Team wrestling kicks off winter sports playoff action
The first WPIAL playoffs of the winter sports season get underway Monday with the Class AAA preliminary round of the team wrestling playoffs. The week for both classes culminates on Saturday with the WPIAL Championships at Gateway High School. Connellsville drew the No. 2 seed in Class AAA and will host first round/quarterfinal action Tuesday night beginning at 6 p.m. The Section 2-AAA champion Falcons will wrestle the Butler-Thomas Jefferson winner in the first round. Thomas Jefferson is the second place team from Section 2-AAA.
The other first round match at Connellsville will be Trinity and Bethel Park. The first round winners will then meet at 8 p.m.
Waynesburg Central drew the No. 3 seed and will host Tuesday night as well. The Raiders wrestle Chartiers Valley with the other first round match between Penn Trafford and McGuffey. The winners meet at 8 p.m.
Should the brackets hold out, Connellsville would meet Waynesburg Central in the semifinals to be held at Charleroi High School on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Albert Gallatin, the Section 2-AAA third place squad, has to wrestle into the playoffs with a preliminary match against Fox Chapel at Thomas Jefferson on Monday. The winner draws top-seeded Kiski Area on Tuesday. North Allegheny and Latrobe meet in the other first round match at Kiski with the winners meeting at 8 p.m.
Greensburg Salem is the No. 4 seed, and will host Gateway Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The winner will face the winner of Canon-McMillan and Pine-Richland. The winners out of these two brackets wrestle in Thursday’s semifinal at 8 p.m.
The WPIAL Class AAA Championship will be held at 7 p.m. with both finalists advancing to the state bracket.
Belle Vernon made the playoffs in the Leopards’ first year in Class AA, but the winner of the first round match with Valley at Burrell on Wednesday will have to meet top-seeded Burrell in the quarterfinals later that night.
Mount Pleasant drew the No. 2 seed with the Vikings hosting Mars at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Highlands and Derry meet in the other first round match.
West Greene was rewarded with the No. 3 seed and home first round-quarterfinal matches. The Pioneers wrestle South Side Beaver at 6 p.m. with Freedom and Charleroi in the other match. The winners meet at 8 p.m.
Fort Cherry is the No. 4 seed, wrestling Chartiers-Houston in the first round. The other first round match is Washington and Burgettstown.
The Burrell and Fort Cherry survivors meet in the semifinals at Charleroi High School on Friday at 8 p.m. The winners of the Mount Pleasant and West Greene brackets wrestle at 6 p.m. with the championship on Saturday at Gateway starting at 4 p.m.