PIAA AAA Individual Championships
Giant Center, Hershey -- WJPA-AM (1450)
Final AAA Brackets (pdf) -- -- Escape Sports Brackets

Preliminaries, 1st Round Consolations -- Listen Here!
Quarterfinals, 2nd Round Consolations -- Listen Here!
Semifinals, 3rd/4th Round Consolations -- Listen Here!
Consolation Finals -- Listen Here!
Championship Finals -- Listen Here!

Thursday, March 5
Preliminaries, 1st Round Consolations
Triple-A wrestlers from the WPIAL won 27 of 42 preliminary bouts, none of them bigger than Canon-McMillan's Nick Catalano knocking off defending PIAA champion Cortland Choate of Blue Mountain, 4-2 in two overtimes. The Big Mac sophmore's reversal in the first tie-breaker period was the difference. WPIAL wrestlers won seven of their 15 consolation bouts to stay in the tournament.

Alex Dunaway of McGuffey also won his preliminary bout and is in the quarterfinals on Friday. McGuffey teammate Nick Whipkey lost in the first round and then won a consolation match. Todd Miller, Ringgold, and Derrick Nelson, Waynesburg, also won consolation bouts to stay alive while Sam Brownlee, Canon-McMillan, lost two straight matches and has been eliminated.

Friday, March 6
Quarterfinals--Friday afternoon
It was a power surge for the WPIAL AAA wrestlers Friday afternoon, winning 19 of 27 quarterfinal bouts, including all three matches at 103 pounds. The WPIAL had two winners in five other weights--125, 130, 135, 152 & 160.

Washington County's Alex Dunaway, McGuffey, and Nick Catalano, Canon-McMillan, advanced to Saturday morning's semifinals win close victories. Todd Miller of Ringgold won his second-round consolation bout and will bring home a medal. Miller eliminated WPIAL champion Jake Leninsky, West Allegheny.

2nd Round Consolations--Friday afternoon
That second consolation round was not as fruitful as the quarterfinals, with nine WPIAL wrestlers eliminated, including Nick Whipkey, McGuffey and Derrick Nelson, Waynesburg. WPIAL champion Troy Reaghard of West Allegheny was also eliminated Friday afternoon.

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WPIAL Four-Timers Club
Dane Johnson Enters Fraternity; Fleming stopped short
Seventy years ago, Andy Puchany (Canonsburg) won his fourth WPIAL individual wrestling title. At Saturday's AAA Finals, West Mifflin's James Fleming lost to Jake Kemerer (Hempfield) in the 160 pound finals, ending his bid to win a fourth WPIAL crown.

Saturday, Feb. 21st, Dane Johnson ( Shady Side Academy) won the 140-pound WPIAL AA title, his fourth championship. Johnson won by default over Michael Innes, Chartiers-Houston, was unable to wrestle in the final due to a muscle injury. Johnson won the PIAA titles the last two years after finishing fifth as a freshman.

Puchany won four consecutive WPIAL individual wrestling championships from 1936-1939. Waynesburg's James Conklin started his four-year run the next season. Canonsburg's Donald Haney (1947-1950) and Manuel Pihakis (1949-1952) soon followed. Conklin and The Canonsburg Trio waited another 36 years before John Dasta, Penn Hills, joined the club.

John Richey (Connellsville) and Cary Kolat (Jefferson-Morgan) entered in back to back seasons. Mark Angle (Canon-McMillan) and Justin Tracanna (Jefferson-Morgan) went back to back. Then, Shawn Whyte (West Greene) and Troy Letters (Shaler) followed in three-year intervals. Two years later, it was Joe Makara (Burrell). Larry Hall (Jeannette) and Coleman Scott (Waynesburg) became the first duo to enter the same year, 2004. Troy Dolan (Derry) joined one year ahead of Colin Johnston (Canon-McMillan) and Jordan Shields (Burrell), the only pair to win their fourth titles on the same night.

