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Four Time PIAA Champs

manatree

manatree

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So I decided to cobble together what info I could find on the four time PIAA champs. If anyone is able to help fill in the gaps, please chime in.

My intention was not to besmirch any particular wrestler, but just to show that being a four time PIAA champ is hardley an indicator of similar success at the college level.

NameHigh SchoolClassYears (season ending)Weights or TitlesOverall RecordCollegeYears (season ending)Weights Wrestled in CollegeConference TournamentNCAA TournametOverall Record
Jim ConklinWaynesburgNA1940-194385, 95, 112, 12070-0-1Indiana & Pittsburgh1947-1948 Indiana, 1950-1951 Pittsburgh165???DNP 1947
Jerry MaureyClearfieldNA1947-1950112, 120, 127, 13867-0Penn State1952-1954137, 1472,1,13,335-5-1
Mike JohnsonLock HavenNA1958-196195, 103, 112, 12084-0Pittsburgh1963-1965123, 1302, 1, 2 (EIWA)2, DNP, NA???
Matt GerhardCatasauquaAA1981-198498, 105, 112, 119127-3
Penn State & Pittsburgh
1986 Penn State, 1987-1988 Pittsburgh
126
4, 4 (EWL)
NA11-6
Ty MooreNorth AlleghenyAAA1987-199098, 105, 112, 119146-1North Carolina1991-1995118???DNP, DNP, NA, DNP80-31-2
John HughesBentonAA1988-1991112, 125, 140, 145146-2-1Penn State1992-1996142, 1503, 3, 1, 5DNP, 7, 1, 2121-26-2
Cary KolatJefferson-MorganAA1989-1992119, 125, 130, 135137-0Penn State, Lock Haven1993-134, 1422,1 (B1G), 1, 1 (PSAC & EWL)2,3,1,1111-7
Bob CrawfordMilton1 AA, 3 AAA1990-1993112, 119, 125, 125138-2Clarion1994-19961261 (PSAC)DNP48-10
Jeremy HunterMcGuffeyAAA1993-1996103, 103, 112, 119171-2Penn State1997-2000118, 1253, 2, 1, 2DNP, 5, 2, 1123-17
Jimmy GulibonDerry AreaAA2009-2012103, 112, 119, 126146-4Penn State2014-2017133, 1417, 6, 2, 8DNP, 5, DNP, DNP75-47
Chance MarstellerKennard DaleAAA2011-2014152, 160, 160, 170166-0Oklahoma State, Lock Haven2015-2019157, 165, 1741, NA (PSAC) 2, 1 (EWL)4, 373-13
Thomas HainesSolancoAAA2011-2014215, 220, 220, 285174-5Ohio State, Lock Haven2015-20192851, 1, 1 (PSAC) 2, 2, 1 (EWL)DNP, DNP, DNP80-21
Gavin TeasdaleJefferson-MorganAA2015-2018106, 113, 126, 126162-2Iowa commit, attended Penn State & Iowa2018-2020125, 133NANA2-2
Rune LawrenceFrazierAA2021-2024172, 172, 189, 215145-8West Virginia2024-1979,DNP,32-19 so far
Adam WatersFaith ChristianAA2023-2026172, 172, 189, 189166-7Ohio State commitTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
Keanu DillardBethlehem CatholicAAA2023-2026107, 121, 127, 133147-10Lehigh commitTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD

notes:

James Conklin: I was unable to find much of anything about his college career. He served in WWII before heading to Indiana for two years before going to Pitt. Two different online bios said that he only lost one match in each of his two seasons at Indiana and only one match in each of his two seasons wrestling at Pitt. By my math that means only four losses in college. In 1947, He went 0-1 at the NCAA tournament (165lb). However, it looks like he did not place at the 1947 B1G tournament, so he would have had at least two losses in 1947. He was in Med School when he wrestled for Pitt, but for some reason, Pitt does not have him listed on their All-Time Roster in their 2025-26 media guide.

Mike Johnson: He finished 2nd in 1963 as a soph (123lb), when Frosh were not eligible. He was the #1 seed in 1964 (130lb) and lost in the first round and MFF his match in the consolation bracket. In 1965, even though he finished 2nd at the EIWA (130lb), he did not compete at or qualify for the 1965 NCAAs.

Bob Crawford: Was the 11 seed as a Frosh in 1994 (126lb) and went 0-1. He finished 1st that year in the PSAC, but did not win the EWL and I don't know where he finished. I'm assuming 2nd.

