Maddox Shaw, Bode Marlow leave championships legacy with Thomas Jefferson wrestling

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, April 20, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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One holds the school record for career wins.

The other set the team mark for victories in a season.

Together, Thomas Jefferson seniors Maddox Shaw and Bode Marlow proved to be an indominable force throughout their stellar high school wrestling careers.

“Both are phenomenal student-athletes who have modeled for the next generation of Thomas Jefferson wrestlers how far they can go once they have realized how far they have come,” TJ coach Michael Ladick said.

“Maddox’s personality is one of tax accountant by day and then he moonlights as a Las Vegas Club DJ on the weekends,” Ladick said. “Bode’s personality is one where he knows he resides in West Jefferson Hills only to bide his time until he can go back to his roots as a Sherpa in the Himalayan Mountains.

“For the record, anyone that has ever listened to Maddox’s playlist in practice or seen how Bode dresses day to day can attest to these statements.”

Shaw racked up a 166-14 career record after finishing 38-2 at 152 pounds as a senior and making a clean sweep in the postseason with championships in the section, WPIAL, region and state. Shaw defeated Connellsville’s Evan Petrovich, 4-2, in the PIAA championship match. He was named Wrestler of the Year by Trib HSSN.

Marlow became first grappler in school history to attain 50 wins by finishing 50-4 overall as a senior. He captured first place in the section and district and second place the region and state.

“Their seasons were remarkable and their careers were record-breaking,” Ladick said. “To see Bode get as far as he did and meet each challenge with grace and perseverance was amazing.

“For Maddox to overcome an injury early in the season to fight back and win his second state title was such a testament to his commitment to himself and the sport.”

Shaw was 41-6 at 126, 44-3 at 133 and 43-3 at 139 in his first three seasons at TJ. He pinned 106 opponents in his career, including 30 as a freshman, and attained five technical falls. Remarkably, Shaw was not pinned once in his career.

He was a section champion four times, district titlist once, regional winner three times, regional runner-up once, state champ twice and state runner-up one time.

Shaw kicked off the 2024-25 season by going 11-0 then ended his career on a 27-match winning streak.

Marlow wrapped up his four-year career with a 162-31 overall record with 72 pins and 39 technical falls. He was 35-11 as a freshman, 38-9 in his sophomore season and 39-7 as a junior when he won section and WPIAL titles and placed third in the state.

A knee injury forced Shaw, an Ohio State recruit, to miss almost a month of the season.

It didn’t prevent him, however, from winning a second PIAA Class 3A championship or his third WPIAL title or stop him from winning a third county tournament or helping TJ to a historic season.

Shaw suffered his injury and his only two losses (including a forfeit) during the Beast of the East tournament Dec. 22. He missed the Powerade tournament. He returned to action Jan. 17 at the Allegheny County event and didn’t miss a beat.

“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 was the only WPIAL grappler selected to compete for the Pennsylvania squad in the 51st Pittsburgh Wresting Classic on March 29 at AHN Arena at Peters Township.

Shaw had his eye on the PWC berth and participating in the event for a long time.

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted do to,” he said.

While Shaw will continue his career with the Buckeyes in the Big Ten, Marlow has committed to Pitt, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“One thing I have been consistent about is that I have never had an expectation for either of them at the PIAA level, so I won’t start having one for them once they start wrestling in the NCAA,” Ladick said. “My one true goal for all my wrestlers I have coached was that hopefully one day when they meet the right person, they would honor me by inviting my wife and I to their wedding day.

“Then, my expectation would be a short ceremony so there is more time to eat and dance.”

Another high-profile athlete for the Jaguars this season was 185-pound senior Shep Turk, who was 47-7 in 2024-25 and 115-38 — with 92 pins — in his career.

Turk, who plans to continue his football career as a lineman at Pitt, won section, district and regional titles this year and placed third in the state.

Thomas Jefferson reached semifinals of the WPIAL Class 3A team tournament for the first time and dropped close matches to Franklin Regional and Norwin to finish fourth.

The Jaguars rebounded to edge Connellsville for the team title at the PIAA West Regional and finished second to Bethlehem Catholic in the PIAA individual tournament.

Three other key contributors to the Jaguars’ cause in 2024-25 were 160-pound senior Brayden White, who posted a 36-10 record, 189-pound sophomore Zach Rehak, at 38-12, and 107-pound junior Zach LaBryer , at 35-12.

White strung together a 19-match winning streak during the season. Rehak started out 9-0 and later won 14 consecutive matches. LaBryer also began 9-0, and 11-1, then won 12 of 13 matches later in the year.

Also, freshmen Robert Cordova (114) and Jacob LaBryer (127) won 21 and 20 times, respectively.

Cordova earned 10 wins in 11 midseason matches that included five falls, three technical falls, one major decision plus a decision.

Labryer won the first six matches of his career including a technical fall in his initial outing.

There will be a new look to the TJ wrestling program in 2025-26 as the highly successful Ladick indicated he is retiring from the coaching ranks. He coached for 19 years, including the past 10 with the Jaguars. His career record was 122-122.

“I cannot thank the West Jefferson Hills School District and specifically Bill Cherpak enough for letting me live out my dream of coaching with my father, Robert Ladick,” said the Jaguars’ coach. “I am so proud to have worked with so many phenomenal assistant coaches over the years. That being said, for the past two years James ‘Snapper’ Fleming was absolutely critical to the success of our individuals and team as a whole.

“For our wrestlers and coaches to end the way we did as PIAA Class 3A West Regional champions and PIAA individual team runner-up can be summed up best by coach Ladick Sr.: ‘What a way to go.’”

Tags: Thomas Jefferson