Wrestler of the Week: Tanner Rohaley

This past weekend the Big Macs wrestled in the Tri-County Wrestling Tournament (TRICADA). With ten boys in the lineup, the Big Macs took second place behind Waynesburg and came away with three champions: Jimmy Baxter (106), Tanner Rohaley (145), and Gerrit Nijenhuis (160). The CMWAA is crowning Tanner Rohaley as the Wrestler of the Week for his phenomenal tournament.

Tanner has been wrestling for ten years, and his favorite memory stems from this past weekend when he won his first ever high school gold medal. Wrestling is Tanner’s passion, but he enjoys deer hunting and bass fishing in the off-season, too. While these outdoor sports require silence, this “country boy” is a fan of jamming out to his favorite country music star Blake Shelton. The farm boy is able to enjoy great food from his family’s farm, yet Tanner cannot resist a good pepperoni pizza and Pepsi or a meal at Fusion Japanese Steakhouse.

Rohaley struggled to make the lineup last year, but he has had a solid year thus far with pins against Montour and Chartiers Valley. He also had a match-sealing decision against Waynesburg’s Colby Morris, the same kid who Tanner pinned in the TRICADA finals. His career record is 15-6. And Tanner isn’t finished with his run this season; in fact, he intends to place top four in the WPIAL and qualify for the PIAA State Tournament in March. As he told Observer Reporter’s Joe Tuscano, Tanner believes that “You have to go out there and do your own thing,” and that’s just what he’ll be doing for the rest of the season.

Photo Source: Instagram

Cover Photo Source: Observer Reporter

Mid-Season Canon-McMillan Wrestling Updates (CCNS, JH, HS, College)

College

• Dalton Macri (UNC) [125 lbs] - 2-2 record, #9 in NCAA
• Brendan Price (Pitt) [125 lbs]
• Connor Schram (Stanford) [125 lbs] - Hokie Open (1st), CKLV (6th), #16 in NCAA
• Tony Mastrangelo (Waynesburg) [133 lbs]
• Matt Oblock (Wheeling Jesuit) [141 lbs]
• Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech) [149 lbs] - 5-2 record, #8 in NCAA
• Brendan Furman (Finger Lakes) [285 lbs] - 9-6 record, Cleveland Open (6th)
• Nick Konyk (Mercyhurst) [184 lbs] - Ohio Intercollegiate Open (3rd)

The Big Macs place 4th at the North Canton Tournament.

HS Matches (3-0 Record)

Montour 

CM wins 71-9.
Gardner (120), Ross (132), Hritsko (138), Rohaley (145), Nijenhuis (160), Miller (170), Hendal (195), Minis (220) and Ramos (Hvy) all won by fall.

Chartiers Valley

CM wins 66-6.
Binni (113), Hayman (120), Hritsko (138), Rohaley (145), Pihiou (152), Wolfgramm (160), Miller (170), Hendel (195) all pinned for the Big Macs.

Kiski Area

CM wins 36-27. Alumni Night honors wrestlers from the past 90 years, Gunners & Big Macs alike. Coach Mary's 2012 & 2013 State Championship teams were also honored.

Baxter (106), Binni (113), Macri (126), and Rohaley (220) had pins for CM. Hayman (120) had big win over #2 in the WPIAL, Miller. Nijenhuis (160) and Ramos (Hwt) also had decisions.

HS Tournaments

Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic

CM places 4th overall behind Cumberland Valley, Easton, and Bishop McDevitt.

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

North Canton Tournament

CM places 4th overall behind Wadsworth, Cuyahoga Valley, and Louisville.

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

Powerade Tournament

CM place 8th overall, beating out Waynesburg and Kiski.

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)

WPIAL Rankings (As of 1/2)

Team - CM (#1)
106 - Jimmy Baxter (#7)
113 - Michael Binni (#5)
120 - Logan Macri (#1)
126 - Kenny Hayman (#3)
138 - Tim Hritsko (#3)
160 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (#2)
195 - Alec Hendal (#10)
220 - Zach Rohaley (#4)

CM's Junior High wins the Greensburg Salem Tournament

Junior High (11-0 Record)

Matches

• 88-9 (Montour)

• 72-24 (Chartiers Valley)

Seneca Valley Duals Champions

• 68-24 (Hempfield)

• 78-21 (Burrell)

• 51-39 (Kiski)

• 85-16 (Quaker Valley)

• 90-9 (South Fayette)

