BP Wrestling Squad Falls to Lebo 33-32 in a Tragic Loss

Grant Conroy, Sports Editor

January 18, 2013

In a match where the Hawks were in a “basically” do-or-die situation for their position in the WPIAL Section Playoffs, they unfortunately came up short against the Mount Lebanon Blue Devils this past Wednesday, suffering a painful loss by just one point.

One point in a wrestling match could be the difference of a wrestler getting a pin-fall versus a technical fall or a major decision versus a regular decision. One pin here, one major decision there, and the match can be decided regardless of how well a team wrestles.

The two teams matched up well with either team having a fair shot of coming out victorious. The two teams were tied, respectively, for the second place spot in their section, and the winner would be the team to claim their second spot position going forward. But the real reason second place was so crucial for each team’s season was that the team that finishes in third place in the section falls into a position in the WPIAL Team bracket that eventually feeds into wrestling the Canon Mac Big Macs, the 3X Defending WPIAL Champions, who currently have the best record in the WPIAL.

Now, although it was unfortunate that the Hawks were forced to forfeit the 113 lb. weight class, the match against the Blue Devils as a whole was left with many “buts” and “what ifs”, with any wrestler being at blame for the one-point loss.

Left with the heavyweight bouts to finish the match, the Hawks strategically bumped up senior Nate Grygo to wrestle the 220 lb. weight class and gave junior Sam Gercak the opportunity to wrestle heavyweight.

As a result of Grygo’s pin at 220, the Hawks had a 32-30 lead heading into the final match of the night and were in a position where they only needed a regular decision to secure a victory.

Outmatched and wrestling a man almost 60 lbs. heavier, Gercak could not hold on, and he gave up a takedown in the second period that was the deciding factor.

During this match, you could hear the Mount Lebanon coach screaming, “HIT HIM WITH A FREIGHT TRAIN!”.

Despite the loss, the Hawks still qualify for the WPIAL Section Team Playoffs, but they are in the third place position. They will wrestle Ringgold at Ringgold High School on Wednesday, January 23rd, beginning at 7:00 PM.

About the Contributor

Grant Conroy, Staff/Sports Writer

This is Grant Conroy, a junior at Bethel Park High School who is new to the Hawk Eye staff. This is his first year writing for the newspaper and he is already taking the online writing world by storm. He is an experienced writer due to his previous years spent in honors and advanced English classes. Grant enjoys writing primarily about sports topics and controversies, but he has a wide variety of areas in which he excels as well. While in college, he plans to utilize his 4.2 GPA to major in Journalism/Writing at the university of his choice. A few colleges that he is considering are Northwestern University, Boston University, and the University of Vermont. Outside of the classroom, Grant is a dedicated and hardworking member of the Wrestling team, Yearbook, PACS, and of course, the Hawk Eye. Additional hobbies of his include snowboarding at various mountain resorts, playing with his dog Rosie, and living life like there's no tomorrow. He plans to continue writing for the Hawk Eye during his senior year of High School.