South Side School District

The South Side Wrestling program has been growing leaps and bounds over the past few years. South Side has always had a wrestling program but this year has been their best yet! With seven youth wrestlers punching their ticket to the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling (PJW) State Championship and two, youth wrestlers along with two, high school wrestlers punching their ticket to the Keystone State Championship, South Side is beyond ecstatic for these kids!  Their dedication, discipline, and hard work has officially paid off.  All of the coaches are extremely proud of all of the wrestlers who signed up and tried their very best in the PJW and Keystone state qualifier tournaments.  Within the next three weeks these boys will continue to strive to achieve the goal of climbing to the top of the podium and winning a state title while representing South Side Wrestling.

PJW, AREA IV

Marqwé Hughes (8U-65lbs) This is Marqwé’s first experience at the PJW state qualifier! With his eye on the prize, Hughes began the tournament with a bye his first round. Marqwé met Wyatt Schweitzer (Central Valley) on the mat for his first match and was able to take away a pin during the second period.  This moved Hughes into the semifinals where he battled against Johnathan Marino (Beaver) and won by a 10-5 decision.  Hughes, knowing he is already on his way to PJW States being in the top three of his bracket, took the mat and won by major decision 15-7 against Nolan Spencer (Ambridge) making him Area IV 8U-65lb champion!

Luke LaGard (10U-55lbs) finished in 1^st place at the Area IV, PJW state qualifier on Sunday, February 25 at Burgettstown High School.  After a bye his first round, Luke hit the mat with opponent Mitchell Patton (Peters Township) and came out with a win. With two matches to go for first place, LaGard pinned his last two opponents (Colton Waine, McGuffey & Mason Haught, Canon MacMillian) with short time remaining in each match during the third period. LaGard was the 2023 PJW State Champion (8U-45lb) and is looking for a repeat this year of standing at the top of the podium!

 Caleb Nestor (10U-65lbs) Caleb punched his ticket to PJW states in dramatic fashion. With a bracket of 16 kids, Caleb had an uphill battle. He had been battling recurring strep all wrestling season and came to the Area IV qualifiers finally healthy and focused on the end goal.  His first match was against a Canon MacMillian participant to which Nestor succeeded with a 4-0 decision.  Next up, tough competition from McGuffey where Nestor dominated with a 9-2 win.  Caleb’s third match was a heartbreaking and frustrating 4-5 loss to another Canon MacMillian competitor.  This loss bumped Nestor to the consolation bracket where he knew he’d have to wrestle hard. Caleb pulled off a win for his fourth match with one match remaining for 3^rd and 4^th place.  With conviction in his eyes and confidence on his side, his fifth match ended with a quick pin in 38 seconds! A tremendous effort earned him a 3^rd place at the Area IV qualifiers and a trip to states!  

Knox (Turtle) Eaton (10U-70lbs) Following in his brother’s (Bryce Eaton) footsteps, this is Knox’s third time qualifying for PJW states. Eaton battled through a stacked bracket at Burgettstown High School and ended with a 3^rd place win.  Knox started his day with a bye and was able to pull off a pin in his second match against James White (Beth Center) in the second period.  Eaton went on to beat Chase Layhue (Belle Vernon) with a 7-0 decision.  The semi finals brought some heartache. Eaton lost to Rylan Kidd (McGuffey) placing him in the consolation bracket. This wasn’t going to slow Eaton down! Determined to punch his ticket to states, Eaton came back with a pin against opponent Dalton Fine (Belle Vernon). The final match against Carl Brine (Peters Township) for 3^rd and 4^th place ended with a win for Eaton by tech fall.

Trent Gardner (10U-75lbs) Gardner took 2^nd place as a third year wrestler at the Area IV, PJW state qualifier at Burgettstown High School. Trent started his day with a bye. Moving into his first match, determined and motivated, he pinned opponent W. Rush (Peters Township) in the first period. This placed Gardner into the semi finals to wrestle against M. Greely (Trinity) where Gardner won with a 5-2 decision and securing his spot to states and leading him to battle for 1^st or 2^nd place.  Trent came up short in a hard fight, taking a 2-0 loss against N. Valentin (Canon MacMillian) but still resulting in a strong 2^nd place!  

