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!

The Boards: Present Victory, Eternal Glory

Roaring crowds, shining gold medals, thrilling emotions, and a flood of congratulations make a victory in the present a feeling unlike any other. But what happens after the fact? Does a win stay forever rooted in a particular gym only to be remembered by those who witnessed the act? Maybe not in today’s society with live streaming, photographs, and videos that can be saved and rewatched for years to come. However, the moments from the 1930’s may be hard to come by.

At Canon-McMillan HS there are certain ways that these victories live on in the wrestling room. 416 plaques currently hang on the walls of four different boards in the “Christopher Mary” wrestling room. The plaques display the names of every Section, WPIAL, and State Champion to ever make his way through the Big Mac wrestling program. One state board, one WPIAL board, and two Section boards because the other one filled up in 2013.

View fullsize

This year the team has added 5 names to the Section board and 1 name to the WPIAL board. They seek to nail 3 more names to the State board this weekend at the PIAA tournament. The boards have meaning to the wrestlers because they know that the plaques help their names and legacy to live on in the room. Coach Havelka told the Observer Reporter after the Section tournament:

“There is a lot of history and tradition at Canon-Mac. It’s a big deal to get your name up on that wall. The kids see it every day and know once your name is up there, it will be there forever.”

— Coach Havelka

View fullsize

Though many of these modern era wrestlers have never seen or met many of the wrestlers from the 1930’s, they know the names that stick out. Robert Haney (127 lbs) is the first name on the Section title board, which started in 1960. Andy Puchany, who later became Canonsburg/CM’s head coach in the late 50’s through 1970, appears at the top of the WPIAL board from 1936 at 85 lbs. Of course, George Custer’s name sticks out on the State board because he is Canonsburg’s first ever State Champion. He won at a weight that no longer exists -- 95 lbs -- in a time that seems foreign to many current wrestlers -- 1938. Custer is also one of only two 3-timers hanging in the wrestling room. Custer is one of the big motivations for the wrestlers who seek a State title, including Gerrit Nijenuis.  He told the Observer Reporter: 

“It’s really a big motivation for me. In the (practice) room on the wall is a list of state champions. There are some really big names there. I want to keep working until I see my name on that wall. It drives me every day.”

— Gerrit Nijenhuis

As for the wrestler with the most individual plaques on the wall? That honor goes to Solomon Chishko, with 10 total: 4 Section, 4 WPIAL, and 2 State titles. Close behind him are Mark Angle, Connor Schram, and Colin Johnston with 9 plaques.

View fullsize

A new board is now hanging outside of the wrestling room that marks all of the program’s team championships. Chris Mary, with the help of the Alumni Association, put the board up not only to display the program’s accomplishments, but to give motivation to CM’s wrestling teams of the future. Wrestlers set goals every season, but seeing what they are striving for is something that helps to achieve those goals. The trip to Hershey this weekend may bring fantastic memories, but it may also be the beginning of a road to eternal glory and recognition.

Mat Madness 2018: Championship

View fullsize

The field has been narrowed down from 64 wrestlers to 2 of the big guns. 265 votes across 5 rounds has brought us to this matchup: Joe Solomon versus Mark Angle. Download the updated bracket here.

Joe Solomon, the #1 seed from the Gunners Division, stampeded his side of the bracket with the most amount of votes. The Gunner wrestled for Canonsburg High School in the late 1940’s through the early 1950’s. During that time, he amassed 3 WPIAL titles and 1 PIAA title at 145 lbs. He might have earned some Section titles, too, if the tournament was around back in his day. What Solomon holds over Angle is a NCAA Division I title when he wrestled at Pitt.

One of the other four #1 seed’s, Mark Angle, also advanced to the championship match. He has received the most votes in the tournament thus far, and doesn’t look to stop his domination. Angle was a 4X Section champ, 4X WPIAL champ, and 1X State champ during his high school tenure in the 90’s. Additionally, he was a 3X NCAA All-American at Clarion, earning two 4th place finishes and a bronze medal.

