West Allegheny's Ty Watters picks up where he left off, wins Powerade title
CANONSBURG — Already a state champion, West Allegheny senior Ty Watters aimed to check off one more individual box on the mat in an impressive career.
That box? Winning an individual title at the prestigious Powerade Christmas Tournament on Friday, Dec. 30 at Canon-McMillan High School in Canonsburg.
Consider that box checked for Watters.
Watters, who finished runner-up last year in the 145-pound weight class, reached the finals in the 152-pound weight class this year, posting a 5-2 win over over Cooper Haas of Kissimmee Osceola (Fla.) to claim that elusive individual title in the largest high school tournament in the country.
In the win over Haas, Watters scored two takedowns in the first period and an escape in the second period, allowing just two escapes to Haas to close out the scoring.
Prior to his championship bout win over Haas, Watters rolled through the 152-pound weight class, pinning Bethel Park's Dheyaa Danyan in the second round before then defeating Frazier's Ryan Celaschi by technical fall (17-2) in the third round. In the quarterfinals, Watters picked up a 4-2 win in sudden victory over Wyoming Seminary's Christopher Crawford before then defeating Southern Regional (NJ) Matt Henrich, 3-1, in the semifinals, setting up the matchup against Haas in the title bout.
Watters wasn't the only member of West Allegheny's wrestling program to taste significant success at the Powerade tournament. Junior Shawn Taylor, who finished fourth in the state in the Class 3A 160-pound weight class as a sophomore, grabbed a third-place finish in the 160-pound bracket at the Powerade Christmas Tournament.
Taylor reached the semifinals but stumbled in the match against Wyoming Seminary's Joe Sealey, falling by decision 7-3. Taylor bounced back in the consolation semifinals though, defeating Malvern Prep's Reed Fullmer by decision, 6-4, before then defeating Chartiers Valley's Dylan Evans by tiebreaker 2, 2-1, to claim third overall.
Teammate Nico Taddy placed sixth in the 145-pound bracket.
Central Valley's Morgan places sixth in Powerade Tournament
Coming off of an appearance in the regional tournament as a sophomore, Central Valley junior Brenan Morgan has his sights set on a higher goal this season on the mat.
Competing in the Powerade Christmas Tournament, Morgan showed just what could lie ahead in his junior season, finishing sixth overall in the 215-pound weight class
Morgan opened up the prestigious tournament with a 7-3 win over Benton's Nathan Crispell, and then followed that up with a pin of Canon-McMillan's Geno Calgaro in 51 seconds in the second round. From there, Morgan defeated Greater Latrobe's Corey Boerio by decision, 4-2, to reach the quarterfinals.
There, the Central Valley junior was tripped up by Armstrong's Connor Jacobs, losing by fall in 4:34. To his credit though, Morgan bounced back, defeating North Allegheny's Aidan Buggey by decision, 5-1, and then took down Southern Regional's (NJ) Riley O'Boyle by decision, 9-5, reaching the consolation semifinals.
The comeback attempt ended there though for Morgan as he was defeated by Wyoming Seminary's Josh Cordio by decision, 9-7, and was then pinned by Jacobs again, this time in the fifth-place match.
Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament Up Next For Area Teams
As the 2022-23 wrestling season rolls right along, up next for area teams is the highly-anticipated 16-team Ed Driscoll MAC Tournament at Ambridge High School on Saturday.
The lineup of area teams at the MAC tournament includes the following: Ambridge, Beaver, Blackhawk, Carlynton, Central Valley, Ellwood City, Freedom Area, Hopewell, Laurel, Mars, Montour, Moon, Quaker Valley, South Side and West Allegheny. The tournament starts at 9 a.m.
Last season, Quaker Valley won the team title at the tournament, while West Allegheny, Laurel, Montour and Central Valley rounded out the top five.
Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: West Allegheny's Ty Watters picks up where he left off, wins Powerade title
