Alumni Check-up

There is an amazing history of success for Canon-McMillan wrestlers at the high school level. We’d like to highlight those alumnus that are still competing at the collegiate level.

Let’s check on Division I wrestlers first. Andrew Binni will start his freshman season with Navy after a grey shirt year with the Naval Academy Preparatory School. It looks as if he’ll be competing at 125 lbs. The Midshipmen are set to begin their season on November 1st against Pitt. Matt Furman is rolling into his sophomore season with the Cornell Big Red. They totaled his record at 5-1 last season. He’s listed on the roster at 184 lbs. They will start on November 2nd at the Clarion Open. Valarie Solorio is entering her sophomore season with Iowa. After her two state championship with the Big Macs, Val has a 23-9 record for the Hawkeyes with the bulk of her losses against teammates. She’s listed to participate at 110 lbs. this year. Their first action will be November 1st at the Luther Hill Open.

Division II has our longest list of alumni athletes this season. Jacob Houpt is entering his senior year with Seton Hill. He spent last season with the Griffins after transferring from Kent State. He is listed at the 125 lbs. weight class. Their season kicks off at the Mt Union Invitational on November 1st. Luke Shaffer is continuing with the Davis & Elkins Senators for his junior season. He is listed to compete at 149 lbs. The Senators will start off on November 1st at the Glenville State Invite. Madi Mansmann is entering her junior year with East Stroudsburg. Through her two seasons with the Warriors, she has a 4-11 record. She is rostered at the 110 lbs. class. They will begin their season hosting their own tournament on November 2nd. Joining Madi this season will be incoming freshman, Paige Ward. Paige doesn’t have a weight class listed on the roster yet, so we’ll have to keep on eye on where she shows up. Also a freshman this year, Sienna Van Belen is representing West Liberty. She is listed to wrestle at 117 lbs. The Hilltoppers season will take them to the Tiffin University Open on November 1st to open up action.

At the Division III level, the Big Macs only find a couple of guys on the mat. Brandon Dami and Joey Gardner are rostered for the Washington & Jefferson Presidents. Brandon is entering his junior season listed at 125 while Joey is a freshman listed at 157. Their season will begin at the Ned McGinley Invitational on November 1st.

The NAIA is the last place that we could find a former Big Mac still on the mat. Gracie Elliott is going into her sophomore season with Texas Wesleyan. Gracie was a national qualifier two seasons ago while taking 3rd at regionals before injury took away last season’s competition. She will start her season with the Rams at the Menlo Invite on November 1st.

Wrestling isn’t the only sport some of our Big Mac wrestlers have gotten to in their college time. Geno Calgaro is still ripping down tackles for Saint Francis in his sophomore season. Two big guys are blocking their way through college with Mason Williams in his redshirt freshman season at Shippensburg and Noah Livesay in his sophmore stint with California University of Pennsylvania.

We say good luck to all of these post-secondary athletes and we’ll try to catch-up with their endeavors as their seasons progress!

Super 32 for the Big Macs

Big Macs Take on the Super 32

Place winners by state

A few of our Big Macs took on the Super 32 pre-season tournament on October 18th and 19th in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Super 32 is preseason tournament where the best of the country congregate to compete for the coveted challenge belt and national recognition. As you can see from the graphic that FloWrestling shared featuring Marlee Solomon, team Pennsylvania led the way in place winners. There are High School, Girls, Middle School, and Elementary divisions. The Big Macs in attendance were Jon Emma, Aidan Finnigan, Collier Hartmen, Yunuen Ayala, and Marlee Solomon.

The first to compete was Jon Emma at 132 pounds. He started in the Round of 256 (That should give you an idea of the amount of competition at this tournament). He met with Efrain Rivera of South Carolina. Jon came out of the first with a 7-4 lead after a last second takedown. In the second though, after there appeared to be some confusion near the boundary, Jon was taken straight to his back and pinned. Jon faced off with Jonathon Romero of New Mexico in the consolations. After the first period, Jon trailed 4-3 after allowing a late takedown. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t make it out of the second period again as he again ended on his back and pinned. Even though Jon didn’t tally a win on the day, making it to and competing in this tournament isn’t to be taken lightly. Congrats Jon!

Aidan and Collier competed in the second session together with Collier competing at 144 pounds and Aidan at 150 pounds. Aidan started his day off in the round of 128 against Gunnar Gossett of Ohio. Aidan found himself fighting on bottom after allowing an early single leg takedown. Aidan was defending a leg ride and was pinned near the end of the first period. In the consolations, Aiden was pitted against Gregory Harkey of Illinois. Aidan got an early takedown in the first. He rode a little to high and gave up a reversal to end the first, up 3-2. In the second, Aidan got into another good shot but, in the scuffle of Gunnar’s defense, ended up on his back and pinned. Congratulations Butcher on making it to this tournament.

While Aidan was fighting his tournament, Collier made his debut up two weight classes from last season, competing now at 144 pounds. He started his day with gutty 1-0 victory over Jack Bratton of Ohio for the Big Macs first win of the tournament. The matchup saw stout neutral defense on both sides, a quick escape for Collier in the second, and ended with a tough ride-out for the win. He then drew the 9th seed Thomas Verrette of Oklahoma. Collier gave up two takedowns and some back points to a tilt to fall 10-0. When Collier fell into the consolations, he faced Austin Laws of North Carolina. In the first, they traded takedowns and escapes, tied 4-4. In the second, Collier gave another free escape so that he could attack and score a second takedown, up 7-5. In the third, Collier would eventually be awarded an escape to win 8-5. Moving on in the bracket, Collier matched with Cooper Corder of Illinois. Coolier secured a takedown and allowed an escape in the first, up 3-1. Collier rode out the second and grabbed back points to be up, 7-1. In the third, he would escape and add another takedown. He’d give an escape and take a couple stall calls before ending with what should have been an 11-3 victory. Collier would then have the 18 seed, Landyn Shaffer of New York fall to him. Shaffer’s quick counter attacks were too much in for Collier and he found himself down 9-2 after one. A neutral start and another counter attack had Collier down 12-2 after two. Collier started on top in the third but couldn’t find a way to get Shaffer to his back. He let him up and went for a big hip toss to end the match with Shaffer on his back. It wouldn’t be enough. The score should have ended 13-7. That would end his tournament with a 3-2 record. Great work Collier!

The girls would start at the first session of day two. They would wrestle in Freestyle for this tournament. Yuni would take part in the 124 pound bracket. Her first match of the day was against Lily Blenk of New York in the round of 64. She would allow a takedown and a passivity in the first to be down, 3-0. In the second, Yuni would allow two takedowns from her failed shots to fall by a 7-0 VPO. She dropped into the consolations in a match with Jillian Blake of Connecticut. Yuni dominated the first period with three takedowns and finished with a feet-to-back takedown for a 12-0 VSU. That propelled her to a showdown with Kate Crockett of Virginia. Crockett powered through her first attack for a takedown. Yuni would defend the next two attacks nicely for an exposure and takedown of her own. The first ended 4-2. In the second, Yuni would take a front headlock to a takedown that trapped an arm that she ran for a bar. She allowed a late takedown but would finish on victorious, 8-4 VPO1. Her next round was against Kylee Kurszewski of Wisconsin. Yuni started with a promising deep single that she just couldn’t finish. The next go, Yuni was snapped down and went into a split defense. But, this put her head to her own knee where she got cradled and pinned. Yuni had a great showing posting a 2-2 record while that last loss was to the eventual 8th place finisher.

The final participant for the Big Macs was Marlee Solomon. She would be competing at 112 pounds, the same weight class she won PA states at last season. Marlee drew the third seed in the bracket and wouldn’t see her first match until the round of 32. That’s where she met with Samantha Van Der Weken of Virginia. Marlee drove the pace with two quick takedowns. On her third takedown of the period, she locked up a leg lace and spun it twice to finish the match, 10-0 VSU. Her next tangle was against Ella Sheppard of South Carolina. In a flurry, Marlee took Ella’s back while still on their feet and suplexed her for five. She continued there with a bar that morphed into a half to finally pin Ella. That pushed Marlee into the quarterfinals for a bout against Erica Irvine of Iowa. This would be a rematch from Fargo Junior Nationals in July where Marlee scored a fall. The two would trade takedowns early in the first. Marlee would wrap up the first by adding two more takedowns for a 6-2 lead. Marlee would start the second with an ankle pick takedown and trap the leg up high. She used that for a modified gut wrench and rolled out the victory, 12-2 VSU1. Her semifinal matchup would set her up with the 2 seed and fellow Fargo Runner-up, Aubree Gutierrez of California. Marlee would show two different finishes for her single leg and gain a pushout to finish the first up, 5-0. In the second, Aubree would get an exposure defending another single by Marlee but, Marlee would eventually finish that takedown as well. One more take down late would see Marlee go the distance for the first time in tournament, winning 9-2. This would put Marlee in a finals match against the number 1 seed and two-time U17 World Champion, Morgan Turner of Illinois. There were lots of flurries in the first but the only point came from a passivity call against Marlee, down 1-0. The second period was moving along without much action. Morgan avoided a passivity call of her own by forcing Marlee out of bounds. Marlee, in an attempt to get past Morgan’s defense grabs the wrists which Morgan uses her to snap her underneath. Morgan locked up a nearside cradle and receives the takedown and exposure in the last 20 seconds. Marlee falls in the finals, 6-0, but it was a much closer match than that score would let you believe. Congratulations on your run to second place Marlee!

So the Big Macs as a team bring home a second place finisher and an overall record of nine wins with nine losses. Again kudos to the wrestlers for even qualifying for this tournament. Keep a look-out for the a pre-season round-up soon and keep fighting, Big Macs!

Another Successful Mac Open

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

---

The 2025 MAC open was another great success thanks to you and all of our sponsors!

“A big thanks to all the golfers who come back each year to see friends and family and support CM Wrestling. Canon-McMillan Wrestling has the best fans, families and supporters in any sport around. I would like to graciously thank all the companies and people who contribute tee banners, donations, and prizes to the golf outing. We could not do this without you!”

— Chad Maggi, CMWAA President

This year was full of fun. From the Michael Caldwell putting contest to the marshmallow driving contest. The winning group of Mike Nale, Dan Nale, Luke Campbell, and John Soles combined for 13 under par.

