POWERade tournament continues
By Bruce Wald
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 25, 2005

It is Christmas morning, but the real holiday treat for area wrestling fans will take place Thursday and Friday. The 39th Annual POWERade Wrestling Tournament will consist of a record 39 teams and for the third straight year, this nationally respected scholastic tournament will take place at Canon-McMillan High School Thursday and Friday.

The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday and the first day of wrestling will conclude with the quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. The second day will begin with the fourth consolation round at 9:30 a.m., followed by the semifinals and fifth consolation rounds at 11:30 a.m. The consolation finals are scheduled for 5 p.m. and the tourney will conclude with the championship finals at 7:30 p.m.

A junior varsity POWERade tournament will take place on Wednesday beginning at 1 p.m. at the same venue.

A total of 28 varsity scholastic wrestling teams from Pennsylvania will compete, and they include Albert Gallatin, Avonworth, Burrell, Canon-McMillan, defending WPIAL and state champion Connellsville, Cedar Cliff (District 3), Central Dauphin (District 3), Chartiers-Houston, Chartiers Valley, Derry, DuBois (District 9), Ft. LeBoeuf (District 10), Fox Chapel, Gateway, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, McGuffey, Mt. Pleasant, North Star (District 5), Pennridge (District 1), Penn-Trafford, Pine-Richland, Pius X (District 11), Shaler, State College (District 6), Trinity, Waynesburg and West Greene.

Making the farthest journey in quest of POWERade gold will be Lake Stevens High School from the state of Washington. Representing the state of Ohio will be Moeller, Shaker Heights, Solon and Walsh Jesuit high schools. Virginia will send a trio of returning schools -- Christiansburg, Cox and Colonial Forge -- while Canandaigua High School from New York will be a newcomer. Two other returning out-of-state schools include 2004 team champion Mt. St. Joseph of Maryland, and Parkersburg High School from West Virginia, which placed fourth a year ago. Mt. St. Joseph became only the 16th different school in 38 years to win the tournament last December.

Connellsville was second in the 2004 team standings, while Christiansburg was third. Last year's top four team finishers all return and are all from different states. Connellsville and Christiansburg in Virginia both won team state titles in 2005.

"The newly renovated gymnasium facility at Canon-McMillan has enabled us to expand," said POWERade Tournament Director Frank Vulcano Jr., a 1980 champion at 185 pounds. "Obviously, we are very proud of the tournament and this year looks to be one of our most competitive. Over the years there have always been some intriguing upsets and I would not be surprised if that trend continued this year. There will be a lot of quality wrestlers going for gold medals." Vulcano's father, Frank Vulcano, Sr., started the tournament in 1967.

Overall, the 2005 tourney field will feature seven returning champions, seven tourney finalists, and 52 medal-winners from a year ago.

Defending champions include Colin Johnston, Canon-McMillan, 103; Andrew Pilla, Christiansburg, Va., 119; Mark Tsikerdanos, Mt. St. Joseph, Md., 130; Donnie Ament, Mt. Pleasant, 145; David Rella, Walsh Jesuit, Ohio, 152; Mack Lownes, Mt. St. Joseph, 160; and Ryan Tomer, Penn-Trafford, 275. Rella was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2004 tourney. Ament went 49-3 overall a year ago and also won the 145-pound Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAA championship last March in Hershey.

There also are seven returning runner-up finishers from a year ago, including Connellsville's Ashton Primus, who won the 135-pound PIAA Class AAA individual title. He was 45-6 overall in 2004-05.

Overall, 52 place winners return this year. State tournament qualifiers from a year ago who will compete this week include 43 from Pennsylvania, 17 from Virginia and 16 from Ohio.

Ron Garrison, of Wrestling Report, who rates tournaments on a national basis, has the POWERade as fifth in the entire country for scholastic competition, and first for Pennsylvania, in both the WPIAL and state regular season tournaments. A wrestling historian, Garrison is the founder of the Brotherhood of Wrestling, a Pittsburgh Classic Committee member as well as belonging to numerous committees across the state. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

For more information, contact Vulcano, who is also the athletic director at Elizabeth Forward High School, at 412-896-2345 or 412-298-5247 or view the POWERade Web site at www.wrestlingreport.com/POWERade.