Dec 19, 2021 3 min read

Trinity takes 3rd with 2 champs

Trinity Varsity Hillers placed 3rd as a team out of 47 at the Panther Holiday Classic at Mount Aloysius College in Altoona over the weekend. The team missed placing 2nd by only 1 point.

The Hillers had Two Panther Classic Champions. Sophomore Blake Reihner was crowned the 132-pound champion. Junior Ty Banco 285-pound champion. This is the second weekend in a row that Banco has pinned every opponent for a championship. Banco pinned his way through the 285-pound weight class with 5 pins and 8:23 minutes of total wrestling in 5 matches.

Senior Drew Cain (189) fought hard and battled back to place 3rd. Freshman TJ Allison (113) took 4th place and senior Andrew Gonzales (145) earned a 6th finish.

In college wrestling

The Waynesburg University wrestling team made its longest road trip of the season to wrap up the 2021 portion of its schedule. The Yellow Jackets went 1-2 over three matches they competed in as part of the Gator “Boots” Duals, which were hosted by Luther College in Nashville, Tenn.

Waynesburg (2-6) fell in its opening match against Huntingdon by the final score of 43-9. The Jackets got a 4-2 decision win from freshman Damion Finnegan while junior Esdras Castillo picked up a forfeit.

Junior heavyweight Rocky McGeary provided Waynesburg with its only win during a 47-3 loss to Augustana (Ill.). McGeary pulled out a 5-3 decision win at 285 pounds.

The Jackets were able to end their trip on a high note by downing Manchester 29-28. After falling behind 10-0, Castillo picked up another forfeit win at 141 pounds to get Waynesburg on the board. The Jackets grabbbed another forfeit at 157 pounds, this one by freshman Kyle Hinerman that cut their deficit to 16-12.

In high school basketball

Devin Whitlock scored 39 points to help Belle Vernon knock off Hempfield in overtime 83-77 in a non-section game.

Whitlock also pulled down 16 rebounds for a double-double. Quinton Martin contributed 23 points.

• Claire Redd and Lexi Ewig scored eight points each to lead McGuffey to a 35-16 nonsection win over Beth-Center.

McGuffey raised its record to 3-2 while Beth-Center fell to 0-4.

• Ava Leroux scored 14 points to help South Fayette knock off Mars, 62-42, in a nonsection game Saturday.

Maddie Webber scored 13 points and Mia Webber 12 for the Lions (4-1).

Alexa McDole had 14 points for Mars (4-1).

• Lorenzo Gardner scored 26 points on nine field goals and 8 of 12 from free throw line as Monessen dumped Mt. Pleasant 58-44.

Both teams are 1-3.

Tough day for Deion

Deion Sanders and his Jackson State Tigers were riding high entering the Celebration Bowl. There was not much to celebrate afterward.

Cory Fields Jr. threw for four touchdowns, three to Shaquan Davis, and South Carolina State stunned Jackson State 31-10 on Saturday in a game considered to be the national championship of historically Black colleges and universities.

It marks the first time the Bulldogs (7-5) have topped the HBCUs since 2009. Jackson State (11-2) hasn’t won the title since 1996.