Gavin Teasdale: According to WrestleStat, the only official matches he wrestled was at the 2019 Midlands where he went 2-2.
 
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CTStall

CTStall

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Well done .
Hard to imagine Gulibon had 47 losses in college.
I think Marsteller marginal success was kinda of surprising. I would put some of that on John Smith weight cut demands. In addition he muscled from his feet in high school and didn't have that same advantage in college.
 
K

Kingslayer

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CTStall said:
Well done .
Hard to imagine Gulibon had 47 losses in college.
I think Marsteller marginal success was kinda of surprising. I would put some of that on John Smith weight cut demands. In addition he muscled from his feet in high school and didn't have that same advantage in college.
Click to expand...
Do we refer to two time all Americans as having marginal success ? At OK state chance had to cut to a weight where he wasn’t effective due to the lineup and add in the off the mat issues resulted in sub par results for his first two years but last two I would say he was right where folks thought he would be coming out of HS.
 
CTStall

CTStall

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Kingslayer said:
Do we refer to two time all Americans as having marginal success ? At OK state chance had to cut to a weight where he wasn’t effective due to the lineup and add in the off the mat issues resulted in sub par results for his first two years but last two I would say he was right where folks thought he would be coming out of HS.
Click to expand...
You can change the adjective to something different. I was going to use disappointing but that was maybe too harsh.
He was undefeated in highschool and was beating college wrestlers his last 2 years. He was special in high school. I noted the Smith issue. Obviously he had some issues that he brought on.
Coming out of school if you would have said his pinnacle of college career would be a 3rd and a 4th place finish, I'm certain that would have been considered _______.(Fill in the blank)
 
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Kingslayer

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CTStall said:
You can change the adjective to something different. I was going to use disappointing but that was maybe too harsh.
He was undefeated in highschool and was beating college wrestlers his last 2 years. He was special in high school. I noted the Smith issue. Obviously he had some issues that he brought on.
Coming out of school if you would have said his pinnacle of college career would be a 3rd and a 4th place finish, I'm certain that would have been considered _______.(Fill in the blank)
Click to expand...
Yeah I just prefer to focus on the last two years . That being said the first time I saw him wrestle in college was that match vs Iowa that was at the football stadium. He was on fire the first period but faded hard . Think he squeezed out a win but it was against a guy who wasn’t a regular starter. That was a good indicator 157 was going to be an optimal weight
 
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tullfan68

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I have been following PA high school wrestling for decades and as afr as I am mconcerned I have never seena more dominate kid that
 
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CaveLion

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The math doesn’t work on Hunter’s overall record given his conference/NCAA results. He would have 8 losses in these tournaments.
 
Still in State Colllege

Still in State Colllege

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CTStall said:
You can change the adjective to something different. I was going to use disappointing but that was maybe too harsh.
He was undefeated in highschool and was beating college wrestlers his last 2 years. He was special in high school. I noted the Smith issue. Obviously he had some issues that he brought on.
Coming out of school if you would have said his pinnacle of college career would be a 3rd and a 4th place finish, I'm certain that would have been considered _______.(Fill in the blank)
Click to expand...
What is Player Hatin'
 
BigFella235

BigFella235

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What’s interesting to me is how it appears to happen in streaks from 1940-1961 and through the 80’s and 90’s then it’s been almost consistently happening since the late 2000’s. Is there just that much less parity or are kids just that much better?
 
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Nitlion1986

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BigFella235 said:
What’s interesting to me is how it appears to happen in streaks from 1940-1961 and through the 80’s and 90’s then it’s been almost consistently happening since the late 2000’s. Is there just that much less parity or are kids just that much better?
Click to expand...
Kids used to wrestle during wrestling season, and there was a large diverse grouping of kids talented enough to win a title. Now, there is still a large group of physically and athletically talented wrestlers competing but there is a much smaller group concentrating and training year round. So we end up with a smaller pool of athletes likely to win a title. Mathematically more 4 timers now makes sense.
 
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MKPSU91

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manatree said:
So I decided to cobble together what info I could find on the four time PIAA champs. If anyone is able to help fill in the gaps, please chime in.