Special Sponsors

Tee Banners Sponsors

Above and Beyond Physical Therapy

All Star Bar and Grill

C and M Construction

ClaSS Lab

Frazier Plumbing

Gorilla Construction

Keller Williams - Todd Williams

Hilltop Paving

Kirby Brothers Electric

Stockton Mortgage

Team Nauman Wrestling Club

Admar Construction Equipment and Supply

ASAP Asphalt

CBRE

Fella’s Barber Shop

Fuel Required.com

Joseph Ross Real Estate Agent

Kusturiss Law Firm

Hritskoo Insurance

Steel Nation

Stoneking Electric

West Liberty Den

Lifetime Physical Therapy

Meadow Lands Supply Co.

Metz Plumbing

One More Load Trucking

Nates Cores

Near Falls with Dhall

Quest School of Wrestling

Range Resources

Sarris Candies

SNPJ Lodge 138

Spotti Concrete

Prize Donors

Bones Distillery

Liberty Pole

Pittsburgh Penguins

Real Nutz Vodka

Southern Tier

CAT - Jeff Barello

Mellon Bank

Pittsburgh Pirates

Sarris Candies

The Houfbrau

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Peppers Sunglasses

Pittsburgh Steelers

Silvermark Winery

---

If anyone is interested in becoming more involved, CMWAA is looking to create a committee to organize next year’s golf outing.

24-25 Season Primer

Welcome to the start of the 2024-25 wrestling season. The girls will be defending on all fronts as they had another successful season by becoming the first official state champion team. The boys have to fight back from a season that had some highs and some lows. With a warm welcome to the new season we have a lot of goodbyes to also say. We had twelve senior boys and four girls graduate. As one can imagine, that many graduates can leave a lot of holes in the line up. Not only did we lose the graduates but, we also had to say goodbye to Coach Slack. With that, we’ll first welcome in the new head coach.

Welcome Coach Jurdon Maier

Jurdon Maier isn’t a new face for our wrestling family. Jurdon, a 2007 CM graduate, served as an assistant for the boy’s team last season. Now, he will be the wrestling cordinator for the boys’ and girls’ teams. While he will step into new responsibilities for us this season, he will not lose sight of his goals for both teams. Not only has Jurdon had time as an assistant for our wrestling program but, he also served as an assistant for Trinity. He is an army veteran that served time in Afghanistan and a W&J graduate. Jurdon will be keeping previous year assistants Albert Miles, Mark Powell, and Cody Klempey for the boys’ team. He will add on former CM and Clarion standout wrestler, Mark Angle. Ron Todderdale, Sheila Mitchell, and Dave Gump will still be assistants for the girls while Kevin Saniga will add on. So while we are excited to have a new coach, our wrestlers are going to have many of the same faces they have been working with previously.
There will be a change at the middle school level as well. Jason Carpetta will not be returning this season. However, Blaze Kansco, who has been an assistant with the middle school for multiple seasons, will elevate to the head coach. Brad Neu will continue as an assistant coach. Joining them as assistants will be recent graduate Ryder Joseph and former high school head coach Ken Smith.

A look to the season

The boys’ team will be looking to rebound from a down season which saw a 6-5 record and narrowly missed the WPIAL team tournament. The team will be looking for leadership from returning WPIAL third placer, Collier Hartman, and WPIAL qualifier, Brayden Collins. With twelve graduates, there are bound to be some new starters. It’s time to get excited about what faces will show up to make their marks!
Speaking of excitement, the girls’ team is looking to defend as the first sanctioned PIAA state champions. The team should be returning with Natalie Rush, State Runner-up and WPIAL Champion, Audrey Calgaro, State third place and WPIAL Champion, Yunuen Ayala, State sixth place and fourth in WPIAL, Malia Ramos, State qualifier and fourth in WPIAL, and Eva Gray, State qualifier and fourth in WPIAL. Filling holes left by Val Solorio, Capri Chambers, and Dynisty Williams will be difficult to do. But, I’m sure the fresh talent will be ready for the challenge.
The season will start with duals for Junior High, Girls, and Boys varsity teams on Wednesday, December 6th in Norwin. Good luck all wrestlers!

Where are they now?

The college wrestling season is already in full force. And, we can watch those results to try to find previous Canon-McMillan alumni making their marks on the wrestling world still. Gerrit Nijenhuis transferred to Cal State Bakersfield for his last season of eligibility. He will look to battle for a starting position there. Jacob Gardner is a Junior this year and is rostered with Seton Hill. Speaking of Seton Hill, Jacob Houpt has transferred to the Griffins from Kent State to continue his wrestling endeavors. Luke Shaffer continues his time with Davis & Elkins. Brandon Dami is still on the mat with Washington & Jefferson. Matt Furman starts his first season with Cornell. And recent graduate, Andrew Binni is working his grey shirt year with the Naval Academy Preparatory School. But this isn’t just about the guys who have are wrestlers anymore. Ezzie Schaub is doing club wrestling with Slippery Rock. While Madi Mansmann continues her run with East Stroudsburg. Joining Madi this year at East Stroudsburg is Dynisty Williams. Gracie Elliot has transferred to a new wrestling home with Texas Wesleyan. Finally, Val Solorio is already making waves with Iowa. While not continuing with wrestling, some of our former wrestlers are still athletes while continuing their education. Geno Calgaro contributed to the St. Francis football team this season. Blake Ward has migrated into the Rugby world while at Shippensburg.

Thanks Coach Slack

27 YEARS!

It’s hard to believe, but Coach Brian Krenzelak dedicated 27 years to coaching CM wrestling. Whether it be youth, middle, or high school. This doesn’t count his years as a CM wrestler. He dedicated his time to the community and district that he grew up in and we are better for it.

At Canon-McMillan, we are accustomed to exceptional results with wrestling. Through the years, teams under Coach Slack have not disappointed. The bulk of Slack’s time with CM was with the Jr. High team. The teams in which he assisted or head coached for at the Jr. High amassed 276 wins with only 18 losses. This record included 9 undefeated seasons. They were crowned champions of the Southwest Regional Tournament, considered one of the toughest Jr. High tournaments in the state, in 2013, 2016, and 2019. He was named the 2018 WPIAL and PIAA Jr. High Coach of the Year. He was named the Jr. High Section Coach of the Year three times. This was all before he gave us three great years as the High School head coach. Not just for boys, but also spearheading the start of the girls wrestling program. He propelled the boys program to a twenty-second WPIAL team title, the first in ten years. Before it was sanctioned by the PIAA, his mentorship of the girls pushed them to a Western Regional and Pennsylvania State Championship. When girls wrestling became a PIAA sanctioned sport, he and the girl’s team were able to back those up by repeating both accomplishments to become the first PIAA girl’s state championship team. For his efforts, he was name the 2023 WPIAL AAA HS Coach of the Year and the Section Coach of the Year.

His High School coaching record with the boys will sit at 36 - 16, while with the girls is at 16 - 1. But, his effect on the program doesn’t quite match his short time at the High School. He stewarded wrestlers within our district that would account for twelve individual state champions. As mentioned above, his time at the High School level produced a WPIAL Championship for the boys and a State Championship for the girls. But his teaching prior to the high school level helped those teams reach four other WPIAL Championships and three State Championships. He created a new outlet in the district for girls to compete. And it wasn’t just compete. It was to win.

So, while Brian has resigned to focus on his family, we should say thank you for all of your time and you will be missed.

*Credit Jonathan Guth/Oberserver-Reporter

Congratulations Aleeya and Bri'Ella!!!

The Lady Macs have shining stars in the making

Girls wrestling is the fastest growing sport in the nation right now. To go along with the varsity girls success, the youth girls are also out showing what they’ve got. We first need to congratulate Bri’Ella Collins for defending her PJW State Championship to earn her second title in as many years. She secured this title on the heels of a second place outing at the Keystone State Championships. Not to be forgotten, we also need to congratulate Aleeya Dreshman for her PJW State Championship run this year! Aleeya push to the top of the PJW podium after securing third at the Keystone State Championships. While these two girls pulled down the most glorified of the medals awarded, they were by no means the only youth girls to secure podium placements at the state championships this past post-season.

Also securing medals for the youth girls at the PJW Championships were Isabella Bueno-Bistarkey in fourth place, Gianna Cafeo with fifth place, and Cora Studd with sixth place. Huge compliments to these girls for their accomplishments at this tournament. Also qualifying for the PJW State Championships but not placing were Anabelle Bauman, Noelle Miller, Addie Saussol, Farrah Henderson, Ella Saussol, and Abigail Bueno-Bistarkey.

Many of the mentioned girls also competed at the Keystone State Championships earlier in the post-season. Already mentioned was Bri’Ella Collins gathering second place. While she wasn’t able to defend her state title at this championship, this is still an amazing showing. Also with a second place performance was Isablella Bueno-Bistarkey. Others that gathered podium positions were Aleeya Dreshman in third, Noelle Miller in sixth, Gianna Cafeo and Abigail Bueno-Bistarkey in seventh, and Cora Studd in eighth. While not able to stand on the podium, Ella Saussol, Addie Saussol, and Brooke Valentic also wrestled and should be proud of the work they put into the sport.

How about our boys?!

While the girls racked up the medals and kudos, the boys worked their butts off to make appearances at these state championships as well. Parker Kolarcik, Cameron Longstreth, CJ Dreshman, Abel Stoffella, Carter Brett, Owen Smith and Grayson Koons all represented Canon-McMillan at the Keystone State Championships. Grayson, Owen, and CJ all fell out in the blood round. For the PJW State Championships, Grayson Koons, Axel Frederick, Nolan Valentic, Abel Stoffella, Carter Brett, Kyle Studd, Larenzo Gregory, Mason Haught, CJ Dreshman, Owen Smith, Victor Moreau, Parker Kolarcik, and Neil Kirby all qualified. While none were able to stand on the podium, making it to these tournaments is a great accomplishment.

Middle School Boys to Look For

While the youth boys did great work making their marks at the state tournaments, the middle school boys were able to claim hardware at both tournaments.

For the PJW State Championships, the middle school team was able to qualify nine of fifteen weight classes. Dakota Carmona, Gionno Gardner, and Mason Calgaro all placed fifth. Austin Smith and Owen Rush placed seventh while Lee Dreshmen placed eighth. Also qualifying but coming short of the podium were Aidan Finnigan, Bryce Collins, and Isaac Hrelec. Not to mention that Parker and Victor from the above group were on the middle school team.

