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MATCH SUMMARIES

RODGERS REACHES THIRD PLACE BOUT AT 138 POUNDS

(3/9/13) With a pair of consolations wins earlier today, North Allegheny junior Jesse Rodgers has reached the third place bout at 138 pounds at the PIAA Championships in Hershey. Rodgers will take on John Dutrow of Council Rock North for PIAA bronze. On his road to the third place bout, Rodgers picked up victories over Parkland's Josh Ortman and Franklin Regional's Josh Maruca.

Fellow Tigers Alex DeCiantis and Dom Forys will also be competing for medals tonight. DeCiantis will face Gordon Bolig of Owen J. Roberts High School in the seventh place bout at 182 pounds. Forys will do battle with A.C. Headlee of Waynesburg in the fifth place bout at 113 pounds. Forys is hoping for a measure of revenge against Headlee who narrowly defeated the NA junior in the WPIAL Championships.

The Championship Finals and Consolation Finals will conclude the PIAA Tournament tonight at 7:00 pm from the Giant Center in Hershey.

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THREE TIGERS STILL ALIVE AT PIAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

(3/8/13) Juniors Jesse Rodgers and Dom Forys, and senior Alex DeCiantis, are all in the hunt at the PIAA Class AAA Individual Wrestling Championships. Despite accepting quarterfinal round losses, Rodgers and DeCiantis rebounded soon after with victories in the Consolation Bracket. In his consolation bout at 138 pounds, Rodgers earned a 12-0 major decision over Ben Metzler of Manheim Central. At 182 pounds, DeCiantis picked up a 4-1 decision over North Penn's Alex Price to advance. In his lone bout of the day, Forys topped Hayden Hidlay of Mifflin County by a decision 7-2 at 113 pounds. 

All three Tigers will continue their quest on Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey. Action resumes at 9:00 am with the semifinals and third/fourth round consolations. The Class AAA Finals will conclude the weekend at 7:00 pm.

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DeCIANTIS, RODGERS EARN OPENING ROUND WINS IN HERSHEY

(3/7/13) Senior Alex DeCiantis and junior Jesse Rodgers have captured first round wins at the PIAA Class AAA Individual Wrestling Championships in Hershey, PA. DeCiantis, the WPIAL champion at 182 pounds, opened the state tournament with an 11-1 major decision over John Shorter of Manheim Township. DeCiantis will face Brett Harner of Norristown in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Joining DeCiantis in the quarterfinals is Rodgers who earned an 8-1 decision over Tyler Seislove of Quakertown at 138 pounds. Rodgers will take on Altoona's T.J. Brandt in the quarters. Rodgers is 37-5 on the season while Brandt sports a record of 30-3.

Senior Ben Schweiger (160) and junior Dom Forys (113) were sidetracked in first round. Schweiger was upended by Justin Staudemeyer of Plymouth Whitemarsh by a 6-2 decision. Forys dropped a 10-7 decision to Scott Parker of Pennridge, but rebounded with a 5-1 victory over T.J. Brandt of Altoona, 5-1 in the consolation bracket. Forys will continue on in Friday's action. Schweiger fell to Ossie Bowers of General McLane in overtime, 8-3, ending the his trip in the PIAA bracket.

DeCiantis, Rodgers, and Forys will press in the PIAA Wrestling Tournament on Friday. Continue to check back on the North Allegheny Sports Network website for updates.

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DeCIANTIS WINS WPIAL GOLD,
THREE OTHERS QUALIFY FOR STATES

WPIAL Individual Brackets

(3/2/13) North Allegheny senior Alex DeCiantis took first place at the WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Tournament on Saturday night with a 7-2 decision over Belle Vernon's Adam Nickelson. The win at 182 pounds gave DeCiantis his first WPIAL gold medal after taking silver the last two years. DeCiantis is joined by three other Tigers who also qualified for the PIAA Tournament next week in Hershey.

In his championship bout at 113 pounds, Dom Forys fell to Waynesburg’s A.C. Headlee by decision, 7-5. At 138 pounds, Jesse Rodgers was edged by Franklin Regional’s Josh Maruca by a 4-3 decision. Both Forys and Rodgers claimed silver medals and will compete at states. Joining them in Hershey is senior Ben Schweiger who earned a bronze medal with a 4-2 decision over Canon-McMillan’s Sammy Minor in the third place consolation bout at 160. Sophomore Zack Smith also wrestled in a third place consolation match at 195 pounds, but was narrowly edged by North Hill's Alen Turcinhodzic in a 4-3 decision.

DeCiantis and Forys return to the Giant Center in Hershey for the third straight year. Rodgers and Schweiger will make their first appearance at the PIAA Wrestling Tournament which begins Thursday at 9:00 am and lasts through Saturday.

