Weightman leads talented group at BVA

By Jonathan Guth

MVI Sports

The numbers may not be there for many dual-meet victories, but Belle Vernon Area head wrestling coach Bob Bove is excited to see what his individual grapplers can do this upcoming season.

The Leopards welcome back junior Cole Weightman, a defending WPIAL champion who was sixth in the state at 220 pounds with a record of 31-4. 

Weightman advanced to the semifinals in the state championship tournament before suffering a 3-1 setback to eventual state champion Dorian Crosby of Erie Cathedral Prep.

Weightman was injured in his match with Crosby and lost his next bout before having to forfeit out of the tournament in the battle for fifth place.

“Not to take anything away from Crosby, but Cole kind of forced a shot and got taken down,” said Bove, who has two coaching stops at his alma mater, Ringgold, and a stint at McGuffey. “The match was tied at 1-1 before he gave that up. He got hurt and wasn’t the same in his next match before having to forfeit his final bout. We are excited to have him back as a junior, but nothing is a given in Pennsylvania.

“Cole will be wrestling at 215 this year, so the change in weight classes will benefit him. He is weighing around 208. Last year, he was giving up almost 28 pounds to people. Cole works super hard and is a strong kid. He really puts in the extra time and shows that he is a strong technical wrestler. We are excited to see what he can do this season.”

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