Canon-McMillan started the 2017-2018 season ranked 4th in the WPIAL, but ended it by placing 4th at the PIAA team state tournament. The squad racked up 6 regular season wins, including a big upset against Kiski Area. The Big Macs earned 2 more wins by smashing through the Section tournament to win the program’s 17th straight title. The boys made it all the way to the WPIAL finals before they dropped their first loss to rival Kiski Area in another tight match.

This past weekend Havelka’s Big Mac’s travelled to the Giant Center in Hershey, PA seeking a spot on the podium, though their road to it would be no easy feat. After a close match to Council Rock South (36-24), the team lost to Erie Cathedral Prep (40-18). The boys gathered some strength and fought back through the consolation bracket, first by beating Cedar Cliff (59-9). The easy matches ended after that when CM battled recent rival Central Dauphin down to the final bout, coming out on top with a victory (29-28). And, though Canon Mac plowed through the Raiders in the WPIAL semifinals, the team put up a fight in the blood round. Another match coming down to the final-bout went in favor of the Macs (27-23). Unfortunately, the team dropped another loss to Cathedral Prep in the consolation finals (42-22). This earned the Big Macs a 4th place finish at the tournament. Click here to view the full 2018 PIAA State bracket.

Excluding years when CM won a PIAA State Championship, this is the program’s first time placing at the tournament, marking the team down as one of the greatest that Canon-McMillan has seen in its 90 year history. This shows great promise for first year Head Coach Havelka and his coaching staff. The 2017-2018 team season was a roller coaster full of ups and downs, and certain matches from this season are sure to live on in greatness for as long as fans are alive to recount the stories. The Big Macs finished the team season 15-3, bringing total program wins to 1,075. The team will continue onto the final individual tournaments of the season starting with the Section tournament on February 24.

Read about the tournament in the Observer-Reporter:
Another chance for Canon-McMillan wrestling
C-M celebrates win over Council Rock South
Canon-McMillan falls in quarterfinals, can still finish third
Canon-McMillan finishes 4th in PIAA Team Tournament

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