After another successful year, both individually and as a team, nine Foxes wrestlers have qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A individual wrestling championships February 21-22 at Canon-McMillan High School.
Representing the Foxes are six seniors, two juniors, and one sophomore based on their finishes at the Class 3A WPIAL Northern Sectional Tournament at Fox Chapel Area this past weekend.
114 lbs.: Sophomore Luke Montgomery – 6th
121: Senior Michael Worsen – 2nd
127: Senior Landon Funk – 4th
133: Senior Youssef Abdelsalam – 3rd
152: Junior Andrew Kratsa – 5th
160: Senior Milo Chiu – 3rd
189: Senior Jack Viti – 4th
215: Junior Joey Geller – 4th
285: Senior D’Angelo Hamilton – 3rd
Youssef, Milo, Landon, Joey, D’Angelo, Andrew, and Michael are repeat WPIAL qualifiers.
Preparations Underway
Milo, who is also an all-state soccer player, set his wrestling goals to build upon prior years’ performances.
“Last year at (WPIALs), I made it to the second day and wrestled well,” Milo says. “This year, I hope to place in the top eight. To do this, I’ll have to be prepared and have a clear mind in the days prior to the championships.”
Milo credits wrestling for having a profound impact on his life.
“The wrestlng team has been the most beneficial sport to me out of any sport,” Milo shares. “I wrestle for the joy of the sport. I give it everything, no matter who I’m up against. Coach (Michael) Frank is the most genuine coach; he teaches us how to be good people more than a good wrestler. Because of him, I have learned to become a better person and learned to handle the mental challenge the sport of wrestling is.”
Youssef has a strategic approach for WPIALs.
“I’m still keeping the intensity high in practices and giving it my all, but I’m going to slow down a bit on club practices to spend more focus on recovering,” he explains.
Reflecting on his performance at the section championships, Youssef was pleased, but not entirely satisfied.
“I’ve learned from my matches and will use these lessons at WPIALs,” he adds.
Challenges of Increasing WPIAL Talent
Coach Michael Frank acknowledges the rising level of competition in the WPIAL.
“The quality of wrestling in the WPIAL continues to improve each year,” he says. He’s seen it not only during regular season matches, but at tournaments throughout the season and now in the postseason.
“At both the Allegheny County Wrestling Tournament, and with the changes in the section tournament this year, we had some top-end talent to compete against,” says coach Frank. “At both events, we saw kids that will most definitely be placing at the PIAA tournament in a couple of weeks.”
Coach Frank is pleased with how the year progressed.
“From a team perspective, we had a really strong year,” he says. “We finished with an 11-4 overall record and were second in our section. At the Allegheny County Tournament, we placed third as a team with eight medalists. We also took fourth place at the Southmoreland Holiday Classic with 10 medalists and finished third at the Brooke Classic in West Virginia, where we had 10 medalists.”
Moving Forward
The Foxes now have set their sights on making an impact at the WPIAL championships, with the goal of sending athletes to the PIAA championships. The journey won’t be easy, as they’ve already faced some of the best wrestlers in the region, many of whom are strong contenders at the state level.
Once the postseason concludes, several Foxes plan to continue their wrestling careers at the collegiate level. Landon and Youssef will join the men’s wrestling team at Seton Hill, while Michael is headed to Pitt-Bradford. Jack will take his talents to Washington & Jefferson College.