Burrell Champs

Burrell wrestlers went above and beyond this season as they commandeered the AA WPIAL Team Championship crown in late January, then pinned their way into the PIAA State Tournaments. "I knew we had a lot of promise; the team put in a lot of hard work. We had 11 guys back…" said Coach Chris Como, "but to make the run for States and win the WPIAL - that exceeded my expectations."

The Buc wrestlers systematically plowed through their opponents during the regular season, racking up nine wins and two losses, including one nail-biting, down-to-the-wire heartbreaker of a loss to a quad-AA powerhouse. In the AA WPIAL team playoffs, they dismantled Freedom, Derry Area, and Southside Beaver decisively to win the WPIAL championship. Advancing to the PIAA state tournament in Hershey, PA to face the best of the best, the Buc warriors proved they could run with the pack.

Burrell took control of the first-round match convincingly and never looked back, manhandling their opponent, Lake Lehman. The first seven Buc wrestlers blasted right out of the gate, winning their matches commandingly, setting the tone for the entire match. Burrell fans loved it, their shouts drowning out fans from other schools. Painted faces of Buccaneer Blue filled the #1 mat end of Giant Center in Hershey; Burrell may have had the largest crowd there.

The first seven - Jon Keller, Chris Taueetia, Devon Maloney, Ron Barr, Zach Pisano, Damian Majocha and Derek Maloney - tied things up for the Bucs. Later, Jason Makara's match became the deciding factor to put Burrell over the edge to win and left Lake Lehman behind any point of return. Clayton Homa and Zak Jenniches each added victories to wrap up the Bucs' 48-24 win in the quarterfinals.

The Bucs smacked up against Erie's' Ft. LeBoeuf in the semifinals the next day. They traded blows with the number-one ranked Bisons showing they could play with anybody in the league. But in the end, after pulling away from a seesaw, neck-and-neck horserace, Ft. LeBoeuf closed Burrell's season with a 38-23 victory over the Bucs. Burrell finished 13-3 for the year, standing out as one of Pennsylvania's four best AA wrestling programs.

The squad will lose only two senior standouts, Zach Jenniches and Jon Keller, to graduation, returning a strong team to the mat next year. Coach Como is proud of the entire squad, "…of the accomplishments they've reached and the way they reached them. I really care about those guys. How they carried themselves showed true character through the season; because of that they really make me proud as a coach."

The head coach credited several people with contribution to Burrell's success this year, including his coaching staff: Isaac Greeley, Donny Henderson, Jared Shields and Joe Makara, as well as "the boosters, all the parents and families of all the wrestlers poured out undying support throughout all [the wrestlers'] careers," Como said, noting the continuous investment made by families over many years. The Burrell region also benefits from a strong junior wrestling program.

The culmination of all this effort into the lives of these Burrell wrestlers should take them above and beyond for years to come. You'd better call Hershey for reservations for next year. More from Coach Como and Burrell's wrestlers in AK Sports at alle-kiskitoday.com