Burrell's wrestling team appears to have something special in its sophomore class, and the Bucs have added national credentials to back that claim.
Dave Makara slogged through a challenging weight class to capture the 125-pound title at the fourth annual High School Sophomore National Championships last weekend in Virginia Beach.
Meanwhile, Brian Beattie captured second place in the 215 class, and Travis McKillop marched on a long road through the consolation bracket to finish third at 135 pounds.
The prestigious tournament organized by the National High School Coaches Association was an open event and featured some of the top wrestlers from 47 states. There were 59 competitors in Makara's bracket alone.
National tournaments for seniors, juniors, freshmen and middle and elementary school wrestlers were held at the same time at the gigantic Virginia Beach Convention Center.
"This means a lot to be the best sophomore in the country at my weight," said Makara, who finished seventh at the Pennsylvania Class AA championships in early March. "It does show I've been working hard. If I work hard enough, I can do anything."
Makara won six bouts to claim his national championship.
He opened the tournament by pinning Missouri's Bret Beckman in 1:06 and New York's Dean Schmuely in 1:48 and defeating New Jersey's Drew Wagenhoffer, 4-2.
In the quarterfinals, he slipped by Colorado's Travis Himmelman, 6-4, in overtime. He followed with a 3-2 win over North Carolina's Tom Puckett in the semifinals.
In the title bout, Makara defeated Illinois' Edwin Cooper, 10-6.
Beattie, who placed third in Pennsylvania, won his first four bouts at nationals before losing to Colorado's Connor Medberry, 15-0, in the final.
Beattie was impressed by how many Division I college coaches attended the various tournaments to scout for potential recruits. He pointed out that he got to rub shoulders with Iowa State graduate and current head coach Cael Sanderson, who won four NCAA Division I championships as a wrestler.
"One of the main reasons I went is because I'm looking to go to a good Division I program," Beattie said.
McKillop, who took fifth in Pennsylvania, lost his first bout at nationals but rebounded to win eight in a row in the consolation bracket to take third place. He ended his incredible comeback by edging Indiana's Eric Roach, 1-0.
"I wasn't expecting to lose my first match," McKillop said. "I went out there (on the mat), and it happened. I just threw it out the door and moved on. I knew the best I could do was third, and that's what I wanted."
