After the last match of the varsity wrestling team’s duel with the Trinity Hillers in the semifinals of the WPIAL Team Tournament on Feb. 3 at AHN Arena in Peters Township High School, the score was tied 26-26.

So, the officials had to turn to the rulebook to determine the winner, and it turned out that because the Hillers had won more matches, 7 out of 13, they were declared the victors, thus sending the Hawks into the third-place consolation finals match.

Because of the random draw of weight classes, the match started at 121 pounds with Colton Fisher and ended at 114 pounds with Pierce Reinhart.

To better match up with the Hillers, the Hawks did some shuffling of their wrestlers, bumping several up a weight class.

The match was back and forth in the early stages of the contest with Trinity and Bethel Park exchanging leads. However, the Hawks found themselves in a hole down 23-11 after 189 pounds.

Then, back-to-back pins from Ryan Walsh (215 pounds) and Landon Hartman (285 pounds) tied the match at 23. Then a decision at 107 pounds by Jaden Palombine gave the Hawks the 26-23 advantage heading into the last bout.

Also picking up wins for the Hawks were Seth Miller (127 pounds), Mason Kernan (139 pounds) and Ethan Higgins (152 pounds).

The third-place match between the Hawks and the Franklin Regional Panthers had a very similar feel and also was decided by one point.

Despite having won more matches than the Panthers, 7-6, the Panthers were able to pick up multiple bonus points in individual matches which gave them the advantage.

The Hawks were down 25-20 with just three matches to go, but in the end, they weren’t able to erase the deficit, coming up just one point shy.

Picking up wins for the Hawks in the match were Mason Kernan (133 pounds), Aden Stout (139 pounds), Ethan Higgins (152 pounds), Cordan McDonnell (160 pounds), Ryan Walsh (189 pounds), Jaden Palombine (107 pounds), and Colton Fisher (121 pounds).

Unfortunately, the WPIAL only sends the top three teams in AAA to the PIAA Playoffs. On the bright side, the Hawks contended with the top teams in the WPIAL and showed their mettle and grit, coming up just short.

Click here to see a gallery of images from the day. Photos courtesy of Ally Wolling.

The Hawks aren’t done yet. They travel to Thomas Jefferson on Wednesday to face the Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. Following that, they travel to Pine-Richland on Saturday to wrestle in a dual tournament there where they will face even more stiff competition.

They close out their dual season on Monday, Feb. 12 at home against Butler.

The individual portion of the season begins Saturday, Feb. 24 at South Fayette where they will wrestle in the AAA South Section Tournament.