Greater Latrobe’s Gabe Willochell a ‘funky’ semifinalist

Greater Latrobe coach Mike Ciotti describes Gabe Willochell as “funky.”

Sometimes, he can be a bit too funky.

But not during this postseason, and not during this state tournament.

Willochell, ranked No. 11 at 126 pounds, pinned Downingtown East’s Lukas Richie on Friday afternoon to reach the AAA semifinals. That came on the heels of Thursday’s victories over Ed Scott of DuBois and Connor Quinn of Owen J. Roberts.

“Gabe’s just such a funky guy,” Ciotti said. “He’s always got something. He’s a real position guy, uses his hips well, but he’s super funky. He catches guys off-guard all the time.”

He did that on Thursday night, when he stunned #3 Scott. The DuBois wrestler had a 4-0 lead in the second period when Willochell reversed him and nearly pinned him. The buzzer might have saved Scott, but he was still trailing 5-4, and couldn’t take Willochell down after a third-period escape, as the Latrobe sophomore walked away with a 6-4 victory.

From pigtails to semis

“My first two matches were tough,” Willochell said. “I had two good guys. I just wrestle and then, whatever happens, happens.”

He couldn’t give much more insight into Friday’s victory. He trailed 2-1 in the second period, but came up with a fall from another reversal.

“I just kind of stood up and he broke me down,” Willochell said. “I think he elevated. I don’t really know (how I did it.)”

He also doesn’t put too much concern into who his opponent is.

“No clue,” he said when asked if he knew who he would face in the semifinals.

For the record, it’s second-ranked Chris Wright of Central Dauphin, who is looking for his first PIAA finals appearance after medaling in each of his first three trips to Hershey.

Ciotti certainly isn’t about to bet against Willochell beating Wright as well.

“I think he can definitely be in the finals, for sure,” the coach said. “I think he can punch through. He’s on a roll right now. He started to spark at the sections, did real well at the WPIALs. He’s just keeping it going.”

Movin’ on up

Willochell has been on a roll despite a move that goes against conventional wisdom. He split the regular season between 120 and 126 pounds, but decided to go at the heavier weight for the postseason.

While he might not know their names, his 126-pound opponents certainly get his attention when he steps on the mat.

“Coming up from ’20, to now, it’s a lot bigger guys,” Willochell said. “Looking at them, it’s like ‘Wow, they’re a lot bigger than me.’ ”

No matter the weight, Ciotti said the biggest difference for Willochell is he isn’t putting himself in danger. Too often in the past, his coach said, Willochell tried to go for a big move and ended up on his back.

“He sticks with what he does best on his feet, top and bottom,” Ciotti said. “He stays in better positions, where he’s not giving up those big, five-point moves.”

Now, he’s the one getting those five-point moves – thanks to just the right amount of funkiness.