Clarion Wrestling Takes Second at PSAC Championships; Zacherl, Conti Win Titles

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published December 10, 2017 5:17 am
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EDINBORO, Pa. – Brock Zacherl won his second PSAC title at 141 pounds in three years, Dustin Conti won his first at 197 pounds, and three of their teammates also reached their respective finals as Clarion wrestling team took second place at the 75th PSAC Championships hosted by Edinboro. The Golden Eagles finished with 122.0 team points, behind only Lock Haven and just ahead of Edinboro.

(Photo: Brock Zacherl on medal stand. Photo by Ken Stabb)

All told, Clarion saw four of its wrestlers reach their respective finals on Saturday, with Mac Tanner and Greg Bulsak joining Zacherl and Conti in the championship round. In addition, Taylor Ortz and Taylor Cahill both took third place in their respective brackets, while Max Wohlabaugh reached the third-place match at 165 pounds and took fourth place.

Zacherl rolled to two bonus-point victories to open the 141-pound bracket, starting with a major decision over Edinboro’s Nate Hagan. The two-time NCAA qualifier got off to a big margin en route to the 13-3 major decision. He was even better in the semifinal bout against Pitt-Johnstown’s Chris Eddins, working him to the tune of a 19-4 technical fall to set up a bout against Lock Haven’s Kyle Shoop.

In his championship bout against Shoop, Zacherl held off the second-seeded wrestler in the bracket, defeating him by an 8-4 decision.

Compared to his teammates, the two wins that sent Dustin Conti to the finals were nailbiters. The redshirt senior won his quarterfinal match in the 197-pound bracket, a 1-0 decision over Edinboro’s Aaron Paddock. That led to a win over top-seeded Evan Ramos of Shippensburg, with Conti holding on for a 4-1 decision to reach the finals.

In the championship match against Pitt-Johnstown’s Levi Niebauer, neither wrestler scored in the first period. Conti got and escape and a two-point takedown midway through the second period to take a 3-0 lead, and he ultimately held a 3-1 edge entering the final frame. Conti fought off a number of attempts from Niebauer, ultimately leaving with the 4-3 decision and his first career PSAC title.

At 157 pounds, Tanner got a bye directly to the quarterfinal round and took advantage of it, beating Gannon’s George McGuire by seven points in a 12-5 decision. He punched his ticket to the finals with a win by fall in the semis, pinning Pitt-Johnstown’s Cody Law 1:02 into the third period to earn a shot against the Fighting Scots’ Andrew Shomer in the championship match. Shomer got the better of Tanner in the final, though, winning by major decision.

The redshirt freshman Bulsak continued the exciting start to his season, reaching the finals of the 184-pound bracket. It started with a pin over Kutztown’s Jeff Reimel 35 seconds into the second period, sending Bulsak to the semifinals against Edinboro’s Dylan Reynolds. There Bulsak notched another impressive win, shutting out Reynolds for a 6-0 decision and a match against top seed Corey Hazel of Lock Haven. The finals match against Hazel was a tight one, with Hazel holding on for dear life and a 4-3 decision.

Ortz started off his day with a decision over Shippensburg’s Cody Blankenship, taking him down 4-3 in their opening bout. He followed that up with an 11-2 major decision over Millersville’s Douglas Mele before falling to top seed and 2017 NCAA qualifier Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven. After pinning Kutztown’s Chad Haegele in just 49 seconds in the consolation semis, Ortz added another major decision to his resume, beating Mercyhurst’s Logan Grass 9-1.

Cahill began his morning with an exciting overtime victory, beating Bloomsburg’s Kyle Murphy 7-6 in the quarterfinal round. He dropped a semifinal match to Lock Haven’s Jared Siegrist but in the consolation semis won his second overtime match of the day. Cahill held off Kutztown’s Zach Ancewicz with a two-point takedown in double-sudden victory. In the third-place match, he fended off Murphy again with a takedown during sudden victory, earning third place as a result.

Wohlabaugh started his day off with a bonus points victory, beating Edinboro’s Fritz Hoehn by major decision and a 14-5 score. He fell in the semifinals to East Stroudburg’s Michael Raccioppi but recovered with a 4-3 decision over Pitt-Johnstown’s Devin Austin in the consolation semis. He fell in the third-place match, though, dropping a major decision to Millersville’s Shane Ruhnke and finishing in fourth place.

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