O-R Athlete of the Week: Garrett Boone, McGuffey
Name: Garrett Boone
School: McGuffey
Sport: Wrestling
Class: Senior
Boone’s week: Boone won his first WPIAL championship by pinning Ethan Cain of Elizabeth Forward in 2:35. The win wiped away two exasperating seasons for the McGuffey 195-pounder.
Boone came into the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the weight class. Cain was No. 1.
Boone pinned Brayden Mickinac of Derry in 3:11 in the quarterfinals, then stuck Brett Huffman of Central Valley in 1:33 in the semifinals. Boone made quick work of Cain, taking him down with 42 seconds left for a lead in the first period, then turning him and pinning him early in the second period for the championship.
Boone showed his enthusiastic spirit after winning the WPIAL title by jumping into the arms of family and fans after the pin.
“I wasn’t sure where I would place, but I came out on top and I couldn’t be happier,” Boone said.
“That was the biggest win of his career, winning a WPIAL championship,” said McGuffey head coach Jared Roberts. “I told him to keep going and make it carry over to the state championships.”
Boone is one of five Highlanders who advanced to the PIAA Class AA Southwest Region Tournament this weekend at Indiana University. The others are Rocco Ferraro, who won the 145-pound weight class; Ethan Barr, who was second at 160; Nate Yagle, who was fourth at 132; and Seth Burgdolt, who was sixth at 170 pounds.
“I’m going to go up there,” Boone said, “and be on that podium.”
The preliminary round begins at 1 p.m. Friday and finals will be 5:45 p.m. Saturday.
Boone’s first opponent is Clayton Arnold, a junior from Mount Union, who has a 20-13 record. Arnold was a sixth-place finisher from District 6.
Overcoming obstacles: His first two varsity seasons were a struggle for Boone, who missed both postseasons because of a concussion, then a knee injury.
That just made this victory sweeter
“I was thinking I might have been jinxed a little bit,” Boone said. “But I’m not really superstitious. The rehab wasn’t bad. It was just that I couldn’t wrestle. I went to the matches and watched as much as I could. I wanted to be out there and that was the worst part about it.”
Boone said it was harder recovering from the concussion.
“It just threw everything off, my balance, strength and focus,” he said. “It wasn’t the worst type of concussion but it was on the borderline.”
- Compiled by Joe Tuscano