WPIAL FINALS CLASS AAA
(At Norwin High School)
February 28 - March 2

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TIGERS SEND THREE TO WPIAL FINALS,
TWO TO WRESTLE FOR BRONZE

(3/1/13) North Allegheny has advanced three wrestlers to the finals at the Class AAA WPIAL Individual Wrestling Tournament and two other Tigers will wrestle for bronze. The top-seed in the 113 pound bracket, junior Dom Forys, is hoping to win his first WPIAL gold medal when he takes on Waynesburg's A.C. Headlee this evening. Forys has won silver and bronze over the last two seasons and will face the second-seeded Headlee tonight for first place. Forys boasts a record of 39-2 while Headlee sports a mark of 38-3.

Senior Alex DeCiantis is also looking for gold tonight as he battles top-seed Adam Nickelson of Belle Vernon in the championship bout at 182 pounds. Nickelson owns a record of 37-1 heading into tonight's final. DeCiantis is an impressive 31-2 this season. The NA senior has collected silver medals the last two years and is eyeing his first gold tonight.

Rounding out the NA triumvirate that will be wrestling for first place is junior Jesse Rodgers at 138 pounds. Rodgers is 36-4 this season and will take on top-seed Josh Maruca of Franklin Regional. Maruca owns a record of 39-6 coming into tonight's championship bout.

No matter what happens in their championship bouts, Forys, DeCiantis and Rodgers have all secured spots at the PIAA Wrestling Tournament next week in Hershey. Hoping to join them are Ben Schweiger and Zach Smith. Despite falling in their semifinal bout, both Schweiger and Smith rebounded with victories in the consolation bracket for the right to wrestle for bronze and a spot in the PIAA Tournament. At 160 pounds, Schweiger will grapple against Canon-McMillan's Sammy Minor. At 195 pounds, Smith will face North Hill's Alen Turcinhodzic.

The Consolation Finals get underway at 6:00 pm tonight and the Championship Finals will begin at 7:30 pm.  Brackets (after Semifinals)

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FIVE TIGERS MOVE ON TO WPIAL SEMIFINALS

(3/1/13) Five Tigers have moved on to the semifinals of the Class AAA WPIAL Individual Wrestling Tournament. Junior Dom Forys (113), Jesse Rodgers (138), Ben Schweiger (160), Alex DeCIantis (182), and Zach Smith (195) all picked up quarterfinal victories on Friday night. Another victory will guarantee all five a visit to Hershey for the PIAA championships next week. With a win by forfeit in the consolation bracket, junior Scotty Stossel remains alive at 106 pounds.

Mat action at the WPIAL Individual Tournament continues this morning at 10:00 am.

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SIX TIGERS ADVANCE TO WPIAL QUARTERFINALS

(2/28/13) North Allegheny has advanced six wrestlers into the Quarterfinals following day one of the WPIAL Class AAA Individual Tournament. At 113 pounds, top seed Dom Forys earned a quick pinfall over Trinity's Cameron Reynolds. Forys has claimed silver and bronze medals in his first two WPIAL Tournaments and is hoping to ad a gold to his trophy case this year.

Also hoping to repeat as a medalist is senior Alex DeCiantis who earned a tech fall victory over Jake Pickup of Franklin Regional at 182 pounds. DeCiantis has finished in third place the last two years.

In addition to Forys and DiCiantis, Jesse Rodgers (138) grabbed a first round win by tech fall over Josiah Hritsko of Canon-McMillan. Ben Schweiger (160), Clay Byerly (170), and Zach Smith (195) all garnered opening round victories. Smith's win came by fall over Brandon Janicki of Elizabeth Forward at 4:55.

Sophomore Sal Peluso (120) and junior Blynn Shideler (126) were both victorious in their pigtail matches but fell in the first round. By way of their pigtail wins, both wrestlers qualify for the consolation bracket. Also competing in the consolation bracket today will be Scotty Stossel (106), Vincent Leschak (145), and Dan Watson (285) as all three dropped opening round bouts on Thursday night.

Mat action at the WPIAL Individual Tournament continues tonight at 5:30 pm with the Quarterfinals and First Round Consolations. Click the WPIAL AAA Brackets link for a full list of brackets and results from Thursday night.

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THREE TIGERS EARN GOLD AT SECTION 3-AAA TOURNAMENT

Section 3-AAA Final Brackets

(2/24/13) Following an outstanding run in the WPIAL and PIAA Team Tournament, North Allegheny’s wrestlers took to the mat on Saturday in the Section 3-AAA Individual Wrestling Tournament at Fox Chapel High School. Three Tigers claimed section gold at the tournament, while three others grabbed silver and three more earned bronze.

