Waynesburg off to quick start in team tourney
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Eli Makel, right, of Waynesburg goes eye-to-eye with Brian Finnerty duringt their 215-pound bout. Finnerty won a 2-1 decision in overtime.
Mac Church, right, of Waynesburg tries to control Maddox Shaw of Thomas Jefferson during their 132-pound match. Church won a 7-2 decision.
Colten Stoneking, right, of Waynesburg tries to break the hold of Bode Marlow of Thomas Jefferson during their 138-pound bout. Stoneking won a 9-1 decision.
Rocco Welsh, right, of Waynesburg is about to roll Jake Bertini to his back for a pin in their 189-pound bout.
WAYNESBURG – When you wrestle with the likes of Mac Church and Rocco Welsh, it’s easy to get overlooked.
But overlook Colten Stoneking at you own peril.
The 138-pound senior from Waynesburg High School is looking strong and a fifth-place finish in the PIAA Championship like last year would somehow seem like a disappointment for Stoneking now.
Stoneking won two bouts Wednesday night, helping Waynesburg chalk up two wins in the first two rounds of the WPIAL Class AAA Team Tournament.
Waynesburg routed Thomas Jefferson, 61-3, in the first round, then disposed of Norwin, 52-10, in the quarterfinals. The two wins pushed the overall record to 14-0.
Waynesburg, the defending WPIAL and PIAA Team Tournament champions, moves into Saturday’s semifinal at Peters Township High School.
Stoneking took a 9-1 major decision from Bode Marlow of Thomas Jefferson in the first dual meet then pinned Jackson Huss of Norwin in 2:38 in the nightcap.
“The last couple years, I’ve gotten lost in the lineup,” Stoneking said. “I just support my teammates. It doesn’t really matter.”
The two wins last night gave Stoneking 110 career wins, tying his father, Phil’s mark. He can break it with a win Saturday when the Raiders face Canon-McMillan for the third time this season. This time, it will be in the semifinals at Peters Township. The Big Macs defeated West Allegheny and North Allegheny to win their pod.
“His old record is 110 and I have 110. His old record is 110-18,” said Stoneking, a senior. “Saturday, I can get 111. This was the last time I’ll wrestle in this gym so it was kind of special.”
Waynesburg head coach Kyle Szewczyk said Stoneking is wrestling really well.
“He enjoys himself out there. He wrestles free,” said Szewczyk. “Colten likes where he is at. He’s one of those quiet leaders. You can always depend on him. He’s one of the guys who go with the flow. He’s that way on the mat.”
Szewczyk said Stoneking likes to scramble on the mat.
“He’s comfortable in tight matches,” Szewczyk said. “If it’s 1-0, he’s comfortable in that. But if it’s 15-14, he’s comfortable with that, too.”
Mac Church (132),Brody Evans (189) and Eli Makel (215) had pins and Rocco Welsh won by technical fall.
In the opener, Waynesburg had little trouble with Thomas Jefferson, winning by 58 points.
But there was a good match at 132, where Mac Church, the top rated wrestler at that weight in the Observer-Reporter Wrestling Rankings, took on Maddox Shaw, who was No. 1 rated at 138.
Shaw dropped down to 132 for the postseason but the freshman might want to change his mind about that move. Church, despite falling behind early, 2-0, scored the next seven points for a 7-2 decision.
Church escaped in the first period, cutting the deficit in half. Church then put Shaw on his back for three near-fall points and a 4-2 lead at the end of the second period. Church added an escape and takedown in the third period for the final score.
Nate Jones (145), Jake Stephenson (152), Rocco Welsh (189), and Noah Tustin each won by fall for the Raiders.