As for the Keystone State Championships, the team didn’t place as well. Austin Smith took third, Dakota Carmona took fifth and Lee Dreshman took seventh. Others to qualify were Aidan Finnigan, Bryce Collins, Gionno Gardner, and Isaac Hrelec.

Off Season Notes

Andrew Binni was selected to represent the WPIAL at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic where he closed his CM career with a 9 - 0 major decision. We will look to cheer him on for the US Naval Academy as next season rolls around. The girl’s team had many recognitions for being the first sanctioned state champions. Most recently, by Mayor David Rhome and the Canonsburg Borough Council.

Also, as with many sports, there isn’t always a true off-season. If our wrestlers aren’t engaging in other sports, many are continuing there wrestling actions in the freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines. Some have already qualified for PA Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championships. We’ll continue to check on those wrestlers to see how they do.

First ever PIAA Girls State Champions!!!

CONGRATULATIONS GIRLS!!!

Over the weekend, the boys and girls varsity teams took to Hershey, PA for their individual state championship tournaments. The girls rode out on the coat-tails of their team Western Regional championship with eight wrestlers in the state tournament and were able to place five. The most for any participating school in the PIAA. With these five place winners, the girls team accumulated 93 team points to become the first PIAA team state champions! It should be a great spot of pride for these girls and anyone involved with Canon-McMillan wrestling to cement our legacy as a top wrestling program in Pennsylvania. The state championship is the cherry on top of all of their accomplishments this year. Champions at Queen of the Mountain Duals, Cumberland Valley Duals, Powerade, WPIAL, and Western Regional.

Highlighting the group of girls place winners is Iowa commit and senior, Valarie Solorio. Val became the first sanctioned female PIAA state champion by pinning her way through! Even through the qualifying tournaments, Val was unstoppable. During the WPIAL tournament, opponents could muster only 1 point against her while she collected two falls and at tech fall. At the Western Regional tournament, opponents scored 3 points while she pinned them all. She even only allowed 6 points during the state tournament run. Val has amassed a laundry list of firsts to go along with this first team and individual championship. She became the first girl to win a youth state champion for Canon Mac, the first female CM PJW state champion, first CM girl to win a bout on the boys varsity team, first female WPIAL champion, first female state champion in PIAA sanctioned history! The list of first could continue on and on. For now, congratulations and we’ll continue to track and root for her as her wrestling career only seems to be starting. Check out her interview with FloWrestling on this historic year!

The other girls that made their way to states shouldn’t be overshadowed by Val’s performance. Also making her way to the finals was Natalie Rush. She fell just short in the finals and gathered second place. Natalie is a Junior this season and will look to grab that top spot next year. Natalie secured the WPIAL and Western Regional championships to secure her spot at the state tournament. So far, Natalie has collected 71 wins with only 7 losses, three state medals (second in 2023, third in 2022 both unsanctioned), a WPIAL championship and two western regional championships. Falling in the semi-finals was Audrey Calgaro. However, she rebounded by pinning her way to third place. Audrey is only a Sophomore for the Lady Macs and has already compiled a 49 and 12 record. This marks her second state medal (5th in 2023 unsanctioned). While Audrey wasn’t a WPIAL champion this year, she avenged that loss at the Western Regional tournament by a 7 - 0 decision to become a Western Regional Champion this season. Senior Dynisty Williams and Freshman Yunuen Ayala both fought to sixth place finishes. Dynisty made her way to the state tournament by way of third place finishes in both the WPIAL and Western Regional tournaments. During her time with the Lady Macs, Dynisty has a 55 - 30 record with two state medals (4th in 2023), two third place finishes at the Western Regional tournament, and a third place WPIAL showing. Dynisty has committed to East Stroudsburg for her future. Yunuen vaulted her third place WPIAL and fourth place Western Regional medals into a great state medal showing. She overcame a first round loss and avenged her Western Regional loss for fourth place on the way to her sixth place medal this year. So far, Yunuen has a 28 - 14 record. Others who made it to the state tournament were Senior Capri Chambers, Junior Eva Gray, and Freshman Malia Ramos. Capri went into the state tournament as the WPIAL Champion and third in the Western Regional. She finishes her time with a 41 - 18 record. She is not planning to continue wrestling in college but carries a 4.77 GPA into the future of her academics. Eva found herself at the state tournament via fourth place finishes at the WPIAL and Western Regional tournaments. She currently has a 27 - 34 record. Malia collected second in the WPIAL and fourth in the Western Regional tournaments.

Way to work hard, boys!

The boys took four wrestlers to the state tournament. Of the boys, only returning runner-up and senior Andrew Binni was able to find the podium. Andrew dropped a tough 1 - 0 loss in the semi-finals but then had to default out of the 3rd/4th place match to gather fourth place. Andrew placed first in the section and was a WPIAL champion this year enroute to the state tournament. Andrew finishes with 133 - 34 record. He has two section championships, one WPIAL Championship, and two state medals (second in 2023). Andrew has committed to the US Naval Academy to continue his wrestling and academic career. Geno Calgaro and Ryder Joseph are also seniors that competed in the state tournament. Geno went into the tournament on a section championship and a third place WPIAL. He fought hard and fell short in the “blood round”. He finishes with a 60-18 record over the last three seasons. He committed to St. Francis to continue with his football and academic career. Ryder made his path to the state tournament with a second place showing in the section and a fourth place WPIAL outing. He finishes with a 45 - 29 overall record. Collier Hartman is a sophomore that paved his way to the state tournament with a second place showing in the section and third place finish in the WPIAL tournament. He pulled off an upset with a come from behind victory in the round of 16. The Observer was impressed with his results on the first day of the tournament. On day two, he took very close quarterfinal and blood round losses. We’ll look to find Collier on the podium in the coming years. He has already amassed a 53 - 25 record over his two seasons with the Big Macs.

The End of the Season

Congratulations to all of the wrestlers that put in such hard work all year long. While the varsity boys and girls have completed their work, the boys and girls from the CCNS and middle school programs are continuing their quest for state medals at the upcoming Keystone and PJW youth state championship tournaments. We’ll get an update again when those tournaments are completed.

First Step of the Post Season

Junior High Check-in

Let’s kick off checking in on the first steps of the individual post-season with the Junior High team. They started their endevor with the District 7 Championships. For those not in the Junior High realm, this tournament is equivalent to a Junior High level WPIAL tournament. Team competed with a full roster of 15 wrestlers. Overall, the team finished in fifth place. They moved three into the finals and won two of those bouts. At 122, Aidan Finnigan found a new level in defeating Jake Lilley of Connellsville 6 -5. At 155, Bryce Collins reversed Chaney Lewis of Woodland Hills, held him to his back and overcame the ever electrifying flying squirrel to win 7 - 6. The last member in the finals was to be Dakota Carmona. However, he had to default out due to illness to collect second place. The replay of the finals can be found at the Westmoreland Sports Network here. Fighting back from semifinal losses for third place were Owen Rush at 210 and Mason Calgaro at 138. Working all the way back from a quarterfinal loss was Lee Dreshman at 101 for a fifth place finish. Also on the podium was Gionno Gardner at 115 with sixth place after he had to medically forfeit out from the consolation semifinals to the end. The final results can be found on Flo Arena.

After the hard fought weekend at the District 7 tournament, ten of the Junior High wrestlers took on the Keystone Southwest Regional Qualifier. Of those ten, seven wrestlers were able to qualify for the Keystone State Championships on March 15-17 in Reading, PA. The top qualifier is Lee Dreshmen, competing at 13 -14 97lbs, with a champion’s performance. Taking second place were Gionno Garder at 13 - 14 115lbs, Aidan Finnigan at 13-14 125lbs, and Bryce Collins at 13-14 160lbs. Third place finishers include Austin Smith at 13-14 185lbs, and Dakota Carmona at 15-16 250lbs. Lastly, qualifying with a sixth place finish is Isaac Hrelec at 13-14 77lbs. The full results for the qualifier can be found on Flo Arena.

That wasn’t all the Junior High team completed since our last update though. Eighteen of the team’s wrestlers took to the PJW Area IV State Qualifier tournament competing across the Jr High and 11-12 divisions. Of those eighteen wrestlers, eleven were able to qualify for the PJW State Championships. The Jr High division will wrestle on March 1-3 in Johnstown, PA. The 11-12 qualifiers will wrestle with the rest of the youth qualifiers on March 23-24 in Pittsburgh, PA. Champions at this qualifier were Lee Dreshman at Jr High 96lbs, Victor Moreau at 11-12 115lbs, Gionno Gardner at Jr High 117lbs, Aidan Finnigan at Jr High 124lbs, Bryce Collins at Jr High 157lbs, and Austin Smith at Jr High 192lbs. Falling in the finals were Mason Calgaro at Jr High 140lbs, Owen Rush at Jr High 212lbs, and Dakota Carmona at Jr High 252lbs. Taking the final qualifying spots for their age groups were Parker Kolarcik at 11-12 90lbs with a third place finish and Isaac Hrelec at Jr High 82lbs with a fourth place finish. The full results of the Area IV qualifier can be found on TrackWrestling.

Girls Varsity Check-in

The varsity girls took their first post-season step of defending and winning their first PIAA sanctioned state championship with the WPIAL Championship tournament. The girls were able to seat 11 of 12 wrestlers on the podium including three champions. Valarie Solorio became the first ever WPIAL girls champion with her dominate run of two falls and a tech fall in the finals at 100lbs. Capri Chambers followed that up by pinning her way through her 106lbs bracket to become the second WPIAL champion. Rounding out the champions for CM was Natalie Rush at 190lbs who also pinned her way through. These three marked the most WPIAL Champions for any school at the event. Coming just short of the champion mark with second place performances were Malia Ramos at 116lbs, and Audrey Calgaro at 170lbs. Finishing in third were Bailey Emery at 124lbs, and Dynisty Williams at 155lbs. In fourth place were Leilani Ramos at 130lbs and Eva Gray at 142lbs. The final place winner for the Lady Macs was Milly Williams at 136lbs with a fifth place performance. The final results for the WPIAL Championships can be found on Flo Arean or the WPIAL website. By placing at the WPIAL Championships these girls will move onto the Southwest Regional Championship on March 1-2 at Canon-McMillan High School where they will aim for a top 4 place there to advance onto the PIAA State Championships.

