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MORRISTOWN -- Despite only having three individual champions, North Allegheny (Pa.) captured the annual Rick Link Invitational wrestling tournament Saturday inside 'The Hangar' at Union Local High School.
The Tigers overcame a 4-point deficit to eventual runnerup Barnesville -- the 2020 team champion -- 300-272. Hempfield Area, also from the Pittsburgh area, finished third with 254.
Barnesville's shortcoming came in the championship round where it went just 2-for-8. The lone titlists were sophomore Reese Stephen (120) and senior Griffen Stephen (132).
The younger Stephen held off Steubenville freshman Brody Saccoccia, 4-3, for his second straight Rick Link title. Stephen rallied from a 2-1 deficit after one period by escaping and then recording a takedown for a 4-2 edge. Saccoccia escaped late in the second period but was unable to get away in the third.
"We knew this would be a tough match," Barnesville head coach Jayson Stephen said. "Both kids are tough wrestlers."
Griffen Stephen was awarded a rare forfeit in the finals when Hempfield Area's Ethan Lebin didn't compete due to a prior commitment.
"Their coach told me the kid had a prior commitment because North Allegheny was a late entrant in the tournament," Coach Stephen explained. "I would have loved for them to wrestle, but it is what it is."
Finishing as runnersup were Johnny Huntsman (106), Dakota King (126), Skyler King (138), Ayden King (144), Logan Tague (150) and Robbie Nixon (165).
"You can't win two of eight matches in the championship round," a disappointed Coach Stephen said. "We'll learn from this and move on."
Steubenville, which finished fourth with 250 points, had two champs in Brandon Kinney (190) and Peyton Tuttle (285), while Buckeye Local had one in Ayden Krupinski (175).
"Both guys wrestled. We're expecting big things from both of them," first-year Steubenville head coach Lucas Huffman said of Kinney and Tuttle. "Overall, we are fairly young and we made some mistakes. I also saw some good things. We just want to get better with each match."
Buckeye Local head coach was really pleased with Krupinski's effort.
"I'm proud of Ayden. At the end of last year when he was a district qualifier, I could see something about him that he would be a stronger wrestler this year," Buckeye Local head coach Guy Nestor said.
Locally, the Shamrocks had 11 wrestlers place in the top 6 of their respective weight classes, while Steubenville placed 10. Buckeye Local, Linsly and Union Local all had five reach the podium. River and Edison both had four placers, Bellaire and Bridgeport two each. Beallsville and Paden City both had one.
In addition to Saccoccia, finishing second was Savier Faulks (157).
Hempfield Area had the most champions with five. Shenandoah had one.