Eight Tigers advance to WPIAL Individual Championships
North Allegheny traveled to Butler High School on Saturday afternoon to take part in the WPIAL North Sectional Individual Tournament. With the top six in each weight class advancing to the WPIAL Individual Tournament, the Tigers had eight wrestlers punch their ticket, including four champions, on Saturday.
Evan Schomburg, Gus Stedeford, Griffen Reid and Bradyn McConneha all won their respective weight classes.
Schomburg won by tech fall in the quarterfinals before picking up a win by fall in the semifinals. In the 121-pound championship, Schomburg pinned Daemon Phipps of Penn Hills in 4:25 to claim the title.
Stedeford won by pin in the quarterfinals and semifinals before defeating Kiski Area’s Gavin Murphy by a 10-3 decision to win the 133-pound bracket.
Reid had an easy day defeating all his opponents by tech fall. He dominated Adam Haines from Fox Chapel, beating him 25-9 in the 152-pound final.
McConneha cruised through the quarterfinals and semifinals winning by fall before taking down Kiski Area’s Alex Akerley in the 285-pound championship by a 14-5 major decision.
Joseph Synan and Gabriel Hernandez both placed runner-up.
Synan won by fall in the quarterfinals and semifinals before being tripped up by Riley Smith of Seneca Valley in the 107-pound final by an 8-3 decision.
Hernandez won by decision in the quarterfinals before picking up a major decision win in the semifinals. In the 160-pound championship, Hernandez fell to Butler’s Sutton Stoner by an 8-1 decision.
Dalton Stragand and Myles Hoover were both third-place finishers.
Stragand was one of the rare Tigers who’s day started in the first round. He won by pin in the opening round before claiming the tech fall victory in the quarterfinals. Stragand was tripped up by a 9-6 decision in the semifinals but bounced back to win by fall in the consolation semifinals. In the third-place match, Stragand made quick work of Lewis Sears of Indiana pinning him in 40 seconds.
Hoover won by major decision in the quarterfinals, before falling in the semifinals. Hoover won by major decision in the consolation semifinals, before beating Indiana’s Bowen Blystone by major decision (16-3) in the third-place match.
Denis Tsybuk and Brody Barnhart went 2-2 on the day but just missed the top six.
For complete tournament results, click here.
Schomburg, Stedeford, Reid, McConneha, Synan, Hernandez, Stragand and Hoover all advance to the WPIAL Individual Championships that will take place on Friday and Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School. Wrestling will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.