Greensburg Salem Dual Meet Champions

• 87-15 (Mt. Pleasant)

• 104-0 (Latrobe Orange)

• 72-21 (Greensburg Salem)

• 58-39 (Kiski)
   

CCNS/JH

Viper Duals Champs (K-8)

• 88-12 (MD Eagles)

• 62-21 (Central MD)

• 91-0 (Vipers Wrestling Club)

• 70-24 (Naval Academy)
   

Other CM Happenings

• Colin Johnston named head wrestling coach at Pitt-Bradford
• Coach Mary celebrates the 12 Days of Chris-mas

Sources: Finger Lakes, FloWrestling, Mercyhurst,  Observer Reporter, Pitt, Pittsburgh Tribune, Stanford, Track Wrestling, UNC, Virginia Tech, Waynesburg, Wheeling Jesuit, WrestleStat

Wrestler of the Week: Tim Hritsko

The Wrestler of the Week series has been on holiday hiatus, but we’re back with another edition. This past weekend the Big Macs took 8th place at the Powerade Tournament, and three wrestlers placed, including Logan Macri (1st), Gerrit Nijenhuis (3rd), and this week’s WotW, Tim Hritsko (6th). When Tim battled back through the consolation bracket by beating two state champs from MD and VA, Tim stood smiling on the podium with his first Powerade medal.

He also smiles when he thinks about steak while he is cutting weight to 138 lbs. In the off-season, you can usually find Tim at his favorite restaurant, Moe’s Southwest Grill, with his bros. And when he’s not eating, Tim is probably looking for a new pair of shoes for his collection. On the mats he wears his favorite pair of wrestling shoes, Nike OG Inflicts; on the streets he wears his favorite Off-White Air Prestos. His stylish shoes seem to match his wrestling style that is full of finesse.

Tim has been wrestling with CM since CCNS and is committed to the team as a captain for the 2017-2018 season. This year, the Big Mac took 4th at the Cumberland Valley Classic and 3rd at the North Canton Tournament. The rest of the season is in full view for Tim, and he has lofty goals of winning a Section title and making the PIAA State tournament. He also believes that the team can win a WPIAL team title this year. He has had a taste of Hershey over the last two years at Team States, one trip of which came from beating Kiski in the WPIAL semi-finals two years ago -- Tim’s favorite wrestling memory. Currently, the grappler is undecided on his plans post-high-school. Fans can catch Tim on Wednesday in a home match against Waynesburg or this weekend seeking his 100th career win at the TRICADA tournament.

Wrestler of the Week: Jimmy Baxter

Source: Simple Booklet

Continuing down the chain of command from the senior class to junior class, we now arrive at the sophomore wrestling class of 2020. The CMWAA would like to send a big congrats to December 4th’s Wrestler of the Week, Jimmy Baxter.

This is the perfect season to highlight Jimmy because he loves getting into the Christmas spirit by watching his favorite movie, Elf. Other than the holidays, this time of year also brings around hunting season, which is one of Jimmy’s favorite hobbies along with fishing and wrestling. In school, the young grappler favors math as his favorite subject; however, you may find him in class daydreaming about pizza instead of equations when he is cutting weight.

With ten years of wrestling experience, Jimmy is entering his first season on the High School team following his recent finish at the Junior High level. One of the Big Mac’s favorite memories from his JH days was winning the Southwest Regional tournament under Coach Slack. Last year he earned himself a trip to the PJW State Championships at 102lbs.; and, after trading in his JH status for a HS one, Jimmy has his eyes set on the PIAA State Tournament. Catch Jimmy making his High School debut this weekend at the Cumberland Valley Classic!

CM’s 90th Anniversary Poster Analysis

It’s finally November, and that can only mean one thing: wrestling season is here! This is a special season for Canon-McMillan wrestling; the program will look to the future with new Head Coach Havelka while also honoring the past by remembering 90 years worth of history.

One of the best ways to pull all of this tradition together is through Alumni Night, which will take place on Friday, December 22 against Kiski. Former head coach, Chris Mary, and head of the CM Wrestling Alumni Association, Brian Hritsko, started Alumni Night a few years ago to honor decorated CM wrestling alumni.

---

“Alumni night, to me, is about getting together with past wrestlers and fans and reminiscing about the great teams and times we had. CM wrestling is a close-knit community, and it’s important that we keep that going.”

— Brian Hritsko

---

The Alumni Association is trying to make this event bigger and better than ever this year, and that starts with understanding the past. To discover the past, I’d like to introduce a poster that I created to give meaning to this upcoming season. . .