It’s only fitting that the last match of the tournament is the most difficult to decide. Crown the Mat Madness Champion:

Mat Madness 2018: Final Four

View fullsize

Four rounds of voting have finally decided the Division Champions. Joe Solomon (Gunners), George O’Korn (Blue), Mark Angle (Gold), and Colin Johnston (Modern) have been crowned individual division champs of their respective eras. Now comes the tough part: cross-era matchups. Download the updated PDF bracket here.

On the left side of the bracket, #1 Joe Solomon is up against #1 George O’Korn. Solomon is a 3X WPIAL champ and State champion at 145 lbs, in addition to being an NCAA Champion at Pitt. O’Korn has 3 Section titles, 1 WPIAL title, and 2 PIAA titles at 165 and 167 lbs. To be fair, the Section tournament was not around in Solomon’s day, but this is going to be a close match.

#1 Mark Angle takes on #4 Colin Johnston on the opposite side of the bracket, and this matchup is a doozy. Both wrestlers have 4 Section titles, 4 WPIAL titles, and 1 State title in the lightweight classes. The two are also members of the 100 win club, Johnston with 163 wins and Angle with 148 wins. Johnston continued his career at WVU and Angle at Clarion, becoming a 3X All-American. Good luck, voters.

It’s up to you who advances to the Mat Madness Championships:

The Top 7 Wrestling Movies of All Time

Tonight the Oscars Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. This will be the 90th time that the world-renowned Academy reveals their choices for Best Picture; coincidentally, 90 is also the number of years that the Canon-McMillan Wrestling Program has been around. With that in mind, we’ve decided to rank the Top 7 Wrestling Movies of All Time.

7. Legendary (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 17%
Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu

The world knows John Cena as a famous WWE big shot, but he tested his skills as an amateur wrestler in this 2010 film. Cena plays the older brother to a Cal (Devon Graye), a nerdy teenager just looking to find his way in the world through wrestling. Hardships fill Cal’s life in the way of girls, bullys, family, and wrestling nerves.

This movie is pretty cheesy, but it does a good job of promoting the sport of wrestling to a generation of John Cena fans. It’s free on Netflix and Hulu, so it’s worth a watch one night.
 

6. Foxcatcher (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent), *or watch the Team Foxcatcher documentary on Netflix

Foxcatcher is based on the true story of Mark Shultz (Channing Tatum) and Dave Shultz (Mark Ruffalo) as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in South Korea. They receive some unwarranted aid from eccentric millionaire John du Pont. The dark side of du Pont is shown throughout the film, which was quite the casting change for Steve Carell who was used to comedic roles. The eventual murder of Dave Shultz is shown in a dramatic way that shocks those not familiar with the story.

The movie received five Oscar nominations in 2015, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. However, it was snubbed for Best Extra performances by Canon-McMillan Wrestling’s own coaches, Chris Mary and Brian “Slack” Krenzelak.

5. Win Win (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent)

One of the most overlooked wrestling movies of the past decade is Win Win. Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), a lawyer and high school wrestling coach, struggles to find a way to improve his failing practice and team. When an surprising stud wrestler joins his family and team, Mike’s life start to change, for the better or for worse. Wrestling is a vehicle for Mike to connect with the troubled wrestler, but the movie also presents some of the stereotypes of the sport in a fun way. From watching online film (FloWrestling?) to going on morning runs to make weight to making up amusing names for moves, the film captures the essence of high school wrestling.

Win Win was nominated for an ESPY in 2011 for Best Sports Movie.

4. Terry (2015)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
Where to watch: FloWrestling

Terry Brands is a name known by any college wrestling fan today as one half of the iconic Brands brothers coaching duo at Iowa Wrestling. “Terry” shows the namesake’s long journey to become an Olympic medalist in the shadow of his twin brother Tom. The FloFilms documentary shows the incredible highs and absolutely horrific lows of one of wrestling’s most iconic figures as a wrestler and as a Hawkeye coach.

For any wrestler looking to see what type of training goes into making the Olympic tournament or for any fan that just wants to know more about the life of Brands, Terry is one of the best documentaries on the sport of wrestling.

