PIAA

25 Pennsylvania High School Names You Need To Know

25 Pennsylvania High School Names You Need To Know

Take a look into the careers and resumes of some of the top Pennsylvania stars as they continue their road to Hershey.

Jan 1, 2022 by Mason Lindenmuth
25 Pennsylvania High School Names You Need To Know
Pennsylvania has unquestionably been one of the deepest states throughout the years, jammed with talent and future Division I and international stars. With the first month of the high school regular season in the books, it only seems appropriate to highlight the top guys to keep an eye on the rest of the way. Take a look into the careers and resumes of some of the top Pennsylvania stars as they continue their road to Hershey:

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Pennsylvania has unquestionably been one of the deepest states throughout the years, jammed with talent and future Division I and international stars. With the first month of the high school regular season in the books, it only seems appropriate to highlight the top guys to keep an eye on the rest of the way. Take a look into the careers and resumes of some of the top Pennsylvania stars as they continue their road to Hershey:

Jackson Arrington (Forest Hills) — senior, 152 pounds     

A returning two-time Pennsylvania state champion, Arrington looks to have only made further jumps over the last year. Arrington finished fourth in freestyle at Junior Nationals in Fargo this past summer, then was a late entry into Who’s #1 and won his bout in an impressive performance over Hunter Garvin to take over as the top-ranked guy in the country at 145 pounds. Arrington followed that up with a dominant run to the finals at Super 32, where he was defeated in a battle against high school phenom Cody Chittum. Watch out for Arrington this year as he makes his run towards his third straight Pennsylvania AA state title before he heads to N.C. State next year to begin his college career.

Brandan Chletsos (Notre Dame-Green Pond) — senior, 132 pounds

Chletsos has consistently been one of the top wrestlers in Pennsylvania. He finished sixth, third, and second in three tries at Hershey. Chletsos will return this season as the favorite to win the AA state championship that has eluded him before moving on to Rutgers next season. 

Mac Church (Waynesburg Central) — junior, 132 pounds

After a third-place finish as a freshman in 2020, Church navigated his way through three very tough matches en route to the Pennsylvania AAA state championship last year at 120 pounds. Church has shown to be one of the best guys in the country at 132 pounds after capturing his third straight Super 32 medal in October. The Virginia Tech commit will have his eyes set on winning his second state championship this year and will be tested in a deep 132-pound weight class. 

Ryan Crookham (Saucon Valley) — senior, 138 pounds

Although injuries sidelined Crookham last season, he’s long been one of the state’s most established stars. Crookham made dominant runs to Pennsylvania AA state championships as a freshman and sophomore and will be looking to add a third to his resume this season before moving on to Lehigh next season. 

Nathan Desmond (Bethlehem Catholic) — freshman, 106 pounds

Although Desmond is only a freshman, his impressive results over the last year earned him the #1 ranking at 106 pounds in AAA. At the 16U Nationals in Fargo this past summer, Desmond finished seventh in freestyle and sixth in Greco. Along with that, Desmond had a very solid Super 32 tournament, where he made the semis where he fell to eventual champion Anthony Knox, and then battled his way back to a fifth-place finish. 

Dylan Evans (Chartiers Valley) — junior, 152 pounds

Evans has climbed the rankings throughout the past couple of years and has now solidified himself as one of the top 145-pounders in the country. After finishing eighth and fourth at the AAA State Championships in his first two seasons, Evans had himself quite the offseason. At the 16U Nationals in Fargo this summer, Evans finished third in both freestyle and Greco, and followed that impressive performance up with a fifth-place finish at Super 32.  

Holden Garcia (Notre Dame-Green Pond) — junior, 160 pounds

Garcia won his first PIAA medal last season with a sixth-place finish and followed that up with a seventh-place finish at Junior Nationals this past summer. The Princeton commit  will have his work cut out for him in order to win his first state championship in a very fun 160-pound weight class. 

Louie Gill (Hickory) — sophomore, 106 pounds

Gill went into his first PIAA AA state tournament last year and came away with a state championship as a freshman. Gill has looked to only improve on that performance with a solid offseason coming away with a Super 32 medal. Gill has cemented himself as a favorite to win his second state championship this season at 106 pounds.

Tyler Kasak (Bethlehem Catholic) — junior, 138 pounds

After a fifth-place finish in 2020 as a freshman, Tyler Kasak won a AAA state championship last season at 126 pounds. Kasak put together a strong offseason with a runner-up place finish at the 16U Nationals in Fargo this summer. Kasak will be looking to win his second PIAA AAA state championship this season, and may be anticipating a looming battle with fellow returning state champion Finn Solomon. 

Jared Keslar (Connellsville) — senior, 160 pounds

After finishing fourth at the AAA PIAA State Championships in both 2020 and 2021, Keslar is the current favorite to win his first state championship. The Pitt commit will be put to the test in a 160-pound field that includes several returning state medalists. 

Vinny Kilkeary (Greater Latrobe) — junior, 120 pounds

Kilkeary has been one of the top lightweights in the country since his freshman year. After winning a AAA state championship as a freshman in 2020, he went on to win a Super 32 championship belt that fall. Although Kilkeary placed third at the PIAA Championships in 2021, the Ohio State commit will no doubt be looking to cement his place back on the top of the podium this March. 

