The Warrior Wrestling team hosted their yearly wrestling tournament on Friday, January 23rd, and Saturday, January 24th. The team overall placed 30th out of 47 teams, with several wrestlers winning multiple matches. The Warriors had two wrestlers go 3-2 (Jake Mann and Jake Sample), four wrestlers went 2-2 (Frankie Leskgovansky, Julian Panebianco, Bryce English, and Aiden Evans). Drake Taylor and Brayden Williamson both went 1-2 in their brackets.
The lone placer for the Warrior wrestling team was freshman standout William Edwards. Edwards came into the tournament with the number 5 seed at 114 pounds. He placed 4th out of 31 competitors. Edwards opened up the tournament with a fall in his first match in 2:48. Then, in the Round of 16, he picked up another fall in 1:45 to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals. Edwards would fall to the number 4 seed by decision, 9-1. Edwards would then win 3 straight to wrestle for 3rd place, where he matched up with the number 1 seed. It was a hard-fought match, but Edwards came up short, losing 8-1. Teammate and practice partner Julian Panebianco commented on Will’s performance, “I would have to say Will wrestled amazingly, especially for a freshman. The Ultimate Warrior is a hard tournament, and he lost once and worked his way back up to placing. He had a hard opponent and wrestled his best”.
The Ultimate Warrior tournament is not justabout the competition. It is the team’s only fundraiser, and it tends to pay off really well. The team brings in money through admissions costs, 50/50 sales, and concession which is a significant portion of the profits.
In its 12th year, the tournament continues to grow. Tournament director and assistant coach Davey Williamson explained how the tournament has grown into the state-level tournament it is by stating, “The Ultimate Warrior has definitely become one of the best in PA. That would not be possible without the support of the Warrior Mat Club, Coach Bainey and his staff, the community, and the school district. It is a great chance to allow some of the best wrestlers in the state to compete in a big-time event right here at WB.”
