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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY WRESTLING

* SECTION CHAMPIONS *

WALTKO NAMED TO TRIBUNE-REVIEW ALL-AREA WRESTLING TEAM

Sophomore Rob Waltko was selected to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review First Team All-Area Wrestling team.  Waltko won the WPIAL Championship and placed second in the PIAA finals at 160 pounds.  The Tiger sophomore finished with a record of 38-4 for the season.  His career record stands at 66-11.

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
2005 ALL-AREA WRESTLING FIRST TEAM

* - Wrestler of the Year

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WALTKO FALLS IN FINAL

Sophomore Rob Waltko was pinned by Austin Carter of Council Rock South in the third period of the championship final in the PIAA Championships on Saturday night at the GIANT Center in Hershey.  Waltko battled Carter even through two periods before Carter took over.  The Council Rock South sophomore used a cradle for near fall points early in the third period to go up 6-5.  After Waltko escaped to tie the score, Carter gained the fall at the 5:02 mark of the match. 

Waltko had defeated rival Chris Decker of State College, 4-3, in the semifinals to advance.  For his efforts, Waltko was awarded the silver medal in the 160 pound weight class.

CONGRATULATIONS, ROB!!!!!.  

FRIDAY'S RESULTS

Sophomore Rob Waltko defeated Rob Hoffman of Owen J. Roberts, 8-5, in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Championships at the GIANT Center at Hershey on Friday afternoon.  Waltko scored late with a takedown to secure the victory against Roberts.  With the score tied at 5-5 after two periods, Waltko escaped to take a 6-5 lead and then posted the takedown for the three-point victory.

Waltko will meet Chris Decker of State College in the semifinals.  Waltko lost twice to Decker in the Powerade Tournament in late December.  An injured shoulder has left Waltko looking for another opportunity to face Decker, and he will have that chance today.

In the heavyweight class, senior R.J. Parks was pinned by #1 seed Bryan Reiss of Emmaus in the quarterfinals.  In the consolation bracket, Parks lost a tough 2-1 overtime decision to Gabe Bowley of Dubois in a match that was decided by a rideout in the overtime period.  Parks was eliminated from the tournament with the loss.

THURSDAY'S RESULTS

Sophomore Rob Waltko and senior R.J. Parks were successful in their first round matches at the PIAA Wrestling Championships at the GIANT Center in Hershey on Thursday.  Waltko needed overtime but defeated Jonathan Wentz of Cathedral Prep, 10-5.  Parks took a 6-2 victory over Dan Ortiz of Reading.  In the quarterfinals, Waltko (36-3) will face Rob Hoffman (33-2) of Owen J. Roberts in the 160 pound weight class.  At 275, Parks (23-4) will take on top-seeded Bryan Reiss (38-1) of Emmaus. 

68th ANNUAL PIAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
GIANT CENTER, Hershey, PA
March 10, 11, 12

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (NA only)

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WALTKO, PARKS WIN WPIAL/SOUTHWEST REGIONAL TITLES

Sophomore Rob Waltko and senior R.J. Parks won gold at the WPIAL/Southwest Regional Tournament at Canon-McMillan High School on Saturday night.  Waltko took the 160 pound crown with a 7-4 decision over Rich Haarbaer of Baldwin while Parks won the heavyweight title by defeating Ryan Tomei of Penn-Trafford by the same 7-4 score.

Earlier in the day, Waltko decisioned Patrick Hutchinson, 5-2, in the semifinals.  Parks posted a 6-3 victory over Myles Caragein of Keystone Oaks to advance to the final.  With the victories, both wrestlers advanced to the PIAA Championships at Hershey this coming week.

In consolation action, all five NA wrestlers were defeated and eliminated from the tournament.  At 103, Corey James of West Allegheny edged sophomore Steve Sabreen, 1-0.  At 125, Caleb Little of McGuffey defeated senior Rob Cawley, 8-1,  while Dave Bryson of Albert Gallatin major decisioned sophomore Bill Landefeld, 9-1, at 145.  In the 152 pound weight class, Joe Fox of Franklin Regional registered a 4-2 victory over freshman Karl DeCiantis while junior Rory Dahl lost by forfeit to Joshua Verzi of Montour at 215.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ROB AND R.J.!
GOOD LUCK AT STATES!!!!!

FRIDAY SUMMARY

Senior R.J. Parks and sophomore Rob Waltko won their quarterfinal matches in the WPIAL/Southwest Regional Tournament at Canon-McMillan High School on Friday to advance to the semifinals this morning.  Parks knocked off #3 seed Jon D'Alessandro of Woodland Hills, 4-2.  Waltko won by a 9-0 major decision over Jordan Maier of Canon-McMillan

In other quarterfinal action, Adam Caldwell of Greensburg Salem decisioned sophomore Steve Sabreen, 9-3, in the 103 pound weight class.  At 152, Donnie Jones of Greensburg Salem edged Karl DeCiantis, 5-2, while Nino Sandoval of Central Catholic won a 15-5 major decision over junior Rory Dahl at 215.  All three Tiger wrestlers are still alive in the consolation finals.