Senior Alex DeCiantis (182) and junior Dom Forys (113) repeated as section champions for the third straight year. After falling in the championship bout the last two years, junior Jesse Rodgers got over the hump with a 2-0 decision over Central Catholic’s Justin Alexander for the gold at 138 pounds. Junior Scotty Stossel (106), senior Ben Schweiger (160), and sophomore Clay Byerly (170) all reached the title bout in their respective weight classes for silver medals. Winning third place consolation bouts for North Allegheny was Vincent Leschak (145) who picked up a 5-3 decision over David Tuzikow of North Hills, sophomore Zach Smith (195) who pinned Austin Bitzer of Mars, and senior Dan Watson who grabbed a 2-1 decision over Plum’s Stephen Turchick.

The top five finishers from each section move on to the WPIAL Class AAA Individual Wrestling Championships beginning on Thursday, February 28.

SECTION 3-AAA
(At Fox Chapel)
Saturday, February 23, 2012

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
106 - Gage Curry, N. Hills dec Scotty Stossel, North Allegheny, 11-4
113 - Dom Forys, North Allegheny fall Connor Foust, Butler, 2:30
120 - Vincenzo Joseph, Central Catholic dec Logan Heinl, Shaler, 6-3
126 - Tyler Walker, North Hills MD Korey Caudill, Butler, 11-3
132 - Drew Walker, North Hills MD Cody Houston, Butler, 19-9
138 - Jesse Rodgers, N. Allegheny dec Justin Alexander, C. Cath, 2-0
145 - Chris Nuss, Central Catholic dec Kevin Synan, Hampton, 6-4
152 - Brendan Burnham, P-Richland dec Kyle Coniker, C. Catholic, 4-3
160 - Jonathan Avon, N. Hills dec Ben Schweiger, North Allegheny, 5-3 OT
170 - Ryan Hannon, Butler fall Clay Byerly, North Allegheny, 5:47
182 - Alex DeCiantis, North Allegheny MD Justin Aippersbach, Hampton, 20-7
195 - Jake Hart, Hampton dec Alen Turcinhodzic, North Hills, 6-2
220 - Zach DeLuca, Central Catholic dec Noah Shulman, Hampton, 5-1
285 - Pat Kline, Pine-Richland MD Tyler Lever, Fox Chapel, 10-2

THIRD PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 - Mike Heinl, Shaler dec Jared Rice, Fox Chapel, 4-2
113 - Ben Lynch, Seneca Valley MD Alex Orkwis, Hampton, 13-0
120 - Blake Caudill, Butler dec Tommy Zummo, Plum, 6-5
126 - Jordan McGonigle, Shaler dec Rich Boeh, Mars, 4-2
132 - Austin Heinl, Shaler dec Blaine Elliott, Knoch, 7-2
138 - Eric Green, Plum dec Chris Olszewski, Hampton, 3-2
145 - Vince Leschak, North Allegheny dec David Tuzikow, North Hills, 5-3
152 - Zach Kocak, Hampton dec Zach Martin, Plum, 3-2
160 - Colin Siford, Hampton dec Ryan McMahon, Mars, 5-1
170 - Brandon Olszewski, Hampton MD Elliot King, North Hills, 10-1
182 - Nathan Turchick, Plum fall Rich Giovenetti, Fox Chapel, 1:36
195 - Zach Smith, North Allegheny fall Austin Bitzer, Mars, 1:33
220 - Jake DiGuilio, Plum MD Johan VanWyke, Mars, 11-1
285 - Dan Watson, North Allegheny dec Stephen Turchick, Plum 2-1

FIFTH PLACE CONSOLATIONS
106 - Alex Lynch, Seneca Valley MD Patrick Keyser, Hampton, 9-0
113 - Brice DeLeon, Pine-Richland dec Aaron Rounda, Shaler, 4-2
120 - Sal Peluso, North Allegheny dec Nick Zoria, Seneca Valley, 2-0
126 - Blynn Shideler, North Allegheny dec Anthony Latess, Seneca Valley, 7-2
132 - Joe Lehman, Hampton dec Andrew Schultheis, Mars, 2-0
138 - Xavier Bennett, Butler dec Derrin Dietz, Fox Chapel, 2-1
145 - Austin Leon, Seneca Valley dec Jeremiah Bortmas, Butler, 7-4
152 - Tyler Heasley, Fox Chapel dec Tyler Schillero, Seneca Valley, 5-2
160 - Will Bortmas, Butler dec Hunter Fenk, Plum, 6-2
170 - Ben Nowicki, Knoch inj def Andrew McRandal, Plum
182 - Zack Weaver, Butler fall Sam Fallon, Central Catholic, 2:04
195 - Nick Gibson, Butler fall Brian Mowry, Knoch, 2:49
220 - Michael Bonnsman, North Hills dec Tyler Miller, Seneca Valley, 6-3
285 - Damian Wheeler, Butler fall Trey Turnblacer, Mars, 0:27

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McDOWELL RALLIES TO BEAT TIGERS IN PIAA CONSOLATIONS

(2/8/13) The McDowell Trojans outlasted North Allegheny on Friday evening, 31-24, in the Second Round Consolations at the PIAA Wrestling Tournament in Hershey. The Tigers held a 24-18 lead with three bouts remaining, but the Trojans rallied back thanks to a decision by Coleman Cousins (126), a major decision by Nick Gibson (132), and a win by forfeit for Shawn Spearman (138) to advance McDowell to the third round of the consolation bracket.

