Falcons’ Vielma earns milestone victory in west region quarterfinals
Jonathan Guth | Herald-Standard
CANONSBURG — Lonzy Vielma doesn’t need to know what number comes after 149. Just about everyone inside Canon-McMillan’s gymnasium Friday night, including the public address announcer, let him know.
Vielma won his 150th high school wrestling match in the PIAA Class 3A West Region Championships.
Vielma, a 160-pound senior at Connellsville High School, got his 150th win with a pin in 1:07 of Xavier Zerub of State College in the quarterfinals.
The record for wins is 199 by Zach Kemmerer from Upper Perkiomen High School. Kemmerer’s record is expected to fall either last night or today when the semifinals (10:30 a.m.) begin here.
Finals are set for 3 p.m. The top five wrestlers in each weight class advance to the PIAA Class 3A Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Vielma hopes to make the trip with his brother Kai, who also made the semifinals of this tournament.
“Honestly, I kind of forgot about it,” Vielma said. “I counted down my 100 wins, and then I sort of forgot about it. It felt really good when I heard the announcement.”
No. 100 came at team states against Trinity last season, and the Falcons’ fans came prepared with a banner to commemorate the achievement on Friday night.
“From where I am today from where I was, I have to thank my coaches, teammates and my brother,” said Lonzy Vielma. “It feels really good to get 150 wins.”
Vielma, brother Kai, Evan Petrovich and Nolan Rice are in the semifinals for Connellsville.
The Falcons’ Tommy Gretz (107), Zachary Franks (114) and Daniel Smith (127) are still in contention for a spot on the podium and a trip to the state tournament.
Waynesburg Central’s Jake Stephenson won his two bouts at 189 to qualify for the semifinals. Teammates Brock Evans (160) and Roan Tustin (215) are in the consolations.
Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown (215) pinned both of his opponents to advance to the final four. Brown faces Ringgold’s Jake Conroy in the semifinals. They have wrestled twice this season with each winning once.
The Leopards’ Deydon Soto (139) and Kole Doppelheuer (152) remain alive in the consolations.