Teasdale leads local Class AA winners
McDONALD — Both Jefferson-Morgan wrestlers who entered last Saturday’s WPIAL Class AA Wrestling Tournament at South Fayette High School as top seeds won championships, including sophomore Gavin Teasdale.
Teasdale stayed undefeated this season (28-0) and repeated as a WPIAL champion by pinning Bentworth sophomore Manny Dovshek 46 seconds into the match to win the 113-pound class. Both area wrestlers mowed down the competition on their way to the finals.
Dovshek took an early 2-0 lead out of the gate which prodded Teasdale to erupt with the early pin. Teasdale now has two WPIAL championships in his first two years of high school. He is aiming to join the rare field of wrestlers who won four WPIAL championships. Only 26 wrestlers have achieved that feat.
“After I got taken down I was mad so I just wanted to get it over with quick,” Teasdale said. “It’s my highest goal to go 4-0 [in the WPIAL championship]. This was one of those stepping stones along the way. I just need to keep working to achieve all my goals.”
Overall, nine area wrestlers competed in the championship round including top-seeded Jefferson-Morgan senior Bill Bowlen, who won his third WPIAL title with a 4-3 win in the 195-pound class over second-seeded Burrell senior Robert Scherer, who entered the match with a 33-9 record.
After a scoreless first period, Bowlen took a 2-0 lead midway through the second. He gave up an escape and led 2-1 with a minute left in the second. Scherer escaped early in the third to tie the match 2-2, but with 59 seconds left, Bowlen scored a takedown to take a 4-2 lead and hung on for the win.
“It was exciting to get my third championship in my senior year. I was thinking about the third title since I’ve been a freshman. Four would have been nice but three isn’t bad,” Bowlen said. “I just wanted to push the pace because I know [Scherer] is an aggressive wrestler.”
Third-seeded Jefferson-Morgan senior Trevor Kniha upset second-seeded south Allegheny junior Cody Jenkins but was over-powered by top-seeded South Park senior Jake Wentzel (undefeated) in the 160 class and took second place with a 14-3 loss. Kniha fell behind 6-1 after the first period and trailed 13-2 after two periods.
West Greene sophomore Connor Main won his consolation final to take third place. Main (195) won a 4-3 decision over Avella senior Dino Simonelli.
Mapletown senior Shawn Hennessey (182) lost 8-4 to Keystone Oaks junior Dan Black in the consolation finals. Both advanced to the state tournament as fourth-place finishers.
Mapletown senior Harley Gee won his seventh-place bout to advance to the state tournament. Gee pinned Valley freshman David Schuffert in 1:32 at heavyweight.
Two area wrestlers lost their seventh-place bout and failed to qualify for the state tournament. West Greene junior Colton Hamilton (170) got pinned by South Side senior Reese McHaffie in 1:53 and Mapletown sophomore Tanner Weston got pinned in 2:51 by Summit Academy sophomore Tyler Stine.
The PIAA Southwest AA Regional Tournament begins at 3 p.m. Friday at Canon-McMillan High School in Canonsburg.