McDowell opened the night with a 9-3 lead before the Tigers responded by taking four of the next five bouts. At 182 pounds, Clay Byerly earned a 5-3 decision over Kyle Rogers, Alex DeCiantis scored a 17-6 major decision over Andrew Bradley at 195 pounds, and Zach Smith pinned Dakota McLean at 220 pounds to give the Tigers a 16-9 advantage. After a McDowell decision at 285 pounds cut the score to 16-12, Scotty Stossel won by a 5-2 decision over Charlie Lenox to give NA a 19-12 lead.

At 113 pounds, McDowell’s Benji Yates garnered a pin to trim the Tigers advantage to 19-18.  Undaunted, Dom Forys picked up a dominating, 19-4, technical fall at 120 pounds and the NA lead grew to 24-18 with three bouts remaining. Unfortunately for the Tigers, McDowell would sweep the last three bouts to advance in the consolations and end North Allegheny’s team tournament bid. The loss far from spoils what was another terrific season for the NA Wrestling Team and head coach Jamie Kyriazis.

North Allegheny will return to the mat for individual competition at the Section 3 Individual Championships on Saturday, February 23.

MATCH SUMMARIES - PIAA CONSOLATIONS SECOND ROUND
ERIE McDOWELL - 31  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 24

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TIGERS CRUSH MIFFLIN COUNTY, FACE McDOWELL NEXT

(2/8/13) The North Allegheny Wrestling Team has advanced to the second round of the PIAA Consolation Bracket with a 46-12 victory over Mifflin County today. The Tigers picked up pinfalls by Jesse Rodgers (145), Ben Schweiger (160), and Clay Byerly (182) to lift NA to the win. North Allegheny will face Erie McDowell at 6:00 pm tonight in second round of the consolation bracket.

MATCH SUMMARIES - PIAA CONSOLATIONS FIRST ROUND
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 46  MIFFLIN COUNTY - 12

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RAMS TOP TIGERS IN OPENING ROUND OF PIAA TEAM TOURNAMENT

(2/7/13) North Allegheny fell in the opening round of the PIAA Team Wrestling Tournament on Thursday night, 40-14, to District 3 Champion Central Dauphin. Despite the loss, the Tigers had some impressive performances on the night, including a 20-4 tech fall win for Dom Forys over Koltyn Eason at 120 pounds. In other NA individual victories,  Blynn Shideler picked up a 7-6 decision over Levi Williams at 126 pounds, Clay Byerly earned a 3-0 decision over Stevan McNeal at 182 pounds, and Alex DeCiantis claimed an 11-4 decision over Terrance Parsons at 220 pounds.

With the loss, North Allegheny will now compete in the consolation bracket and faces Mifflin County this morning at 10 am. If victorious, the Tigers will return to the mat for the second round of consolations at 6:00 pm. Central Dauphin advances to the second round of the tournament to face District 11 runner-up, Parkland. All of the state tournament action is being held at the Giant Center in Hershey.

MATCH SUMMARIES - PIAA FIRST ROUND
CENTRAL DAUPHIN - 40  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 14

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RAMS TOP TIGERS IN OPENING ROUND OF PIAA TEAM TOURNAMENT

(2/7/13) North Allegheny fell in the opening round of the PIAA Team Wrestling Tournament on Thursday night, 40-14, to District 3 Champion Central Dauphin. Despite the loss, the Tigers had some impressive performances on the night, including a 20-4 tech fall win for Dom Forys over Koltyn Eason at 120 pounds. In other NA individual victories,  Blynn Shideler picked up a 7-6 decision over Levi Williams at 126 pounds, Clay Byerly earned a 3-0 decision over Stevan McNeal at 182 pounds, and Alex DeCiantis claimed an 11-4 decision over Terrance Parsons at 220 pounds.

With the loss, North Allegheny will now compete in the consolation bracket and faces Mifflin County this morning at 10 am. If victorious, the Tigers will return to the mat for the second round of consolations at 6:00 pm. Central Dauphin advances to the second round of the tournament to face District 11 runner-up, Parkland. All of the state tournament action is being held at the Giant Center in Hershey.

MATCH SUMMARIES - PIAA FIRST ROUND
CENTRAL DAUPHIN - 40  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 14

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TIGERS SLAY DRAGONS IN PIAA PRELIMINARY ROUND

(2/4/13) North Allegheny crushed the Taylor Allderdice Dragons in the Preliminary Round of the PIAA Team Wrestling Tournament with a resounding, 73-7, victory on Monday night. By punishing the City League Champions, the Tigers will now face perennial state contender and District 3 champion, Central Dauphin, on Thursday night. All opening round action at the PIAA Tournament will get underway at 6:00 pm at the Giant Center in Hershey.

MATCH SUMMARIES - PIAA PRELIMINARY ROUND
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 72  ALLDERDICE - 7

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TIGERS REACH PIAA TOURNAMENT WITH VICTORY OVER KISKI

(2/3/13) Thanks to four pinfalls and a forfeit, the North Allegheny Wrestling Team topped Kiski Area in the WPIAL Consolations on Saturday afternoon, 44-20. Bouncing back from a narrow defeat to Franklin Regional in the WPIAL semifinals, the Tigers earned a second straight trip the PIAA Team Tournament with an impressive win over the Cavaliers.

The Tigers grinded down Kiski with pins by Scotty Stossel (106), Connor D’Amato (113), Clay Byerly (170), and Alex DeCiantis (182). Dom Forys picked up a win by forfeit at 126 pounds and Jesse Rodgers (138) grabbed a tech fall win over Garrett Fitzsimmons as NA pulled away from the Cavaliers for the victory.

With the win, the Tigers advance to the preliminary round of the PIAA Tournament. North Allegheny will face City League Champion Alllderdice on Monday night. The mat action gets underway at 6:00 pm from Carrick High School.  

MATCH SUMMARIES - WPIAL CONSOLATIONS
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 44  KISKI AREA - 20

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FRANKLIN  REGIONAL STAVES OFF NA
IN WPIAL SEMIFINALS, 28-27

(2/1/13) The North Allegheny Wrestling Team lost a heartbreaker to Franklin Regional in the WPIAL Semifinals on Friday night, 28-27.  The Tigers trailed 28-16 with three bouts remaining and clawed their way back to within 28-23 with only one bout to go. At 182 pounds, Zach Smith needed a pin to give NA the victory and the sophomore put forth a valiant effort against John Wohlin, punishing his Franklin Regional opponent throughout the bout. Despite Smith’s tenacious effort, Wohlin would not succumb to a fall and dropped a 9-1 major decision to Smith, leaving the Tigers one point shy of the Panthers and a trip to the WPIAL Finals.

Beginning at 195 pounds, the Tigers opened the night with back-to-back decision by Layne Skundrich and Alex DeCiantis for a quick 6-0 lead. After Luke Fleck earned a 4-3 decision for Franklin Regional at 285 pounds, North Allegheny responded with a major decision from Scotty Stossel at 106 pounds to improve the lead to 10-3. The Panthers Kyle Beck scored a pinfall at 113 pounds to trim the NA advantage to 10-9 before Salvatore Peluso posted a quick pin over Dan Turner to balloon the Tigers lead to 16-9. Unfortunately for North Allegheny, the Panthers rolled off five consecutive victories, including a pin by Josh Maruca at 145 and a major decision by Josh Shields at 152, for a 28-16 lead.

With their backs to the wall, the Tigers could ill afford another loss and senior Ben Schweiger gave a gritty performance to keep NA’s hopes alive. Trailing 4-1, Schweiger rallied to tie Brandon Yant before the end of the second period and scored an escape in the third for a 5-4 win. The decision over Yant, who boasted a record of 15-2 before the match, was a critical win at 160 pounds and brought the score to 28-19, Panthers. Because of his daring performance in the clutch, Schweiger was named the Wright Automotive Wrestler of the Match.

Following Schwieger’s decision, there was still more work to be done if the Tigers hoped to prevail. At 170 pounds, Clay Byerly picked up an 8-0 major decision over Nate Painter to bring the deficit to 28-23. That set the stage for the final bout of the night between Smith and Wohlin. As it turned out, Wohlin had just enough to stave off a pinfall and secure a 28-27 win for the Panthers.

The Tigers still have a chance to reach the PIAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon when they face the Kiski Area Cavaliers in the WPIAL Consolations. The match will be held at 4:30 pm at Chartiers Valley High School.

MATCH SUMMARIES - WPIAL SEMIFINALS
FRANKLIN REGIONAL - 28  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 27

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TIGERS ADVANCE TO WPIAL SEMIFINALS

(1/30/13) With two dominating performances on Wednesday night, the North Allegheny Wrestling Team advanced to the WPIAL Semifinals for a meeting with the Franklin Regional Panthers. To reach the semifinals, the Tigers defeated the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils in the opening round of the WPIAL Team Tournament, 54-16. The NA wrestlers followed that up with a 44-17 win over Greensburg Salem in the quarterfinal round.  North Allegheny served as one of four Class AAA sites for the WPIAL Team Tournament on Wednesday night.