Anthony Pieto (12U-85lbs) Anthony was fortunate to have a small bracket in his quest to states. Pieto lost his first match to CJ Dreshman (Canon MacMillian). Determined not to lose again, Pieto went into his second match and pinned Eli Seder (Ringgold) in 54 seconds. This is Pieto’s second time qualifying for PJW states.

Bryce Eaton (12U-95lbs) Competing in a 12 man bracket, unseeded, Bryce was able to come out of the Area IV state qualifiers in 3^rd place! Eaton won his first match by pin against opponent Kameron Futato (Beaver) in the first period. His second match ended in a loss against Carter Baker (Burgettstown). Eaton was able to climb up the consolation bracket with a 14-1 win against Colton Ash (Hopewell) followed by a pin against Jace Stevens (Burgettstown). After a hard battle for 3^rd or 4^th place against Grayson Hardcastle (Peters Township), Eaton was able to pull off a pin in the third period! This is Bryce’s third time qualifying for PJW states while being a part of the South Side Youth Wrestling program for the past seven years. 

Keystone State Southwest Qualifier

Maddox Checkan (6U-51lbs)  punched his ticket to the Keystone State Championships with a 4^th place finish in the Southwest Youth Qualifier on March 3^rd. With a bracket of 16 very tough wrestlers, Maddox had to battle to qualify. Checkan came out swinging in his first match with a 16-0 tech fall over Remington Jericho (Ringgold) to start the day off right. Next up, in the quarter finals, Checkan had a revenge match from an earlier season loss in which he dominated Trent Headley with a 14-6 major decision to move on to the semi finals.  Checkan took a 4-0 loss in the semi finals in a tough match against Elijah Bralick (Hempfield) dropping him into the consolation semi finals.  In the ‘do or die’ match to qualify for states, Checkan met a familiar opponent Jerow Hines (Washington). These two battled it out three weeks prior in a match that landed in overtime with a win for Checkan! Rebounding from his loss in the semi finals, Checkan was able to dominate against Hines (Washington) with a 4-2 win, clinching his spot in the Keystone State Tournament! Checkan’s final match of the day, striving for 3^rd or 4^th place, he took a 6-1 loss against J. Van Slyke (Mount Lebanon).  Maddox fought hard for that 4^th place spot and a trip to Keystone State Championships on March 17^th in Reading, PA!

 Luke LaGard (10U-50lbs) This is LaGard’s second time returning to the Keystone State Tournament. He was the 2023 8U-45lbs Keystone State Champion. Moving up an age and weight bracket, LaGard came ready to rumble.  LaGard started his day off with a bye then met E.Ganley (Thomas Jefferson) on the mat for his first match. These two landed themselves in overtime but LaGard was able to pull out a victory with a 4-2 win!  Fighting for 1^st or 2^nd place, LaGard had a quick pin in just 28 seconds against opponent T. Smith (Carlynton).  LaGard has his eye on the prize in search of his second state title. He is all aboard the state train and is coming ready to battle some hammers in Reading, PA!

Ryder Goe (15&16- 145lbs) Ryder started his bracket at the Keystone qualifier with a dominant 18-3 tech fall in the quarter finals over Victor Morrissey (Shaler). The semi finals match was much closer with Goe coming out on top with a 4-3 win over Peter Leventis (South Fayette). Goe lost 5-3 in the finals with a tough match against opponent Derek Worstell (Upper St. Clair). Goe punched his ticket to states and will compete in the Keystone State Championships in Reading, PA!

Slayton Williams (15&16- 195lbs) Slayton jumped to the semi finals with a quick fall (0:45) in the quarter finals over Zakariyaa Lahijuddin (Penn Hills). He then advanced himself to the finals with a 9-4 victory over Aiden Williams (Trinity). Slayton secured a 1^st place finish at the Keystone qualifiers  with a 9-3 win against Joshua Silnutzer (Kiski). He is off to Keystone State Championships at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA!