Forest Hills’ Gibson falls to nation’s No. 1 wrestler

CANONSBURG – Erik Gibson didn’t get the POWERade title that he was looking for on Saturday night at Canon-McMillan High School, but the Forest Hills sophomore got what he wanted for him: a chance to see how he measures up against the nation’s best.

Wyoming Seminary’s Lachlin McNeil beat Gibson 9-2 for the 145-pound title, and three Chestnut Ridge wrestlers earned medals in one of the country’s toughest tournaments.

“That’s kind of why we wanted to get into this tournament – to come down and wrestle the toughest guys,” Rangers coach Jake Strayer said. “You’re not going to get better unless you get out there and wrestle the toughest guys. I think we definitely got the toughest guy in Erik’s weight class.”

McNeil, who hails from Canada but attends the prep school in Pennsylvania, showed why he is the top-ranked 145-pounder in the U.S. He scored four takedowns against Gibson, who didn’t allow any in his first four POWERade matches.

“He wrestled really well this weekend,” Strayer said of Gibson. “That kid’s just a little bit older, a little bit more experienced, and he’s ranked No. 1 for a reason.”

Chestnut Ridge 220-pounder Duane Knisely placed fourth, 113-pounder Nate Holderbaum was sixth and 126-pounder Ross Dull took eighth.

“I thought we did really well,” Chestnut Ridge coach Josh Deputy said. “Obviously, the place rounds – where we lost the last three – was rough, but overall I’m super proud of the boys. Even the guys that didn’t place, I think everyone won a match. I was very happy with the effort. Effort is everything to me, and I was very happy with the effort.”

Chestnut Ridge finished 15th out of 53 teams in the tournament, which includes prep schools, Class AAA squads and out-of-state powerhouses.

“Our boys love this stage,” Deputy said. “They love the big events and they thrive in those situations. Hopefully, we keep building on that and by the end of the year, we’re back on top.”