2022 Tribune-Review Westmoreland County Wrestling All-Stars
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Saturday, March 26, 2022 | 6:59 PM
Franklin Regional’s Ty Kapusta works to control Council Work North’s Eren Sement at 106 pounds at the PIAA Class 3A tournament March 12 at the Giant Center.
Latrobe’s Luke Willochell takes on Nathan Desmond of Bethlehem Catholic in the 106-pound final during the PIAA championships March 12 at the Giant Center.
Penn-Trafford’s Troy Hohman works to control Dover’s Mason Leiphart at 120 pounds at the PIAA Class 3A tournament March 11 at the Giant Center.
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary celebrates a PIAA Class 3A semifinal round win against Manheim Township’s Kamdyn Williams on March 12 at the Giant Center.
Hempfield junior Ethan Lebin celebrates a semifinal win at the PIAA Class 3A tournament March 12 at the Giant Center.
Hempfield’s Briar Priest beats St. Joseph Regional’s Alex Almeyda in the 138-pound third-place bout at the Powerade Wrestling Tournament on Dec. 30, 2021 at Canon-McMillan High School.
Hempfield junior Lucas Kapusta attempts to pin Norwin sophomore Nathan Campbell in the WPIAL Class 3A Section 2 145-pound final Feb. 26 at Hempfield.
Franklin Regional’s Finn Solomon celebrates winning in the 145-pound final during WPIAL Class 3A wrestling championships March 5 at Canon-McMillan High School.
Latrobe’s Jack Pletcher pins Butler’s Cade Savochka in the 152-pound bout during the WPIAL Class 3A team quarterfinals Feb. 2 at Latrobe.
Christian Hirak of Derry (top) takes on Aiden Zimmerman of Johnsonburg at 160 pounds during the PIAA Class 2A championships March 10 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Latrobe’s Corey Boerio pins Central Dauphin’s Carson Cassel at 215 pounds Feb. 11 at the PIAA Class 3A Team Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center.
Belle Vernon senior Cole Weightman tries to spin away from Thomas Jefferson senior Brian Finnerty in the 215-pound final at the WPIAL Class 3A Section 2 tournament Feb. 26 at Hempfield.
Greensburg Salem’s Billy McChesney wrestles Waynesburg’s Noah Tustin in the 285-pound final during WPIAL Class 3A wrestling championships on March 5 at Canon-McMillan High School.
Ty Kapusta
Franklin Regional, so., 106 pounds
2021-22 record: 32-9 Career record: 43-15
The Panthers sophomore finished third in the WPIAL and fourth in the PIAA in Class 3A. He reached the state semifinals before falling to Bethlehem Catholic’s Nathan Desmond. His biggest win in the state tournament was a 3-2 overtime decision against Council Rock North freshman Eren Sement in the quarterfinals.
Luke Willochell
Latrobe, fr., 106 pounds
2021-22 record: 43-5 Career record: 43-5
The Wildcats freshman had a spectacular season, winning the WPIAL Class 3A title and placing second in the PIAA, falling to Bethlehem Catholic freshman Nathan Desmond, 15-5. He defeated Indiana freshman Nico Fanella in the WPIAL finals.
Troy Hohman
Penn-Trafford, sr., 120 pounds
2021-22 record: 32-5 Career record: 100-35
Hohman was a three-time PIAA qualifier who placed seventh in 2022. He lost to rival and friend Latrobe junior Vinny Kilkeary in the WPIAL finals. He placed second in the WPIAL twice and was a Powerade champion in 2021. He will attend North Carolina State.
Vinny Kilkeary
Latrobe, jr., 120 pounds
2021-22 record: 46-2 Career record: 102-12
Kilkeary won his second PIAA title — the first came in 2019 — by stunning 37-1 Dover senior Mason Leiphart, 12-3, in the finals. Kilkeary is a two-time WPIAL champion, and he finished third at 113 as a sophomore. He plans to attend Ohio State.
Ethan Lebin
Hempfield, jr., 126 pounds
2021-22 record: 34-6 Career record: 86-24
The Spartan junior surprised many by defeating Thomas Jefferson freshman Maddox Shaw in the WPIAL Class 3A finals. Lebin lost to Central Mountain’s Dalton Perry, 6-3, in the PIAA finals as Perry scored four points late in the match.
Briar Priest
Hempfield, sr. 138 pounds
2021-22 record: 38-3 Career record: 136-23
Priest won the 138-pound WPIAL Class 3A title by defeating Colton Stoneking of Waynesburg. Priest dropped a 5-4 decision to State College’s Pierson Manville in the PIAA finals. Priest was the PIAA 132-pound champion in 2021. He will attend Pitt.
Lucas Kapusta
Hempfield, jr., 145 pounds
2021-22 record: 37-7 Career record: 90-29
The Spartans junior finished fifth in the PIAA Class 3A tournament and third in the WPIAL tournament. He was 4-2 in the state tournament, defeating Boyertown senior Chance Babb, 1-0, in the fifth-place match.
Finn Solomon
Franklin Regional, sr., 145 pounds
2021-22 record: 40-3 Career record: 142-20
Solomon is a four-time section champion and was the WPIAL champion in 2022. He was a PIAA champion at 138 in 2021 and was a PIAA runner-up in 2019 and 2022. He will attend North Carolina State.
Jack Pletcher
Latrobe, sr., 152 pounds
2021-22 record: 47-9 Career record: 123-43
Pletcher capped his senior season by finally reaching the state tournament where he placed third. He also finished third in the WPIAL tournament. Pletcher, who earned a scholarship to Pitt from his great summer, defeated Northampton junior Dagen Condomitti, 3-1. His brother Luke, was an NCAA All-American at Ohio State.
Christian Hirak
Derry, sr., 160 pounds
2021-22 record: 34-10 Career record: 34-10
Hirak is a first-year wrestler who stormed onto the wrestling scene this season. He placed third in the WPIAL, placed fourth in the Class 2A PIAA Southwest Regional and qualified for the PIAA tournament, where he placed eighth. He will attend Seton Hill.
Corey Boerio
Latrobe, jr., 215 pounds
2021-22 record: 45-12 Career record: 96-55
The Wildcats junior placed third in the WPIAL Class 3A tournament in one of the toughest weight classes. He finished sixth in the PIAA tournament and is four wins from the 100-win milestone. He also plays football.
Cole Weightman
Belle Vernon, sr., 215 pounds
2021-22 record: 13-3 Career record: 82-20
The senior came back from injuries trying to become a three-time WPIAL champion and the school’s first PIAA champion. He came up 20 seconds short of doing that. Thomas Jefferson’s Brian Finnerty defeated Weightman three times by one point, including a 6-5 decision in the PIAA finals. Weightman played play football at IUP.
Bill McChesney
Greensburg Salem, sr., 285 pounds
2021-22 record: 36-3 Career record: 120-27
McChesney was the WPIAL champion in 2022 and a two-time runner-up. He was a three-time PIAA placewinner, finishing sixth in 2022 and fourth in 2021. He was a Tribune-Review football all-star and will attend Columbia to wrestle.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford
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