Trib HSSN Wrestler of the Week: AJ Corrado, Burrell

By: Greg Macafee
Tuesday, February 9, 2021 | 9:00 AM

Because the No. 1 Burrell Bucs had to pull out of the annual Powerade wrestling tournament a couple of weeks ago, 160-pounder AJ Corrado missed out on an opportunity to take on Kiski Area’s Enzo Morlacci, who is ranked 16th nationally by TheOpenMat.com.

Corrado got an opportunity this past weekend at the Westmoreland County Wrestling Tournament and won the 160-pound county title with a 3-1 decision over Morlacci in the championship match. Corrado earned a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second for his three points against Morlacci.

The defending WPIAL Class AA 152-pound champion and PIAA runner-up cruised through his first two matchups with two quick pins. He took down Greensburg Salem’s Cooper Phillips 20 seconds into the first period and pinned him in 48.

Corrado then built a 5-0 lead on Ligonier Valley’s Abe Mundorff before pinning him in 44 seconds, his second fastest of the season. With his three wins this weekend, Corrado pushed his record to 15-0 with 10 pins.

Honorable Mentions

Brayden Roscosky, Kiski Area: The 189-pounder for the Cavaliers won his third county tournament Saturday with two pins and a 3-1 decision over Belle Vernon’s Logan Hoffman in the championship. His first two matches lasted a combined 4 minutes, 40 seconds.

Mario Sarnic, Franklin Regional: The Franklin Regional senior entered the Westmoreland County Wrestling Tournament unseeded and battled his way to the 145-pound title. He earned two pins and a major decision Friday. He earned a major decision in the quarterfinals before defeating No. 1 seed Coby Kaufman from Greensburg Salem with a 6-2 decision. Sarnic capped his run with a 16-0 technical fall victory over Hempfield’s Nolan Daerr.

Carter Dibert, Franklin Regional: The Arizona State commit earned his third county title with wins over teammate Kaleb Sheetz and then Burrell’s Shawn Szymanski in the semifinals. He won the battle of PIAA champions when he earned a 3-2 decision over Hempfield’s Ethan Berginc in the 126 final. Dibert won a PIAA title in 2019, and Berginc won in 2020. Dibert picked up a takedown 20 seconds into the match and earned an escape in the second period to walk away with a 3-2 win.

Dayton Pitzer, Mt. Pleasant: The Vikings junior dominated at the Westmoreland County Wrestling Tournament, picking up two pins and a 6-4 decision. His first two pins, against Southmoreland’s Ben Yeskey and Caleb Chismar, came in less than 35 seconds apiece. In the championship match, Pitzer used three reversals to earn the win over Belle Vernon’s Cole Weightman.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Burrell, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Mt. Pleasant