Waynesburg’s Homet upset, but Raiders send
CANONSBURG 鈥� The first quake to shake this tournament came four days before the first whistle.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Ryan Sullivan of Shaler would not be participating in the WPIAL Class AAA Wrestling championship because of a broken hand suffered in last week鈥檚 section tournament.
Not only was Sullivan, a senior, the top seed at 120 pounds, but he also is a defending WPIAL and PIAA champion. And, as you might guess, Sullivan was the overwhelming favorite to win the weight class.
The seeds were reworked and Kurt Phipps of Norwin was moved to top seed, Cole Homet of Waynesburg Central went from third to No. 2 and Logan Seliga of Belle Vernon was switched from fourth to third seed. Kelin Laffey of Pine Richland moved into fourth.
Just three hours into the tournament, the second tremor shook this event, and in the same weight class, when the 12th-ranked Homet was upset by unseeded and unranked Ethan Berginc of Hempfield, 4-2, in overtime in the quarterfinals.
The top four wrestlers advance to the PIAA Championships, which begin Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey. For some, the way back will be more cumbersome. Action gets underway at 10 a.m. today with the finals set for 5 p.m.
In the seeds released before the Sullivan injury, Seliga was scheduled to meet the Shaler standout in the semifinals. And a Homet-Phipps showdown was on course in the other semifinal bout if the seeds held.
They didn鈥檛.
Now, Seliga meets Berginc in the semifinals. The winner of that match earns a trip to Hershey no matter what happens in the finals. The loser needs a win in the consolation final to do so. Homet has to thrash it out in the consolation rounds.
Seliga is one of two Belle Vernon wrestlers in the semifinals. Scott Joll, the second seed at 170, is the other.
Waynesburg has seven wrestlers left in the tournament and three of them 鈥� Trey Howard (145), Luca Augustine (152) and Colby Morris (160) 鈥� are in the semifinals.
Connellsville has two in the semifinalists in Mason Prinkey at 106 and Jared Keslar at 126 and four in the consolations.
Albert Gallatin and Ringgold did not have a qualifier remaining.
鈥淚t happens. It鈥檚 just the sport of wrestling,鈥� said Seliga of Sullivan鈥檚 injury. 鈥淪ometimes you get injured. Sometimes you get upset. You usually can鈥檛 wrestle with a broken hand. I love (Ryan) and know he wants to be here but sometimes you just can鈥檛 go.鈥�
Homet is a freshman with a 38-7 record, and Seliga is a senior with a 29-6 record. Both were at 120 pounds for the Powerade Wrestling Tournament but did not meet. Seliga, who is eight wins shy of 100, finished in seventh place in this tournament last season.
鈥淭his is why you have to take it one match at a time, especially in a tournament like this,鈥� Seliga said. 鈥淵ou just have to keep winning the next one and that鈥檚 how you reach your goal.鈥�
Waynesburg head coach Joe Throckmorton said basically the same thing to Homet after losing to Berginc.
鈥淭his tournament from start to finish is tough and anybody can beat anybody,鈥� Throckmorton said. 鈥淪omebody can have a bad day and somebody can have a good day. That鈥檚 why upsets happen. (Homet) has to come back and he鈥檚 more than capable of doing that. He鈥檚 one of the top four wrestlers in that weight class. It鈥檚 the guy in front of you that you have to worry about. Nobody else.鈥