Shaler sophomore wrestler Anthony Jones is in an ideal position for a wrestler competing in the lightest weight class. Jones wasn’t focused on figuring out how to cut weight to get down to 107 pounds in the offseason.
Instead, Jones spent the offseason worrying about adding weight.
“He has a lot of experience,” Shaler wrestling coach Drew D’Agostino said. “He put on some muscle during the summer. He’s a kid that does a lot of club wrestling to get better. I think he’s growing and was a little underweight at 107 pounds last year. Having those couple extra pounds will help.”
The Titans hope to be stronger up and down the lineup this season. Jones is Shaler’s returning leader in wins, finishing 30-8 during his freshman season. Jones placed seventh at WPIALs and was second in the section.
D’Agostino hopes Jones can be a potential state qualifier.
At the other end of the lineup, junior Vito Barravecchio is a returning heavyweight who finished 29-12 last season.
Shaler has only two seniors on the roster this season: Alex Weber (160 pounds) and Malik Maughan (172 pounds). D’Agostino said juniors Zach Ehrenberger and Trevor Cignetti are team leaders who help provide an anchor in the upper weights.
“We’re hoping to get 10-plus wins,” D’Agostino said. “We are hoping to be in the hunt for our sub-section. We would like to take a couple guys to regionals and think we have a few guys who can compete to go to states this year.”
Jonah Cable qualified for WPIALs last season at 127 pounds, while Braylon Ronel finished in sixth place in the section.
Shaler finished 8-8 in dual meets last season. The Titans were scheduled to open their schedule at the Chartiers-Houston Invitational on Dec. 6. The Titans will also challenge themselves by heading to the King of the Mountain Tournament right before Christmas.
Shaler will be in sub-section 6-3A along with Central Catholic, North Hills and Penn Hills.
D’Agostino said Shaler will have a strong group. The Titans have several freshmen who participated in a state tournament at the middle school level who will now be bumping up to varsity.
“I have some good freshmen coming in,” D’Agostino said, citing Cole Tunstall (121/27), Weston Emmons (139/45) and Liam Jones (152/60).