3. Takedowns and Falls (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
Where to watch: Vudu

Sweigard and Peppelman are two names that Big Mac fans may be familiar with if they followed the team’s State Championship runs in the early 2010’s. Takedowns and Falls details the story of Central Dauphin’s own coaches and wrestlers as they train to become PIAA Team State Champions. Pains strike the team in the form of individual losses and a coach’s cancer diagnosis. Getting views into the daily lives and routines of the team is something that resonates with high school athletes and wrestlers that have a common goal.

Perhaps the best part about this movie coming out in 2010 is that Canon-McMillan wrestlers could watch the movie with their own goals in mind: beat Central Dauphin.

2. Warrior (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent)

Brendan (Joel Edgerton) and Tommy (Tom Hardy) are brothers both looking to improve their lives from damaged childhoods. When a Mega MMA Tournament opens allowing a winner to take home $5 Million, the brothers take up arms against each other. Though the sport isn’t about wrestling, Brendan was a former wrestler whose father was tough on him and his brother -- a theme that may echo with many former wrestlers. The movie’s emotional twists and turns can get even the most hardcore wrestling fan to shed a tear.
 
In addition to being one of the most motivating movies of all time, CM fans may enjoy Warrior because of its Pittsburgh references and cameo appearances by Kurt Angle. 

1. Vision Quest (1985)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
Where to watch: Amazon (Rent)

Is there any other wrestling movie that can be the best besides Vision Quest? The coming of age movie tells the story of Louden Swain, played by Matthew Modine. Louden is a high school wrestler who has his sight set on beating a seemingly invincible opponent and proving everybody wrong. Louden keeps his mind and body focused on winning his match with the support of his love interest, Carla. Through shadow wrestling, rope climbing, running, weight loss, and hard work and training, Swain fulfills his vision quest.

It would behoove older fans to share this movie with their younger wrestlers so that this great piece of wrestling cinema isn’t lost over the course of history.

---

That’s our list of the 7 Best Wrestling Movies of All Time. Throughout all of these movies, the common theme seems to be setting a goal and doing “whatever the F*$% it takes” to win -- to steal a line from Win Win. And, that’s what wrestlers do the best. From Austin DeSanto beating Spencer Lee to Adam Coon beating Kyle Snyder, these movies aren’t just fictitious; they show what really goes on inside these crazy wrestler’s heads.

We want to know your thoughts: will you be watching the Oscars and did we forget any movies?

WPIAL AAA Championships Recap

The Big Macs came into the WPIAL Championship weekend with ten qualifiers from the Section IV tournament, and three placed in the top 4 to advance onto the PIAA tournament. Hritsko placed 4th at 138 lbs. after losing in the semifinals to and winning in the “blood round.” At the 160 lb. weight class, Nijenhuis took home a silver medal with a great run through the bracket and a loss to Hartman of Belle Vernon in the finals. Logan Macri (120 lbs) came away with another impressive victory over Louis Newell of Seneca Valley. This is Logan's first WPIAL Title, which adds him to the list as another name on the board of WPIAL Champs.

Among the other wrestlers, Tanner Rohaley came up just short with a 2-0 loss in the blood round to Nick Acuna (Moon) while Jimmy Baxter (106), Evan Miller (170), and Giomar Ramos (Hwt) all wrestled their hearts out with valiant efforts in the 3rd Round Consys. And a hats off also goes to Jacob Gardner (113), Kenny Hayman (126), and Dimitri Pihiou (152) on wrestling some tough competition. All of these Big Macs had excellent seasons and many will be back for blood next year.