Not to be lost in the mix, there are some Junior High girls that practice with the varsity girls through the season. They competed at the Area IV qualifiers with the Junior High boys in the 11-12 girls and Jr High Girls divisions. They came out with four champions to move onto the PJW State Championships mentioned above. Those girls were Addie Saussol at 11-12 78lbs, Araceli Clem at Jr High 91lbs, Gianna Cafeo at 11-12 92lbs, and Farrah Henderson at 11-12 125lbs.

Boys Varsity/JV Check-in

First up, there were a few boys that still qualified for the Keystone 15-16 age group that wanted to continue wrestling into the post-season. Two were able to qualify for the Keystone State Championships. Skyler Badas at 195lbs was able to secure fifth place and Colton Sarles at 130lbs was able to take sixth place. They will continue onto Reading with the Junior High qualifiers mentioned above.

Otherwise, the varsity team took ten wrestlers to the WPIAL AAA Southern Sectional tournament. The top six from the sectional tournament were set to move onto the WPIAL AAA Championships to run concurrent with the Girls Southwest Regional Championship on March 1-2 at Canon-McMillan High School. The Big Macs were able to move five wrestlers onto the next level with four of those wrestling in the finals of the Sectional tournament. Two were successful in claiming thier section titles. Andrew Binni at 127lbs and Geno Calgaro at 215lbs were both champions and secured the top seed at the WPIAL Championships. Coming out with second place performances were Collier Hartman at 121lbs and Ryder Joseph at 139lbs. The final qualifier for the Big Macs was Brayden Collins at 172lbs with a fifth place showing.

CCNS Check-in

Let’s not forget about the future of our Big Mac program while we are talking about the post-season. The boys and girls in CCNS are blazing a new path of excellence with their hard work. They first competed in the Western Area Wrestling Association Championships where the team took first overall by a 27 point margin over Pine Richland with 209 points. The points were only tallied on the open divisions. Champions in the open divisions were CJ Dreshman at 12U 85lbs, Cameron Longstreth at 12U 90lbs, Gavin Ross at 12U 130lbs, Brooke Valentic at Girls 9U D5, Bri’Ella Collins at Girls 9U D7, Aleeya Dreshman at Girls 12U D2, Addie Saussol at Girls 12 D3, Gianni Cafeo at Girls 12U D5, Farrah Henderson at Girls 12U D7, and Noelle Miller at 12U D8. Those in second place were Carter Brett at 10U 90lbs, Luciano Francica at 12U 105lbs, Abigail Bueno-Bistarkey at Girls 9U D3, Isabella Beuno-Bistarkey at 9U D8, Ella Saussol at 12U D2, and Annabelle Bauman at 12U D6. Gathering third was Axel Frederick at 8U 55lbs, Mason Haught at 10U 55lbs, Kyle Studd at 10U 65lbs, Nolan Valentic at 10U 75lbs, and Cora Studd at Girls 9U D1. In fourth were Tanner Smith at 10U 85lbs, and Nora Terrell at Girls 9u D3. Earning fifth place was Neil Kirby at 12U 80lbs. Finally, in sixth place were Liam Harding at 10U 95lbs, Branson Shulsky at 10U 120lbs. and Ian Maentz at 12U 95lbs.

While not scored, CCNS had great showing with the novice divisions as well. First place finishers were Grayson Koons at 6U45lbs, Jon Taucher at 8U 65lbs, Mitchell Haught at 10U 60lbs, Jase Houpt at 10U 65lbs, Julian Smith at 10U 65lbs, Larenzo Gregory at 10U 85lbs, and Hunter Zimmerman at 12U HWT. Second place finishers were Emmeric Mathies at 8U 50lbs, Alex Solomon at 10U 70lbs, and Tucker Nale at 12U 95lbs. In third place were Logan Wellinger at 6U 55lbs, Mason Ronshausen at 8U 55lbs, and Abel Stoffella at 10U 85lbs. Lastly, in fourth were Grayson McKinney at 6U 60lbs, and Levi Dvorsak at 12U 130lbs.

After the league championship, 32 of the CCNS wrestlers tried their luck at the PJW Area IV Qualifier tournament. There were an astounding 20 of those wrestlers that qualified with the Jr High Boys and Girls that were already mentioned. Representing Canon-McMillan at the PJW State Championships as Area IV champions will be Cora Studd at Girls 8U 59lbs, Aleeya Dreshman at Girls 10U 70lbs, Bri’Ella Collins at Girls 10U 94lbs, Isabella Bueno-Bistarkey at Girls 10U 125lbs, Grayson Koons at 8U 45lbs, Axel Frederick at 8U 55lbs, Kyle Studd at 10U 65lbs, Nolan Valentic at 10U 75lbs, and CJ Dreshman at 12U 85lbs. Representing with second place finishes will be Abigail Bueno-Bistarkey at 8U 63lbs, Ella Saussol at 10U 70lbs, Anabelle Bauman at 12U 108lbs, Noelle Miller at 12U 125lbs, Mason Haught at 10U 55lbs, Jase Houpt at 10U 65lbs, and Carter Brett at 10U 90lbs. The last group that will represent Canon-McMillan are the third place finishers which include Lorenzo Gregory at 10U 85lbs, Abel Stoffella at 10U 90lbs, and Neil Kirby at 10U 80lbs. Others that placed but will not move forward to the state championships are Jameson Snyder with 2nd at 6U 40lbs, Brooke Valentic with 4th at 10U 78lbs, Mitchell Haught with 4th at 10U 60lbs, Cam Longstreth with 4th at 12U 90lbs, Luciano Francica with 4th at 12U 105lbs, and Gavin Ross with 4th at 12U 135lbs.

Looking ahead, the CCNS bunch still has their Keystone State Qualifier event upcoming as well as the PJW State Championships and Keystone State Championships that we can revisit as they all compete.

Gook Luck as these Wrestlers Move on!

Bring on the Post Season

How did the season go?

The boys had a tough pack to follow after the WPIAL championship last season. It seemed that the injuries kept knocking them down. After a strong start to the season, the team dropped 5 of their last 8 Duals to finish the season at a 6 - 5 mark. This includes a trip to the Virginia Duals where they went 1 - 3 enroute to an 8th place finish but saw Geno Calgaro named the Outstanding Wrestler. After dropping duals to Baldwin and Bethel Park, there was still hope to make the WPIAL team tournament. Going into the Peters Township dual, they needed to win eight matches on the night. They could muster only seven bout victories and missed out on the team tournament.

The girls continued their brilliant defense of their state title by going 6 -1 since our last update. This includes a first place showing at the Cumberland Valley Girls Duals. The only loss came against Olentangy Orange High School of Ohio. The Lady Macs hit the PA rankings as the #1 team with eight wrestlers individually ranked at the state level. Valarie Solorio and Natalie Rush have even been honored in with national rankings. The PIAA has yet to sanction a girls team tournament for this group to be able to prove their team prowess.

At the middle school, the boys had an impressive undefeated season. They outscored opposing teams 451 - 127 over their 7 - 0 dual season. Over the time since the last update, team team took second at TRICADA, Bellefonte and Monroeville Junior High tournaments. As with the girls, there is no team championship at the Junior High level.

What’s up next?

Everyone is heading to their respective individual post season tournaments. The Junior High boys head to the Southwest Regional Tournament at Kiski. This tournament will be the last sanctioned event for these guys. However, many will continue on to the PJW and Keystone state level qualifiers and championships. The Lady Macs will start at the WPIAL Championships in North Allegheny. The top 6 will continue on to the PIAA West Regional tournament at Canon-McMillan and further the top 4 there onto the PIAA state tournament in Hershey. The high school boys will start at WPIAL District 7 sectional tournament at South Fayette where the top 6 will move onto the WPIAL Championship at Canon-McMillan. Like the girls side, the top 4 from the WPIAL Championships will move onto the PIAA state tournament at Hershey. You can find the full schedule for the championship tournaments here.

What about our collegiate level?

Gerrit Nijenhuis has recently cut back to down 165 and made a triumphant return to the Oklahoma starting lineup. Also, Jacob Gardner has had recent success for Seton Hill at 141. Finally, Grace Elliot is blazing a path at 109 for the University of the Cumberlands. She has rocketed to #9 in the most recent NAIA rankings. She was able to secure 3rd at the Warrior Women’s Open and had two of her matches featured as must see wrestling. Many teams are wrapping their dual seasons and we can check back with them after their respective post-season tournaments.

Recognizing the greats

Canon McMillan has been honored by the WPIAL Hall of Fame by including the 2011-2012 wrestling team in the class of 2024. The team, led by coach Chris Mary, crowned one state champion, eight total state place winners, and four WPIAL Champions. They also were able to gather the PIAA team state championship.

Senior Night

First Home Match of the Season

With the opening dual of the season with North Allegheny postponed, the meet against Mt. Lebanon was not only the first home meet of the year but also served as our opportunity to honor the seniors that will become alumni this year. We honored four senior girls: Capri Chambers, Leilani Ramos, Dynisty WIlliams, and Valarie Solorio. We also honored twelve senior boys: Mason Williams, Nicholas Casella, Nick Fedorchack, Kevin Yu, Aaron Fisher, Geno Calgaro, Josiah Gardner, Blake Ward, Ryder Joseph, Tanner Mizenko, and Andrew Binni.

On the night there was also some great wrestling to be seen. The night started with the Junior High Boy’s team came out with a 59 - 24 victory. They were led by falls from Lee Dreshman, John Banaszak, Gionno Gardner, Mason Calgaro, Bryce Collins, Cole Tournay, Austin Smith, and Dakota Carmona. Next up, the girls shutout the Blue Devils with a 75 - 0 effort. Falls were tallied by Malia Ramos, Yunuen Ayala, Bailey Emery, Leilani Ramos, Evangeline Gray, and Dynisty Williams. Finally, the Boy’s Varsity team took down their Blue Devils with a 45 - 21 score. Those collecting falls were Andrew Binni, Vincent Binni, and Geno Calgaro.

