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Local roundup: Mt. Pleasant wrestlers take second at Southmoreland Holiday Classic
• North Allegheny advances to 1st title game since 2006
• Top-seeded Neshannock tops Frazier in semifinals
• Greensburg Salem hopes to finish off West Allegheny in semifinals
• PIAA notebook: Vincentian coach’s appeal denied
By Staff Reports
Published: Sunday, December 30, 2012, 5:50 p.m.
Updated: Monday, December 31, 2012
With six place-winners in the top five of their weight classes, the Mt. Pleasant wrestling team delivered a stellar performance over the weekend, finishing second place of 34 teams at the annual Southmoreland Holiday Classic.
The Vikings (148 points) had two third-place finishers, a fourth-place wrestler and three who took fifth. They finished runner-up to tournament champion Butler, which had eight place-winners and 193 points.
“I feel that we are getting better as the year goes on,” Mt. Pleasant coach Mike Long said. “We are making fewer mistakes, and some of the wrestlers are showing a sense of urgency in regards to winning.
Bobby Long took third at 152 pounds after a 3-2 win over Greenville's Blake Horne in the consolation finals. Eli Holt placed third at 195 when he beat Bentworth's Jack Fordyce by pin in 1:38.
Austin Mears was fourth at 145 after he lost to West Greene's Matt Johnston by pinfall in the consolation finals.
Justin Overly beat Greenville's Justin Reynolds, 5-2, to place fifth at 182. At 120 pounds, Mike Novak defeated Slippery Rock's Dave Huselton, 10-3, to take fifth, and Josh Lind was fifth at 220 after he won by forfeit over Marion Center's Johan Vandyke in their consolation match.
Southmoreland took 20th with 64 points.
Sophomore Austin Griffiths was the 106-pound champion after defeating Burgettstown's Austin McDermitt, 11-2, in the finals. Griffiths also had two pins and a 5-0 win in the semifinals over Jihad Ratliff from Valley.
Freshman Jake Beistel finished second at heavyweight when he fell to Slippery Rock's Forrest Christmann, 5-0, in the finals.
Powerade Tournament
Matt Butler was the lone place-winner for Connellsville at the Powerade Christmas Tournament at Canon-McMillan on Saturday. Butler finished eighth at 195 pounds after falling to Bethel Park's Nate Grygo, 7-1, in the seventh-place consolation match.
Butler was pinned by Chartiers-Houston's Garrett Vulcano in the quarterfinals but won his consolation bout, 4-2, over Blue Mountain's Zachary Yackenchick.
Blair Academy, N.J., won the Powerade team title with 299 points. Connellsville took 13th with 96.5 points.
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