1. Andy Puchany, Canonsburg (1936-1939)
2. James Conklin, Waynesburg (1940-1943)
3. Donald Haney, Canonsburg (1947-1950)
4. Manuel Pihakis, Canonsburg (1949-1952)
5. John Dasta, Penn Hills (1985-1988)
6. John Richey, Connellsville (1988-1991)
7. Cary Kolat, Jefferson-Morgan (1989-1992)
8. Mark Angle, Canon-McMillan (1992-1995)
9. Justin Tracanna, Jefferson-Morgan (1993-1996)
10. Shawn Whyte, West Greene (1995-1998)
11. Troy Letters, Shaler (1998-2001)
12. Joe Makara, Burrell (2000-2003)
13. Larry Hall, Jeannette (2001-2004)
14. Coleman Scott, Waynesburg (2001-2004)
15. Troy Dolan, Derry (2004-2007)
16. Colin Johnston, Canon-McMillan (2005-2008)
17. Jordan Shields, Burrell (2005-2008)
18. Dane Johnson, Shady Side Academy (2006-2009)

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WPIAL AAA Individual Championships
Thursday-Saturday, February 26-28--FINAL Brackets (.pdf)
Canon-McMillan High School
The top three placewinners in each weight class advance to the PIAA Individual Championships at the Giant Center, Hershey, March 5-7.
Medal Bout Pairings & Results--Click Here

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2009 WPIAL AAA Section Tournaments
Saturday, February 21
The top four placewinners in each section advance to the WPIAL AAA Individual Championships, Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 26-28, at Canon-McMillan.

Medal Bout Results--All AAA Sections

Section 1-AAA (at Indiana) -- Medal Bouts -- Brackets
Derry, Greater Latrobe and Penn-Trafford each won three individual titles. Franklin Regional, Kiski Area and Plum picked up one each. Joey Walters (Latrobe) & Shane Young (Penn-Trafford) won the third Section titles. Walters is a four-time finalist. Young is seeking his third straight WPIAL and PIAA titles.

Section 2-AAA (at Hempfield) -- Medal Bouts -- Brackets
Connellsville landed five title, Hempfield three, Elizabeth-Forward and Norwin picked up two each. Albert Gallatin and Belle Vernon split the other two championships. Jake Kemerer (Hempfield) won his third Section title in his fourth trip to the finals. The senior now goes after his second WPIAL and PIAA titles. Jake Swink (Connellsville) also won his third Section title.

Section 3-AAA (at Fox Chapel) -- Medal Bouts -- Brackets
Fox Chapel and North Allegheny both won four titles, Hampton and North Hills won two each while Butler and Shaler each won one championship. Joe Waltko (North Allegheny) won his fourth Section crown. Tiger teammates Dave Cawley, a four-time finalist, and Andy Candiello each won their third titles.

Section 4-AAA (at Waynesburg) -- Medal Bouts -- Brackets
Eight different schools claimed Section 4-AAA individual crowns, led by Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Ringgold with three apiece. WPIAL Team Champion Bethel Park and West Mifflin each picked up two, while McGuffey, South Allegheny, Upper St. Clair and Waynesburg had one each. James Fleming (West Mifflin) began his final post-season campaign by winning his fourth Section crown. The three-time WPIAL champion is also a three-time PIAA medalist. Ken Downing (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and Vincent Camps (Waynesburg) were both stopped short of their third titles, Downing in the finals by Mike Ganley (Bethel Park) and Camps in the semifinals by eventual champion Robert Blotzer (South Allegheny).

Section 5-AAA (at Mt. Lebanon) -- Medal Bouts -- Brackets
Canon-McMillan won six individual titles, the most of any school in any section. West Allegheny picked up four, Hopewell three and Montour one. Ron Schram and Sam Brownlee, Canon-McMillan teammates, each won their third Section titles, while Troy Reaghard (West Allegheny) lost out on his bid for a three-peat, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Derhon Towler (Hopewell). Brownlee's titles came in his freshmen, junior and senior years, having to sit out his sophmore season due to his move from Mt. Lebanon to Canon-McMillan. Schram is a four-time Section finalist.

