Feb 24, 2012 By Adam Brewer, For The Greene County Messenger 5 min read

CHARLEROI — Despite the long and exhausting day that is the WPIAL Section 2-AA Individual Wrestling Tournament last Saturday, it was definitely worth the wait for 19 grapplers that qualified to the next stage from Greene County.

Wrestlers from Jefferson-Morgan (11), West Greene (seven) and Mapletown (one) will now compete in the WPIAL Class AA Individual Wrestling Championships today and Saturday at Chartiers Valley High School.

“Eleven out of 11 kids (that came to the WPIAL Section 2-AA tournament) qualified and that is always a good day,” J-M coach Scott Rhodes said. “After that tough loss to Burrell (in the WPIAL Team Finals), it gave us a kick in the butt and we have really shown maximum effort out there on the mat.”

The championship round started in a thrilling manner with J-M freshman Brendan Howard (31-4) narrowly being defeated by Southmoreland’s Austin Griffiths at the 106 championships. Griffiths won in triple overtime by a 3-2 decision, as the two lightweights continuously countered each other’s moves.

West Greene freshman Sheldon Phillips (21-14) took fourth place at 106.

In the 113 bracket, J-M sophomore John Demaske lived up to his top-seeding with a 7-0 decision in the finals over Beth-Center’s Zach Swarrow. Demaske (30-2) drew a No. 2 seed in the WPIAL event.

The Rockets received another first place finish at 120, with top-seeded sophomore Jason Miller winning by a 7-2 decision. Miller (33-6) drew a No. 2 seed for this weekend.

West Greene junior Wade Blackmon (fourth, 22-11) and Rockets’ senior Shane Black (fifth, 23-18) placed in the 126 bracket.

J-M sophomore Ryan Zalar (15-6)suffered a hard-fought loss in the championship round to Charleroi’s Josh Kwasny at 132.

Junior Matt Johnston lived up to his top-seeding for West Greene by winning the championship at 145 via an injury default. Johnston (25-9) drew a No. 3 seed in the WPIALs.

“Overall, I thought we wrestled pretty well as a team,” West Greene coach Curt Hughes said. “We placed eight of 10 kids and seven of them will be moving on next week. Matt Johnson is just a tough kid and he has really picked it up these last couple of matches. His focus and desire on the mat is unmatched.”

J-M senior Jason Perkins (13-2) placed fifth at 145.

“I was really happy that Jason qualified and got on the metal stand,” Rhodes said. “He’s a senior and he definitely deserved it. He lost a tough one to start the day and he could have easily packed it in and called it a day, but he battled back to qualify.”

Pioneers’ senior Wade Durbin (24-10) upset J-M senior Brandon Lesko at 160 in the semifinals, but couldn’t muster another upset, as he dropped the championship match and finished second. Lesko (32-13) rallied back to win third place his next time out.

At 170, junior Dustin Conti remained perfect for J-M on the season and brought home first-place with a 15-6 decision over Yough’s Lucas Richardson. Conti improved his record to 37-0 and is top-seeded in the WPIAL event.

“It takes a lot to get Dustin rattled,” Rhodes said. “He doesn’t show a lot of emotions out there and always keeps his composure. He doesn’t care if he wins by one point, 20 points or a pin. It would be nice to see him not lose this year, but he understands that he has a long road to go and it starts next week.”

Rockets senior Joe Phillips pulled out a late win in the 182 championship, with a 3-1 decision over top-seeded Dakota Datz from Southmoreland. Phillips (27-9) drew the No. 3 seed for this weekend.

“I just fought till the end and took my shot for the takedown,” Phillips said. “He has beaten me the last couple of times, so it feels good to finally beat him. It’s a big redemption for me and it was a goal of mine to beat him and win sections.”

West Greene senior Harley Hubbs (17-15) finished third at 182 with a 6-4 decision in overtime.

In one of the most physical matches of the night, Mapletown senior Kyle Gray (19-4) was defeated by Southmoreland’s Jordan Kitta for the top spot at 195. This is the second consecutive year that Kitta has won top honors in the bracket.

At 220, West Greene junior Cody Jacobs (23-8) upset top-seeded Ryan Mayfield from J-M, but lost the championship match. Jacobs drew a No. 4 seed for this weekend.

In the final bracket of the night, another top-seed for the Rockets prevailed in the championship round, with senior Brian Rush (28-13) getting a pin at 3:03 for the 285 crown. Rush drew a No. 3 seed for the WPIALs.

Pioneers sophomore Trevin Bedilion (13-14) finished fifth at 285.

The Rockets also received two additional awards before the championship round started, with Rhodes and assistant coach Mike Lesko awarded Varsity Coach and Varsity Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively, by the other coaches.

“It’s an honor, but the kids really deserved the award more than we do,” Rhodes said. “We tell them what to do and they make us look good. They have wrestled hard all season and they put in a lot of time. We have had a successful season and this just adds on to it.”