Butler’s Santino Sloboda rejoices after defeating Norwin’s Landon Sidun during the WPIAL wrestling championships held at Canon-McMillan High School on Saturday, March 2. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (3/2/2024) The Butler boys wrestling team secured a close second place behind Bethel Park at Saturday’s Chartiers-Houston Invitational at Chartiers-Houston High School. The Golden Tornado concluded the competition with […]
Butler’s Santino Sloboda rejoices after defeating Norwin’s Landon Sidun during the WPIAL wrestling championships held at Canon-McMillan High School on Saturday, March 2. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle (3/2/2024)
The Butler boys wrestling team secured a close second place behind Bethel Park at Saturday’s Chartiers-Houston Invitational at Chartiers-Houston High School.
The Golden Tornado concluded the competition with 188.5 points, falling just 18 points short of first place. Mars placed 19th with 69 points, while North Catholic ranked 27th with 38.5 points.
Santino Sloboda clinched the 127-pound championship with a technical fall victory over Bethel Park’s Colton Fisher, finishing 19-4 in 2:43. Kase Chopp (152) and Nicholas Savannah (114) both earned fourth-place finishes; Chopp lost 6-4 to BP’s Ethan Higgins, while Savannah fell by major decision 13-3 to Elizabeth Forward’s Preston Bubash. Ace McElravy (215) and Leo Iarrapino (145) captured fifth-place medals, and Gavin Rush (160) along with Troy Ritson (189) secured sixth.
Joining the podium for Mars were Samuel Passarelli (121) and Liam Hein (152) in fifth and Joseph Zottola (172) in sixth. Michael Pierro (107) was the only medalist for North Catholic, finishing sixth.
Knoch takes 13th at Hickory Invitational Tournament — The Knights gathered 56.5 points on Saturday in their season’s inaugural tournament.
Owen Layhew earned a fourth-place medal at 145 pounds, losing in a 5-3 decision to Greater Latrobe’s Dominic Angelicchio in the bronze medal match.
Jakob Butler came in seventh at 114, winning 14-12 over Johnsonburg’s Ian Ginther, while Jarrett Crowe placed eighth at 127 after being pinned by Penn Trafford’s Luke DeSantis.
Girls basketball
Naomi Venesky was honored as the MVP of the Aquinas Academy Tip-Off Tournament after scoring 19 points on Saturday, leading the Karns City girls basketball team to a 51-39 victory against the hosts.
Venesky contributed 15 points in the first half alone.
Her teammate Hannah Summerville netted three 3-pointers in the first half to finish with nine points and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Brooklyn Taylor scored a total of eight points, with six points coming in the third quarter.
Union/A-C Valley 41, Youngsville 9; Union/A-C Valley 48, Forest 45 — The Falcon Knights triumphed in the Forest Tip-Off Tournament with two victories on Saturday against Youngsville and Forest.
Maddy Dehart scored 23 points, while Kya Wetzel added eight in the first game; Dehart also recorded 14 rebounds and four steals, and Wetzel contributed 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
The duo stood out in the championship game, with Wetzel scoring 20 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and Dehart adding 17. Wetzel’s midrange jumper with 25 seconds to go gave UAC a 46-45 lead, and Dehart’s two free throws sealed the win.
Boys basketball
Zane Pacek achieved his first triple-double with a performance of 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 blocks during Erie McDowell’s Marsha Marsh Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday, propelling Knoch to a 67-44 victory over the International Sports Academy.
Teegan Finucan equaled Pacek’s scoring total with 12 points, and Jackson Bauman contributed 10.
Moniteau 44, Cambridge Springs 42 — Ian Ross hit a floater with just four seconds remaining, securing a thrilling victory for the Warriors at the conclusion of the Moniteau Tip-Off Tournament. Connor Ealy led the scoring with 14 points, amassing 12 in the latter half, and he tied the game with a 3-pointer with 25 seconds to go. Brandon Sankey made nine points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
General McLane 61, Slippery Rock 60 — Josh Book exploded for a game-high 35 points to guide the Rockets while also grabbing eight rebounds, but it wasn’t sufficient. Isaac Ziety and Cohen Beachly responded with 25 and 20 points, respectively. Anderson Franco also chipped in 15 points for the Rockets, who led 33-27 at halftime.
Cuyahoga Valley Christian (Ohio) 58, Seneca Valley 49 — Andrew Omasits led his team with 17 points in the Raiders’ defeat at the North Catholic Tip-Off Tournament. Ryan Priester added 12 points.
Archbishop Spaulding (Md.) 79, North Catholic 58 — Jason Frederick registered a team-high 14 points in the Trojans’ loss, finishing the tip-off tournament. Jude Rottmann and Owen Maddalon contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Rottmann and Fredericks both hitting four 3-pointers.