View fullsize

Coaches from left to right: Jason Cardillo (2015-2017), Ron Junko (1976-1979), Dave Cook, R.J. “Roc” O’Connell (1927-1938), Chris Mary (2001-2014), Andrew “Pooch” Puchany (1957-1970), Tim Mousetis (1995-1996), John Ross (1948-1956)

Wrestlers from left to right: Philip Ahwesh (30’s), Cody Wiercioch (10’s), Albert Miles (00’s), Solomon Chishko (10’s), Lester Peterson (60’s), Bruce Cridge (90’s), Colin Johnston (00’s), Sylvester Terkay (80’s), Manuel Pihakis (50’s), Nick Catalano (00’s), Dalton Macri (10’s), Craig Dellorso (80’s), Elias George (40’s), George O’Korn (60’s), Mark Angle (90’s), Brendan Furman (10’s), Connor Schram (10’s)

The Wrestlers

Choosing the wrestlers on this poster was no easy feat, as Canonsburg and Canon-McMillan have had their fair share of phenomenal wrestlers. I chose wrestlers from many different years to show some of the dominant individuals across all eras. The wrestlers on this poster account for nearly a quarter of all of CM’s WPIAL titles and almost 50% of all of the program’s State titles. In addition, eleven of these grapplers are in the 100 Win Club -- Manuel Pihakis just falls short at 99 wins. There are also 13 total NCAA medals between the six collegiate medalists. Another fun fact is that Sylvester Terkay competed in the WWE in the late 2000’s. To me, and a lot of the Canonsburg wrestling community, these wrestling legends are the face of the program; for that reason, I included them at the forefront of the poster.
 

The Coaches

Of the sixteen coaches from the program, eight of them are on this poster. These coaches have won 722 matches over 64 seasons, accounting for 68% of CM’s total wins. Coaches Mary and Puchany are tied with having coached the most seasons, 14. Of course, I also had to include the founder and first head coach of the Canonsburg Gunners, Coach O’Connell. Interestingly enough, no coach has had a higher win percentage than Coach O’Connell’s 92.86%, although some have come close to it. Even though I included Phil Ahwesh with the wrestlers, he also went on to became a head coach in ‘46. Few of CM’s head coaches actually went through program; in fact, many are from neighboring towns, including Chartiers Houston. Without these coaches many of these wrestlers would not be able to compete at the high level that they have, and they deserve to be recognized. As the coaches are the backbone of the program, I included them looming in the background.
 

The Names

The legendary wrestlers are the face, the coaches are the backbone, but the names on the bottom of the poster are the heart of the program. These 148 last names are either Section, WPIAL, or State champs. The reason I included last names is because many of them have carried on for generations through Canonsburg. Grandfathers, uncles, dads, sons, brothers, and cousins have all competed for the program under the same last names. Personally, my grandfather wrestled in the 50’s, my dad and uncle wrestled in the late 70’s and 80’s, I wrestled in the early 10’s, and my brother is wrestling currently. The names are grouped on the poster because they are all united by a common bond that is CM Wrestling, and they show that CM is also strong as a team.
 

The Accomplishments

The accolades from 1927-2017 on this poster are unparalleled throughout the section, WPIAL, PA, and U.S. Canonsburg and Canon-McMillan have a combined 1060 wins, 242 losses, and 15 ties, giving the program an 80.5% win percentage. As wrestling is an individual and team sport, I included the team and individual accomplishments, both of which are impressive. The program makes successes out of individuals, but it also succeeds as a team.

The 90 year history of the Big Macs and Gunners is truly phenomenal because of the legends, coaches, family names, and holistic accomplishments. This poster is a way to look back on the history and pay homage to the greats that have passed through the wrestling room; furthermore, it is a way to allow current wrestlers and fans to discover the rich tradition of Canon-McMillan’s past. The Alumni Association will be selling these posters at home matches for the duration of the season, with proceeds going back into the program.

---

Feel free to use the photos below as your Facebook Cover photo, phone lock screen, or computer desktop. To save: Click to enlarge photo > Right Click > Save Image As > Save

View fullsize

Facebook Cover Photo

View fullsize

Computer Desktop

View fullsize

Phone Screen

A Brief History of the Canon-McMillan Wrestling Program

In a year that saw Charles Lindbergh fly across the Atlantic Ocean, Ford Motor Company produce its last Model T, and the Yankees sweep the Pirates in the World Series (typical), 1927 also brought the start of a dynasty when R.J. O’Connell journeyed from Penn State University to Canonsburg, PA to teach science. While Penn State was not the power house in wrestling that it is today, O’Connell brought his knowledge from the university’s program to Canonsburg High School when he started an intramural program.

The program started success early for Canonsburg from its first matches in 1933 into the 1959 merger between Canonsburg, Cecil, and North Strabane areas to form Canon-McMillan High School. The CM wrestling program has had over 2,000 wrestlers and 16 head coaches come into the mat room. As this year marks 90 years since R.J. O’Connell first stepped foot in Canonsburg, it’s time to take a look back at some of the history and stats of the whole program.

Wins & Losses

1,060 wins, 242 losses, 15 ties. The record of Canonsburg and Canon-McMillan HS helps the program stand tall as the team with the most dual meet wins in Pennsylvania. At more than 100 matches behind, Waynesburg and Easton come in at second and third most wins. Coaches O’Connell and Mason lead the “Gunners” on an 87 win streak in their first eight official seasons. With his own 45 match win-streak, Coach Chris Mary holds the record for most CM dual meet wins with 214, with notable victories over Erie McDowell and Central Dauphin in the 2012 and 2013 PIAA State Finals. While the wins are great, the program has also suffered many heartbreaking losses to teams that have become certain rivals like Waynesburg, Trinity, North Allegheny, and Latrobe, among others.

Coach Chris Mary gets psyched after a big WPIAL win

Coaches Cardillo and Haynes at the state tournament

Team Titles

8 is the number of times the “Big Macs” have gone a full season without a single team loss. The program boasts other team credits such as 39 Section titles, 20 WPIAL titles, and 8 State titles. Canon Mac has won the last 16 Section titles, dating back to Mary’s second season as a coach in 2002. If he accomplishes nothing else, new Head Coach Jeff Havelka must continue to dominate the Section, as he has big shoes to fill. As for WPIAL? CM won 4 straight WPIAL titles from 2010-2013. However, what most fans don’t know is that the “Gunners” won 6 straight WPIAL titles from 1936-1941, starting by capturing the first ever WPIAL Team Championship. At the state level, CM won 8 straight State titles from 2010-2013, including three team-individual titles.

Canonsburg "Gunners" wrestling team under Coach Phil Ahwesh (1947)

Individual Titles

Jason Dami after winning PIAA quarterfinal (1994)

There is nothing that has made CM Wrestling the program it has been more so than the individuals that have wrestled in it. From 1927-2017, over 220 wrestlers -- including myself -- have brought home Section titles. At the WPIAL level, there have been 150 titles won by “Gunners” and “Big Macs,” with twenty-four of those coming from 4X Champs Andy Puchany (a future head coach), Don Haney, Manuel Pihakis, Mark Angle, Colin Johnston, and Solomon Chishko. While there have been no 4X State Champs from the school, George Custer and Manuel Pihakis have each brought home 3 titles of the program’s 43 total. CM has qualified over 170 wrestlers and claimed 134 state medals.

Accolades

Other than big high school stats, the “Big Macs” have sent 20 wrestlers, 4 coaches, and 3 teams into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. 39 wrestlers have also made the prestigious achievement of being a part of the “100 Win Club.” At the collegiate level, the school has been a part in helping twelve individuals win 22 NCAA medals, including 5 NCAA Champions. In the 2017-2018 season, be sure to look out for Dalton Macri (12), Connor Schram (10), and Solomon Chishko (4), as they are all ranked in FloWrestling’s Top 20 and looking for NCAA titles. In other areas, the CM Alumni Wrestling Camp has molded the current generation of CM wrestlers for 3 years, while the Mac Open Golf Scramble brought together past generations of wrestlers and fans in its first year.

Canon-McMillan Wrestling has built up a tradition of continued excellence carried on from the “Gunners” to the “Big Macs.” These statistics show that CM started strong and has been a team to reckon with for nine decades, and that will continue into the future with the support of fans, families, and previous generations of wrestlers. As this upcoming season starts up, the Alumni Association will be taking a closer look back at the history of the program with analysis, history lessons, and interviews, so be sure to come back often for new articles. Check out the Infographic below, and look forward to an eventful season!

View fullsize

*All outside information is referenced from http://www.cmwrestlingalumni.com/ or “A History of Canonsburg Canon-McMillan High School Wrestling” by Paul Amic.