Then there were none: No local gold for region wrestlers
The top of the awards stand was a lonely place for any District 7 wrestler in the Kovalchick Center on the campus of Indiana University.
And even worse for area District 7 wrestlers.
For the first time in memory, a local wrestler failed to win a gold medal at the PIAA Class AA Southwest Region Tournament Saturday.
Three local wrestlers did manage to make it to the semifinals but each one was defeated and sent to the consolation round.
Shane Kemper and his brother Riley of Burgettstown and Jonathan Wolfe of Jefferson-Morgan were each defeated in the semifinals yesterday.
Shane Kemper was beaten by a 17-1 technical fall by Caleb Dowling of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy at 152 pounds.
Wolfe, who made it to the semifinals by forfeit, was pinned by Cory Johnston of Glendale in 1:55 at 220 pounds.
Riley Kemper, coming off a second-place finish in the WPIAL championships, suffered the most frustrating loss of the three, dropping a 1-0 decision to Jalen Stephens of Meyersdale.
“Usually, the WPIAL has a lot of depth but this year is a down year depth-wise,” said Burgettstown head coach Joey Vigliotti. “In some of those weight classes, you have a champion and onee or two underneath them. I guess you could say we underestimated the other districts. But anything can happen.”
Riley Kemper needed an escape or better in the third period to extend or win the match but couldn’t do it.
“We had a game plan going in,” Vigliotti said. “He wrestled well, and that kid was good, a top-20 ranked wrestler and Fargo champion.”
Fortunately, there was an opportunity for the trio to qualify for the state tournament in the consolation rounds.
The top six wrestlers in each weight class qualified for the PIAA Class AA championships at the Giant Center in Hershey in two weeks.
Riley Kemper battled back for third place after pinning Marvin Beatty of Marion Center in 2:04. Joining Riley Kemper in Hershey for Burgettstown will be brother Shane, third at 152, and Joey Sentipal, sixth at 120.
McGuffey had three: Garrett Boone, third at 195; Nate Yagle, fourth at 120; and Ethan Barr, fifth at 160. Fort Cherry’s Robbie West was fourth at 220, and Jefferson-Morgan’s Jonathan Wolfe was sixth at 220.