Jan 22, 2018 3 min read

When the South Fayette wrestling team made the long trip to Brookville High School to compete in the one-day Ultimate Duals, the Lions knew it would be a challenging event.

Not only was the No. 2 Class AA team in the state there in Reynolds, but so was the No. 4 team in Brookville.

But what held the attention of Lions head coach Rick Chaussard was the No. 1 Class AA team in the WPIAL: Burrell.

Like two crafty poker players, everything was held close to the vest. That’s because the coaching staff at both schools would have to prepare for another ultimate dual meet that will probably take place tonight in the WPIAL Section 3 Team Tournament at Burrell.

South Fayette takes on Valley, and Quaker Valley meets Burrell, in the 6 p.m. matches. The winners wrestle for the section championship at 7:30 p.m. South Fayette and Burrell are heavy favorites in the first round.

So the tournament at Brookville will come in handy for both teams.

“We were taking some notes,” said Chaussard. “No one was showing much. We’re going to prepare for this carefully. Hopefully, we were somewhat educated over the weekend.”

The winning teams from the three Class AA sections and four Class AAA sections could earn one of the top seeds in next week’s WPIAL Team Tournament.

Locally in Class AAA, No. 1 Canon-McMillan and No. 3 Waynesburg travel to the West Allegheny High School pod, and Peters Township hosts a pod that includes Belle Vernon. In Class AA, Burgettstown and Fort Cherry are at the Freedom pod, and McGuffey and Beth-Center travel to the Derry pod. There also are fifth-place matches in each section at different locations. The losers of these bouts are the only teams eliminated from the team tournament for now.

Locally, Trinity defeated Ambridge, 72-3, Tuesday night. Jefferson-Morgan travels to Mt. Pleasant tonight and Chartiers-Houston is at South Side Beaver.

South Fayette had a rough time at the Ultimate Duals, losing all five matches. The Lions weren’t fielding a full lineup, forfeiting a couple matches in each dual meet. Burrell defeated South Fayette, 57-15.

“They didn’t show anything and we didn’t show anything,” said Chaussard. “It was pretty much a JV match. Very few starters wrestled on both sides. The kids competed hard and that was what I was looking for.”

Burrell is after its 15th consecutive section title and is chasing its 12th consecutive WPIAL Team Tournament title. South Fayette is coming off two underwhelming performances in the WPIAL event, a semifinal loss to Freedom in the 2017 tournament and a 5-point loss to Burrell in the 2016 semifinals. Burrell won the final three bouts in that match to wipe away 27-22 South Fayette lead.

“I told our kids this is the reason we work so hard, for this time of year,” said Chaussard. “At this time of year, we have to fight for bonus points. We have to try and get as many as we can and not give up as many as we can. Sometimes, it’s not how you win but how you lose.”

Pairings for the WPIAL Team Tournament will be released Thursday.