TRICADA Varsity and Junior High Tournaments

After all of the Big Macs took care of their assignments with the Blue Devils, the boy’s Junior High and Varsity teams hosted the TRICADA tournament. The Varsity team was able to secure sixth in team points. Crowned champions were Collier Hartman and Geno Calgaro. Falling just short as runner-up were Andrew Binni and Vincent Binni. Lastly placing third was Ryder Joseph. The Junior High team was able to push all the way up to second place. They went 7 - 0 in the finals. Champions were Lee Dreshman, Gionno Gardner, Aidan Finnigan, Mason Calgaro, Bryce Collins, Austin Smith, and Dakota Carmona. While going undefeated in the finals, there was only one able to secure third place, Owen Rush. Others with fourth place were Parker Kolarcik, John Banaszak, Nick Hajdu, and Caleb Anderson.

Next Up…

Up next the Boys Junior High and Varsity teams will travel to Baldwin while the Girls team will travel to Seneca Valley. After taking on Seneca Valley, the girls will head to the Cumberland Valley Duals. The boys varsity will head out to the Virgina Duals. The Junior High team will rest up for the weekend.

Happy New Year!!

And We Hope You All Had a Happy Holidays!!

Let’s Catch up on the last two weeks of 2023

USC Dual

The dual versus Upper St. Clair was the team’s first opportunity of the season to have all three school teams together. Canon McMillan was able to make a clean sweep of the night from top to bottom. Starting with the Middle School match-up where the Big Macs rode nine falls to a 64-24 victory. The Lady Macs took the mat to follow that up with ten falls of their own to go for a 72-12 victory. Lastly for the night, the varsity Big Macs found seven falls on their way to a 54-18 victory. With all those falls, it’s difficult to single out any wrestler with these monstrous team efforts. These victories were a great way to push into the coming holiday tournaments. Thank you to the Upper St. Clair district for recording the events.

Findlay Invitational Girls High School Tournament

The Lady Macs jumped right on a bus after the USC match to head to the F.I.G.H.T. in Findlay. They battled hard at the tournament and the team was able to secure 5th place overall. Able to grab podium spots were Lailani Ramos with 8th, Capri Chambers and Audrey Calgaro with 7th, and Bailey Emery and Natalie Rush with 2nd. While none were able to secure overall victory, this team is growing an gaining momentum in their run to defend their State Championship title.

Rush named PG Athlete of the Week

Just after the Findlay Tournament, the Post-Gazette named Natalie Rush one of the athlete’s of the week. They took the time to highlight her Lady Mac wrestling accolades and had a short interview where you can get some insight in the girl of the week.

This wrapped up the week for CM wrestling as all teams had a short but sweet Christmas break and got ready for the next BIG tournament.

Bring on POWERADE

Powerade kicked off action with Junior and Girls Tournaments on Wednesday and Thursday.

CCNS was able to place one girl in the girls elementary group. Briella Collins was able to battle through and grab fourth place. While no other CCNS wrestler was able to get to the podium, it was still a great showing for them all.

On the other hand, the Lady Macs ramped off of their success at Findlay. They spring boarded the team to a first place finish by a margin of 71.5 points. The team was able to place four into the finals. While only one was able to take gold on the day, it’s still an incredible showing for such a young team. Bailey Emery, Paige Ward, and Audrey Calgaro all made it to the finals where they each fell just short and garnered second place. Natalie Rush was able to finish off her impressive run during the tournament to gather first place and was this time recognized by the Observer-Reporter.

Many of the Junior High wrestlers entered into the Junior age group tournament mostly wrestling in the 15 and under group. There were three wrestlers who came one win short, in very large brackets, of securing a place spot. However, there were three that were able to stand on the podium. Caleb Anderson came back from a first round loss to grab fourth place. Austin Smith fought back from a semi-final loss to get third place. Finally, Owen Rush battled to a first place finish.

There was also a Junior High girls division that some of our wrestlers completed in. While there were only seven that are Junior High age with our girls team, two of them were able to secure places. Addie Saussol and Aracelli Clem both took fourth place.

The Junior Varsity Powerade Tournament was completed on Thursday evening. The team place 17 wrestlers into the JV tournament and fought to the bitter end. After all the work was done, Blake Ward came out in fourth place. Vincent Binni was able to work all the way to second place.

The Varsity team only entered eight wrestlers into the loaded tournament that featured nearly 60 nationally ranked wrestlers across 69 schools from 12 states. One of those nationally ranked wrestlers includes our very own Andrew Binni at #18 at 127 lbs. Binni was the only member of the Big Macs to place at Powerade. He was able to take a win from the #14 wrestler, Colin Martin of Stauntion River, VA. However he dropped matches in the Semifinals to #3 Jax Forrest and the consolation finals to an honorably mentioned ranking Manuel Saldate.

Alumni Banquet

In the midst of Christmas and Powerade, we want to thank all of the alumni who attended the banquet in which Tanny Deliere, David Cook, Lenny Patnesky and Keilan O’Daniel were all honored by the alumni association for their dedication to the wrestling organization.

It a great time to catch up with wrestlers of years past an honor the men who continue to contribute their efforts to our teams.

Catch UP with the Collegiate Wrestlers

We have a number of wrestlers around the collegiate level. We’ll start with Brandon Dami who currently holds a 7-10 record. He has made it to the blood round of 2 tournaments. Gabe Stafford is wrestling with Edinboro. He has a had a few opportunities at the beginning of the year. He wrestled in the Ohio State Dual and the Clarion Open. Grace Elliot is wrestling with the University of the Cumberlands. She has amassed a 10-7 record while collecting a title at the Trojan Open. She also competed at the Senior Nationals. Gerrit Nijenhuis is competing with Oklahoma. He has posted 8-7 record. He had to medically forfeit out of the Michigan State Open to collect 6th place. He fell short in the Reno Tournament of Champions to his teammate to collect 2nd. He recently tabbed 8th at the Southern Scuffle.

Onto the new Year

First up for the new year will be a joint bout for JH, Girls and Varsity against Mt. Lebanon. It will be Senior Night! Then forward into the TRICADA tournament which will again be hosted at Canon McMillan High School.

With all of those in the books, we look onto the new year with hope. Hope for all of these successful teams we are building in this Canon McMillan program. Hope for all of wrestling families for be happy and healthy.

Week One Recap

Andrew Binni Records 100th Varsity Victory!

While competing at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament, Binni was able to collect his 100th victory to become the 47th wrestler in our storied history to add his name to the “100 Win Club”. He secured this en-route to collecting 8th place at the tournament. He was the only CM wrestler of the six boys that traveled to the tournament to receive a seed. Others that competed but were unable to secure a spot on the podium were Collier Hartman, Vincent Binni, Rocco Didiano, Nick Casella, and Daisean Lacks.

Women of Ironman

After the boys wrapped up, the girls took the the mats at Walsh Jesuit for the Women of Ironman tournament. Competing were Natalia Clem, Capri Chambers, Malia Ramos, Sienna Van Balen, Yunuen Ayala, Bailey Emery, Leilani Ramos, Milly Williams, Eva Gray, Dynisty Williams, Paige Ward, and Natalie Rush. The girls had an all around great showing. Natalie took the highest honors with 3rd place. The girls will look to ramp up from an 8th place tournament into the first PIAA sanctioned year looking to defend their state championship.

JV and Middle School Tournaments

While the boys and girls varsity teams travelled out to Walsh Jesuit, the JV squad took their talents to the Butler Doc Phillips JV Tournament and the Middle School squad squared off at the Joe Iagnemma South Fayette JH Tournament. On the podium at the Doc Phillips were Brayden Collins in 2nd, Jack Hunter in 3rd, Gino Juliani and Skyler Badas in 4th. The Middle School team was able to take 2nd overall. Mason Calgaro was named the tournament outstanding wrestler on his way to first place. Joining him as champions were Austin Smith, Bryce Collins, Dakota Carmona, Gionno Gardner, and Owen Rush. Also making the finals and falling just short to second place were Lee Dreshman and Caleb Anderson. Other place winners were Levi Singleton in 3rd, Aidan Finnigan in 4th, Merrick Sarles in 5 and Gavin Hamm in 6th.

First Dual of the Season

The boys and middle school teams traveled to Waynesburg for their first dual of the season while the girls traveled to Connellsville. All teams were able to secure team victories on the night. The girls 60 - 12 victory was highlighted by falls from Capri Chambers, Bailey Emery, Milly Williams, Eva Gray, Dynisty Williams, and Audrey Calgaro. The boys secured a 46 - 29 defense of the WPIAL Championship dual. They leveled the win with falls by Tanner Mizenko, Collier Harman, Andrew Binni, and Josiah Gardner and a major decision by Brayden Collins. The middle school team was able shutout Waynesburg with all falls or forfeits for a 90 - 0 score.

UP Next

Highlighting what’s next for the Big Macs includes trips for the boys, JV and girls teams to Central Mountain School District for the King, Man and Queen of the Mountain tournaments. After we find the results of the tournaments, we can look forward to the first full joint dual of the season when the middle school , girls, and boys teams will all travel to Upper St. Clair. Let’s make it feel like a home match for all the kids and get over to USC to make some noise!

23-24 Pre-Season Primer

As the 2023-2024 wrestling season approaches, Canon McMillan looks to build off stellar performances on the boys and girls side. ‘22-23 ended with a girl’s state championship and a boy’s team that won the WPIAL en route to a fourth place PIAA finish. We say goodbye and good luck to some seniors and welcome upcoming stars. We have to be excited for the potential of the boy’s team and hopeful for the first PIAA sanctioned season for the girl’s side.

Before the season has begun, we’ve already had two commitments to collegiate wrestling programs. Andrew Binni has signed to continue with the Naval Academy. Valarie Solorio has signed to continue with perennial powerhouse, Iowa.

We can look for last year’s seniors on the mat for Cornell (Matthew Furman), W&J (Brandon Dami), Edinboro (Gabe Stafford), Davis & Elkins (Luke Shaffer), University of the Cumberlands (Grace Elliot), and East Stroudsburg (Madison Mansmann). You can still find past graduates on the mat as well. Gerrit Nijenhuis will complete with Oklahoma. Jacob Houpt is with Kent State. Ezzie Schaub grapples at Slippery Rock. Jacob Gardner will tussle for Seton Hill..