NameHigh SchoolClassYears (season ending)Weights or TitlesOverall RecordCollegeYears (season ending)Weights Wrestled in CollegeConference TournamentNCAA TournametOverall Record
Jim ConklinWaynesburgNA1940-194385, 95, 112, 12070-0-1Indiana & Pittsburgh1947-1948 Indiana, 1950-1951 Pittsburgh165???DNP 1947
Jerry MaureyClearfieldNA1947-1950112, 120, 127, 13867-0Penn State1952-1954137, 1472,1,13,335-5-1
Mike JohnsonLock HavenNA1958-196195, 103, 112, 12084-0Pittsburgh1963-1965123, 1302, 1, 2 (EIWA)2, DNP, NA???
Matt GerhardCatasauquaAA1981-198498, 105, 112, 119127-3Penn State1986126NANA11-6
Ty MooreNorth AlleghenyAAA1987-199098, 105, 112, 119146-1North Carolina1991-1995118???DNP, DNP, NA, DNP80-31-2
John HughesBentonAA1988-1991112, 125, 140, 145146-2-1Penn State1992-1996142, 1503, 3, 1, 5DNP, 7, 1, 2121-26-2
Cary KolatJefferson-MorganAA1989-1992119, 125, 130, 135137-0Penn State, Lock Haven1993-134, 1422,1 (B1G), 1, 1 (PSAC & EWL)2,3,1,1111-7
Bob CrawfordMilton1 AA, 3 AAA1990-1993112, 119, 125, 125138-2Clarion19941261 (PSAC)DNP??
Jeremy HunterMcGuffeyAAA1993-1996103, 103, 112, 119171-2Penn State1997-2000118, 1253, 2, 1, 2DNP, 5, 2, 1123-7
Jimmy GulibonDerry AreaAA2009-2012103, 112, 119, 126146-4Penn State2014-2017133, 1417, 6, 2, 8DNP, 5, DNP, DNP75-47
Chance MarstellerKennard DaleAAA2011-2014152, 160, 160, 170166-0Oklahoma State, Lock Haven2015-2019157, 165, 1741, NA (PSAC) 2, 1 (EWL)4, 373-13
Thomas HainesSolancoAAA2011-2014215, 220, 220, 285174-5Ohio State, Lock Haven2015-20192851, 1, 1 (PSAC) 2, 2, 1 (EWL)DNP, DNP, DNP80-21
Gavin TeasdaleJefferson-MorganAA2015-2018106, 113, 126, 126162-2Iowa commit, attended Penn State & Iowa2018-2020125, 133NANA2-2
Rune LawrenceFrazierAA2021-2024172, 172, 189, 215145-8West Virginia2024-1979,DNP,32-19 so far
Adam WatersFaith ChristianAA2023-2026172, 172, 189, 189166-7Ohio State commitTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
Keanu DillardBethlehem CatholicAAA2023-2026107, 121, 127, 133147-10Lehigh commitTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
Click to expand...
Matt Gerhard beat Ken Chertow in the Dapper Dan 4-3, started at PSU then went on to wrestle at Pitt where his best finish was 4th in the EWL conference tournament at 126 in ‘87. Injuries derailed the remainder of his career.
 
manatree

manatree

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MKPSU91 said:
Matt Gerhard beat Ken Chertow in the Dapper Dan 4-3, started at PSU then went on to wrestle at Pitt where his best finish was 4th in the EWL conference tournament at 126 in ‘87. Injuries derailed the remainder of his career.
Click to expand...

Thanks. According to the Pitt Media Guide, Gerhard placed 4th at the EWL in 87 & 88.
 
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Matter7172

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Jason Betz from Warrior Run won his first 3 years before committing to Penn State. Wound up getting third his senior year in high school but ended up with a 147-2 record at Warrior Run. Never placed at NCAAs and got no higher than 5 in the B1G tourney. His career was surprising.
 
manatree

manatree

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Matter7172 said:
Jason Betz from Warrior Run won his first 3 years before committing to Penn State. Wound up getting third his senior year in high school but ended up with a 147-2 record at Warrior Run. Never placed at NCAAs and got no higher than 5 in the B1G tourney. His career was surprising.
Click to expand...