In the consolation round at 125, senior Rob Cawley pinned Nick Hetherington of Penn-Trafford, at 2:53.  Sophomore Bill Landefeld decisioned Mike Meglen of Chartiers Valley, 2-0, to advance in the consolation bracket at 145.  At 171, Jim Elllis of Canon-McMillan knocked senior Derick Schmidt from the tournament with a 9-3 decision.

THURSDAY SUMMARY

Five Tiger wrestlers were successful in winning second round matches to advance in the WPIAL/Southwest Regional at Canon-McMillan High School on Thursday.  At 103, sophomore Steve Sabreen edged Bob Burns of Trinity, 6-5.  At 152, freshman Karl DeCiantis decisioned Ryan Maize of Peters Township, 3-2, to move on in the tournament.  It took sophomore Rob Waltko only thirty seconds to pin Justin Schiavone of Hempfield in the 160 pound weight class.  At 215, junior Rory Dahl pinned Alex Fleming of Franklin Regional at 5:57 to advance.  In the heavyweight division, senior R.J. Parks earned a 6-2 decision over Bill Morehead of Waynesburg.

The remaining Tiger wrestlers are still alive in the consolation round.  At 145, sophomore Bill Landefeld won a 3-2 decision over Greg Vanucci of Hopewell in the first round, but lost by technical fall to Josh Martin of Connellsville in the second round.  At 125, senior Rob Cawley was defeated by Grant Lowther of Trinity while at 171, senior Derick Schmidt lost to Daniel Thompson of Latrobe.

Click here to listen to semifinals
Click here to listen to finals!

WPIAL/SOUTHWEST REGIONAL
Canon-McMillan High School
Thursday, March 3, 2005

TEAM SCORES

WRESTLING RESULTS
NA Wrestlers Only

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FOUR TIGERS WIN SECTION TITLES

Four Tiger wrestlers won section championships at the WPIAL Section 3 Individual Championships at the Senior High gym on Saturday.  Four additional NA wrestlers qualified for the WPIAL/Southwest Regional to be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School.  Wrestlers who captured first, second and third places in the match qualified for the PIAA regional qualifier.

Sophomore Steve Sabreen decisioned Sam Brehm of Pine-Richland, 2-0, in the 103 pound weight class to give NA a good start in the finals.  At 125, senior Rob Cawley dropped an 11-2 major decision to Brendan Cutenese of Avonworth to finish in second place.  Freshman Karl DeCiantis edged Josh Coburn, 3-1, to win the title at 152.  At 160, sophomore Rob Waltko won a hard-fought 9-6 decision over T.J. Pringle of Ambridge.  Senior Derick Schmidt was pinned by Jeff Gannaro of Pine-Richland in the final at 171.  In the heavyweight division, senior R.J. Parks took first place with a 5-4 decision over Chris Dempsey of Ambridge.

In the battle for third place and a berth in the regionals, sophomore Bill Landefeld defeated Dave Kovach of Seneca Valley, 9-7, to take third.  At 215, junior Rory Dahl shut out Ben Shulman of Hampton, 5-0, to advance.

The eight Tiger wrestlers will next compete in the WPIAL/PIAA Southwest Regional at Canon-McMillan High School.  Matches begin on Thursday and continue through Friday and Saturday.

WPIAL SECTION 3
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, February 26, 2005

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES

THIRD-PLACE CONSOLATIONS

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (NA wrestlers only)

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TIGERS DROP TWO AS REGULAR SEASON ENDS

The Tigers closed out their regular season with losses to Chartiers Valley and Latrobe at Chartiers Valley on Wednesday night.  NA dropped a 38-21 decision to Chartiers Valley and were defeated by Latrobe, 35-29, in a rematch of the WPIAL playoff match.

The format was a little different making the tabulation of the team score harder to calculate as the matches went on.  Each team was split with the 103-140 weight classes on one mat while the 145-275 on the other mat.  In the match summaries, we will go from 103 in each match.

Against Chartiers Valley, sophomore Steve Sabreen got NA off to a good start with a pin of Stephen Chaussard at 3:29.  At 112, sophomore Ryan Troiano posted a 3-0 decision over D.J. Woodall.  Chartiers Valley won the next five bouts before freshman Karl DeCiantis major decisioned Matt Wilps, 14-5 at 152.  Sophomore Rob Waltko followed with a 15-0 technical fall over Ryan Boynes at 160.  After the Colts took the 171 match, junior Joel Nellis had to go to overtime to defeat Dan Utchel, 4-2.  Chartiers Valley won both the 215 and heavyweight matches to go on to the 38-21 victory.

The Tigers were out for revenge against Latrobe and almost pulled it off.  Sabreen captured a 4-2 decision over Steve Heide at 103, but Latrobe was able to win the next seven matches.  Once again, DeCiantis came through at 152 with a 21-4 technical fall against Glenn Repko.  After Waltko picked up a forfeit at 160, Dan Thompson of Latrobe defeated senior Derick Schmidt, 7-0, at 171.  At 189, Nellis shut out Chad Schmeling, 5-0, and junior Rory Dahl followed by pinning Mike Ferlin at 215.  At heavyweight, R.J. Parks pinned Andy Stas, but it was not quite enough as the Tigers dropped a close 35-29 decision.