Sean Kinney (Nazareth) — sophomore, 285 pounds    

Kinney put together some impressive wins while navigating his way to the AAA state finals at heavyweight last year where he was defeated in overtime as only a freshman. Kinney currently finds himself as the favorite to improve on that performance and win his first state championship in a stacked 285-pound weight class. 

Rune Lawrence (Frazier) — sophomore, 172 pounds

Lawrence, the younger brother of two-time Pennsylvania state champion and current Lehigh wrestler Thayne Lawrence, made a name for himself last year by winning a PIAA AA state championship in a wild state final as a freshman. Lawrence will be the favorite to repeat this season to win his second state championship, and will be fun to follow along as the season progresses towards Hershey. 

Grant Mackay (Laurel) — junior, 152 pounds

Mackay captured a AA state championship last year as a sophomore. He’ll be favored to win another this season, but he’ll have his work cut out for him in order to repeat for his second state championship this season in a very competitive weight class with several returning state medalists. 

Jaden Pepe (Wyoming Area) — junior, 120 pounds

After a third-place finish as a freshman in 2020, Pepe put together three strong matches in Hershey to win his first PIAA AA state championship last season. Pepe sat atop of the rankings coming into this season, but he’ll be challenged on his journey to repeat in a weight class with a plethora of returning state medalists and familiar foes. 

Dalton Perry (Central Mountain) — freshman, 126 pounds

Despite only being a freshman, Perry has put together some impressive results this past summer and fall to earn himself the #1 ranking at 126 pounds in AAA. Following a seventh-place performance at the 16U Nationals in Fargo, Perry had a strong Super 32 where he picked up some nice wins on his way to a fourth-place finish. Perry also holds a win by fall over Vinny Kilkeary last year when he was still in middle school. The fantastic freshman will be looking to come out on top and win his first AAA state championship this season in a deep 126-pound field. 

Dayton Pitzer (Mount Pleasant) — senior, 215 pounds

Pitzer won a AA state championship as a freshman, and although he failed to place in 2020, he followed that up by winning a second state championship in 2021. The Powerade champ will be looking to add a third state championship before he continues his wrestling career at Pitt next season. 

Briar Priest (Hempfield) — senior, 138 pounds

Despite not qualifying for the PIAA Championships as a freshman or sophomore, Priest, a Pitt commit, went into the state tournament last season and put on an outstanding performance on his way to the 132-pound AAA title. 

Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic) — freshman, 132 pounds

Ranked among the top middle school wrestlers in the country last year, Rath has more than proven to be ready for the high school level. He placed twice at the Super 32 before his first official high school match yet, finishing in eighth in 2020 at 113 pounds and seventh this past fall at 126 pounds. Watch out for the impressive freshman to make some noise this year in a loaded 132-pound field. 

Riley Robell (Bishop McDevitt) — junior, 285 pounds

Following an impressive run to the AA state finals, Robell was defeated in a tight bout to finish as the state runner-up in 2021. Robell will be looking to improve on that result and climb to the top of the podium this season in what should be an exciting 285-pound weight class to follow through the season. 

Finn Solomon (Franklin Regional) — senior, 138 pounds

After finishing as a state runner-up in 2019 as a freshman, Solomon failed to qualify for the state tournament in 2020. He bounced back and put on a fantastic ride to win the 138-pound AAA state championship last year in an exciting final. The N.C. State commit will potentially have to go through another returning state champion in Tyler Kasak in order to win his second state championship this season. 

Mac Stout (Mount Lebanon) — senior, 189 pounds

Stout navigated his way to the 2020 PIAA AAA state finals as a sophomore in an absolutely loaded weight class by defeating returning state champion Trey Kibe in the semifinals. After finishing as the runner-up, he followed that performance up by making the finals in Fargo. Stout looked to be a favorite to win a state championship last season before suffering a season-ending injury at the Powerade. The Pitt commit punctuated his comeback this week by winning the Powerade title.  

Jacob Van Dee (Erie Cathedral Prep) — senior, 120 pounds

After finishing as a state runner-up in 2020, Van Dee came into the 2021 state tournament an underdog. However, the Nebraska commit was not going to be denied as he picked up three tight decisions on his way to the 113-pound AAA state championship. 

Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg Central) — junior, 172 pounds

Welsh has one of the most impressive resumes in Pennsylvania. He finished as a state runner-up as a freshman and a sophomore. He then went on to Junior Nationals this past summer in Fargo and lost a tough bout in the round of 64 and wrestled all the way back to a third-place finish. He followed that up with an impressive performance at Who’s #1 by making the finals and losing a tight bout to Gabe Arnold. Since then, the Ohio State commit was a runner-up at Super 32 agold medalist at the Junior Pan-Am Games and an Ironman champion.

Kamdyn Williams (Manheim Township) — sophomore, 120 pounds

As a freshman, Williams finished off an undefeated season by winning a AAA state championship at 106 pounds last season. He followed that impressive season up with an excellent performance at the 16U Nationals by finishing fourth in freestyle and second in Greco. An early Ohio State commit, will be back this season up a couple weight classes, looking to win his second state championship.