Nice Run, Big Macs!

With as much emphasis as Canon-McMillan wrestling Coach placed on the individual contributing to team success this season it’s little wonder that his Big Macs walked away from the PIAA Class AAA individual tournament with their second team points title, and first since 1992.

Unfortunately for the Canon-McMillan wrestlers, however, it was the only championship they captured on Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.

The Big Macs began Saturday’s semifinal matches with high hopes, and five wrestlers competing for gold. And while only two advanced to the championship finals, Canon-McMillan amassed its share of medals nonetheless.

Connor Schram fell short of his second-consecutive state title, settling for silver instead in the 112-pound bracket. So too did senior Nick Catalano (145 pounds), who closed out his high school career with a second-place finish. Big Macs Colton Shorts (103), Solomon Chishko (130) and Cody Klempay (285) captured bronze, while Dario Dobbin (135) finished seventh.

Yet, despite the lack of a state champion, Mary could not have been happier with his team.

“It was an awesome season, and the kids did an awesome job. We’re so proud of the kids,” Mary said by telephone.

A week ago, Catalano had stood atop the podium at the WPIAL Class AAA individual tournament with the dream of finding himself in the same spot in Hershey. But after scoring the first points of his finals match against Central Mountain’s undefeated Brian Brill (44-0) on a takedown, that dream began to fade for Catalano (47-2).

Brill rallied quickly, with an escape and then a takedown of his own to finish the round up 3-2. He then made a quick escape from the bottom to start the second period, and followed with yet another takedown for a 6-2 lead heading into the third—where he avoided Catalano’s offensive attempts well enough to cruise to the title by the same score.

“[Catalano] was wrestling a very talented kid,” Mary said. “The kid was very tough on his feet, and we lost a couple of tough scrambles.”

Catalano placed third in the state tournament last year, and fourth in 2009. He finished with a career record of 155-21 with the Big Macs, and will wrestle at the University of North Carolina next season.

“Nick had a great career. He has nothing to be ashamed of, being a PIAA runner up,” Mary said. “We wish his good luck at North Carolina in the fall.”

Schram (47-3) also had difficulty keeping pace with his opponent in the finals, as New Oxford’s Jordan Conaway (38-3) motored to a 10-4 decision to turn away last year’s 103-pound state champ.

Colton Shorts (50-2) picked up a pair of victories in the consolation bracket after falling in the semifinals to Council Rock South’s Billy Rappo. Shorts took an 8-1 decision over Chambersburg’s Tanner Shoap, and then followed with an 8-0 major decision against Norristown’s Zach Fuentes (54-7) to place third.

Chishko and Klempay also battled back in the consolation bracket following their semifinal losses.

Chishko (46-5) beat out Lasalle’s Joe Mazzi (51-6) by a 4-2 score to take third, while Klempay (47-1) picked up his bronze thanks to a 5-2 decision over Westmont Hilltop’s Josh Duplin and then a 3-2 win in the ultimate tiebreaker period against Father Judge’s Jeremy Reith (40-5).

In the end, the sum of the Big Macs proved to be greater than its parts. As a team, Canon-McMillan outscored its closest competitor, Central Catholic, 92-79 to take the team points title.

And that, in and of itself, Mary said, is a notable accomplishment.
“This is great for the program,” Mary said. “Each kid had a huge part in this team’s success.”