The Off-Season

The wrestlers stayed busy through the season. Some made their marks in other sports while others continued with on the mat activities. Many took to the Fargo Junior Nationals to test their skills. Bailey Emery, Collier Hartman, Grace O’Korn, Ryder Joseph, Andrew Binni, Natalie Rush and Valerie Solorio all competed at the Nationals.  While all were able to secure at least one victory, Val was able to secure second place. Val continued on to compete at the U20 World Team Trials where an injury forced her to default out. She was able to secure enough victories to get eighth place. Natalie Rush competed at the NHSCA National Duals where she competed with Ranger Pride Wrestling. The team was able to gather second place while Natalie compiled a 4-3 record. Andrew Binni also competed in those duals for team TNWC Silver Fox where he went 7-1. Andrew Binni also wrestled at the PAUSAW FS State Championships taking second. Grace O’Korn wrestled to 3rd place at those Freestyle State Championships. Collier Hartman went to the Greco-Roman side and took first place. Andrew Binni even took his work to the Clarion Open where he was able to go 1-2. And these are just some of the off-season accomplishments of our wrestlers.

A Look Ahead

The girls team will be participating in the first PIAA sanctioned season on the heals of winning an unsanctioned state championship. The team is led by returning state champion and senior, Valarie Solorio. She will be competing to become the first sanctioned PIAA girls state champion. Also returning are other state place winners with Natalie Rush, Dynisty Williams, and Audrey Calgaro. Others that return that were able to place at the Western Regional tournament include Paige Ward, Grace O’Korn, Leilani Ramos, Capri Chambers, and Sienna VanBalen. With the official sanction, there will be more structure to the girls meets this year with 13 weight classes to fill. We will have to wait to see how the roster fills and the weights shake out, but there is much hope for this season as they look to repeat their championship performance from last year.

The boys team is looking to build on last year’s successes. The group will be led by returning PIAA runner-up Andrew Binni and returning WPIAL champion Tanner Mizenko. Also returning is Geno Calgaro who placed at WPIAL, Collier Hartman, Ryder Joseph, Mason Williams, and Blake Ward all who placed in the sectionals. There are a few large gaps to fill with the losses of Brandon Dami, Gabe Stafford and PIAA runner-up Matt Furman. But with an influx moving up from the middle school team, there is definitely someone that will take control of each weight class. While the ones mentioned already will be looked to for leadership, there is plenty of space for someone to make a new name for themselves. Andrew Binni is on the cusp of 100 wins while currently sitting at 98. Tanner Mizenko has a long chance at 100 wins while currently at 70. Geno Calgaro will be setting his sights on 50 wins sometime this season.

The coaching

Behind the bench, Canon McMillan will be headed once again by Brian Krenzelak. Or, how many to refer to him as “Coach Slack”. After a year in which he was named WPIAL AAA Coach of the Year, he’ll look to not only build off of the WPIAL championship and solid PIAA showing for the boys, but also lead the girls to a potential first PIAA state championship. He’s surrounded himself with a great coaching staff that are returning from last year. Albert Miles was at once a fellow CM wrestler who continued on to gather a Division II NCAA National Championship. Jurdon Maier was named as the Section 6 Assistant Coach of the Year and is also a CM wrestling alumni. Mark Powell, after a stellar wrestling career in which he finished as the second most winning wrestler in Trinity history at the time, also has prior head coaching experience with Trinity. Cody Klempay is a CM alumni wrestler that won two state championships. Dave Gump and Ron Totterdale and Dave Gump are also CM alumni wrestlers. Sheila Mitchell also touts being a volleyball coach for CM.

The middle school team lost AJ Williams this season. He had a 13 year coaching tenure with Canon McMillan while leading the middle school team for the last two seasons. He will move onto an assistant varsity position with Chartier-Houston. We wish him all the best with his chance at our AA neighbors.

We will welcome in a new face to Canon McMillan coaching, Jason Carpetta. This will by no means be Jason’s first coaching experience. He has coached Fort Cherry to two WPIAL titles at the High School level. He last coached for Peters Township High School and had amassed nearly 200 wins coaching at the high school level. The middle school will keep Blaze Kansco and Ian Binotto from last year that are CM wrestling alumni. To add to the group, Brad Neu and Nick Konyk are also CM wrestling alumni.

Waynesburg vs Canon McMillan Alumni Match

In an effort to support both the Waynesburg Wrestling Association and the CCNS youth program, alumni from both schools got together on Saturday October 14th at Waynesburg Central High School. It was a pre-season event unlike any other. A time for some once-upon-a-timers to relive life on the mat and remember how difficult wrestling one minute periods actually were. With that effort, these guys were able to PACK the gym! The “Dual Meet”, as it is, would see some blood times, injury times, overtimes, and just some heavy breathing times.

For Canon McMillan, wrestlers ranged from 1983 to 2018 graduates. Waynesburg was able to round up wrestlers ranging from 1980 to 2012. All of these guys include NCAA All Americans, NCAA wrestlers, PIAA place winners, and current coaches. There was even an “exhibition” style match with a couple 8 year old wrestlers.

While Waynesburg ended up winning the “dual” meet, by my count, 37-12, it was an honor to see all these men get together and help support their youth programs. Hopefully, this is something that can continue for more years and we can bring out more alumni to participate. See the individual results below.

---

Wrestling began with a fun matchup of two 8 year olds. It was a showdown of Owen Bosworth of WBG and Cora Studd of CM. Owen capitalized with an early takedown. He moved Kora to her back. While Kora fought hard, Owen was able to complete the fall at 42 seconds.

The first bout of the alumni featured Clint Podish, WBG class of 2007, and Joey Proie, CM class of 2002. Early in the first, Podish registered a takedown. Proie stands out for an escape. Podish finishes off the period with an ankle pick to end the first 4-1. Podish chooses bottom to start the second. He starts with an escape. Proie pushes in and is able to secure his own takedown. Before the period let out, Podish was able to hit a switch for a reversal. Second ends 7-4. They start neutral in the third. After trading takedowns and escapes, the match wrapped at 10-7.

Next up showcased Jeremy Ellis, WBG class of 2011, and Nate Santelli, CM class of 2002. Ellis fought off a shot from Santelli and spun behind to take the lead. He rode out the period to finish the first a 2-0. They went neutral for the second where Ellis again spun around and rode out the period. 4-0. Ellis would take top in the third. After a few turning attempts, the match would wrap up 4-0.

They moved to Mark Throckmorton, WBG class of 2004, and Aaron Jennings, Jefferson-Morgan class of 2004 wrestling for CM. This was stalemate of a match with both wrestlers trading some shot attempts and defenses. Each scored an escape during the periods they chose bottom. At one point, Throckmorton garnered some suspenseful gasps on throw attempt but, ultimately, he slipped off. They moved onto OVERTIME! About halfway into the overtime, Throckmorton exploded in on a single that he was able to finish on the edge of the mat to take a 3-1 victory.

Next saw Justin Smith, WBG class of 1998, against Kevin Brooks, CM class of 1993. Smith started strong with a takedown that was close to the edge and ultimately called out of bounds by the referee. Brooks came back with a shot of his own. Smith’s defense was strong though and tilted Brooks for a takedown and near fall. Ending the first at 4-0. An escape in the second pushed the lead to 5-0. A neutral start in the third saw Brooks slip off the top on a shot defense and ended the match at 7-0.

The next matchup was Tommy Henderson, WBG class of 2012, against Albert Miles, CM class of 2003. Miles put Henderson down into a front headlock early where he moved behind for the takedown. After a few tilt attempts, the period closed 2-0. After riding out Henderson throughout the second, Miles went down to start the third. Henderson tries to roll over the front on a side headlock. Miles slips it for a reversal and eventually lets him up. Towards the end, Miles fights off a chancery attempt and winds up with the first victory of the day for CM. 4-1.

JD Higgins, WBG class of 2006, matched up with Matt Luba, CM class of 2003. Luba flashed early with a takedown and Higgins escapes out. 2-1. The second period was on the feet with hand fighting and positioning. There were a couple shots pushed aside by both. Higgins took bottom for the third in which Luba rode the period out for the 2-1 victory.

Dustin Henderson, WBG class of 2006, took on Dustin Dunkovich, class of 2000. Through the first two periods, there was an escape by Henderson and loads of hand fighting. In the third, Dunkovich went to the bottom. Henderson locks a cradle and get a few swipes. Dunkovich rolls the cradle through and ends up on top. Henderson escapes from bottom and the match with a 4-2 win.

Up next were Joe Throckmorton, WBG class of 1980, and Ray Phillips, CM class of 1983. They circled through a scoreless first period. Throckmorton escaped in the second period. Phillips tried to return the favor in the third but Throckmorton rode with the college style near ankle lace. Throckmorton used a late period arm bar to turn Phillips and gathered a 3-0 win.

To the mat was Zach McGinnis, WBG class of 2011, and Mike Binni, CM class of 2018. This was an even first period with no score. Binni went on bottom in the second where McGinnis fought off an early flurry from Binny to stay on top. McGinnis put in the legs but Binni was able to slip out and get a reversal. McGinnis went down for the third. He popped up and went to work to catch up. A late takedown gave McGinnis the win 3-2.

Jeremy Snyder, WBG class of 2001, wrestled off with Dennis Cole, CM class of 2005. Cole fights off shots with front headlocks and go-behinds in the first and second period to take a 4-0 lead. The third was another neutral period that saw a few shot defenses but no points. Cole wins 4-0.

Matt Blair, WBG class of 1989, squared off with Bobby Owens, CM class of 1993. Blair defended a shot and spins for the takedown and finishes the first on top. 2-0. Blair goes bottom for the second. He escapes and they finish the second on their feet. Unfortunately, before the third period could start, Owens has an issue with is shoulder and defaults out of the match.

Following that, Luke Lohr, WBG class of 2010, sparred with Bryan Milligan, CM class of 2017. Lohr gets in deep on both a double and a high crotch in the period to end the first 4-1. A neutral start sees Lohr snap down Milligan to go up 6-1. Again a neutral start where Lohr ducks for a takedown and then defends a Milligan shot to score another. Lohr wins 10-2.

