Burrell goes for 14th straight crown in WPIAL team wrestling finals Saturday

By: Don Rebel
Friday, January 31, 2020 | 5:52 PM

It is the second longest championship run in WPIAL history, and on Saturday, the Burrell wrestling team will try to extend it to another year.

The Buccaneers have won 13 consecutive WPIAL Class AA team wrestling championships and are favored to make it 14 in a row Saturday afternoon at Chartiers-Houston.

After a first round bye and a quarterfinals win over Beth-Center, the Bucs will square off against Quaker Valley in one of two Class AA semifinal matches at noon.

The other final four match pits McGuffey against Burgettstown.

Burrell has won a total of 15 WPIAL wrestling crowns while the other three schools have combined to win five.

The two semifinal winners face off for district gold at 2 p.m. while at the same time, the noon loser will battle in the consolation match with the winner earning a berth in the PIAA team wrestling playoffs next week.

New champ to be crowned

Three-time WPIAL Class AAA champion Kiski Area was dethroned in the quarterfinals, setting the stage for a new champion to be crowned Saturday at Norwin.

Top-seeded Waynesburg Central will face the team that knocked out Kiski Area — Hempfield — in a 4 p.m. semifinals match while Seneca Valley battles Canon-McMillan in the other match.

The two winners meet in the finals while the losers fight in the consolation match set for 6 p.m.

Canon-McMillan won four straight district AAA titles from 2010-13 while Hempfield last won WPIAL gold in 2007.

It has been 29 years since Waynesburg Central won the 1989 championship, and Seneca Valley is in search of its first team wrestling title.

Sewickley showdown

Sewickley Academy will host an all-day basketball event with two girls games and three boys contests.

The night cap of the Shootout at Sewickley Academy pits the top-ranked boys Class 3A team against the No. 1 boys Class A squad when Lincoln Park (16-2) faces Vincentian Academy (14-3).

The two teams have been dominant against district teams with a combined 24-2 record against WPIAL foes.

The Leopards’ only District 7 loss was against Class 4A power Highlands while the Royals lost to Class 3A No. 2 North Catholic.

Tags: Burgettstown, Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Hempfield, Lincoln Park, McGuffey, Quaker Valley, Seneca Valley, Vincentian Academy, Waynesburg