PIAA wrestlers grapple with downtime

For many wrestlers, the PIAA championships might best be described as six minutes of intense effort followed by hours of sitting around.

Thinking about their next match.

Over-analyzing.

Getting nervous.

The state wrestling championships, which will be held today through Saturday at the 10,500-seat Giant Center in Hershey, present daunting matchups on the mat as well as the mental challenge of large amounts of downtime.

Those who stay in the winners brackets of the Class AAA and AA tournaments only wrestle once or twice each day. Many probably would vote to complete the tournament in a single day, if they could.

"There were a lot of nerves," said Burrell's Joe Makara, who became the first local wrestler to capture multiple state championships when he won Class AA gold in 2002 and '03. "When I finally won it as a junior, I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. In my senior year, there was a lot more joking around and having fun."

Makara now serves as a volunteer assistant coach for Burrell, which qualified a local-high six wrestlers for the state championships this year. Sending a large contingent to states could help the Bucs stay loose, according to Makara.

"With six guys going this year, I'm sure they'll be running around, having fun," Makara said.

To release mental pressure, wrestlers spend their spare time at states in various ways.

At the arena, they can cheer for their teammates from the stands. After they're done wrestling, they can grab a bite to eat. However, they must keep an eye on their weight because weigh-ins are held each day, and competitors have been disqualified in the past.

Wrestlers often retreat to their hotels to relax by watching television or playing video games.

They also study film of upcoming opponents and plan strategy. If film isn't available, it's not hard to find clips of many of the state's top wrestlers on the Internet.

New Kensington resident Dane Johnson, a Shady Side Academy graduate and redshirt freshman at Pitt, leads all local wrestlers with three state championships.

"I did have a lot of downtime when I was out there," Johnson said. "Sometimes, I'd watch film. I was a little nervous, but it was exciting looking forward to my next match. I always liked the (Class AA) semifinals on Friday night. That was the match I always looked forward to the most. That got you into the finals. It always seemed to be my toughest match."

Kiski Area coach Chuck Tursky warns against overloading a wrestler with too much information and advice.

"If you start telling kids a whole bunch of things, I don't think that's beneficial," Tursky said. "All the kids at states do one or two things exceptional. If you dwell on everything an opponent does, you're not going to do what you do well."

Kiski Area, a perennial power, is one of the few local schools that hasn't produced a state champion. The Cavaliers have had four runners-up, including Doug Joseph, who later won an NCAA Division II national championship for Gannon, and Scott McKillop, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2009.

"When we made it to the state finals, our kids lost to some exceptional guys," Tursky said.

Illustrating how difficult it is to win a PIAA title, several outstanding local wrestlers finished second in the state before going on to compete at a Division I college. They include Burrell's Shane Welsh (Lehigh), Plum's Sean Clair (Eastern Michigan), and Valley's Logan Downes (Clarion before transferring to Division II Seton Hill).

Burrell coach Ryan Yates (Edinboro) was a state runner-up in 1999.

Burrell crowned five Southwest Regional champions last weekend, but the ultimate goal for every wrestler is a state title.

"Hopefully, we can come out on top this week," Yates said.

Additional Information:

Local state champions

Here's the list of local state wrestling champions, with their weight class and the year:

CLASS AA

• Burrell: Joel DesLauriers (145 pounds, 1997); Joe Makara (119, 2002; 125, '03); Jordan Shields (130, 2007)

• Shady Side Academy: Dane Johnson, New Kensington resident (112, 2007; 125, '08; 140, '09)

CLASS AAA

• Fox Chapel: Leo Wisniewski (275, 1978)

• Highlands: Bill Spencer (103, 2003)

• Kittanning: Chamie Hooks (140, 1995)

• Plum: Steve Cassidy (140, 1990); Brian Cipollone (152, 1991); Bill Closson (275, 1993); Matt Cassidy (189, 2002).

• Valley: Dave Brown (167, 1985)