It was a big day for Burrell senior Cam Baker, Derry junior Mason Horwat and the Norwin wrestling program.
Baker and Horwat became the 49th and 50th three-time champions at the 73rd Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association wrestling tournament Saturday at Greensburg Salem High School.
Horwat, one of three Trojans to win titles, has put himself in position to become the 15th four-time winner. He defeated Franklin Regional junior Ethan Cartwright, 15-0.
“Now I can look forward at possibly being a four-time champion,” Horwat said. “I thought I wrestled well except for my semifinal match. Now I can focus on the rest of the season.”
Baker also breezed to his win. He defeated Penn-Trafford junior Luke DeSantis, 21-5.
“It means a lot to be a three-time champion,” Baker said. “There is a lot of great history here. It was neat to do it in front of friends and family.”
Baker finished second to Derry’s Anthony Mucci in 2025.
It also was a special day for Norwin junior Landon Sidun. He won his first county title, which was his 100th victory of his career, and helped the Knights to their first team title since 1975. That gives the program 10 county titles.
The team finished with 231 points.
“Winning the title was pretty cool, but I was more concerned on what we did on the mat,” Norwin coach Kyle Martin said. “Their attitude and their approach. I want to see if we showed some of the grit I was looking for.”
Along with Sidun, the Knights had two other champions: Dom Butera at 133 and Jack White at 160.
Sidun said he was happy to finally get a chance to wrestle in front of family, friends and people who usually do not see him compete. He defeated Penn-Trafford senior Dylan Barrett for the second time this week, 21-6. He used his quickness to overpower Barrett.
“I do not like to fool around on the mat,” Sidun said. “I like to fire away. I like to entertain the crowd.”
Franklin Regional also had three champions: Chase Smith (139), Max Firestine (145) and Mikey Ruane (152). The Panthers finished second with 209.
Firestine needed a last-second escape to send the match into overtime, and then got a takedown to defeat Norwin’s Ethan Cartwright, 4-1.
Derry finished third with 188 points and three champions. Freshmen Mason Keesecker (107) and Patrick Bulger (114) joined Horwat at the top of podium.
Kiski Area sophomore Mario Hutcherson won his second county title and denied Latrobe junior Hunter Snyder his second with a 4-3 win at 189.
The match of the night featured the top two 215-pound wrestlers in the state: No. 1 Elijah Brown of Belle Vernon and No. 2 Cooper Roscosky of Kiski Area.
Brown, the returning county and PIAA champion, defeated Roscosky, 10-0. Brown defeated Roscosky, 4-3, in the PIAA finals.
“I sent a message to the wrestlers in the state,” Brown said. “I have been working on my conditioning since the start of the season, and I am starting to feel good.”
Brown had a loss early in the season, and it was because of conditioning. He could not work out this summer after having surgery.
The other winner was Greensburg Salem heavyweight David Peters, who defeated Southmoreland’s Kaden Shannon, 4-1.
In the girls tournament, Burrell’s Carmen Bires and Greensburg Salem’s Sade Sarver became two-time champions.
Valley’s Wynter Blair and Zainaya Jones collected pins in winning the 100- and 106-pound weight class.
Blair defeated returning champion Gabriella Roman of Latrobe, and Jones beat teammate Zariyia Rucker-Felton.
Valley was the team champion, and Franklin Regional placed second.