North Allegheny freshman hits mat running

By: John Grupp
Saturday, January 4, 2025 | 11:01 AM

When North Allegheny freshman Joey Synan was 7 years old, his parents wanted an outlet for their vibrant, get-up-and-go son.

“I had a lot of energy,” Synan said. “My parents were like, ‘Yeah, let’s get him into wrestling. That will tire him out.’”

Mom and dad are still waiting.

The high-energy 107-pound ninth-grader is off to a quick start for the North Allegheny wrestling team, reaching the semifinals of the Bethlehem Holiday Classic on Dec. 28-29 and bringing a 15-4 record into the new year.

“He does all of the little things well,” NA coach Jamie Kyriazis said. “He’s still in the process of making the transition to varsity. He’s doing a great job. … I still don’t think he’s wrestled his best match.”

Synan lost two of his first four matches, including a second-period pin against No. 2-ranked Franklin Regional freshman Beau Fennick, but he regrouped to win 12 in a row.

The recent surge included five technical falls and two pins, highlighted by a 4-1 overtime victory against Warrick sophomore Max Mitchley in the Bethlehem quarterfinals. Synan, the No. 6 seed, posted a pair of technical fall victories in the opening two rounds of the 31-team event, which was loaded with top wrestlers from Eastern Pennsylvania. He placed fifth in the 24-wrestler bracket.

“I think I’m doing pretty good, and the team is doing pretty good,” Synan said. “I knew it would be hard (wrestling varsity), but I knew I could take the challenge and do my best with it.”

North Allegheny, ranked seventh in the WPIAL Class 3A, entered its Jan. 8 Section 4-3A match at Pine-Richland with an 11-2 record (1-0 in section).

Other Tigers who placed at Bethlehem were junior Bradyn McConneha (third at 285), junior Griffen Reid (fifth at 152), senior Mason Hartung (seventh at 189) and sophomore Evan Schomburg (eighth at 121).

“This group is working well together,” Kryiazis said. “But there are definitely some things to learn.”

Synan entered the varsity program with pedigree. As a seventh-grader, he won the 82-pound title at the North Allegheny Invitational and competed at the USA Wrestling Northeast Regional qualifier in mid-May in Atlantic City, N.J. He is a cousin to former Hampton standout Kevin Synan, a four-time WPIAL qualifier who went 126-37 from 2009-13.

“I was just working constantly over the summer, lifting and training,” the 5-foot-2 Synan said. “I’m kind of a little 107 (pounder). But I think it’s perfect. I think I’m pretty fast. I’m a strong kid. I think I’m pretty technical, and I think I can win big matches.”

Synan ranks second on the Tigers in wins this season, behind only Reid (18-3). McConneha (14-2), Hartung (13-5), Schomburg (13-5), junior Gus Stedeford (14-3 at 133) and senior Charlie LaQuatra (12-5 at 114) also enjoyed a solid December.

Synan was especially motivated for the Kiski Area Duals on Dec. 14. His junior high team had lost at that event last season. But in his return as a varsity wrestler, Synan capped an undefeated day with a 66-second pin of Kiski Area’s Paxton Newell in a 37-29 victory over the host Cavaliers as NA went 5-0. Synan also had technical-fall wins over wrestlers from Peters Township and Fort LeBoeuf.

“I came out fired up,” he said. “I really wanted to get that win that day.”

Synan will tune up for the postseason at the 54-school Mid-Winter Mayhem on Jan. 10-11 at IUP and the 32-team Allegheny County Championships on Jan. 17-18 at Fox Chapel. The Mid-Winter Mayhem field will include Thomas Jefferson sophomore Zach Rehak, No. 4 at 107 in the Trib’s WPIAL Class 3A rankings, and West Allegheny freshman Michael Johnson, who beat Synan, 13-1, on Dec. 7. Synan looks forward to the challenge.

“I want to wrestle the best of the best,” he said. “I want to wrestle all of the studs out there. I want to be out there with them and scrap with them, and I want to place really high at those tournaments. Those are my goals.”

Tags: North Allegheny