In the opening round win over Mt. Lebanon, the Tigers fell behind early when Sean Perri earned a pinfall at 126 pounds to give the Blue Devils a 6-0 lead. North Allegheny responded with a 7-5 decision by Blynn Shideler over Brandon Chavez and a gritty major decision by Drew Landefeld at 138 pounds to pull the Tigers ahead, 7-6. Landefeld battled through an apparent back issue, with injury time, to handle John Marshall by an 18-4 score. For his efforts, Landefeld was named the Wright Automotive Wrestler of the Match.

Following Landefeld’s major decision, the Tigers rolled to the victory over Mt. Lebanon by collecting five falls along the way. North Allegheny’s winners by pin included Jesse Rodgers (145), Vincent Leschak (152), Ben Schweiger (160), Alex DeCiantis (182), and Zach Smith (195).

In the quarterfinals against Greensburg Salem, North Allegheny opened the action with three consecutive decisions for Shideler, Landefeld, and Rodgers for a 9-0 team lead. The Golden Lions answered back with a major decision by Tyler Reinhart at 152 pounds and a win by fall for Zach Voytek at 160 pounds to give Greensburg Salem a 10-9 advantage. The lead was short-lived for the Golden Lions as Clay Byerly earned a 6-2 decision over Dan Walters and DeCiantis punished Raistlen Willett for a tech fall, giving the Tigers a 17-10 edge. For the second time on the night, Smith used little time to dispose of an opponent as he grabbed another first period fall, this time over Robert Stafford to balloon the NA advantage to 23-10. Smith’s win gave the Tigers decided momentum and the sophomore was named the Wright Automotive Wrestler of the Match.

Adding to the NA avalanche over Greensburg Salem, Dan Watson (285) and Connor D’Amato (113) both claimed pins down the stretch. D’Amato’s pin clinched the win and a trip to the semifinals to face the Franklin Regional Panthers. Friday’s semifinal meeting with Franklin Regional will be held at 7:30 pm at Chartiers Valley High School and will be broadcast live on the North Allegheny Sports Network.  

MATCH SUMMARIES - WPIAL FIRST ROUND
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 54  MT. LEBANON - 16

MATCH SUMMARIES - WPIAL QUARTERFINALS
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 44  GREENSBURG SALEM - 17

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NA GRAPPLERS READY FOR WPIAL TEAM TOURNAMENT

(1/25/13) Following a dominating effort at the Section 3 Wrestling Championships, the North Allegheny Wrestling Team is gearing up for the WPIAL Team Tournament beginning next week. The Tigers await the winner of the West Allegheny-Mt. Lebanon match on Monday night and will host their opponent on Wednesday night at 6:00 pm.  In addition, North Allegheny will serve as the host site for the Butler-Greensburg Salem match-up that will also take place at 6:00 pm.  The winners of those contests will face each other at 7:30 pm in the WPIAL quarterfinals.  For the entire Class AAA Bracket, click here!

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TIGERS CLAIM SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP

by Lee Mohn

(1/23/13) North Allegheny held a six point lead half way through their meet with Hampton last night, and then won the last seven matches to easily defeat the Talbots, 54-12, to lay claim to the Section 3 Team Championship.  North Allegheny received pins from Ben Schweiger (160), Clay Byerly (170), Connor D'Amato (113), Domenic Forys (126), and Blynn Shideler (126).  Scott Stossel locked up a win by tech fall and Sal Peluso earned a win by major decision.  Clay Byerly was named the Wright Automotive player of the game for his exciting pin with one second left in the second period to come back from an early deficit. 

In the semi-final match, North Allegheny defeated Central Catholic, 59-10, to earn their trip to the championship.  North Allegheny used three forfeits and three pins for the victory.  Jesse Rodgers was the Wright Automotive player of the Match in the semifinal, using a two-point take down with six seconds left for a 3-2 decision.  North Allegheny now will move ahead to the team championships which begins on Monday.

MATCH SUMMARIES - SECTION 3 SEMIFINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 59  CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 10

MATCH SUMMARIES - SECTION 3 FINAL
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 54  HAMPTON - 12

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TIGERS WIN THREE AT NA QUADRANGULAR

(1/20/13) In their final tune-up before the Section 3 Wrestling Championships on Wednesday, the Tigers won all three matches at the NA Quadrangular over the weekend. The Tigers won big over Mt Lebanon 64-6, bounced North Hills 47-19, and topped Latrobe 34-22.   Individually, Dom Forys (120/126), Jesse Rodgers (145), Alex DeCiantis (182), and Layne Skundrich (220) were a perfect with three wins on the afternoon.  For a detailed list of results at the NA Quadrangular, see below.

North Allegheny will host the Section 3 Tournament on Wednesday night beginning at 6:00 pm.  The Tigers face Pittsburgh Central Catholic to start the night while Hampton takes on Butler on mat two.  The section championship match will get underway at 7:30 pm.  You can hear all the action live on the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network. 

MATCH SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 64  MT. LEBANON - 6

MATCH SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 47  NORTH HILLS - 19

MATCH SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 34  LATROBE - 22

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NA WRAPS UP SECTION SCHEDULE BY BATTERING RAMS

(1/16/13) North Allegheny used five pins and two tech falls to punish Pine-Richland on Wednesday night, 60-6, in the Tigers section finale. NA wrapped up section action with a 5-0 mark and will host the Section Tournament next Wednesday night. The Rams conclude their section schedule with a 1-4 record.

Against Pine-Richland, the first match of the night was a precursor of things to come.  At 182 pounds, Alex DeCiantis made quick work of Sam Kyle for a tech fall victory and an early 5-0 lead for the Tigers. Coming off a title at the Allegheny County Tournament, DeCiantis looked as strong as ever with the convincing performance. On senior night, DeCiantis was named the Wright Automotive Wrestler of the Match.

Sophomores Zach Smith and Layne Skundrich followed DiCiantis’ lead with first period pin falls over Collin Rzothkiewicz and Luke Krebs to open up a 17-0 advantage.  PR’s Patrick Kline broke the shutout with a 7-3 decision at 285 pounds, before the Tigers rolled off eight consecutive victories to put the dual meet away.   Amongst the string of victories, Scotty Stossel, Connor D’Amato, and Dom Forys collected pins to help the Tigers to a 56-3 lead.  Brendan Burnham collected a narrow win over Blynn Shideler in a hard fought match-up at 160 pounds for PR’s only other win of the night.  North Allegheny’s Clay Byerly capped the night with an 11-2 decision over Keegan Harris to finish off the 60-6 win.

Up next for the Tigers is the NA Quadrangular on Saturday.  North Allegheny welcomes in Mt. Lebanon, North Hills and Latrobe as part of the event which gets underway at 12:30 pm.   

MATCH SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 60  PINE-RICHLAND - 6

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THREE TIGERS GRAB GOLD, NA TAKES 1st AT ALLEGHENY COUNTY TOURNAMENT

(1/12/13) At the annual Allegheny County Wrestling Tournament, North Allegheny crowned three individual champions and collected a team title this weekend.  Senior Alex DeCiantis earned a 21-6 tech fall over Elizabeth Forward’s Luke Fornier to claim gold at 182 pounds, his second consecutive title at the tournament.  Junior Jesse Rodgers defeated top-seed Justin Alexander from Central Catholic by a 1-0 decision to take first place at 138 pounds.  At 120, top-seed Dom Forys defeated second-seeded Vincenzo Joseph of Central Catholic in an intense 1-0 decision.  The victory makes Forys a three-time champions at the Allegheny County Tournament.

Collectively, the Tigers took first place at the tournament, besting defending champion Hampton who finished in second place.  North Allegheny became the first team to win three team titles in the 12-year history of the tournament.

The Tigers also placed five other wrestlers at the tournament as Scotty Stossel (106), Ben Schweiger (160), Zach Smith (195), and Layne Skundrich (220) all garnered bronze medals.  At 285 pounds, Dan Watson took fifth place for the Tigers.  For a look at all place winners at the Allegheny County Tournament, click here!  

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TIGERS TROUNCE MARS, READY FOR ALLEGHENY COUNTY TOURNAMENT

(1/10/13) The North Allegheny Wrestling Team remained undefeated in Section 3 by slamming the Mars Planets on Wednesday night, 64-3.  The Tigers received pins from Scotty Stossel (106), Connor D’Amato (113), Jesse Rodgers (138), Drew Landefeld (145), Colton Byerly (170), and Zach Smith (195) for the convincing victory.  The win gives North Allegheny a 7-2 record overall and 4-0 mark in Subsection 3A.  Mars falls to 1-3 in section action.

The Tigers will next head to the Allegheny County Tournament this weekend, beginning on Friday morning at Fox Chapel High School.  The Tigers are considered one of the favorites amongst 39 teams competing in the tournament.  North Allegheny has three wrestlers that are the top-seed in their respective bracket as Scotty Stossel (106), Dom Forys (120), and Alex DeCiantis (182) are all No. 1 seeds.   Forys is challenging to become a three-time champion at the Allegheny County Tournament and is the only two-time champion in the field regardless of weight class. 

Collectively, the Tigers are hoping to win their first county tournament title since 2010.  Fellow Section 3 competitor, Hampton, enters this year’s tournament as the reigning champions. 

