brinsky, coming off a strong freshman season, is ranked third at 138. Mike Cusick, who is five wins away from 100 in his varsity career, is second at 145.
Joe Bastaroli, one of four wrestlers from South Fayette who won at least 30 bouts last year, is third at 195. Jake Walker, coming off a 27-9 season, is third at 220. And Quentin Franklin, who had 18 wins as a freshman, is third at heavyweight.
“So far, they’ve done pretty much what we expected,” said Chaussard. “We want to get everyone as high on the podium as we can.”
The Lions opened the season with an impressive showing at the Chartiers-Houston Tournament. They finished first, outlasting two Class AAA teams in Upper St. Clair and Peters Township. They accomplished this feat without the benefit of a champion. The Lions had seven placewinners: three runners-up, a third, fourth and two sixths.
Returning champions for the Tri-CADA event include Bryce Wilkes of Peters Township at 106; Manny Dovshek of Bentworth at 113; Logan Macri of Canon-McMillan at 120; three-time state champion Gavin Teasdale of Jefferson-Morgan at 126; Caleb Morris of Waynesburg at 132; Tim Hritsko of Canon-McMillan at 138; Trey Howard of Waynesburg at 145; Gerrit Nijenhuis of Canon-McMillan at 152; Christian Clutter of McGuffey at 160; Tim Wallace of Albert Gallatin at 170; Dom Fudy of Beth-Center at 182; and Ian Edenfield of Laurel Highlands at 220.