Site switched for Class 2A regional
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The bus ride to the PIAA Class 2A Southwest Region Tournament got a whole lot shorter for area wrestlers.
The PIAA has switched the site from Indiana University to Peters Township High School March 4-5.
Indiana could have a basketball game on the Saturday, March 5 date, so it was unable to handle the two-day event that is the last stop before the PIAA Champions get underway at the Giant Center in Hershey.
The Southwest Regional is made up of wrestlers from Districts 5, 6, and 7 (WPIAL).
“We weren’t really looking for anything,” said Peters Township athletic director Brian Geyer. “Frank Vulcano (head of the WPIAL steering committee) asked whether we had availability because Indiana couldn’t host it. We went back and forth for about a week and the finally formally asked us to host last Monday.”
Geyer said because he and Peters Township have never hosted a regional tournament before, he will lean heavily on the advice of the WPIAL wrestling steering committee members in preparing for the tournament.
“Frank Vulcano is so important to that committee,” Geyer said. “There going to bring WPIAL crews and anyone from District 5 and 6 who want to help out. The size of the gym is decent and the parking is great.”
Geyer said the Peters Township gymnasium can easily fit the four mats required to run the tournament.
“That would allow us to open three of the four section of stands,” Geyer said. “We can fit about 2,000 fans. I have no idea how big this tournament can be but Frank said we could handle it so I trust his judgment.”
Geyer said the school has a parent on the wrestling steering committee in Phil Mary, a former two-time state champion from Chartiers-Houston, who has experience in running such a tournament.
“When IUP said they couldn’t host, we checked with Cal U, Hempfield and Norwin and they couldn’t host it. That’s when we decided to move it there,” said Vulcano.
The Class AAA Southwest Region will be held at Canon-McMillan the same weekend as the Class AA event, which was moved back a week from its normal spot. The two schools are about five miles apart.