Three cheers for sweet revenge
Falcons avenge early-season loss to Big Macs in consolation final
McMURRAY — Connellsville entered the season as one of the favorites to win the WPIAL Class 3A dual meet championship.
The Falcons finished third in the state tournament last year and had a healthy lineup returning with three returning state qualifiers, including two medalists, but head coach Bill Swink’s squad had a humbling experience in the first competition of the season.
Longtime rival Canon-McMillan defeated Connellsville, 39-16, on Dec. 4 at Connellsville Area High School.
The Falcons weren’t happy with the loss, but were able to refocus and won 18 of their next 20 dual meets, including a 36-26 victory over the Big Macs on Saturday in the consolation final of the WPIAL Class 3A dual meet tournament.
Connellsville lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Franklin Regional, 29-25, and its dual meet against Canon-McMillan determined who would qualify for the PIAA Class 3A dual meet tournament and who would have its team portion of the season end.
“I told them after the semifinals, ‘Guys, we’ve got another match, and we don’t want to be on vacation next week because it will be the worst vacation you’ve ever had,’ so let’s go out there and get a win,” said Swink. “It makes a difference when you get those bonus points in these tight matches. We were able to move some people around, and that really paid off for us.”
Connellsville (17-3) will turn its attention to Tuesday at Gettysburg High School and the state dual meet championships.
The Falcons will wrestle District 12 runner-up LaSalle College (11-5) in the preliminary round. The winner will battle the host school, who is the District 3 champion.
Connellsville defeated Gettysburg, 41-20, at the Gettysburg Duals on Jan. 10.
“We won that match but anything can happen the second time around,” Swink said. “If you look at what happened today with us and Canon-McMillan, that is more than enough evidence.”
The Falcons didn’t have the options during their first meeting with the Big Macs, as the two-pound growth allowance wasn’t in effect at the time of the dual meet, which took away the favorable matchups for Connellsville.
The Falcons’ Luke Lilley lost to the Big Macs’ Mason Calgaro, 5-3, during their match on Dec. 4, but Lilley earned a 4-0 decision on Saturday in the 152-pound weight class.
“Luke (Lilley) had two nice wins today,” Swink said. “He also beat Max Firestine from Franklin Regional. We were able to use some of our kids that don’t normally start, and they picked up big wins.”
Connellsville earned bonus points in seven of its eight wins.
Zachary Franks needed four points with 10 seconds remaining for a technical fall at 114, and the senior was able to accomplish that when he was awarded a point for stalling before executing a takedown as time expired to earn five team points.
Tommy Gretz turned his opponent for four points with time winding down in his major-decision victory at 121. Gretz was winning 4-0 before earning the near-fall points.
Lane Richey won by fall at 127 and Nolan Rice picked up a 12-0 major decision at 133 for a 19-0 lead after four individual bouts.
“It’s always big to get those bonus points, and I’m proud of our kids for continuing to work to get them,” Swink said. “They knew what they had to do and did it.”
Collier Hartman stopped the bleeding for Canon-McMillan (10-5) with a technical fall, 18-3, in 3:40 at 145.
Chase Sparks (145) earned the five points the Falcons lost at 139 back with a 22-2 technical fall in 4:27.
Kai Vielma (152) recorded a 10-1 major decision at 152 before Lilley’s decision at 160.
Jake Lilley clinched the dual meet for Connellsville with a 17-2 technical fall in 3:55 at 172 that increased the lead to 36-5 with four matches remaining.
The Big Macs’ Bryce Collins won by decision, 6-0, at 189 before Brayden Collins (215) and Dakota Carmona (285) pinned their opponents.
Canon-McMillan’s Lee Dreshman received a forfeit at 107.
The Panthers (18-0) won the first three bouts in the semifinals to jump out to an 11-0 lead. The Falcons battled back to tie the match at 11-11 after Richey won by decision, 7-0, at 127, Rice recorded a technical fall at 133 and Landon Lynn scored a reversal with one-second remaining for a 2-1 triumph at 139.
Vielma won by fall in 18 seconds at 145 before Luke Lilley’s 4-1 decision over Firestine at 152 provided Connellsville with a 20-11 advantage with five matches remaining.
Franklin Regional’s Michael Ruane won by fall in 58 seconds at 160 before Ethan Cartwright recorded a 5-2 decision at 172.
The Panthers’ Jordan Perks won by decision, 8-2, at 189 before John Montgomery recorded a fall in 1:04 at 215.
The Falcons’ Myles Hollis won by forfeit at 285.
Swink would have liked a better start from his team in the semifinals.
“We did not come out with the intensity, especially at the beginning, that I thought we needed, but we responded well and got ourselves back in there,” Swink said. “We needed to get a win there from Jake (Lilley) at the end. There were a few other matches we felt that could have gone our way.”