The PIAA Individual State Championships aren’t for another two weeks, and most regional tournaments still have to go down, but we’re too excited to wait until next week to start talking about it. Here are some of the top freshmen to keep an eye on in Hershey.

2020 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championship

March 5-7 | Live on FLO

Rocco Welsh, 126 (Waynesburg)

• Freshman Big Board #8

• 2019 Powerade 4th

• 2019 Ironman 5th

• 2019 Fargo 5th

• Rocco Welsh has a hard-nosed, aggressive, and fast-paced style of wrestling. His biggest wins this season are over state finalist Finn Solomon and state-placer Matt Mayer, which you can watch below.
  

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Tyler Kasak, 106 (Bethlehem Catholic)

• Freshman Big Board #18

• After losing to teammate Cael McIntyre in the preseason wrestle-off, Kasak wrestled the first half of the season at 113. Kasak moved back down to 106 of Team States, where he took out Mac Church. Since then, he beat McIntyre in another wrestle-off and won District 11 to advance on to regionals undefeated.

Grant Mackay, 152 (North Allegheny)

• Freshman Big Board #24

• Will Mackay end up high on the podium in Hershey? Probably not. He was just pinned by 2018 state eighth-place Cole Spencer, but in terms of freshman at a middleweight, he’s one to keep an eye on.

Cade Wirnsberger, 106 (Meadowbrook Christian)

• Wirnsberger might be the favorite to win AA 106 in Hershey. He’s 30-2 and one loss was to Brennen Curnus of Wyoming Seminary and the other was to Jaden Pepe, which he later avenged. 

Jaden Pepe, 106 (Wyoming Area)

• 2019 Fargo fifth

• Jaden Pepe is 42-1 this season and as mentioned above the one loss is to Cade Wirnsberger, who he beat earlier in the season. 

Hayden Cunningham, 106 (State College)

• Freshman Big Board #39

• Hayden Cunningham would be undefeated this season if he never had to wrestle Nicholas Allison. Allison has handed Cunningham his three losses this season including this past weekend. It has gotten closer each time, however.

Ty Watters, 106 (West Allegheny)

• Watters is 13-0 with 11 bonus-point wins. One of those regular decision wins came this past weekend over Mac Church in the Section 4 finals.

Mac Church, 106 (Waynesburg)

• Freshman Big Board #19

• #9 in the country at 106

• 2019 Powerade champion

• 2019 Ironman runner-up

• 2019 Super 32 eighth 

• Up until PIAA Team States, Church was having the best season of anyone on this list. However, he’s now taken losses to Kasak and Watters. Church could still definitely win AAA. When he’s on, he’s great.