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TIGERS TOP TORNADO, 39-25

(1/3/13) The North Allegheny Wrestling Team stepped into the driver’s seat in Subsection 3A thanks to a 39-25 victory over the Butler Golden Tornado on Thursday night.  The win gives the Tigers sole possession of first place with only two more section matches remaining before the section tournament. 

The night started at 195 pounds where senior Alex DeCiantis claimed a technical fall over Butler’s Alex White.  Sophomore Layne Skundrich (220) followed with an 11-3 major decision over Nick Gibson to lift the Tigers to a 9-0 team lead.   After a pinfall by Damian Wheeler cut the Tigers lead to 9-6, North Allegheny claimed wins in the next three bouts.  At 106 pounds, Scott Stossel breezed by the Golden Tornado’s Max Stalnaker for a prompt pin to increase the NA lead to 15-6.  Stossel, who recently took gold at the Manheim Tournament over the Holiday Break, was named the Wright Automotive Wrestler of the Match.  Along with his gold medal at the Manheim Tournament, Stossel won the tournament’s Distinguished Sportsmanship Award winner, rounding out a superb couple of weeks for the NA junior.

After Stossel’s swift victory, Connor D’Amoto (113) had his hand raised thanks to a 3-0 decision over Connor Foust and Dom Forys (120), who also won gold at the Manheim Tournament, picked up a 5-2 decision over Blake Caudill to give the Tigers a 21-6 advantage.  However, Butler erased that deficit thanks to pinfalls courtesy of Korey Caudill (126) and Cody Houston (132), along with a major decision by Xavier Bennett (138).  The flurry of wins pulled Butler ahead, 22-21.

North Allegheny made sure the lead wouldn’t last long as the Tigers won four of the final five bouts to earn the victory.  Down the stretch NA received falls by Jesse Rodgers (145) and Ben Schweiger (160), and decisions by Vincent Leschak (152) and Zach Smith (182) to secure the win.  At 170 pounds, Butler’s Ryan Hannon collected a 6-2 win to stay undefeated on the season at 10-0, but Hannon’s victory was hardly enough for the Golden Tornado on this night.

The win improves to the Tigers record 3-0 in section competition while Butler drops to 2-1.  North Allegheny will visit section foe Mars next Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.  

MATCH SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 39  BUTLER - 25

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NA DOMINATES RAIDERS FOR SECTION WIN

(12/23/12) The North Allegheny Wrestling Team slammed the Seneca Valley Raiders on Saturday afternoon with a 62-12 victory.  The Tigers picked up nine pinfalls on the day for an impressive section win.  Scotty Stossel, Dom Forys, Blynn Shideler, Ben Sippel, Ben Schweiger, Clay Byerly, Tim Rodak, Zach Smith and Dan Watson all earned pins to put away the Raiders.

The Tigers improve to 2-0 in section play and will head to the Manheim Invitational on Thursday. 

MATCH SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 62  SENECA VALLEY - 12

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TIGERS GIVE STRONG SHOWING AT
FRANKLIN REGIONAL DUELS

(12/16/12) The North Allegheny Wrestling Team came away with a 3-2 finish at the Franklin Regional Duels this weekend.  Despite narrowly falling to Waynesburg Central and host Franklin Regional, the Tigers topped Belle Vernon, Burrell and Keystone Oaks at the annual wrestling event.   For detailed results, check below. 

MATCH SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 40  BELLE VERNON - 24

WAYNESBURG - 36  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 35

NORTH ALLEGHENY - 36  BURRELL - 34

NORTH ALLEGHENY - 57  KEYSTONE OAKS - 21

FRANKLIN REGIONAL - 45  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 30

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FORYS, RODGERS EARN GOLD AT EASTERN AREA TOURNAMENT

(12/9/12) North Allegheny’s Dom Forys and Jesse Rodgers came away with gold this weekend as both took first place at the Eastern Area Wrestling Tournament at Gateway High School.  Forys defeated Kiski Area’s Ryan Hardaway, 14-5, in the 120 pound finals bout.  At 138 pounds, Jesse Rodgers earned a technical fall against Paul Dunn of Bethel Park, 15-0. 

Even without several key wrestlers due to an extended football season, the NA Wrestling Team still grabbed sixth place at the annual early season tournament with a team score of 130.50.  Contributing in the Tigers effort, Scott Stossel reached the finals at 113 pounds before dropping a 7-5 decision to West Mifflin’s James Harrison.  Vince Leschak picked up a fourth place medal and Dan Watson was a fifth place finisher in the heavyweight division.  For more brackets and totals, click here! 

North Allegheny will return to action this week.

EASTERN AREA  TOURNAMENT
Gateway High School
December 8, 2012

TEAM SCORING

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