Preview: WPIAL Class AAA Wrestling Tournament Beings Tonight

The words are clichéd, but the certainty with which Canon-McMillan wrestling coach Chris Mary says them leaves no doubt about his sincerity.

As his Big Macs get ready to kick off the individual WPIAL Class AAA tournament Mary stands by his statement that his team will take everything one match at a time and one day at a time.

There is no looking ahead, Mary said, because that’s when you get beaten.

The Big Macs have nine wrestlers competing in tonight’s first round at Canon-McMillan, which begins with preliminary pigtail matches at 5:30 p.m. and continues with first round matches at 7 p.m.

And while Canon-McMillan has five Section 4 champions in the mix, the team has a legitimate shot of sending the majority of its entrants on to the PIAA state tournament.

“We’re proud of the kids,” Mary said. “We had an outstanding season, and we want to finish on a high note.”

But what are the chances of that happening for each of the Big Macs’ nine WPIAL wrestlers? Find out below.

Colton Shorts
Weight class: 103 lbs.
Record: 42-1
How he got in: Section 4 champion
First round matchup: Either Nick Zoria (24-9), Seneca Valley or John Berandinelli (6-23), Connellsville
What to expect: Shorts ran the table in the Section 4 tournament last week, picking up a pin and a technical fall before beating out Peters Township’s Tyler Buckiso 5-2 in the finals. Shorts enters the WPIAL tournament as the No. 1 seed in his weight class. No. 2? Why that would be Buckiso. Shorts is an obvious favorite to punch his ticket to Hershey, as his drop in weight classes has paid off this season.
Shorts was knocked out of the WPIAL 112-pound bracket in the second round last year.
Mary says: “He is coming in with a lot of momentum. He had a great regular season, and he has high goals. He’s a gamer on the mat.”

Connor Schram
Weight class: 112 lbs.
Record: 40-2
How he got in: Section 4 champion
First round matchup: Either Will Valentine (15-15), Albert Gallatin or Anthony Latess (18-2), Seneca Valley
What to expect: Schram was the state champion at 103 last season, but missed out on a WPIAL title. Entering this year’s tournament as the No. 1 seed, Schram will look to correct that oversight. No. 2 seed Paul Bewak (32-4) of Hempfield could pose a problem for Schram, as the senior made it all the way to the tournament’s 112-pound finals in 2010.
Mary says: “He has had a great year. He’s working on a state title again, and this week is big for him as far as preparation goes. He knows not to take anybody for granted.”

Malachai Krenzelak
Weight class: 119 lbs.
Record: 18-15
How he got in: Fifth place in Section 4.
First round matchup: Ron Seibert (13-18), Central Catholic
What to expect: Krenzelak has an uphill battle ahead of him, as he must wrestle his way out of the preliminary bracket for the right to take on No. 2 seed Ethan Kenney of Connellsville. Top-seeded Derrick Nelson of Waynesburg lurks at the other end of the bracket as well. Nelson finished second in the weight class at last year’s WPIALs.

Mary says: “He has good experience for a freshman. He’s got a lot of mat time.”

Sammy Minor
Weight class: 125 lbs.
Record: 26-17
How he got in: Fourth place in Section 4
First round matchup: Chris Nuss (26-14), Central Catholic
What to expect: In a weight class busting at the seams with talent, Minor will have to play the role of underdog several times over in order to earn a trip to the Giant Center. Nico Megaludis, the 2010 119-pound WPIAL champ is in the bracket, though Minor would have to make it past No. 2 seed Zach McGinnis of Waynesburg (last year’s 125-pound WPIAL champ) to enter that conversation. Still, Minor is certainly has his moments and is capable of surprises.
Mary says: “Sammy’s in one of the toughest weight classes in the WPIAL, and he’s going to have to knock off a lot of big-name kids. But Sammy has the tools to pin people.”

Solomon Chishko
Weight class: 130 lbs.
Record: 38-4
How he got in: Section 4 champion
First round matchup: Either Andy Selker (17-16), Mars or Deane Fiasco (14-20), Penn Trafford
What to expect: Only a freshman, Chishko has proven himself time and again this season—including a pin and a pair of technical falls in the Section 4 tournament that earned Chishko the championship. The top-seeded Chishko may eventually have to deal with undefeated Norwin senior John Pezze (30-0), a finalist in the 2010 125-pound bracket, but until then, look for Chishko to put himself in a position to
place.
Mary says: “He’s just had an awesome freshman year, and he has big goals as a freshman. He’s very talented in all three positions.”

Dario Dobbin
Weight class: 135 lbs.
Record: 35-10
How he got in: Second place in Section 4
First round matchup: Either Nick Tarpley (26-12), Ringgold or Evan Thompson (17-14) Franklin Regional
What to expect: Still stinging from a 4-2 overtime loss to McGuffey’s Alex Dunaway in last year’s 119-pound bracket, a heftier Dobbin is hoping that this will be his year. Dobbin may be able to take advantage of his seeding as well—at least until No. 1 Tyler Lydic (33-7) of Latrobe comes into the picture in the semifinal round. Lydic missed out on a 130-pound championship at last year’s WPIAL tournament by a point.
Mary says: “He’s been one match or two the last couple years from going to states. He’s got a good opportunity this time.”

Nick Catalano
Weight class: 145 lbs.
Record: 40-1
How he got in: Section 4 champion
First round matchup: Either Willie Palombo (25-14), Ambridge or Devin Fallenstein (27-15), Ringgold
What to expect: Two first-round pins and a technical fall in the Section 4 finals helped Catalano earn the top seed in his bracket. Catalano lost in the finals of last year’s 135-pound WPIAL bracket, but with four section titles now to his name, Catalano could easily add to his resume in this season’s tournament. On
the opposite end of the 145-pound bracket sits No. 2 seed Eric Nutter of Central Catholic. Catalano took a 6-3 decision over Nutter in the 2010 WPIALs.
Mary says: “He’s closing out an outstanding career at Canon-McMillan. Nick has high goals of being a WPIAL champion … He has all of the tools to make that happen.”

Alex Campbell
Weight class: 215 lbs.
Record: 35-10
How he got in: Fourth in Section 4
First round matchup: Jake Smith (26-11), North Allegheny
What to expect: Severe illness forced an early exit from Campbell in the Section 4 tournament, as he pulled out of a third place match in the third round. But a healthy Campbell will have to battle through a deep talent pool at 215-pounds that includes few competitors sporting less than 20 wins to their credit. And to top it off, Campbell’s tough road to Hershey will likely have to go through undefeated Section 4 champion Kyle McWreath (28-0) of Trinity in the quarterfinals.
Mary says: “He’s a sophomore with a lot of experience. He has a big gas tank, and scores a lot of points in the second and third period … He has a huge desire to win, and he’s not afraid of anybody.”

Cody Klempay
Weight class: 285 lbs.
Record: 39-0
How he got in: Section 4 champion
First round matchup: James Prince (8-5), Woodland Hills or Noah Shulman (10-4), Hampton
What to expect: A semifinalist in last year’s WPIAL tournament, Klempay seems to be a lock for states, as nothing has been able to stand in his way throughout the course of an undefeated season. The Canon-McMillan junior picked up three consecutive pins on the way to his Section 4 title. Look for several more falls to come his way this week.
Mary says: “He’s had an outstanding year, and he’s wrestling with a lot of momentum. He has a lot of confidence.”