The Beaver Area wrestling team is pinning fear into the WPIAL this season.
The Bobcats boys team started competition with a tri-meet December 6 against Hopewell and Ambridge. Beaver Area beat Ambridge 54-24, with nine total wins, three falls, and six forfeits in favor of the Bobcats.
The second meet followed shortly after December 13 in another Tri-meet against Freedom Area. This outcome was less favorable as the Bobcats ultimately fell 52-14.
Senior Nick Thompson won by decision, freshman Dylan Ferricks won by technical fall, and sophomore Colton Robinson pinned his opponent.
The first tournament of the season happened over Christmas break for the boys’ team at the Steve DeAugustino Holiday Classic. Over the span of two days, the Bobcats wrestled through various matches and finals to end up in twelfth place as a team with a final score of 35.
Seniors Aaron Miller, Thompson, and sophomore Trenton Reagan all won in the Championship Round 1. Round 2 led to wins for Reagan and junior Ross Goucher-Hacko.
Miller finished the tournament in sixth while Thompson took home fourth. Goucher-Hacko finished in eighth for his weight class.
The MAC wrestling tournament followed shortly after January 6. The Bobcat team took fourteenth place with key wins from Miller, Robinson, and Ferricks solidifying a final score of 26.5. Miller placed fifth in his weight class while Robinson finished in sixth. Junior Emmaleah Cunningham took second in her class for the girls.
The first tri-meet of the new year took place January 10 against Central Valley and Hopewell. Despite multiple wins from the Beaver Area wrestlers, the Bobcats unfortunately fell to both teams: 59-11 to the Vikings and 63-11 to the Warriors.
Miller beat both his Hopewell and Central Valley opponents, securing the win in his weight class by a pin and a technical fall. Ferricks also defeated both of his opponents by pin and technical fall.
The large Burgettstown Invitational was next on the schedule for the Bobcats. January 12 and 13, the boys wrestling team put up 30 points against some of the best teams in the state. Thompson
Three section meets were next for the Bobcat wrestlers, the first being against Beaver County Christian January 16. Despite five wins for the Cats, including a pin by Miller, a technical fall for Ferricks, and a victorious decision for Thompson, the Cats ultimately fell to BCCS 36-26, largely due to the five forfeits that came from the Eagles.
Despite the close loss the day before, the Bobcats were not deterred. The next day Beaver Area once again had a meet against South Side Beaver at a Blackhawk Quad. Ferricks, Goucher-Hacko, Robinson, and sophomore Anthony Kosmal won by forfeit. Thompson and Miller both pinned their opponent. This resulted in a much needed 36-24 win for the Bobcats, giving them momentum heading to the next senior night matchup.
Two seniors were honored at the match January 24: Thompson and Miller. Both wrestlers have been part of the team for all four high school years and contribute greatly to the team. The two seniors were recognized before the meet and were walked out onto the gym mats accompanied by family members.
During the match itself, Beaver Area went against the New Castle Hurricanes.
Despite being the only female wrestler this season, Cunningham has proven time and time again that she is formidable competition for any opponent. Because Cunningham is the only female on the wrestling team, section matches are not a possibility and she can only compete in tournaments.
The first tournament of the season occurred December 9 at the Butler Intermediate School. Pinning her first two opponents in her weight class, Cunningham won her way into the championship quarterfinals. With an impressive start to the season and performance that ended up placing Beaver Area at 21, higher places were destined for her.
December 23, Cunningham competed at the Bishop McCort Girls Open. With 20 other schools competing from around the area, competition was tough. Despite this, Cunningham qualified into the championship semifinals, where she eventually took third place out of all girls in her weight class in a decided match against a Seagertown opponent.
Shortly after the previous tournament, Cunningham competed at the Powerade tournament at Canon-McMillan High School. Wrestlers from 41 high schools competed that day. Cunningham won in three of the five rounds she competed in, winning by pin each time.
The next individual tournament took place January 13 at Mount Lebanon. Cunningham defeated Connelsville, Fox Chapel, and Hickory opponents by pin to secure 16 points and a fourth place finish.
“The season so far has had plenty of ups and downs, but every match has been a great learning experience!” said Cunningham about her season.
The boys wrestling team next takes on ten local teams at the Sharon Duals January 27. Cunningham will continue her season at the WPIAL District 7 Championship