More Falcons need in Fayette County Sports HOF
It was nice to see Connellsville’s 2005 state wrestling championship team receive their long overdue induction into the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame last month.
As exciting as that was, the Falcons have many deserving candidates that need to be enshrined.
Granted, two-time state and NCAA Division I champion Jarrod King was part of the 2020/2021 class that included two years of inductees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the founder of the program, Tom Dolde Sr., is also in, but that about does it for the Connellsville wrestlers in the Fayette County Sports HOF.
Those involved in the HOF have always told me to nominate someone if you think they should be in, which I have done, but if anyone is curious, here are some individuals and a team that need to be included.
I will never claim to be an expert on the sport, so I did receive some advice from those close to wrestling who are straight shooters.
Since the first wrestling team made it into the HOF this year, I will stick with teams and suggest that someone nominates the 1992 WPIAL Class 3A Championship team. The Falcons edged Canon-McMillan, 26-25, for the first of eight District 7 titles.
That championship put Connellsville over the hump after three runner-up finishes (including to the Big Macs the year before) in the Class 3A dual meet tournament. The Falcons have qualified for the dual meet championships every year since its inception in 1979.
John Richey was less than 10 seconds from winning Connellsville’s first individual state title in 1989, but he was reversed with time expiring for a 5-4 loss to Lock Haven’s Brian Merrifield in the Class 3A finals at 119 pounds.
Richey avenged his loss to Merrifield two years later in the state quarterfinals at 130 with an 8-0 major decision.
Richey had a career record of 143-11-1, which places him seventh in the program for all-time wins. His winning percentage of 92.86 is the best in Connellsville history.
Richey was fourth in the state in 1990 as a junior. He is also the only Falcon to win four WPIAL championships.
Richey wrestled for the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a three-time national qualifier.
Kevin Saniga won the Falcons’ first state gold in 1991 with an 8-2 decision over Greensburg Salem’s Jeff Kapusta in the finals at 103. Richey won gold later that evening, as the finals were contested from the lightest weight to the heaviest.
Saniga won his second PIAA championship in 1993 after defeating Whitehall’s Ian (Whitey) Chlebove, 4-2, at 119.
Saniga finished his career with an overall record of 136-13-2. He was a three-time WPIAL champion and placed fifth in the state as a junior.
Saniga had a collegiate record of 113-38 while competing for Edinboro.
Current Connellsville assistant coach Ashtin Primus won two state titles in 2005 and 2006 as a junior and senior. Primus is the Falcons’ all-time wins leader with a record of 179-20. He was a three-time All-American at Notre Dame, Ohio, where he won a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) as a senior in 2012 at 157.
Primus was known for his ability to lock up a cross-face cradle on any opponent, as won his first state championship with the move over Big Springs’ Josh Barrick at 135.
Ron Doppelheuer won back-to-back state titles in 2000 and 2001 at 125 and 140. He finished his career in high school at 144-20. Doppelheuer won one WPIAL gold medal and was runner-up twice.
He was a two-time NCAA Division I national qualifier while wrestling for Edinboro.
Matt King, who is Jarrod’s brother, didn’t win a state championship, but he was 143-25 for the Falcons, and placed third twice and second. King earned two WPIAL titles and went on to become a two-time NCAA All-American at Edinboro, where he placed third and fourth. King had a record of 132-23 in college.
Chad Jesko, who is an assistant for Connellsville head coach Bill Swink, was a three-time WPIAL champion and finished second, fourth and sixth in the state tournament. Jesko had a high school mark of 120-11.
Jesko was a four-time NCAA Division I qualifier at the University of Pittsburgh. He finished his career with a record of 111-47.
Steve Bell won a state championship in 2005 with a 7-5 decision in sudden victory over Plum’s Sean Clair at 125. Belle had a career record of 130-25 in high school. He was a three-time PIAA qualifier and finished fourth in the state as a junior at 119.
Bell wrestled for the University of Maryland where he was a three-time ACC champion and two-time NCAA Division I All-American (6th in 2009/8th in 2010). Bell won 97 matches in his collegiate career.
Steve Peperak also wrestled for the Terrepians, as he finished seventh in the NCAA tournament for All-American honors at 177 in 1987. Peperak was fifth (1982) and third (1983) in the state as a junior and senior at 167.
To nominate an individual for the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame, the process begins with becoming a member. The application can be found at http://fayettecountysportshalloffame.com/documents/application.pdf and there are memberships for yearly and lifetime members.
Jonathan Guth is a Herald-Standard sports writer. He can be reached via email at jguth@heraldstandard.com