Full results can be found on FloWrestling. Macri, Hritsko, and Nijenhuis will all wrestle in Hershey on Thursday, March 8. Below are the results from the Finals and Consy Finals matches:

1st/2nd

120 Logan Macri dec. Louis Newell (Seneca Valley), 4-3 - 1st
160 Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon) dec. Gerrit Nijenhuis, 3-1 - 2nd

3rd/4th

138 Ty Linsenbigler (Hempfield) dec. Tim Hritsko, 7-2 - 4th

Learn more about the advancing wrestlers in their Wrestler of the Week profiles:

---

Click to read the results and articles in the Observer-Reporter:
Canon-McMillan's Macri rolls to first WPIAL title
Nijenhuis moving in right direction to win gold medal

Cover Photo Source: Observer-Reporter

Mat Madness 2018: Division Finals

View fullsize

Mat Madness continues to stun fans with more upsets. It was apparently clear-cut for the Blue Age to host the #1 and #2 wrestlers in the finals, but the other three divisions were not so straightforward. #3 Manuel Pihakis edged out NCAA All-American Elias George to advance to the Gunners Division Finals. On the opposite side of the bracket, #6 Bruce Cridge advanced with a second upset against NCAA Champion, Sylvester Terkay; however, he now faces the wrestler with the most votes in the tournament thus far, Mark Angle. And in the final division, #4 Johnston pulled out a close victory over the only #1 seed not to advance, Solomon Chishko.

Make sure to download your updated version of the bracket by clicking here. The Division Finals are now set:

• Gunners Age - #1 Joe Solomon vs. #3 Manuel Pihakis
• Blue Age - #1 George O’Korn vs. #2 Angelo Marino
• Gold Age - #1 Mark Angle vs. #6 Bruce Cridge
• Modern Age - #4 Colin Johnston vs. #2 Connor Schram

Submit your ballot below for Round 4, and please share with your friends:

Mat Madness 2018: Division Semifinals

View fullsize

Upset city! All four #1 and #2 seeds are moving on, but that doesn’t mean that they’re safe.  #4 seeds Bill Hulings (Gunners) and Jim Biringer (Blue) found that out against their respective #5 seeded opponents Vic DeFelice and Emil Deliere. Bruce Cridge plowed through the competition with an upset win over JUCO Champion Rob Benjamin, but he faces a resilient NCAA Champ Sylvester Terkay next. The only division to come out unscathed with all 4 of the top seeds still remaining is the Modern Age, though Wiercioch battled in a close contest against Kyle Deliere.

We’re moving onto Round 3, the Division Semifinals. State champs face off with Pihakis vs. George (Gunners), Peterson vs. Marino (Blue), Chishko vs. Johnston (Modern), and Wiercioch vs. Schram (Modern), while NCAA All-Americans clash with Solomon vs. DeFelice (Gunners). Download the updated Division Semifinals bracket here.

Vote below, and be sure to share with your friends as these rounds start to heat up:

Mat Madness 2018: Round 2

View fullsize

Mat Madness 2018 Round 2 Updated Bracket

Thanks to all of those who participated in Round 1 of Mat Madness 2018. Last round there were some tight matches and three upsets: #9 Darrel Patterson over #8 Tony Compeggie (Gunners), #9 Nick Catalano over #8 Cody Klempay (Modern), and #11 Kyle Deliere over #6 Brendan Furman (Modern). Download the updated Round 2 bracket here.

We kick off our second round with some fresh matchups and some teammates facing off against each other. Who will come out on top? You decide!

As a reminder, you can vote for all or some of the matchups. Instructions: 1) Click on your picks, 2) Click “Next” to see the next Division or “Back” to see the previous, and 3) Click “Submit” to make sure your responses are counted. Round 2 voting closes on February 27 at 5:00PM. Vote on Round 2 Below:

Section 4 AAA Recap

The Big Macs didn’t disappoint in the Section 4 AAA Championships this weekend, qualifying 10 wrestlers for the WPIAL tournament next weekend at Canon-McMillan High School starting Friday (3/2). The team ended with the most 1st place finishes in the tournament (5) over Waynesburg (3). Logan Macri earned his 3rd straight section title, while Nijenhuis earned his 2nd championship. Below are the results from the championship and consolation matches:

