Road to recovery results in state title for CM’s Chishko
For Solomon Chishko, devastation and disappointment defined the wrestling season until its culmination in the PIAA championships. By then, the Canon-McMillan junior’s disposition had turned to joy and jubilation.
For after months of recovery from a fractured elbow, Chishko stood atop the podium, a state champion.
“We are just so proud of Solomon,” said CM mat boss Chris Mary, “and how he had handled all the adversity he faced.”
Two weeks before the scholastic season started, Chishko suffered the injury while participating in the Super 32 Tournament in North Carolina. He did not obtain his medical release from his doctors until one day before the individual tournaments commenced.
In between, Chishko missed out on the Big Macs’ march to their fourth straight WPIAL team title and second straight PIAA banner.
“It was just as tough for us to watch him miss out on the team stuff as it was for him,” said Mary. “Solomon would have been a big contributor to our WPIAL and PIAA team titles. He knew he could help. And, he showed what a true leader he was by being there and supporting us.”
Mary supported Chishko every step of the way towards his state championship. He placed him on a diet because his weight soared to 168 pounds. Plus, Mary worked with him after regular team practices. Once the wrestlers had left the room, coach and grappler trained an additional 40 minutes to an hour. They bounced back and forth between the stationary bikes and the steppers.
“We controlled those things we could,” said Mary. “We held him accountable for his weight and he stuck to a plan of weight-loss management and his work ethic was superb.
“He was ready. He was in decent shape. All he needed was mat time.”
At the section, district and regional tournaments, Chishko gained valuable time on the mats. He returned to his winning ways. A champion in each event, he was now prepared for the PIAA tournament.
Chishko, who has 101 career victories, began his quest for gold with a technical fall, 17-2, against Garnett Valley’s John Dambro in the first round of action at the Giant Center in Hershey. After scoring a 5-2 decision over Spring Grove’s Mason Bentzel, Chishko recorded a major decision, 11-2, against Clearfield’s Nolan Barger in the semifinals.
Chishko, who finished third in the state last year as a sophomore, blanked Chris Vassar from Cedar Cliff, 8-0, in the championship match at 145.
“It was a storybook ending for him,” said Mary.
It was another storybook ending for Mary as he garnered Pennsylvania Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in his career for guiding his Big Macs to their third consecutive team title in the PIAA individual championships. Canon-McMillan won the team scoring with 99 points, 24 ahead of second-place Central Dauphin.
In addition to three state champions, Canon-McMillan came home with two more medalists.
The Big Macs just missed having four state champions when Dalton Macri dropped a touch decision, 3-1, to Sam Krivus in the 120-pound final. Krivus registered a first-period takedown and escaped with 18 seconds left in the second period to score all the points he needed for the victory.
Though Brendan Price and Angelo Broglia did not experience much success at the state level, going 0-2 in their bouts, Alex Campbell added eighth place in the 220-pound weight class.
In other AAA action involving wrestlers from the Almanac area, Noah Wilps secured sixth in the 170-pound weight class dominated by Wiercioch and Gartland. The Chartiers Valley junior lost to Garland in the semifinals, 8-4.
Mt. Lebanon’s Kellan Stout met the same fate against Gartland only in the first round when he dropped a 3-1 decision. Stout, who has won more than 35 matches this winter, split his next two matches in the loser’s bracket. He was the first grappler from Mt. Lebanon to earn a trip to the PIAA championships since 1998.