Burrell’s Corrado wins showdown; Kiski Area’s Roscosky wins 3rd Westmoreland wrestling title

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, February 6, 2021 | 8:25 PM

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When Kiski Area junior Enzo Morlacci won the Powerade Tournament on Jan. 30, he was disappointed Burrell senior A.J. Corrado couldn’t wrestle because the coronavirus had shut down the Buccaneers’ program for 10 days.

Morlacci got his shot in the finals of the Westmoreland County Wrestling Tournament on Saturday at Kiski Area, but the result wasn’t what he hoped.

Corrado (15-0) scored a takedown midway through the first period, and the PIAA Class AA runner-up earned a hard-fought, 3-1 victory in the 160-pound final.

He was one of two Burrell wrestlers to win county titles. Freshman Cooper Hornack (13-1) had an impressive showing in winning the 106-pound title 9-0 over Franklin Regional freshman Ty Kapusta.

“Enzo is a good wrestler, and he came out strong,” Corrado said. “He has a good double leg, and I’m good at stopping that. I was able to control the match because of it.

“I’m wrestling well, and I truly believe this is my year. I feel I’m the one to beat.”

It was Corrado’s first county title.

Burrell had its moments in the spotlight, but Franklin Regional stole the show.

Franklin Regional had four champions — Carter Dibert (126 pounds), Finn Solomon (138), Mario Sarnic (145) and Garrett Thompson (152) — and the Panthers captured the team title for the first time since 2015. It was their fourth and ended Kiski Area’s five-year reign.

The Panthers finished with 189.5 points. Mt. Pleasant finished second with 163 points followed by Kiski Area 154.5, Hempfield 151.5 and Burrell 149.

Kiski Area senior Brayden Roscosky was one of three Cavalier wrestlers to win titles. Roscosky used a takedown in the third period to defeat Belle Vernon’s Logan Hoffman, 3-1.

Kiski Area’s other winners were sophomore Ryan Klingensmith (120) and senior Sammy Starr (172). Klingensmith blanked Hempfield sophomore Ethan Lebin, 7-0, and Starr beat Mt. Pleasant junior Noah Gnibus, 4-0.

Roscosky was also one of three wrestlers to win the county title for the third time. The other two were Dibert and Hempfield senior heavyweight Isaiah Vance.

Dibert won his third county title by using a quick takedown to defeat Hempfield senior Ethan Berginc, 3-2, in a battle of PIAA champions. Dibert won in 2019 and Berginc in ‘20.

Two other wrestlers could have won their third titles, but Hempfield senior Ty Linsenbigler (152) lost to Thompson in overtime, and Burrell senior Ian Oswalt missed while resting a leg injury.

The other big showdowns featuring possible WPIAL and PIAA finalists were at 113, 132, 160, 215 and 285.

Latrobe sophomore Vinny Kilkeary, the returning PIAA Class 106 champion, defeated Penn-Trafford junior Troy Hohman, 4-0, in a classic battle at 113. Kilkeary and Hohman are wrestling partners at Young Guns.

Hempfield junior Briar Priest rode a first-period takedown to a 2-0 victory against Latrobe sophomore Nate Roth at 132 pounds. Priest won an early match, 6-5.

Solomon used a first-period takedown and edged Hempfield sophomore Lucas Kapusta, 3-1, at 138.

Sarnic, who wasn’t seeded in the top four and had to wrestle in Friday’s round, earned the 145-pound title with an impressive 16-0 win against Hempfield senior Nolan Daerr.

Thompson rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeated Linsenbigler in overtime and earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award.

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.