Next, Phil Stoneking, WBG class of 1992, met up with Nate Frantz, Chartiers-Houston class of 2005 for CM. A scoreless first led into a second period on their feet. There was a shot/reshot flurry where Frantz finishes on top and the period. 2-0. Stoneking chose bottom for the third. Frantz put the legs in to try to ride Stoneking out. Stoneking slides through the back when Frantz went too high and straight to Frantz back. Stoneking marks the first fall for the old guys at 2:44.

For the last match of the day, the stakes were raised. Nick Garber, WBG class of 2007, and Dalton Macri, CM class of 2014, would wrestle a two minute first period followed by one minute second and third periods. In the first period Garber and Macri would trade nice looking takedowns and matching escapes for a tied 3-3 affair. In the second, Macri chooses bottom. He scrambles a reversal and lands straight to Garber’s back. After the near fall, they go into the third 8-3. Garber goes to the bottom, but he wouldn’t mount the comeback as Macri rides the period. Macri wins 8-3.

Another Historic Season for 2022-2023 Macs

While Canon-McMillan Wrestling is no stranger to success, we have some great milestones to celebrate following the 2022/2023 season. Starting from team achievements to coaching and onto boys and  girls individual accomplishments.

The teams that we grow through this district are amazing! After a 3rd in state finish last year in their inaugural season, the Lady Macs rose to FIRST place in just two short years. On the heels of their first girls wrestling state championship in school history, they appeared in the national rankings at number 21. Speaking of firsts for the ladies, Valarie Solorio was able to notch the first win by a female for the boys varsity team. Not to be outdone, the boys rode the school’s 42nd section and 22nd WPIAL titles to a 4th place finish at the state team tournament. While the high school wrestlers grappled with those accolades, the middle school wrestlers cruised to their own section title. With their section title, they were able to add a 2nd place at the TRICADA Tournament and they were a top 10 team at the Bellefonte Invitation (Considered the toughest Jr High Tournament in the PA). The little guys at CCNS were champions at the Seneca Valley Super Novice Duals and the South Fayette Open division tournament.

It was a banner year for head coach Brian “Slack” Krenzelak in his second season. To go along with all of the accomplishments that the teams made through the year, he was also named the WPIAL AAA High School Coach of the Year. His dedication to the sport and his wrestlers is only made apparent by this award. However, he wasn’t the only coach from Canon-McMillan to be honored this year. Jurdon Maier was awarded the WPIAL AAA Section 6 Assistant Coach of the Year. We’d also be remiss to not say that the tradition starts from the beginning. Before these amazing wrestlers that Jurdon and Brian get to coach make it to the High School, many pass through our Middle School wrestling program. Where we can proudly say that AJ Williams was recognized as the Section 6 Junior High Coach of the Year. It’s not without the hard work and dedication of not only these men, but all of the coaches from CCNS to Middle School and onto High School, that this program continues to grow and strive as one of the top in the state.

Not overshadowed by their coaching, the boys did great things themselves. Matthew Furman and Gabriel Stafford were both able to join the 100 win club with this season’s efforts. The list of tournament placings is just too long to go on about. There were 11 wrestlers that placed in the Southern Sectional Tournament with 3 champions to add to the list. Champions: Tanner Mizenko, Andrew Binni, and Gabriel Stafford, Runner-Up: Matthew Furman, and Geno Calgaro, 3rd: Collier Hartman, and Ryder Joseph, 5th: Luke Shaffer and Mason Williams, 6th: Brandon Dami and Blake Ward. All of these wrestlers moved onto the WPIAL tournament where Tanner Mizenko was crowned Canon-McMillan’s 157th WPIAL Champion. To accompany Tanner onto the PIAA State Tournament were Matthew Furman and Andrew Binni with their second place showings. Others to place at the WPIAL Tournament were Gabriel Stafford at 5th and Geno Calgaro at 8th. At the PIAA State Tournament, Matthew Furman and Andrew Binni were able to fight to 2nd place. Both falling just short to returning state champions and nationally ranked opponents. Andrew Binni was selected to wrestle at the Westmorland Stand Your Ground III event. Matthew Furman was further selected to represent the WPIAL at the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. He has signed on with Cornell to continue his academic and wrestling career. Joining Matthew in collegiate wrestling will be Brandon Dami who signed with W&J, Gabriel Stafford who signed with Edinboro and Luke Shaffer who signed with Davis & Elkins.

The Jr High boys had some notable accolades themselves. At the District 7 Southwest Regionals, Brayden Collins took 4th, Aiden Finnigan took 6th and Mason Calgaro took 7th. They also placed some wrestlers in the two end of year youth state tournaments. Bryce Collins took 6th at the Keystone State Championships. Cole Tourney took 4th and Gionno Gardner took 6th at the PJW State Championships. CCNS sent 7 boys out to post season tournaments. Liam Harding, Jase Houpt, Carter Brett, CJ Dreshman, Owen Smith, Lee Dreshman, and Meerick Sarles. Owen Smith became the highest boys finisher at second place at PJW. Lee Dreshman was able to grab 7th place at both PJW and Keystone.

The women of Canon-McMillan wrestling are blazing their own paths. Adding onto their state championship season, the girls need to start their own boards to track their post-season accomplishments. To start off, there were 11 that qualified for the state tournament by placing at the Western Regional Girls Tournament. Among them were four champions, Valarie Solorio, Madi Mansmann, Paige Ward, and Natalie Rush. Other placers include Grace O’Korn in second, Leilani Ramos (who scored her 50th career win this season), Dynisty Williams and Audrey Calgaro all in third, Elizabeth “Gracie” Elliot in fourth, and Capri Chambers and Sienna Van Balen in fifth. At the state tournament, 6 of those ladies were able to take medals home. Including, another first for Canon-McMillan, our first ever girls state champion, Valarie Solorio! Joining Val on the podium were Gracie Elliot and Natalie Rush at second, Dynisty Williams at fourth, and Madi Mansmann and Audrey Calgaro at fifth. Gracie and Val spring boarded these medals into competing at the World Team Trials in Spokane, Washington. While Gracie came one win short of the podium, Val was able to secure enough wins before an injury made her default out to 8th place. While those two competed in the trials, Natalie Rush, who also tabbed her 50th career win this season, was selected to the Pennsylvania Junior National Team which will compete at the Junior Women’s National Duals Championship in mid June. Gracie Elliott will take her academics and wrestling onto the University of the Cumberlands. Madison Mansmann will also continue onto East Stroudsburg University.

Those strong girls at the top have inspired younger girls to compete in the sport as well. In the Jr High ranks, there were four qualifiers for the the Keystone State Championship by Alaya Henderson, Malia Ramos, Milly Williams and Yunuen Ayala. Alaya was able to get to fourth place. Even the CCNS girls got into all of the fun. They were able to send 5 girls to the post-season championships. First, with Bri’ella Collins winning both the Keystone and the PJW State Championships. Also placing were Aleeya Dreshman at third at both tournaments, and Cora Studd at seventh at Keystone. Ella Saussol and Addie Saussol were able to qualify for the tournaments but were not able to place.

While all of these athletic accomplishments are great, collectively, our high school team was able do all of this while maintaining great grades. Boys selected to the Pennsylvania All-Academic Team included Matthew Furman, Brandon Dami, Luke Shaffer, Gabriel Stafford, Geno Calgaro, Andrew Binni, Tanner Mizenko, Josiah Gardner, and Ryder Joseph. Girls selected to the Pennsylvania All-Academic Team included Hope Carmona, Madison Mansmann, Chloe Ault, Ezzie Schaub, Capri Chambers, Grace O’Korn, Dynisty Williams, Leilani Ramos and Natalie Rush.

Being the alumni group, we should also catch-up on the alumnus that have continued past the high school ranks with wrestling. This year marked Brendan Furman’s last year of eligibility. He was able earn his spot back onto the Cornell line-up after double knee surgery. He was able to gather 65 wins and was an NCAA qualifier once through his career. Garrit Nijenhuis transfered to Oklahoma this year where he qualified for his third NCAA tournament. Gerrit was ranked 21st in his weight, got 7th in the Big 12 tournament and has amassed 45 wins so far on his career. Jacob Houpt is competing as a true freshman for Kent State University. He had 3 wins on the season and looks to continue to wrestle next season. Jimmy Baxter worked into a starting spot for Seton Hill University. He has 7 career wins so far. Jacob Gardner is also wrestling with Seton Hill University. He has 2 career wins so far.

A Farewell to the CMWAA

The clock has finally reached 0:00 in the third period of the wrestling season, and with the end comes an announcement: I’m taking off my metaphorical ankle bracelets for the last time as I write my final blog post for the Canon-McMillan Wrestling Alumni Association.

The journey began in July of 2016 when the CMWAA decided that a website would benefit the program. With the help of previously compiled statistics from Slack, Paul Amic, and other internet sources, I built the website. Around the same time, I decided to pursue a degree in Marketing, mostly focusing on the digital field. The summer of 2017 came, and I was, unfortunately, rejected from many internships that I worked hard to get. Luckily I received advice from a professor to “create my own internship.” Thinking back to my days as a wrestler, I brought back a fire within myself to push forward and find a way to win. I found my “win” on the CMWAA website by increasing my knowledge in the field of Digital Marketing while also helping out the wrestling program.

Those who have followed the site this season know that it was a historic season. The program celebrated 90 years, hired a new head coach, took 4th at the PIAA team tournament, and crowned an individual State Champ. Personally, it was one of my favorite seasons to watch as a fan of the sport. Throughout the season, the Alumni Association highlighted wrestlers of the past, present, and future with individual bios, video interviews, and performance updates.

Creating and curating the content of such a historic program has been an honor. Over the past few years as the Founder of the Alumni Wrestling Camp and Content Marketer of the CMWAA, I had the opportunity to meet many fantastic people. I also came to realize that those people carry many awesome stories that flow through the program and tie the different generations together. Though I heard my fair share of stories this year, I haven’t even cracked the surface.

Since June of 2017, we’ve published over 50 articles and 26 videos that have highlighted many of the community’s stories. Additionally, the fans participated in the 12 Days of Chris-Mas, Mat Madness, Fantasy Wrestling, Alumni Night, and our camp and golf events that showed off the program. With the support of the fans on the website and an incredible performance by Havelka’s squad, crowd attendance grew this season for all home matches.

