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

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