Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson captures title at Fargo Junior Nationals

By: Antonio Rossetti
Monday, July 21, 2025 | 12:02 PM

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Kiski Area wrestler Mario Hutcherson entered the 16U Freestyle U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals last week in Fargo, N.D., wanting to add more hardware to an already impressive collection.

Hutcherson won gold last summer in the Pan-Am championships, and he also is a four-time youth state champion, a two-time U.S. Open champion, a PIAA medalist and a Fargo All-American.

The rising sophomore had 44 wins as a freshman at Kiski Area this past winter, earning WPIAL runner-up honors, a third-place finish at the Western Regional and a sixth-place PIAA medal. He also placed fourth at the 2024 Clarion Open tournament, which is for upperclassmen, wanting to get looks from college wrestling programs.

He’s had lots of success, but Fargo was a must-win for him. After finishing fifth in last year’s tournament in the 175-pound weight class, he wanted to add a national title to his accomplishments.

Hutcherson’s strategy in the Pan-Am trials was to go right at his opponent. This tournament was no different, even after he bumped up to the 190-pound weight class.

“I know I’m quicker than a lot of these heavier weight guys, and if I’m moving my feet and not hanging in ties and slowing down, I know I’m quicker and more explosive than large guys,” Hutcherson said. “I was just going there and didn’t hang in ties. I wasn’t lazy and got to my offense.”

Hutcherson won his first five matches by a combined score of 57-2 to reach the semifinals, including posting shutouts against his first four opponents. In the semifinals, he defeated Peter Mocco from Florida, 10-6.

Hutcherson has been in the spotlight before, and his finals appearance against Michigan’s Caden Krueger was no different. Hutcherson defeated Krueger, 10-0 by tech fall and won his first Fargo national title, outscoring his opponents 77-8 in the tournament.

He received a huge stop sign-shaped plaque as a reward.

“It almost didn’t fit in my luggage,” Hutcherson said. “It was so big, but it ended up fitting in and ended up working out perfectly.”

From high school gyms to the U.S. Open in Las Vegas and to the Pan-Am trials in El Salvador, Hutcherson has grown used to wrestling in front of hundreds of fans. He was in the spotlight yet again and felt energized by the massive crowd at Fargo.

“I was just grateful and enjoying the moment of having experienced wrestling in the Fargo final,” Hutcherson said. “It’s a huge crowd. It’s under the spotlights. It was a good match. I’ve wrestled the first period and was up 3-0 and then the second period, it was a tech fall. I was just opening up as the match went on and getting to my attacks and it seemed to work out.”

Hutcherson was determined to come in and take home the title in Fargo.

“It didn’t hit me until I got off that stage and realized that I just won Fargo,” Hutcherson said. “I’ve worked so hard for months leading into it, and it finally paid off. All my work paid off, and it’s a great feeling when everything works.”

Hutcherson was pleased with his decision to bump up in weight. He said he felt much better this year compared to last year in Fargo.

“I was cutting weight, and I was sluggish,” Hutcherson said of 2024. “I was just drained. This past year, I was eating food, I was hydrated, I was getting good lifts in practices right before. I felt fresh. I felt ready to go.”

The 6-foot Hutcherson said he is focused on continuing to improve on and off the mat.

“I was trying to put on weight, so I was in the weight room a lot more and lifting heavier weights than I normally do with my strength trainer,” Hutcherson said. “I was wrestling college guys. I was wrestling older guys. I haven’t wrestled a guy my age for months. … It was mainly college guys from Pitt and Penn State.”

Another thing that boosts his confidence is wrestling in front of his family. His brother Marco is one of his most avid supporters. Marco also has quite the trophy case, with three state titles at 13 years old.

“He was happy because we got that nice plaque and the big bracket,” Hutcherson said. “He loved it. He was cheering me in the crowd. I heard him throughout my matches, screaming.”

Overall, he’s grateful for his family and their support.

“They make sure my diet’s good, and they make sure I have everything prepped and everything right, so I could just focus on the wrestling part of it and the lifting part of it,” Hutcherson said. “My dad makes sure I have everything scheduled. He makes sure I have everything planned for my week and what I have going on, so I could just really focus on myself and make sure I’m the best version of me.”

Hutcherson’s success earned him an NIL deal and sponsorship from MyHouse Sports Gear.

“It’s awesome,” Hutcherson said. “It’s a motivator more than anything. The better I do, the more I get, and the more publicity, along with notoriety I get. MyHouse tells me, ‘Hey, you go out and represent us the right way, we’ll represent you the right way.’ It’s just a huge motivator.”

Hutcherson said he’s going to take a couple days off and then adjust mentally and physically for the Super 32 in October in North Carolina.

He wants up-and-coming wrestlers to know that confidence is key.

“If you be yourself and talk about yourself in a high way and almost believe you’re better than what you are and work that way, I feel like everything will come to play,” Hutcherson said. “You have to have that confidence and have that ego, but not a cocky ego. An ego that thinks that I’m better than you and can go out and beat you. Have confidence in yourself.”

Hutcherson is excited for the wrestling journey to continue. His family helps give him that confidence, and he can’t wait to bring them along for the ride.

“My mom, my dad, my brother and my wrestling team, my wrestling community around me, they all show a tremendous amount of support,” Hutcherson said. “It truly makes me feel good about myself and have that confidence.”

Tags: Kiski Area