Copyright © 1999, Calkins Newspapers, Inc.

PIAA WRESTLING Pirozzola crowned state champion at last After two consecutive near-misses, Neshaminy junior Michael Pirozzola won his first state championship. Meanwhile, Council Rock's Rocky Mantella lost by a point in the final. By Tom Waring Courier Times E-mail HERSHEY - For Michael Pirozzola, it was a dream come true. For Rocky Mantella, his championship hopes will have to wait at least a year. Pirozzola, a Neshaminy High School junior wrestler, decisioned Johnstown's Anthony Andrews, 11-5, last night to capture the PIAA Class AAA 140-pound championship before a standing-room-only crowd at Hersheypark Arena. "I'm so satisfied," Pirozzola said. "It's a great feeling. I'm going to enjoy it. It's so exciting to work all season and get to win. My hard work paid off." Mantella, a Council Rock sophomore, reached the 135-pound final, but dropped a 4-3 decision to State College's Harley Anderson. "I went out and wrestled my best match possible," Mantella said. "I would have liked to won it. But in the beginning of the season, I wanted to be in the top three." Mantella's teammate, Tony Milone, was scheduled to wrestle in the heavyweight final late last night. Pirozzola, who placed second as a freshman and sophomore, became the 12th area champion. "He really wanted it," Neshaminy coach Vic Stanley said. "You could see the emotion in his eyes." Pirozzola was so happy after his match that he threw his headgear into the crowd and leaped into the arms of assistant Steve Herceg. His well-wishers included his parents, girlfriend Laura Dietz, Neshaminy athletic director Sheila Murphy and Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker, a former Bucks County commissioner. He also signed autographs for young admirers. Pirozzola scored on a second-period takedown against Andrews, then used a headlock to record a five-point move later in the period. Pirozzola became the first Neshaminy champion since 1984, when Ed Curran, his coach as a ninth-grader, won the 126-pound title. Most observers expected Pirozzola to have a difficult road to a championship. Before the tournament, there was a likely semifinal matchup with Greensburg-Salem's Greg Jones, whom Pirozzola edged by two points in an early-season tournament. But Jones, battling a sore shoulder, lost in the quarterfinals and then defaulted out of the tournament because of the injury. The favorite in the opposite bracket, McGuffey's undefeated Jim Hanning, lost in the quarterfinals and was eliminated in the consolation round. Entering the final, Pirozzola had pinned all three of his opponents in the first period. That's no guarantee of a championship. As a freshman, Pirozzola won by technical fall and two pins before losing the 119-pound final. This year would be different. Pirozzola entered the final with a 12-0 postseason record. He pinned 11 opponents, including 10 in the first period. The only wrestler to go the six-minute distance was Council Rock's Sean Collins, whom Pirozzola beat, 13-4, in the Section One final. Pirozzola, who has the ability to make excellent wrestlers look ordinary, wowed the crowd in the semifinals, pinning Pottsville's Keith Kleckner in just 27 seconds. Pirozzola clinched a medal with an overpowering showing in the quarterfinals. He took down Philipsburg-Osceola's T.J. Bush in the first 16 seconds and pinned him in 1:21. Mantella looked good early in his bout against Anderson, a senior who finished 31-0. Anderson easily reached the title bout, pinning his first two opponents and winning by major decision in the semifinals. But Mantella scored a first-period takedown to take a 2-0 lead. The score was tied at 2-2 when Anderson scored the winning takedown with 1:14 to go. Mantella reached the championship bout by getting past an aggressive Mark Bredl in the semifinals. Bredl, of Bethel Park, scored the first takedown. But, Mantella recorded four takedowns the rest of the way in a 10-5 victory. Mantella topped a difficult opponent, Parkland's Brad Dillon, in the quarterfinals. The two were tied before Mantella earned a takedown with 1:04 remaining. He clinched the 5-2 victory with a takedown at the buzzer. Milone reached the final by winning two decisions - 4-1 over Grove City's Joe Rendos in the quarterfinals and 7-0 over Easton's John Piergallini in the final. Sunday, March 14, 1999