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2009 PIAA AAA Team Tournament -- AAA Bracket
First Round
Connellsville 75, Brashear 4
Council Rock North 40, Hazleton 24
Boyertown 38, LaSalle College 21
Blue Mountain 38, Lower Dauphin 30
Clearfield 34, Hempfield Area 33
Cumberland Valley 35, Shikellamy 28
Second Round
Connellsville 34, Council Rock North 24
Central Mountain 42, Boyertown 22
Blue Mountain 47, Clearfield 24
Cumberland Valley 44, Cathedral Prep 18
Quarterfinals
Central Dauphin 53, Connellsville 13
Northampton 31, Central Mountain 27
Blue Mountain 38, Quakertown 25
Cumberland Valley 36, Bethel Park 27
First-Round Consolations
Bethel Park 38, Council Rock North 22
Boyertown 32, Quakertown 20
Central Mountain 42, Clearfield 16
Cathedral Prep 36, Connellsville 21
Second-Round Consolations
Boyertown 36, Bethel Park 28
Central Mountain 42, Cathedral Prep 16
Semifinals
Central Dauphin 31, Northampton 22
Cumberland Valley 35, Blue Mountain 30
Third-Round Consolations
Northampton 44, Boyertown 18
Central Mountain 39, Blue Mountain 28
Championship Finals
Central Dauphin 34, Cumberland Valley 30
Consolation Finals
Northampton 36, Central Mountain 16

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2009 WPIAL AAA Team Tournament -- Bracket
Preliminaries
North Hills 43, West Allegheny 28
Franklin Regional 40, Mt. Lebanon 24
Butler 69, South Allegheny 4
Elizabeth-Forward 42, Ringgold 25
1st Round
Bethel Park 51, North Hills 9
North Allegheny 40, Albert Gallatin 25
Derry 56, Waynesburg 15
Hempfield 43, Franklin Regional 16
Penn-Trafford 51, Butler 15
Connellsville 42, Hopewell 25
Fox Chapel 32, Kiski Area 28
Canon-McMillan 42, Elizabeth-Forward 15
Quarterfinals
Bethel Park 37, North Allegheny 19
Hempfield 28, Derry 26
Connellsville 33, Penn-Trafford 28
Canon-McMillan 30, Fox Chapel 20
Semifinals
Bethel Park 31, Hempfield 25
Connellsville 34, Canon-McMillan 25
Championship Finals
Bethel Park 42, Connellsville 21
Third-place Match
Hempfield 39, Canon-McMillan 31

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WJPA Wrestling Radio--60 years and counting!
It was the late 1940's. Radio in Washington County was less than 10 years old. It was in this infancy of the medium that our coverage of the ultimate man-vs.-man sport began. Behind the microphone, describing the action was future Hall of Fame announcer Pete Stanton. His gift for gab and his willingness to travel hour upon hour were almost legendary. The sport drew hundreds, even thousands to high school gymnasiums and other facilities in the dead of winter.

Then, in the late winter of 1950, the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships were conducted at Washington High School. WJPA Radio and Pete Stanton were there, covering every bout from start to finish.

Now, as the PIAA Individual Championship Series is just weeks away, our crew is preparing to cover our 60th PIAA Finals. Gone are the days of "dry pair" phone lines and advancement for only the champion at each level. Today, obviously, with the internet, and its webcasts, audiocasts, message boards, blogs and dedicated sites, our coverage of the state's most-popular event has changed. But, still today, after 60 years, you'll still get every score of every bout of the PIAA Wrestling Championships, whether you're listening in the Washington, PA area on 1450-AM, or around the world via the MSA Sports Network. Enjoy the action!

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2009 WPIAL AAA Section Team Duals
Wednesday, January 21

Section 1-AAA, Semifinals
Penn-Trafford 41, Franklin Regional 19
Derry Area 37, Kiski Area 28
Finals
1st--Penn-Trafford 36, Derry Area 21
3rd--Kiski Area 36, Franklin Regional 25

Section 2-AAA. Semifinals
Connellsville 48, Elizabeth-Forward 24
Hempfield 39, Albert Gallatin 26
Finals
1st--Hempfield 32, Connellsville 29
3rd--Albert Gallatin 42, Elizabeth-Forward 30

Section 3-AAA, Semifinals
Fox Chapel 39, North Hills 21
North Allegheny 36, Butler 28
Finals
1st--North Allegheny 35, Fox Chapel 26
3rd--Butler 40, North Hills 24

Section 4-AAA, Semifinals
Bethel Park 54, Ringgold 13
Waynesburg 50, South Allegheny 22
Finals
1st--Bethel Park 51, Waynesburg 15
3rd--Ringgold 56, South Allegheny 22

Section 5-AAA, Semifinals
Hopewell 44, Mt. Lebanon 25
Canon-McMillan 43, West Allegheny 18
Finals
1st--Canon-McMillan 31, Hopewell 28
3rd--West Allegheny 37, Mt. Lebanon 28

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