Central Catholic senior Nezumiiro Green and Moon senior Cael Yanek etched their names into Allegheny County wrestling history Saturday at Fox Chapel High School.
They became the 13th and 14th three-time champions in the 24 years of the tournament.
Quaker Valley senior Bruce Anderchak was hoping to join them, but he dropped a 2-1 tiebreaker decision to Elizabeth Forward sophomore Preston Bubash.
Yanek, a four-time finalist, defeated North Allegheny senior Gus Stedeford, 12-6, in the 133-pound final.
He earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award.
“It is awesome to be in the final four times,” Yanek said. “I have wrestled Gus a bunch of times, and he’s a good wrestler. It is always fun.”
Yanek is 5-0 during his career against Stedeford.
“There was a little bit more pressure on me since we were battling North Allegheny for the team title. I just wanted to secure the win, and I did. It is great to be a three-time champion. Now I can focus on getting on the podium and states.”
Yanek defeated Stedeford, 20-5, at the Chartiers Houston Invitational in early December.
Green defeated sophomore Musabek Sadyrbekov, 12-7, at 189 for his third gold medal.
Green did not secure the win until a late takedown.
“It feels great to be a three-time champion,” Green said. “That kid was good. He had a good ankle pick, but his defense was lacking. It was easy to score.”
Zach LaBryer was the second Thomas Jefferson wrestler to win a gold medal. He dominated Moon junior Liam Costa, 9-1, at 172.
LaBryer overpowered Costa and did not allow him to get to his attack.
Moon junior Khalil Razipour used a takedown with 2 seconds left to defeat North Hills sophomore Cameron Healey, 4-1, in the 215 class.
He was the third Moon wrestler to win the title. He joined Yanek and junior Bryce Thomas.
The team title became a battle between North Allegheny and Moon.
The lead went back-and-forth in the finals with North Allegheny edging Moon, 262.5 to 260.5, on a pin by senior heavyweight Bradyn McConneha.
The top-ranked heavyweight in the WPIAL by Trib HSSN Live and the state by Pa-Wrestling pinned Plum senior Frank Grazulis in the second period.
Bubash denied Anderchak a third county title with a 2-1 tiebreaker (2) win.
Bubash escaped from Anderchak with 5 seconds left in his ride out session.
“I have wrestled Bruce a couple of times, and the matches are always close,” Bubash said. “It is always low scoring. The key was saying in good position.”
Thomas majored North Allegheny sophomore Joey Synan, 8-1, at 107.
Thomas Jefferson junior Zach Rehak used two three-point takedown to defeat Baldwin freshman Shamil Islamov, 7-1, the 114-pound final. Rehak placed third last year and sixth as a freshman.
Mt. Lebanon junior Evan Sala claimed his second title with an impressive 9-3 victory against West Mifflin sophomore Lashawn Haley at 127.
Haley took a quick 3-0 lead with a takedown, but Sala used a pair of reversals to grab a 4-3 lead in the second period and secured the with near-fall points and a takedown.
North Allegheny senior Griffin Reid claimed the 152-pound title and a 7-2 victory against Plum senior Owen Campbell, denying Campbell his second title.
Reid used takedowns in the first and third periods to secure the victory.
Campbell reached the finals for the fourth consecutive year after receiving a forfeit win in the semifinals. His scheduled opponent, Rook Smith of Montour, pulled out because of an injury.
Others to win wrestlers to win titles were Bethel Park junior Ian Buchell at 145 pounds and South Fayette senior Peter Levintis at 139.
Buchell blanked Fox Chapel senior Adam Haines, 10-0, and Levintis defeated Gateway junior Braden Washington, 8-0.
Mt. Lebanon senior Cole Gibbons used a quick takedown and rolled to a 10-2 major decision win against Quaker Valley senior Matthew Danna, 10-2, at 160. He received a Sportsmanship Award, and McConneha earned the award for most points in the least amount of time.