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

Wrestler of the Week: Michael Binni

The Big Macs celebrated Senior Night last Wednesday with their last home dual meet of the year. The seniors helped push the team to a 62-12 victory against Central Catholic, so we would like to spotlight one of these 12th graders. Boasting a 20-9 record this season is this week’s Wrestler of the Week, Michael Binni.

Source: Instagram

Michael has been wrestling for eleven years, and his favorite memory was beating Kiski in the WPIAL semi-finals in his sophomore year. A hard-fought battle gave the team a win against the same team on Alumni Night, when Michael earned 6 points for his team with a pin. The Big Macs will likely wrestle the Cavaliers again in the WPIAL tournament on February 3. Michael would love to bring down Kiski once more, as one of his goals for his last season is to win the WPIAL Team Championship, which CM last won in 2013.

If you had asked Michael at the beginning of the season if his team would have pulled off the biggest upset of the year, he might have said “Get Out,” coincidentally the same name of one of his favorite movies. In addition to movies, the grappler likes to watch the television show Seinfeld, where he may have gained some of his humor. Michael is a big fan of the NFL, too; however, he will be cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoff season. While he enjoys watching the NFL, the Big Mac loves playing the video game NHL ‘18. And of all of the pastimes that he could enjoy, Michael’s favorite is spending time with his brothers.

This family-oriented wrestler earned a 4th place finish at the North Canton Tournament and a 3rd place finish at the TRICADA tournament this season. He is currently ranked #5 in the WPIAL at 113 lbs. Coming up just short with a 3-2 record in the blood round at Escape the Rock this weekend, the senior has big goals of becoming a Section Champion in his final season. Post high school, Michael will be studying Marketing and Communications at Waynesburg University or Penn State University.

Cover Photo Source: Instagram