When I was not in class, I was finding a way to improve the website and please the fans. It was my goal to engage the many different eras and circles within the CM wrestling community through the different mediums in the digital spectrum. This website has been recognized by the local community, but also by members of PA Power Wrestling and FloWrestling, two major wrestling news outlets. By working hard on the website I was able to earn my current job right out of college.

Making the journey from having no website to creating weekly content has been very memorable and fulfilling in my professional career and personal life. After three years of helping the program as much as I could, it’s time for me to move on. I’m proud of my work, and I’m glad that I could share all of the content that I did in CM’s historic season. My aspirations for this season was to inspire the youth, teach the current generation, and spark up old conversations, and I hope that I accomplished that.The website will continue to be available, but I will not be producing any additional content.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the Canon-McMillan wrestling fans and the 8.3 thousand people who have visited the site since 2016. I want to personally thank the coaches, wrestlers, parents, fans, and my family who have taken this journey with me and the CM Wrestling Alumni Association for allowing me to create this website. If you bought the 90th anniversary gear or donated to the program, thank you. Whether you read the content daily or watched a video once, thank you. If you came to the matches or watched via our live stream, thank you. To those who took the time out of your busy days to message or talk to me about wrestling, thank you. I have appreciated every conversation that we have had together about wrestling.

My departing piece of advice for the fans is to embrace the history flowing throughout the local community because you don’t know when those stories will be gone and forgotten.

Sincerely,

Josiah Hritsko

---

My favorite articles:

• Which State Has the Most NCAA Championship Titles

• A Brief History of the Canon-McMillan Wrestling Program

• Canon-McMillan’s Top 8 Greatest Team Rivals

• The Top 7 Wrestling Movies of All Time

Gunning for Gold: 90 Years of Canon-McMillan Wrestling

Canon-McMillan High School has dominated in the sport of wrestling for over 90 years. A brief history of the program reveals that the team is one of the most historic in the nation. CM holds the record dual meet wins in the state with 1,075, among other records. State champs and NCAA champs alike have wrestled in the practice room at the Canonsburg, PA high school since the days that R.J. O'Connell started the intramural program. Canon Mac's 90th season is officially over, and we're looking back on our history. Check out the video:

A Look Back at the CM Wrestling Season

Canon-McMillan’s 90th Anniversary season is over, and Coach Havelka and his Big Macs did not disappoint on making this season an exciting one. Coaches Havelka, Bowman, Crivelli, Maisner, and Steele coached the team to a 15-3 record. Some of the exciting matches along the ride was a win over Kiski on Alumni Night, a rematch with the Cavaliers in the WPIAL finals, and matches that were too close for comfort against Central Dauphin and Seneca Valley at Team States. The grapplers won the program’s 17th straight Section title, claimed silver at the WPIAL tournament, and took 4th at the PIAA tournament.

On the individual front, the Big Macs competed in 5 tournaments during the regular season, with at least one finalist in each one. Gerrit Nijenhuis kicked off the season with a championship at Cumberland Valley, and Kenny Hayman continued the chase for gold at North Canton. Logan Macri won his first Powerade title, while Evan Miller earned his first JV Powerade title. In the TRICADA Tournament, Jimmy Baxter, Tanner Rohaley, and Gerrit all earned a title. During the season, Tim Hritsko also became a member of the 100 Win Club, joining his teammate Logan. The post-season started with 5 Section Champions, including first-time champs Jimmy, Tim, and Giomar Ramos - CM’s 11th straight heavyweight to win a Section title. At the WPIAL, Logan earned his first WPIAL title, Gerrit Nijenhuis earned silver, and Tim Hritsko qualified for States with a 4th place finish. The season ended with Gerrit earning a bronze medal and Logan Macri accomplishing a career-long goal by winning a PIAA State title, becoming CM’s 44th in history.

View fullsize

Canon-McMillan wins a team Section title.

Team

Regular Season
CM (71) def. Montour (9)
CM (66) def. Chartiers Valley (6)CM (36) def. Kiski Area (27)  [Alumni Night] [Watch Here]
CM (27) def. Waynesburg (21) [Watch Here]
CM (62) def. Central Catholic (12) [Senior Night]
CM (39) def. Trinity (22)

Section Tournament (1st Place)
CM (59) def. Moon (15)
CM (36) def. Waynesburg (18)

WPIAL Tournament (2nd Place)
CM (51) def. Upper St. Clair (21)
CM (62) def. Hampton (3)
CM (47) def. Seneca Valley (17)
Kiski Area (33) def. CM (24)

PIAA Tournament (4th Place)
CM (36) def. Council Rock South (24)
Cathedral Prep (40) def. CM (18)
CM (59) def. Cedar Cliff (9)
CM (29) def. Central Dauphin (28)
CM (27) def. Seneca Valley (23)
Cathedral Prep (42) def. CM (22)

View fullsize

Logan Macri wins first WPIAL title.

Individual

Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic (4th Place)
120 - Kenny Hayman (3rd)
126 - Logan Macri (3rd)
138 - Tim Hritsko (4th)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (1st)

North Canton Tournament (4th Place)
106 - Jimmy Baxter (3rd)
113 - Michael Binni (4th)
120 - Kenny Hayman (1st)
138 - Tim Hritsko (3rd)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (2nd)

Powerade (8th Place)
JV
145 - Skylar Adams (3rd)
170 - Evan Miller (1st)
195 - Alec Hendal (2nd)
285 - Giomar Ramos (4th)

Varsity
120 - Logan Macri (1st)
138 - Tim Hritsko (6th)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (3rd)

TRICADA (2nd Place)
106 - Jimmy Baxter (1st)
113 - Michael Binni (3rd)
120 - Kenny Hayman (2nd)
132 - Blake Joseph (6th)
145 - Tanner Rohaley (1st)
152 - Dimitri Pihiou (3rd)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (1st)
170 - Evan Miller (5th)
195 - Alec Hendal (3rd)

Escape the Rock (6th Place)
106 - Jimmy Baxter (5th)
126 - Logan Macri (2nd)
138 - Tim Hritsko (7th)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (2nd)

Section (N/A)
106 - Jimmy Baxter (1st)
113 - Jacob Gardner (4th)
120 - Logan Macri (1st)
126 - Kenny Hayman (3rd)
138 - Tim Hritsko (1st)
145 - Tanner Rohaley (2nd)
152 - Dimitri Pihiou (5th)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (1st)
170 - Evan Miller (3rd)
285 - Giomar Ramos (1st)

WPIAL (3rd Place)
120 - Logan Macri (1st)
138 - Tim Hritsko (4th)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (2nd)

PIAA States (5th Place)
120 - Logan Macri (1st)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (3rd)

Photo Sources: Facebook

PIAA State Tournament Recap

The Big Macs put on one final performance of the season at the PIAA State Tournament. The team brought three wrestlers and placed two of them. After four years in pursuit of a State title, Logan Macri accomplished his goal by plowing through the 120 lb. weight class. With the finals win, Logan became CM's 44th State Champion. Gerrit Nijenhuis also made his way onto the podium with a bronze medal. Though he lost in the semifinals on a controversial call, Gerrit wrestled back for 3rd at 160 lbs. CM’s final wrestler, Tim Hritsko wrestled for his first time in the Individual State tournament and earned two wins before falling in the bloodround to go to placing. While Tim did not place, his points accumulated with his teammates earned the team a respectable 5th place team finish with 53.5 points behind Kiski (60 pts), Bethlehem Catholic (68.5 pts), Cathedral Prep (72 pts), and Nazareth (87 pts). Below are the match-by-match scores, as found on FloArena:

Logan Macri (120) - State Champion

Round 1 - Logan Macri dec Brandon Meredith (Spring Ford), (10-4)
Quarterfinals - Logan Macri tech fall Rafael Portilla (Carlisle), (23-8)
Semifinals - Logan Macri dec Sean Pierson (Nazareth), (5-2)
Finals - Logan Macri dec Doug Zapf (Downingtown West), (3-2)

Tim Hritsko (138) - DNP

Pigtail - Tim Hritsko fall Nathan Swartz (Hollidaysburg), (5:57)
Round 1 - Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic) tech fall Tim Hritsko, (17-2)
Consy Round 2 - Tim Hritsko dec Antonio Petrucelli (Owen J. Roberts), (9-3)
Blood Round - Cameron Robinson (Council Rock North) dec Tim Hritsko, (7-4)

Gerrit Nijenhuis (160) - 3rd Place

Round 1 - Gerrit Nijenhuis fall Patrick O’Neill (North Penn), (3:47)
Quarterfinals - Gerrit Nijenhuis fall Ethan Baney (South Western), (1:16)
Semifinals - Carter Starocci (Cathedral Prep) dec Gerrit Nijenhuis, (3-1 OT)
Consy Round 5 - Gerrit Nijenhuis fall Jacob Burgette (Scranton), (2:07)
Consy Finals - Gerrit Nijenhuis dec Luke Stout (Mt. Lebanon), (3-0)

Cover Photo Source: Observer Reporter

Mat Madness 2018: And Your Winner. . .

View fullsize

And your winner. . .

Mark Angle

After two weeks of voting, Mat Madness 2018 is completed. 64 of the best wrestlers in Canonsburg and Canon-McMillan wrestling have been narrowed down to just 1 champion. With a record 246 votes throughout the tournament, the champion of Mat Madness 2018 is. . . Mark Angle!

Angle was a wrestler at CMHS in the 1990’s before he attended Clarion University. The #1 seed of the Gold Age Division (80’s & 90’s) made his way through the tournament by defeating Jim Harriot, Brad Mockler, and Ron Rothka. A win against Bruce Cridge in his division finals sent him to the final four against Colin Johnston. The final victory came in the championship bout by defeating Joe Solomon of the Gunners Division. Mark Angle was the ultimate victor amongst 64 other competitors across four divisions. In his personal career, 4 Section titles, 4 WPIAL titles, 1 State title, and 3 NCAA placings place Angle as one of the greatest Pennsylvania wrestlers of all time.

Click here to download the completed bracket. The CMWAA would like to thank all 303 voters who participated in the six rounds of the tournament. There were some tough voting decisions that had to be made, but the fans engaged in a positive conversation to make their favorite choices. We certainly had a great time, and we hope the fans did too.

Congratulations to the fan’s champion and “Best CM Wrestler of All Time,” Mark Angle!