1st/2nd

106 Jimmy Baxter pinned Hunter Shriver (Waynesburg), 1:48 / 1st
120 Logan Macri dec. Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg), 5-1 / 1st
138 Tim Hritsko dec. Jackson Henson (Waynesburg), 2-1 / 1st
145 Nick Acuna (Moon) dec. Tanner Rohaley, 2-0 / 2nd
160 Gerrit Nijenhuis maj. dec. Vincenzo Rauso (Central Catholic), 11-2 / 1st
285 Giomar Ramos pinned Ryan Howard (Waynesburg), (2:53) / 1st

3rd/4th

113 Giani Martini (Trinity) dec. Jacob Gardener, 4-0 / 4th
126 Kenny Hayman pinned Cody Trout (Chartiers Valley), 4:04 / 3rd
170 Evan Miller dec. Jamal Littlejohn (Moon), 7-6 / 3rd

5th/6th

152 Dimitri Pihiou pinned Michael Bates (Moon), 1:51 / 5th

Check out the results and articles:
WPIAL AAA Section 4 Tournament Results
Hritsko, Canon-Mac Get Best of Waynesburg in 4-AAA Finals

Mat Madness 2018 - Who is CM's Best Wrestler of All Time?

View fullsize

Mat Madness 2018 - Click on photo to enlarge.

Welcome to Mat Madness 2018! It’s been asked on Facebook, at matches, and behind closed doors, “Who is the BEST wrestler to come out of Canon Mac?” Well, it’s time to decide in March Madness bracket style.

We’ve set up a 64-man bracket with the top 16 wrestlers from 4 different eras: Gunners (30’s-50’s), Blue (60’s-70’s), Gold (80’s-90’s), and Modern (00’s-10’s). The wrestlers were chosen and seeded based upon an algorithm of their amount of High School Section, WPIAL, State titles and Collegiate NCAA placings. We have excluded any wrestlers currently in High School because they have not finished their career yet.

The tournament will take place over 6 rounds and complete within two weeks. What’s the criteria on voting? It’s up to you: who would win in a match, who has more accomplishments, who has had the better career, etc.

Schedule:
Round 1: February 22
Round 2: Feburary 26
Division Semifinals: February 28
Division Finals: March 2
Final Four: March 5
Championship: March 7

Vote in all of the divisions or just your favorites. Want to learn more about the wrestlers? There’s not better way than on our website. Click here to view Individual History. Get started below:

Nicknames Origins

The wrestlers, fans, and coaches of Canon-McMillan Wrestling have had a variety of nicknames given to them over the years. The origins of a nickname can be silly, historic, cultural, or sincere. A truly great nickname can stick with somebody for life, and for certain individuals in the CM Wrestling program, it certainly has. Some nicknames of note are: Superfan Stanley “Stush” Sadowski, cameraman Aaron "Buck" Caldwell, legend Manuel “Buz” Pihakis, Jr. High coach Brian “Slack” Krenzelak, and former head coaches Andy “Pooch” Puchany and R.J. “Roc” O’Connell. We got together with two of these guys to discuss the origins of their nicknames. Watch below:

CM Dual Meet Season Recap

Dual Meet Record: 15-3

Regular Season
W Canon-McMillan vs. Montour (71-9)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Chartiers Valley (66-6)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Kiski Area (36-27)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Waynesburg (37-21)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Central Catholic (62-12)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Trinity (39-22)

Section Team Championship
W Canon-McMillan vs. Moon (59-15)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Waynesburg (36-18)

W.P.I.A.L. Team Championship
W Canon-McMillan vs. Upper St. Clair (51-21)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Hampton (62-3)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Seneca Valley (47-17)
L Kiski Area vs. Canon-McMillan (24-33)

P.I.A.A. Team Championship
W Canon-McMillan vs. Council Rock South (36-24)
L Cathedral Prep vs. Canon-McMillan (18-40)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Cedar Cliff (59-9)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Central Dauphin (29-28)
W Canon-McMillan vs. Seneca Valley (27-23)
L Cathedral Prep vs. Canon-McMillan (22-42)

Read about the tournaments:
CM Wins 17th Straight Section Title
CM Claims Silver in WPIAL Team Tournament
Big Macs Take 4th at PIAA Team State Tournament

Cover Photo Source: Facebook

Big Macs Take 4th at PIAA Team State Tournament

Canon-McMillan started the 2017-2018 season ranked 4th in the WPIAL, but ended it by placing 4th at the PIAA team state tournament. The squad racked up 6 regular season wins, including a big upset against Kiski Area. The Big Macs earned 2 more wins by smashing through the Section tournament to win the program’s 17th straight title. The boys made it all the way to the WPIAL finals before they dropped their first loss to rival Kiski Area in another tight match.

