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Back-to-back: West Allegheny's Ty Watters wins second straight state wrestling title

joshua carney, beaver county times
·5 min read
West Allegheny's Ty Watters wrestles Central Dauphin's Ryan Garvick in the 152-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Watters won by major decision, 11-3.
West Allegheny's Ty Watters wrestles Central Dauphin's Ryan Garvick in the 152-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Watters won by major decision, 11-3.

HERSHEY — Make it two PIAA Class 3A state championships for West Allegheny's Ty Watters.

Watters, a West Virginia commit, capped off his prestigious prep career Saturday in Hershey, claiming the PIAA Class 3A 152-pound state championship, leading West Allegheny to a fifth-place finish as a team.

At the Giant Center in Hershey, Watters defeated Central Dauphin's Ryan Garvick by major decision (11-3), winning his second straight state championship, this time in a higher weight class. Watters won the PIAA Class 3A 145-pound championship last season as a junior, which propelled him into a dominant senior season that saw him win the prestigious 152-pound championship in the Powerade Christmas tournament, before then going on to win a WPIAL and regional championship before winning the state title.

"It makes me feel really good, and shows me that the hard work is paying off a bit, but it also means that the work is not done, and that I just need to work that much harder," Watters said following the state championship. "I was real happy, but I don't like to get too comfy with the win, or too satisfied.

"I think that's when you're most vulnerable. I just want to stay working hard and not get too comfortable with wins."

West Allegheny's Ty Watters reacts after pinning Northhampton's Dagen Condomitti at 2:00 during the 152-pound seminfinals at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey.
West Allegheny's Ty Watters reacts after pinning Northhampton's Dagen Condomitti at 2:00 during the 152-pound seminfinals at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey.

Prior to his major decision win over Garvick, Watters rolled through the 152-pound class in 3A,  defeating Easton's James Geiger by technical fall (23-7) to open the state tournament. In the quarterfinals, Watters pinned Boiling Springs' Michael Duggan, and then pinned Northampton's Dagen Condomitti in the semifinals, setting up the matchup with Garvick.

Watters is the first-ever wrestler in West Allegheny history to win back-to-back PIAA titles, and finishes his career with a record of 98-8, with 58 of those wins coming via pin.

With a second state championship in hand, Watters will turn his attention to the Pennsylvania vs. USA All-Stars wrestling match as part the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic March 25 at Peters Township, before then competing in a tournament in Virginia Beach ahead of his arrival in Morgantown at West Virginia University.

CENTRAL VALLEY'S MORGAN FINISHES RUNNER-UP IN 2A

Central Valley's Brenan Morgan pins Penns Valley's Kollin Brungart in 45 seconds during a 215-pound first round bout at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 9, 2023, in Derry Township.
Central Valley's Brenan Morgan pins Penns Valley's Kollin Brungart in 45 seconds during a 215-pound first round bout at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 9, 2023, in Derry Township.

While Watters was on his way to a second straight state championship on the mat, a pair of area wrestlers finished as runner-ups in both the 2A and 3A classification.

Central Valley's Brenan Morgan, who became the first-ever regional champion in Central Valley history last week, made a run to the Class 2A 215-pound final thanks to some clutch wrestling.

"I thought his weekend was a product of momentum," Central Valley head coach Kevin Mroz said. "Last year at the state tournament he wasn't really able to get that traction, but this year he was able to. He was being smart, staying in control and really wrestled very well."

Morgan opened up the state tournament by pinning Penns Valley's Kollin Brungart, and then picked up a major decision win over Lackawanna Trail's Seth Ross (16-8), reaching the semifinals. There, Morgan came through in the clutch.

Taking on Girard's Abraham Keep, Morgan scored a late takedown to pick up a 4-3 decision win, punching his ticket to the state final.

Central Valley's Brenan Morgan celebrates with the Warriors' coaching staff after picking up a thrilling 4-3 decision win over Girard's Abraham Keep in the Class 2A 215-pound semifinal Friday in Hershey. Morgan scored a takedown with 30 seconds left to pick up the 4-3 win.
Central Valley's Brenan Morgan celebrates with the Warriors' coaching staff after picking up a thrilling 4-3 decision win over Girard's Abraham Keep in the Class 2A 215-pound semifinal Friday in Hershey. Morgan scored a takedown with 30 seconds left to pick up the 4-3 win.

"It was an awesome moment," Mroz said. "The program isn't really recognized as much as it deserves across the state. Not a lot of schools really know about us, but last season and this season we're starting to make an impact on the sport, and that's what that moment from Brenan gave us."

He ultimately came up short though, falling to Muncy's Austin Johnson, losing by decision (10-7).

"There was a couple of situations where points were not awarded to Brenan due to referee discretion, and that's unfortunately part of the sport," Mroz said regarding the state final. "Brenan did everything he possibly could have to score and keep the match competitive and give himself a chance to win. It just didn't play out that way."

In 3A, West Allegheny's Shawn Taylor came up painstakingly short of a second state title for the program, finishing second in the 160-pound weight class.

West Allegheny's Shawn Taylor (left) wrestles Chartiers Valley's Dylan Evans in the 160-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Evans won by decision, 3-2 UTB.
West Allegheny's Shawn Taylor (left) wrestles Chartiers Valley's Dylan Evans in the 160-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Evans won by decision, 3-2 UTB.

Taylor opened up the state tournament with a pin of North Allegheny's Adam Rohan, and then won by technical fall over Manheim Central's Brett Barbush (21-6), reaching the semifinals.

There, Taylor won by decision (3-1) over Council Rock South's Bekhruz Sadriddinov, setting up a 160-pound final against Chartiers Valley's Dylan Evans. In the final, the two WPIAL products battled back and forth, but Evans was able to emerge with a 3-2 win in an ultimate tiebreaker, winning the state championship leaving Taylor just short of a state title as a junior after finishing fourth as a sophomore.

Boni reaches podium in first-ever state tournament

Following in the footsteps of his brother, Ambrose, Central Valley freshman Antonio Boni capped off his first season at the varsity level in style in Hershey, finishing sixth overall for the Warriors in the 107-pound weight class.

After winning a WPIAL championship as a freshman, becoming the second WPIAL champion in program history (Morgan later became the third the same day), Boni had quite the showing at the state tournament.

Northwestern's Sierra Chiesa wrestles Central Valley's Antonio Boni in a 107-pound first round bout at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 9, 2023, in Derry Township. Boni won by decision, 6-5.
Northwestern's Sierra Chiesa wrestles Central Valley's Antonio Boni in a 107-pound first round bout at the PIAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 9, 2023, in Derry Township. Boni won by decision, 6-5.

Boni opened the tournament with a 6-5 decision win over Northwestern's Sierra Chiesa, the first-ever female to reach the state tournament. Boni then fell by technical fall (15-0) to Northern Lebanon's Aaron Seidel to drop to the consolation bracket.

There, the freshman battled back, defeating United's Jacob Sombronski by decision (4-0),  and then defeated Muncy's Gage Swank by decision (3-0) to reach the consolation semifinals. In the consolation semifinals, Boni came up short, dropping a 5-1 decision to  Trinity's William Detar before then losing by decision (3-0) to Faith Christian Academy's Kole Davidheiser in the fifth-place match to finish sixth overall.

"It's very impressive. It's hard to be a freshman in wrestling," Mroz said. "Antonio did a good job of always keeping a level head, being prepared for his matches and always leaving it out there on the mat."

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Back-to-back: West Allegheny's Ty Watters wins second straight state wrestling title