Jan 28, 2018 3 min read

As Pittsburgh Steelers fans, and players, discovered, it can be a treacherous situation to look down the road.

One might miss the giant pothole under foot.

But let’s throw caution to the wind, take a quick peek for potholes and look down the road to which wrestling teams will win the WPIAL Team Tournament, which begins today with Class AAA preliminary-round matches and Wednesday with Class AA’s first round.

In case you forgot the seeds, in Class AAA they are 1. Canon-McMillan, 2. Kiski, 3. Waynesburg and 4. Seneca Valley. In Double-A, it’s 1. Burrell, 2. Freedom, 3. Derry and 4. McGuffey.

Class AAA is the most intriguing because Canon-McMillan and Kiski wrestled Dec. 22, and the Big Macs came away with a 36-27 victory in their home gymnasium. Most believe, as I do, these two teams will make it to Saturday’s finals at Trinity High School.

Kiski was wrestling without two starters in the first meeting: Sammy Starr at 106 and Isaac Reid at heavyweight. If Reid’s name sounds familiar, it should. He lost to Canon-McMillan’s Brendan Furman in the state finals last year in Hershey. In fact, Furman seemed to be the only wrestler to beat him. Reid is an extraordinary talent, who just returned from a medical condition that kept him out almost all season. He is 5-0 with three pins and two forfeits. Canon-Mac won the heavyweight bout in the Dec. 22 match. It’s highly unlikely that happens again.

So. . . .

Canon-McMillan needs to make up for those bout points. That can be done be reversing the outcome of a loss or getting a pin in a bout won by a decision from the previous meeting. That’s a difficult challenge because Kiski is really talented and has the emotional advantage – revenge – on its side. The return of Starr and Reid is another emotional boost.

First-year head coach Jeff Havelka has done an outstanding job with the Big Macs, defeating rival Waynesburg twice and Trinity once. The Big Macs won their 40th section titles, and 17th straight, last week. If he has a secret weapon, now is the time to unleash it.

Otherwise, Kiski will win this rematch, 33-30.

In Class AA, it’s going to take some type of upset to stop Burrell from winning its 12th straight title. The Bucs have rolled over every Double-A opponent and have been the No. 1 team in every local ranking since the season began. A no-brainer here.

Three of the four local teams – Burgettstown, South Fayette and McGuffey – are in Burrell’s side of the bracket. Only one will make it to the semifinals, either McGuffey or South Fayette. The two are wrestling in the same pod Wednesday. Look for the Highlanders to beat South Fayette, 28-27, then fall to Burrell in the semifinals.

Burrell will defeat Derry, 48-12, in the Class AA finals.