2025 TribHSSN high school wrestling all-stars
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Sunday, March 23, 2025 | 9:01 AM
Thomas Jefferson’s Maddox Shaw beats South Fayette’s Luke Dunlap in the 152-pound final at the Allegheny County Wrestling Championship on Jan. 18.
Thomas Jefferson Bode Marlow wrestles Asher Cunningham at 172 pounds during the PIAA Class 3A wrestling tournament March 8.
Thomas Jefferson’s Shepherd Turk beats Carlynton’s Henry Barbisch in the 285-pound final in the Allegheny County Wrestling Championship on Jan. 18.
Connellsville’s Evan Petrovich wrestles State College’s James Whitbred during the PIAA Class 3A wrestling tournament March 7.
Central Valley’s Antonio Boni wrestles Faith Christian’s Joey Bachmann in the 127-pound final during the PIAA Class 2A wrestling tournament March 8.
Indiana senior Nico Fanella and Latrobe senior Luke Willochell scramble for control during their 133-pound final at the WPIAL Class 3A wrestling championships Feb. 22.
Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown wrestles Ringgold’s Jake Conroy during the PIAA Class 3A wrestling tournament March 7.
Connellsville sophomore Kai Vielma pins Hempfield’s Jacob Halsted in the first round at the WPIAL Class 3A individual wrestling championships Feb. 21.
Norwin sophomore Landon Sidun takes down Franklin Regional’s Mike Ruane during the 127-pound match Jan. 22.
Kiski Area’s Cooper Roscosky wrestles Methacton’s Dylan Pachik at 215 pounds during the PIAA Class 3A wrestling tournament March 6.
Butler’s Santiono Sloboda wrestles Connor Lenahan of Council Rock South at 114 pounds match during the PIAA Class 3A championships March 9, 2024.
Connellsville sophomore Tommy Gretz (left) and Peters Township sophomore Nicholas McGarrity battle for control during the 107-pound final at the WPIAL Class 3A wrestling championships Feb. 22.
Fort Cherry’s Braedon Welsh maintains control of Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown at 172 pounds at the WPIAL Class 2A wrestling championships Feb. 24, 2024.
Wrestler of the year
Maddox Shaw
Thomas Jefferson, sr., 152 pounds
2024-25 record: 38-1. Career record: 166-14
A knee injury forced Maddox Shaw to miss almost a month of the season.
But it didn’t prevent him from winning a second PIAA Class 3A title or his third WPIAL title. Or stop him from winning a third Allegheny County tournament or helping Thomas Jefferson to a historic season.
The Ohio State commit who got hurt during the Beast of the East tournament Dec. 22 and missed the Powerade tournament returned to action Jan. 17 at the Allegheny County tournament and didn’t miss a beat.
He defeated Connellsville senior Evan Petrovich in the finals three of the final four weekends.
Shaw’s performance earned him the TribHSSN Wrestler of the Year honors.
“I said at the WPIALs that winning never gets old,” Shaw said. “It is even more special at the state level. Pennsylvania has the best wrestling in the country for a reason. Everybody is tough, and to do it two times is really special, and I can only thank God for that.”
Shaw said he was very grateful to be back after missing a few weeks during the season.
“It was the longest time off I’ve ever had,” he said.
Thomas Jefferson reached the WPIAL Class 3A team tournament semifinals for the first time and dropped close matches to Franklin Regional and Norwin to finish fourth.
The team rebounded to edge Connellsville for the team title at the PIAA West Regional and finished second to Bethlehem Catholic in the PIAA individual tournament.
Now Shaw is getting ready to compete in one final high school match.
He was the only wrestler selected to represent the WPIAL on the Pennsylvania squad in the 51st Pittsburgh Wresting Classic on March 29 at the AHN Arena at Peters Township.
The Pennsylvania squad will face a powerful United States team at 7 p.m.
“I’m looking forward to competing in the Classic,” Shaw said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted do to.”
First team
Bode Marlow
Thomas Jefferson, sr., 172 pounds
2024-25 record: 50-4; Career record: 162-31.
Marlow finished second in the PIAA after finishing third in 2024. He is a two-time WPIAL 3A champion and is committed to wrestle at Pitt. He was a four-time Allegheny County champion.
Shepherd Turk
Thomas Jefferson, sr., 285 pounds
2024-25 record: 47-7; Career record: 115-38.
The TJ heavyweight finished third in the PIAA 3A tournament and is a two-time WPIAL champion. He will attend Pitt to play football. He helped the Jaguars to the PIAA West Regional title.
Evan Petrovich
Connellsville, sr., 152 pounds
2024-25 record: 46-9; Career record: 156-36.
