WCCA Tournament Features 7 Nationally Ranked Wrestlers
Seven wrestlers will enter the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Tournament with a National Ranking on Friday. In true Pennsylvania Wrestling fashion several of those Nationally ranked wrestlers will likely meet in the 62nd Annual Tournament held at Franklin Regional High School.
Two of the biggest names in Westmoreland County, the State and Nation will be out of the line-up with Franklin Regional Panthers Spencer Lee and Gus Solomon still resting injuries. A pair of Greater Latrobe Wildcats are seeded number one with #3 Ethan McCoy at 126 lbs. and #1 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) at 138 lbs. Senior Luke Pletcher will be in search of his fourth WCCA Championship and for the second week in a row he will likely meet his friend and training partner Micky Phillippi (Derry Area). The two enter ranked #1 and #3 in the Nation at 138 lbs. by both Flo and Intermat. Last week in the POWERade Finals Pletcher secured a (3-1) decision over the 2x PIAA State Champion. It was the second time the two faced each other on the season with Luke winning in UTB during the Derry vs. Latrobe dual meet two weeks ago.
At 145 lbs. the State’s top two ranked wrestlers are again on a collision course. This time however #1 Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford) is ranked #1 in the State after winning the POWERade at 145 lbs. while #2 Jarod Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area) finished fourth. There is a wrestler at 145 lbs. who hopes to deny the meeting between Coy and Verkleeren and that is Kiski Prep junior Eric Hong. The Oakmont, PA native and former 5x PJW State Champion is making the drop from 152 lbs. where he was a Beast of The East Champion and ranked #5/#6 in the Nation by Intermat/Flo. Hong is the third seed which sets up a likely dynamite semifinal with Verkleeren.
Southemoreland senior #1 Jake Beistel, ranked #10 in the Nation by Intermat, has been realativly untested this season and is the top seed at heavyweight. His teammate #1 Tyler Griffiths is the top ranked wrestler in Class AA at 120 lbs. and the undefeated sophomore is the WCCA number one seed. Brackets (subject to change) can be found below!
# Rankings: Intermat – Flo – PA Power Wrestling
126 lbs. #6 – NR – #3 Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe)
138 lbs. #1 – #1 – #1 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe)
138 lbs. #3 – #3 – #1 Micky Phillippi (Derry Area)
145 lbs. #2 – #2 – #1 Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford)
145 lbs. #8 – #5 – #2 Jarod Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area)
145 lbs. #5 – #6 – NR (at 152 lbs.) Eric Hong (Kiski Prep)
285 lbs. #10 – NR – #1 Jake Beistel (Southmoreland)
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