Penn-Trafford shuffles up wrestling coaching staff for this season

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, October 29, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Larry Hohman coached the Penn-Trafford wrestling program from 2007-2013. He’s been an assistant and a youth coach since.

Because Travis McKillop’s duties at work have changed, he wasn’t sure how things would work out if he stayed on as head coach this season.

So Hohman will return as head coach for one year this winter on interim basis. Hohman and McKillop will switch duties this season while McKillop gets used to his new position at Cleveland Brothers.

Hohman said he’s helping out because of his dedication to the program.

“We’re happy that Larry will be able to help us out,” Penn-Trafford athletic director Kerry Hetrick said. “Larry’s been with the program for years and there shouldn’t be much of a change.”

“Travis had to do it,” Hohman said of McKillop’s decision. “So I’m taking over and doing a lot of the paperwork. I set up scheduling and handled reservations for trips.

“Travis and I aren’t changing, and the wrestlers won’t see a change. We’ll coach like we’ve done in the past.”

Hohman said he still wants to be able to watch his son Troy wrestle at North Carolina State.

“I taught these guys how to coach,” Hohman said. “Travis is definitely coming back as head coach next year. He wanted to see how the job affected coaching duties.”

Hohman took the Warriors to the PIAA Class 3A tournament in 2008 and was in the corner when Shane Young and Cam Coy became PIAA individual champions.

Penn-Trafford opens the season Dec. 3 at the Hickory Tournament. They also will compete in the Powerade, Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association and Mayhem (Indiana, Pa.) tournaments.

“We have a decent schedule,” Hohman said. “We’re going to Hickory for the first time. We’ll see a lot of new teams and a really like the Mayhem tournament. We’ll get to face a lot of wrestlers we usually don’t face.”

Hohman said if things work out as he expects, the lineup looks solid.

“We’re going to be OK,” Hohman said.

The Warriors graduated seven seniors, including heavyweight Joe Enick and Owen Ott.

Returning wrestlers include Dylan Barrett, Dylan Clayton, Hayden Coy, Jake Lang and Tasso Whipple.

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: Penn-Trafford