Speaking about Warrior Run, do you remember Bob Simpson? Four time PIAA runner up. Went to Pitt and qualified for NCAAs once or twice.

https://www.pa-wrestling.com/hs/teams/warriorrun/athlete_stats.htm?id=51663
 
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zzs006

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Kolat was the best high school wrestler I’ve ever seen and my all time favorite until this past year when 3 phenoms came along at the same time. Jax, Blaze, and Duke have had me reconsidering my choice. I’m not sure any are better than Kolat but they are absolutely in the conversation. All 3 have accomplished things that Kolat never did at the same age. The crazy part to me is that these 3 came along at the exact same time. I also can’t pick who out of them is the best. I’ve continuously changed my mind along the way. I thought it was Duke after he beat Yianni and then Blaze after he demolished the U20 field, and then Jax after senior worlds. Jax took weird losses in high school though. He might be the best now but the others had better high school careers. I don’t know what order to put them in but the 4 best I’ve ever seen in hs are Kolat, Duke, Blaze, and Jax..
 
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District 4

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Matter7172 said:
Jason Betz from Warrior Run won his first 3 years before committing to Penn State. Wound up getting third his senior year in high school but ended up with a 147-2 record at Warrior Run. Never placed at NCAAs and got no higher than 5 in the B1G tourney. His career was surprising.
Click to expand...
I watched him get pinned at states his senior year he got caught in a spladdle when he was up big. You could have heard a pin drop when that happened. I watched almost every high school match he wrestled and was sure he would do well in college. He just didn't pan out.
 
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District 4

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District 4

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zzs006 said:
Kolat was the best high school wrestler I’ve ever seen and my all time favorite until this past year when 3 phenoms came along at the same time. Jax, Blaze, and Duke have had me reconsidering my choice. I’m not sure any are better than Kolat but they are absolutely in the conversation. All 3 have accomplished things that Kolat never did at the same age. The crazy part to me is that these 3 came along at the exact same time. I also can’t pick who out of them is the best. I’ve continuously changed my mind along the way. I thought it was Duke after he beat Yianni and then Blaze after he demolished the U20 field, and then Jax after senior worlds. Jax took weird losses in high school though. He might be the best now but the others had better high school careers. I don’t know what order to put them in but the 4 best I’ve ever seen in hs are Kolat, Duke, Blaze, and Jax..
Click to expand...
I have never seen anyone in high school as good as kolat in my opinion. He was a man against boys he was so good. I remember he flipped over in the air to get out of a single. His legs were as big as kegs.
 
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tullfan68

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its really kind of diff now days but no matter Kolat would have beaten them all!
 
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hooraybeer

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CTStall said:
Well done .
Hard to imagine Gulibon had 47 losses in college.
I think Marsteller marginal success was kinda of surprising. I would put some of that on John Smith weight cut demands. In addition he muscled from his feet in high school and didn't have that same advantage in college.
Click to expand...
Did you see the world semi match that Marsteller broke his elbow?
 
CTStall

CTStall

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hooraybeer said:
Did you see the world semi match that Marsteller broke his elbow?
Click to expand...
I did not see it although familiar about it.
Just want clarify, I was discussing Chances career in college from a record standpoint.
What he overcame personally is to be commended. The Demons of addiction are tough to overcome by anyone not just athletes.
I highly recommend watching the Biography about Kurt Angle. It is tremendous and covers his whole life including his drug demons mainly brought on by neck injury. An added bonus it includes numerous videos of his amateur matches.

Kurt Angle | A&E

EpisodeVideo
play.aetv.com play.aetv.com

Not sure if it's a paywall. Also posted on YouTube.
 
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J

Just another PSU Fan

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historically speaking: many older Wyalusing fans believe that Sam Bocchino got robbed by the refs in the state semi's against Matty Gerhard.

PA 4x'rs versus other state's 4xr's ( how about NJ? Mike Grey, Andrew Campalatono? Nicky? Anthony Ash? Knox coming up )

Old PA website WrestlingReport compiled native PA AAs thru 2016, over 650 AAs - that number is much higher a decade later ...

Take a page from Coach Cael - be grateful for the opportunity to be a FAN of this great sport!
 
BigFella235

BigFella235

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manatree said:
Speaking about Warrior Run, do you remember Bob Simpson? Four time PIAA runner up. Went to Pitt and qualified for NCAAs once or twice.

https://www.pa-wrestling.com/hs/teams/warriorrun/athlete_stats.htm?id=51663
Click to expand...
Ironically, the guy he lost to in the finals his senior year, Dave Fehlman, is from the school I coached for up until last year. Dave ended up on the ‘88 Dapper Dan team and won OW after he beat Dusty Fix. Dusty is Daton’s uncle. Dave went to NC State for a short bit, transferred to Clarion and then gave up wrestling until his son DJ started years later. DJ qualified for NCAA’s 2-3x for Lock Haven.
 
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