Source: Observer-Reporter

This past weekend Havelka’s Big Mac’s travelled to the Giant Center in Hershey, PA seeking a spot on the podium, though their road to it would be no easy feat. After a close match to Council Rock South (36-24), the team lost to Erie Cathedral Prep (40-18). The boys gathered some strength and fought back through the consolation bracket, first by beating Cedar Cliff (59-9). The easy matches ended after that when CM battled recent rival Central Dauphin down to the final bout, coming out on top with a victory (29-28). And, though Canon Mac plowed through the Raiders in the WPIAL semifinals, the team put up a fight in the blood round. Another match coming down to the final-bout went in favor of the Macs (27-23). Unfortunately, the team dropped another loss to Cathedral Prep in the consolation finals (42-22). This earned the Big Macs a 4th place finish at the tournament. Click here to view the full 2018 PIAA State bracket.

Source: Facebook

Excluding years when CM won a PIAA State Championship, this is the program’s first time placing at the tournament, marking the team down as one of the greatest that Canon-McMillan has seen in its 90 year history. This shows great promise for first year Head Coach Havelka and his coaching staff. The 2017-2018 team season was a roller coaster full of ups and downs, and certain matches from this season are sure to live on in greatness for as long as fans are alive to recount the stories. The Big Macs finished the team season 15-3, bringing total program wins to 1,075. The team will continue onto the final individual tournaments of the season starting with the Section tournament on February 24.

Read about the tournament in the Observer-Reporter:
Another chance for Canon-McMillan wrestling
C-M celebrates win over Council Rock South
Canon-McMillan falls in quarterfinals, can still finish third
Canon-McMillan finishes 4th in PIAA Team Tournament

Cover Photo Source: Facebook

So You Think You Know CM Wrestling Quiz

Think you've got the skills to takedown 90 years worth of history? Take our quiz below to find out where you stack up!

Powered by

CM Claims Silver in WPIAL Team Tournament

This was perhaps one of the craziest WPIAL tournaments in recent memory. After blasting through Upper St. Clair (51-21) and Hampton (62-3) in the first two rounds of the tournament, CM was poised to face Hempfield in the semifinals. The Spartans were disqualified from the tournament when one of their wrestlers was found ineligible to wrestle, therefore pushing Seneca Valley into a match against Canon Mac. The Big Macs rolled through the Raiders (47-17).

In the WPIAL Class AAA finals, Canon-McMillan went up against a tough Kiski Area for their second meeting of the season. Even with surprising weight class changes; big falls by Baxter (106) and Nijenhuis (182); great wins by Binni (113), Macri (120), Hayman (132), and Miller (170); and solid matches by Gardner (126) Hritsko (138), Rohaley (145), and Hendal (195) the Big Macs came up short (33-24). Unfortunately, midway through the dual Adams (160) suffered from a neck injury and was rushed to the hospital (update: no major issues, but prayers are appreciated).

Though the team did not bring home the gold that they wanted, they showed a lot of heart. The Big Macs wrestled a phenomenal tournament thanks to first year head coach Jeff Havelka. With three straight WPIAL finals appearances all ending in second-place finishes, it's easy to be disappointed; however, that unsettling feeling is what makes programs like Canon-McMillan better as the team strives for success in the future. Havelka's Big Macs have had an excellent season thus far, with an 11-1 record. The boys have one more go at gold, as CM wrestles in the PIAA state tournament next weekend at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Read about the tournament in the Observer-Reporter:
- Quarterfinals: Big Macs Breeze to Semifinals
- Semis & Finals: Kiski goes back-to-back, Downs C-M for Team Title

Cover Photo Source: Observer-Reporter