Pioneer junior Xander Kirsch has been selected as the WNY Athletics Wrestler of the Week for the week of Monday, January 10th – Saturday, January 15th.
Kirsch had a perfect 5-0 week capped off with the 126-pound title at the 21st Annual Patrick Morales Memorial Tournament on Saturday. The weight class featured three of Section VI Division II’s top 126-pound title contenders. As the 3-seed, Kirsch earned two opening round wins before claiming a convincing decision win over the top seeded 2020 NYS tournament place winner in the Morales Tournament semifinal. In the final, Xander was a 3-0 decision winner over another sectional title contender and the 2-seed in the bracket.
So far this season, Xander is 14-2 overall having wrestled WNY’s top talent on a nearly weekly basis. Xander is a big part of the Panthers’ 8-2 overall record and #4 ranking amongst WNY small schools while the team seeks another ECIC title and undefeated league record.
Xander’s coaches note that he has a strong work ethic, good grades, and shows good character both on the mat and in school.
