Two Penn-Trafford wrestlers began the season on a high note.
Junior Dylan Barrett and sophomore Sidney Hand claimed titles at the Hickory Invitational on Dec. 7 in Hermitage.
Barrett won the 121-pound title by defeating Hickory’s Elijah Scriven by technical fall, 17-1 (4:12). Barrett (5-0) won four bouts, a pin and three by technical fall.
He also helped the Warriors (1-0) defeat Plum in a Section 9-3A opener.
Hand (5-0) took the 145-pound title with a 14-6 victory against Hickory’s Mike Reardon. He had five bouts, including two falls.
The Warriors ended up fourth in the tournament with 202 points. They followed Hickory (263.5), Latrobe (242.5) and St. Mary’s (202.5).
The Warriors had 10 placewinners.
Senior Tasso Whipple placed second at 189 pounds, falling to Latrobe sophomore Hunter Snyder, 10-2.
Sophomore Ben Grabowski placed third at 215, and junior Logan Matrisch finished fourth at 172. Junior Jake Lang was fifth at 139, junior Cael Ott was sixth at 160, sophomore Luke DeSantis was seventh at 127, senor Logan Ventura seventh at 133 and freshman Gino Pecora eighth at 152.
Pecora (145), Ott (160) and Whipple (189) had pins against Plum. Barrett (121) won by forfeit, DeSantis (127) by technical fall and Grabowski (215) by major decision.
The Warriors competed in the Kiski Area Duals on Dec. 14 and head to North Allegheny on Dec. 20 for a nonsection match.
Cathedral Prep edges P-T hockey
Penn-Trafford (9-2-0-1) dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Cathedral Prep in PIHL Class 2A action Dec. 9.
The winning goal, by Henry Fritts, came in the sixth round of a shootout. It was the only goal of the shootout.
The Warriors trailed 2-1 after two periods before Gavin Patterson tied the score 2-2 midway through the third period. Ben Zierski and goalie Tyler Funk had assists.
Drew Hall gave Penn-Trafford a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first period. Zierski and Marco Ferraccio had the assists.
Funk stopped 28 of 30 shots.
The Warriors’ next game is Dec. 23 against Norwin at Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont.