Pomykata, Volk-Klos join PIAA wrestling tourney

March 07, 2022 Last Updated: March 07, 2022 10:56 AM High School

Butler senior heavyweight Jake Pomykata placed fourth at the WPIAL Class 3A Wrestling Championships Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School, earning himself a berth in the state tournament. Christine Palloni/Special to the Eagle

CANONSBURG — From fighting for the finals to fighting for your season.

Butler heavyweight Jake Pomykata and Seneca Valley 215-pounder Liam Volk-Klos experienced that scenario during the WPIAL Class 3A Wrestling Championships Saturday at Canon-McMillan High School.

Both survived and earned berths in this weekend’s state tournament in Hershey.

Pomykata dropped a 6-3 decision in the semifinal round while Volk-Klos took his first loss of the season, getting pinned with one second left in the second period of his semifinal bout. Those losses threw both wrestlers into fourth-round consolation bouts.

“That’s a tough turnaround mentally,” SV Coach Kevin Wildrick said. “One minute, you’re thinking about wrestling for a WPIAL championship. The next, you’re dropped down into consolations and have to face a kid who’s coming back up, having already won consolation matches.”

A loss in the fourth-round of consolations ends the wrestler’s season. A win clinches a berth in the consolation finals — and the PIAA Tournament. The top four wrestlers in each weight class move on to the state competition.

Neither Pomykata nor Volk-Klos had any problem getting there.

Volk-Klos dominated Chartier’s Valley’s Joshua Sarasnick, winning by a 10-2 decision. Pomykata had to get through Pine-Richland’s Joey Schneck, who pinned him in the section finals.

Pomykata got revenge, putting Schneck’s shoulders to the mat just 20 seconds into the second period.

“Jake pulled off a swim move to the back of his (Schneck’s) head,” Butler coach Scott Stoner said. “You just don’t see heavyweights do that move. That was very unexpected, very reactionary.

“I’m thrilled for Jake. He’s one of the most complete individuals I’ve ever coached. He plays football. He plays in the band. He carries a 4.4 grade point average and will be going to Johns Hopkins. He’s on my Wall of Fame for the rest of my life.”

Pomykata (28-7) said his goal was to find a way to get to the state tourney.

“Only the best in the state go there and I wanted to be among the elite,” he said. “I had to learn from my last match against (Schneck). I beat him earlier in the season before that match. I knew if I could take him down, he’d pick his head up and that swim move would be a way I could get him.

“I didn’t land the cradle, but I got enough of it.”

Volk-Klos (22-2) had no trouble getting back up for his bout with Sarasnick.

“Wrestling doesn’t define my life, so I never tighten up or anything” Volk-Klos said. “The blood round is always tough, but I knew what I had to do. I was able to take control early.”

Volk-Klos had an 8-0 lead in the first period. His state qualification continues a journey he’s been on since having surgery on a torn meniscus in late September.

“The knee still didn’t feel right in December. It was taking longer than I thought to heal and I was beginning to get worried,” Volk-Klos said. “But it came around. I was always confident I would get to this point.”

Wildrick said Volk-Klos “felt like he was the better wrestler going into that match. There was never any apprehension there, just total confidence.”

Raiders 106-pounder Connor Smith saw his season end in heartbreaking fashion during his fourth-round consolation bout with Franklin Regional’s Tyler Kapusta. Smith (30-7) had a 3-1 lead before being taken down to the mat with 22 seconds left. He wound up losing a 6-3 decision on back points.

Butler 145-pounder Levi Donnel dropped a 7-3 decision to nemesis Ty Watters of West Allegheny — his third loss to Watters this season — in the semifinals. Donnel’s stellar season ended at 32-5 when he was pinned by Highlands’ Jrake Burford 53 seconds into their fourth-round consolation match.

“That was a tough one,” Stoner said. “Levi just got in a little too deep and the kid chin-lifted him. Levi had never wrestled him before. It’s just something her’ll have to learn from.”

Mars senior Christian Scheller has been wrestling with a torn ACL this season. He injured his other knee while wrestling Friday night.

Planets coach Bob Jox wasn’t sure if Scheller would even physically return to the tournament Saturday.

“He got up Saturday and could barely walk,” Jox said. “We’re not even sure how bad that knee is. We’ll find out in a week or two. We got him to the gym, he got taped up and was able to go.

“Christian battled his way to a couple of wins today (pin in 3:46 and a 9-1 decision). I don’t even know how he did it. The courage he showed was incredible. I’ll never forget it.”

Scheller (23-5) was pinned in 2:08 by Belle Vernon’s Logan Hoffman in the fourth round of consolations, ending his bid for a state tourney berth. He came back out and decisioned Butler’s Mickey Kreinbucher, 12-5, for fifth place.

Kreinbucher finished his season with a 32-11 record.

“He was around .500 last year and to return for his junior year and put together a 30-win season through plain hard work ... He’s a great story,” Stoner said of Kreinbucher.

Stoner received the WPIAL Class 3A Coach of the Year Award prior to the championship round.

WPIAL WRESTLING RESULTS

Championship Finals

113 pounds-Tyler Chappell (Seneca Valley) dec. Darius McMillon (Peters Township), 1-0

Consolation Finals

215 pounds-Corey Boerio (Greater Latrobe) pinned Liam Volk-Klos (Seneca Valley), 5:43

285 pounds-Stone Joseph (Kiski Area) pinned Jake Pomykata (Butler), 1:46

5th-6th Place

106 pounds-Connor Smith (Seneca Valley) by default over T.J. Allison (Trinity)

145 pounds-Levi Donnel (Butler) dec. Nate Jones (Waynesburg), 9-1

172 pounds-Christian Scheller (Mars) dec. Mickey Kreinbucher (Butler), 12-5

Semifinals