AIDAN BUGGEY EARNS 100TH CAREER WIN, NA BOWS OUT IN WPIAL QUARTERFINALS
Senior Aidan Buggey earned his 100th career win on Wednesday night at the WPIAL Class AAA Team Tournament at Bethel Park High School. Buggey’s victory was part of a 55-15 rout of Baldwin in the first round of the WPIAL tournament for the fifth-seeded Tigers. NA advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals to faced the fourth-seeded Bethel Park Black Hawks and dropped a 26-19 decision.
In the WPIAL first round against Baldwin, the night began at 189 pounds where junior Mason Hartung won a 3-1 decision over Amara Sheriff to open up a quick 3-0 lead. Following the decision for Hartung, the Tigers posted five consecutive pin falls to construct an insurmountable 33-0 lead in the first six bouts. The five straight pins came courtesy of Aidan Buggey (215), Bradyn McConneha (285), Evan Schomburg (107), Charlie LaQuatra (114) and Gus Stedeford (121). The victory for Aidan Buggey was the 100th for his career, earning him Wright Automotive Wrestler of the Match honors.
Baldwin briefly interrupted NA’s momentum with a win by fall at 127 by Owen Klodowski and a decision for Ramil Islamov at 133, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 33-9. The back-to-back wins for the Fighting Highlanders was an aberration, however, as the Tigers continued to steamroll their opponent from there on out. Additional pin falls for North Allegheny were posted by sophomore Griffen Reid (139), senior Travis Stipetich (152) and junior Kellen Buggey (172).
Against Bethel Park in the WPIAL quarterfinals, Aidan Buggey picked up where he left off against Baldwin and picked up a 13-6 decision over Hunter Goelz at 215 pounds for a quick 3-0 lead. Bethel Park answered back with a critical win by fall at 285 pounds to propel the Black Hawks in front, 6-3. In a seesaw affair through the first six bouts, Schomburg knotted the team score at 6-6 when he earned a 6-2 decision over Jaden Palombine at 107 pounds.
Bethel Park regained the lead at 9-6 with a decision at 114, but North Allegheny once again tied the score at 9-9 thanks to a 4-0 decision by Stedeford over Colton Fisher at 121. The Black Hawks followed with back-to-back victories, including a major decision by Seth Miller at 127, to vault BP ahead, 16-9.
The Tigers attempted to claw back with wins in two of the next three bouts, including a 7-1 decision by Reid at 139 and a thrilling 3-2 decision by Stipetich over Ethan Higgins at 152 pounds. For his exciting win, Stipetich was named the Wright Automotive Wrestler of the Match.
The victory by Stipetich cut the BP lead to 19-15, however Cordan McDonnell’s 12-0 major decision at 160 pounds to increase the Black Hawks lead to 23-15. With only two bouts remaining, North Allegheny needed to win both of the final two bouts and picked up a 21-10 major decision courtesy of Kellen Buggey at 172 to rally the Tigers to within four points of the Black Hawks at 23-19.
In the final bout at 189, Bethel Park managed to stave off the Tigers with a 6-5 decision by Ryan Walsh to give the Black Hawks a 26-19 victory. BP advances to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals to face top-seeded Trinity.
The team portion of North Allegheny’s season comes to an end with a 17-3 record. Congratulations to head coach Jamie Kyriazis and the entire NA boys’ wrestling team on a great season.
Boys Wrestling Match Summary: NA vs. Baldwin
| Weight | Wrestlers | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 189 | Mason Hartung (NA) dec. Amara Sheriff (Baldwin) | 3-1 |
| 215 | Aidan Buggey (NA) pinned Mahbobullah Amini (Baldwin) | 4:14 |
| 285 | Brayden McCarthy (NA) pinned Andre Diven (Baldwin) | 1:12 |
| 107 | Evan Schomburg (NA) pinned Mike Schoeb (Baldwin) | 0:52 |
| 114 | Charlie LaQuatra (NA) pinned Ayden Miller (Baldwin) | 1:11 |
| 121 | Gus Stedeford (NA) pinned Jason Alex (Baldwin) | 3:05 |
| 127 | Owen Klodowski (Baldwin) pinned Casey Walker (NA) | 2:30 |
| 133 | Ramil Islamov (Baldwin) dec. William Bentrim (NA) | 11-5 |
| 139 | Griffen Reid (NA) pinned Riley Kavalo (Baldwin) | 2:27 |
| 145 | Gabriel Hernandez (NA) maj. dec. Mike Griffiths (Baldwin) | 12-1 |
| 152 | Travis Stipetich (NA) pinned Mario DelRosario (Baldwin) | 3:40 |
| 160 | Keith Mincin (Baldwin) pinned Krist Vizcarra (NA) | 1:48 |
| 172 | Kellen Buggey (NA) pinned Garret Gusten (Baldwin) | 1:28 |
Boys Wrestling Match Summary: NA vs. Bethel Park
| Weight | Wrestlers | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 215 | Aidan Buggey (NA) dec. Hunter Goelz (BP) | 13-6 |
| 285 | Landon Hartman (BP) pinned Brayden McCarthy (NA) | 3:39 |
| 107 | Evan Schomburg (NA) dec. Jaden Palombine (BP) | 6-2 |
| 114 | Pierce Reinhart (BP) dec. Charlie LaQuatra (NA) | 8-5 |
| 121 | Gus Stedeford (NA) dec. Colton Fisher (BP) | 4-0 |
| 127 | Seth Miller (BP) maj. dec. Casey Walker (NA) | 10-2 |
| 133 | Mason Kernan (BP) dec. William Bentrim (NA) | 7-4 |
| 139 | Griffen Reid (NA) dec. Aden Stout (BP) | 7-1 |
| 145 | Ian Bucheli (BP) dec. Gabriel Hernandez (NA) | 3-1 |
| 152 | Travis Stipetich (NA) dec. Ethan Higgins (BP) | 3-2 |
| 160 | Cordan McDonnell (BP) maj. dec. Krist Vizcarra (NA) | 12-0 |
| 172 | Kellen Buggey (NA) maj. dec. AJ Tomaino (BP) | 21-10 |
| 189 | Ryan Walsh (BP) dec. Mason Hartung (NA) | 6-5 |