Kiski Area wrestlers prepare for season with The Surge

By: Greg Macafee
Sunday, November 10, 2019 | 4:43 PM

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Kiski Area is heading into the wrestling season in search of its fourth straight Class AAA WPIAL title, and last weekend a few Cavaliers got to test their mettle at The Surge wrestling tournament at the Pitt-Johnstown.

The tournament included teams from all over the region and had some of the best wrestlers in the state. It allowed the Cavaliers to get a good idea of where they are mentally and physically before the season starts next month.

“(The Surge) is really starting to get a reputation, and it’s getting some really high-level guys in there,” Kiski Area coach Chris Heater said. “So, these guys are getting some pretty good matches right around the corner from the season starting.”

Jack Blumer, who committed to West Virginia this offseason, was the top finisher for the Cavaliers. He reached the 160-pound championship with two pins and then a 7-2 decision in the semifinals.

Blumer lost to Malvern Prep’s Jack Wehmeyer with a 2-1 decision in the title bout.

Throughout the offseason, Blumer has competed in tournaments all over the country. But, as the regular season approaches, the defending 160-pound WPIAL champion thought the Surge was a good opportunity to see where he stood.

“It definitely showed me what I need to work on and what I need to improve on,” Blumer said. “It really showed this weekend that I need to improve on a lot of things. So that’s what I am going to be working on from now on.”

Five Cavaliers competed at The Surge and turned in solid performances. A year after a 25-11 record as a freshman, Stone Joseph placed third in the 285-pound round-robin.

He split his first two matches, both 4-0, before bowing out of the tournament with an injury. Though he had to make an early exit, Joseph thought he performed like he expected to.

“I’ve been training a lot recently, just focusing on my technique and getting ready for the season,” Joseph said. “But I felt in pretty good shape for the Surge, so I was proud of that. As far as my wrestling goes, I think I’ll be up a little more than where I competed this past weekend.”

Sammy Starr, Dom Giordano and Ryan Klingensmith were the other three Cavaliers who competed.

Starr won two of his matches by pin in the 152-pound bracket and worked his way through the consolation bracket before falling to Malvern Prep’s Dalton Harkins by a 2-0 decision.

Ryan Klingensmith wrestled a weight class higher than normal and went competed well while going 1-2.

At 126 pounds, Giordano went 2-2, winning two of his matches by a point and losing an 8-7 decision. He lost his fourth match by a 4-0 decision.

The trip was a successful one for Heater and the Cavaliers as they were able to test their abilities and identify what they need to fix.

“It’s good to see where they are at and know where they need to work on things, so we can correct them as we move into the season,” Heater said.

Official wrestling practices start Nov. 18.

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

Tags: Kiski Area