Petrovich finished second in the PIAA 3A and WPIAL tournaments. The Pitt commit placed third in the PIAA in 2024. He helped the Falcons to a 2024 3A team title and PIAA third place finish in the team tournament.
Antonio Boni
Central Valley, jr., 127 pounds
2024-25 record: 47-4; Career record: 118-15.
Boni was the lone WPIAL 2A wrestler to reach the PIAA finals. He placed second to Faith Christian Academy sophomore Joey Bachmann. He is a three-time WPIAL champion and three-time PIAA qualifier and two-time placewinner.
Nico Fanella
Indiana, sr., 133 pounds
2024-25 record: 43-3; Career record: 152-17.
No matter what classification, Fanella found success in the PIAA tournament in Hershey. The two-time WPIAL champion placed third in the state for the second consecutive season. He is committed to wrestle at Pitt. He placed fourth in Class 2A in 2023.
Luke Willochell
Latrobe, sr., 133 pounds
2024-25 record: 44-5; Career record: 166-17.
Willochell earned his second PIAA Class 3A runner-up medal. The other came in 2022. The Wyoming commit is a four-time PIAA placewinner and three-time WPIAL champion. He finished his career with a record-tying 166 wins.
Elijah Brown
Belle Vernon, jr., 215 pounds
2024-25 record: 48-1; Career record: 127-19.
Brown became the first wrestler in school history to win a PIAA title. He is a two-time WPIAL champion. The Pitt commit defeated rival Cooper Roscosky five times. Ringgold’s Jake Conroy was the only wrestler to beat him.
Kai Vielma
Connellsville, so., 139 pounds
2024-25 record: 49-5; Career record: 89-12.
Vielma was the WPIAL 3A champion and two-time finalist. He placed third in the PIAA. He played a key role in helping the Falcons to the 2024 team title and 2025 PIAA third place finish.
Landon Sidun
Norwin, so., 121 pounds
2024-25 record: 30-0; Career record: 72-2
Sidun saw his season cut short with a hand injury in the WPIAL Class 3A third-place match in the team tournament. He was ranked No. 1 in the country and won three tournaments: Beast of the East, Powerade and Doc Buchanan Invitational.
Cooper Roscosky
Kiski Area, jr., 215 pounds
2024-25 record: 41-8; Career record: 113-23.
Roscosky finished with eight losses and five were to PIAA 3A champion Elijah Brown of Belle Vernon. He finished second in the WPIAL, PIAA West Regional and PIAA tournaments.
Santino Sloboda
Butler, jr., 127 pounds
2024-25 record: 50-1; Career record: 128-7.
Sloboda is a three-time PIAA 3A place finisher. He finished third at 127 pounds this year. He is a two-time WPIAL 3A champion. He has committed to Pitt.
Nicholas McGarrity
Peters Township, so., 107 pounds
2024-25 record: 44-5; Career record: 87-9.
McGarrity won his second WPIAL 3A title and went on to place third in the PIAA tournament. He placed sixth as a freshman. He has 45 career pins, 21 this season.
Braedon Welsh
Fort Cherry, sr., 189 pounds
2024-25 record: 48-2; Career record: 162-29.
Welsh is a two-time WPIAL 2A champion and three-time finalist. He is a three-time PIAA placewinner, placing third this season, fifth as a junior and fourth as a sophomore. He will attend Brown University.
Second team
Roman Thompson, Central Catholic, so., 215 pounds. 2024-25 record: 38-4.
Collier Hartman, Canon-McMillan, jr., 133 pounds. 2024-25 record: 48-8.
Collin Whyte, West Greene, jr., 285 pounds. 2024-25 record: 48-7
Mario Hutcherson, Kiski Area, fr., 172 pounds. 2024-25 record: 43-7.
Tommy Gretz, Connellsville, so., 107 pounds. 2024-25 record: 42-12.
Ramil Islamov, Baldwin, sr., 145 pounds. 2024-25 record: 47-3.
Jake Conroy, Ringgold, sr., 215 pounds. 2024-25 record: 39-7.
Hunter Snyder, Latrobe, so., 189 pounds. 2024-25 record: 45-6.
Dom Canali, Trinity, jr., 127 pounds, 2024-25 record: 47-8.
Lonzy Vielma, Connellsville, sr., 160 pounds. 2024-25 record: 43-12.
Leo Joseph, Latrobe, sr., 121 pounds. 2024-25 record: 39-7.
Mason Horwat, Derry, so., 152 pounds. 2024-25 record: 46-6.
Brady Brown, Derry, so., 189 pounds. 2024-25 record: 48-8.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Thomas Jefferson
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