With the losses, NA finished with a final regular season record of 16-4. The Section 3 individual section championships will be held at North Allegheny on Saturday, February 26.   Weigh-ins are scheduled for 10:00 am with bouts to begin at 11:00 am.

MATCH SUMMARY
CHARTIERS VALLEY - 38  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 21

MATCH SUMMARY
LATROBE - 35  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 29

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LATROBE KNOCKS TIGERS FROM TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS, 39-19

The Tigers dropped a 39-19 decision to the Latrobe Wildcats at Kiski on Tuesday night in the first round of the WPIAL team championships.  Senior Derick Schmidt earned a major decision at 160, while senior Rob Cawley, senior R.J. Parks, and sophomore Steve Sabreen all won by decisions.  Freshman Karl DeCiantis was a winner by forfeit.

The match started at 189 with Mike Ferlin of Latrobe edging junior Joel Nellis, 5-4, to give the Wildcats and early 3-0 advantage.  Parks came back with a 5-4 decision over Dan Holnaider to tie the match at 3-3.  After the Tigers forfeited the heavyweight match, Sabreen decisioned Steve Heidel to cut the Latrobe lead to 9-6.  It was as close as NA would get for the remainder of the match.

Latrobe won by fall at 112 and decision at 119 before Cawley took a 5-0 decision over Adam Heydon at 125.  Latrobe led, 18-9, at this point.  The Wildcats won the next four matches to put the match out of reach as Latrobe took a commanding 33-9 advantage.  A forfeit win by DeCiantis was followed by the major decision by Schmidt, who won by a 15-4 count over Glenn Repko as NA cut the lead to 33-19.  Latrobe finished with an injury default victory at 171 that pushed the final score to 39-19.

It was a tough loss for the Tigers after winning the section three championship and not losing a section match.  The loss dropped the NA overall record to 16-2 on the season.  Latrobe was defeated by #1 ranked Kiski, 44-18, in the quarterfinal match that followed.  The Tigers will travel to Chartiers Valley next Wednesday for a tri-match against the Colts and Latrobe.  Match time is scheduled for 5:00 pm.

MATCH SUMMARY
LATROBE - 39  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 19

* indicates starting weight for match

WPIAL 2004/05 TEAM WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP
CLASS AAA

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TIGERS STOMP SHALER, 49-24, TO WIN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP

The Tigers defeated Shaler, 49-24, at Shaler on Wednesday night to win the Section 3 championship.  First-period pins by sophomore Bill Landefeld and senior R.J. Parks led the Tigers to their eighth straight section victory and the section title.  Senior Rob Cawley and junior Rory Dahl also added pins for the winning Tigers.

At 103, sophomore Steve Sabreen decisioned Lou Cervi, 5-2 for the only Tiger win by decision.  At 125, Cawley pinned Brian Gianuzzi at 3:21 with Landefeld needing only 1:05 to put away Pat Sample.  At 152, freshman Karl DeCiantis won by technical fall over Chris Sample, and at 160, sophomore Rob Waltko won by forfeit.

At 171, senior Derick Schmidt won by technical fall over Curtis Howard before junior Joel Nellis won by forfeit at 189.  Dahl pinned Grayson Flaherty at 2:52, and Parks took just 33 seconds to pin Kevin Gray.

The win gave the Tigers a final section record of 8-0, an overall mark of 16-1 to this point in the season.  The Tigers have qualified for the WPIAL Team Tournament.

MATCH SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 49  SHALER AREA - 24

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WPIAL WRESTLING - 2004-05

The Tigers will again compete in Class AAA along with 52 other teams.  Section 3 play will begin on December 8, 2004, and all section matches must be completed by January 26, 2005.  Playoff entry for the 2004-2005 WPIAL team championships will include the teams that finish in the top three places in each Class AAA section.  If two teams tie for the last qualifying spot, the winner of the match played between them will enter the team tournament.  A three-way tie will be broken by comparing the head-to-head competition among the tied teams that may result in one of the teams demonstrating a higher cumulative total of victories.  The tiebreaker applies  only to section records.  The WPIAL team champion and runner-up will advance to the PIAA Team Championships.

The tiebreaker system used in post-season play will be applied to all regular season matches between WPIAL teams if they end in a tie score.  It ties occur, the 2004-05 NFSH Rules book criteria will be used to break the tie.  A random draw of weight classes will be used in all dual meets and team tournaments.

The WPIAL individual championships will begin with a sectional tournament.  In class AAA, sectionals will be held in a one-day format.  The top three place winners from each sectional tournament will advance to the WPIAL/Southwest Regional tournament from which three wrestlers will advance to the state tournament.  Wrestle-back competition will be included from the first round of Sectionals, WPIAL, and Regional Championships.

Senior high wrestlers must be certified at only one of the following fourteen weight classifications:

103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215, and 275 lbs.

WPIAL WRESTLING ALIGNMENT

CLASS AAA - 49 TEAMS

Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org