Thomas Jefferson wrestlers find success at sectional tournament

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, February 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Maddox Shaw, Bode Marlow and Shep Turk are three of a kind.

All three seniors are WPIAL champions and standard-bearers of the Thomas Jefferson wrestling program.

And they have the highest respect from their coach, Michael Ladick.

“These guys have continued to set the bar higher for the program moving forward,” Ladick said. “What needs more attention is how much character they all have as student-athletes. They are all fierce competitors, but they are respectful and professional about their business on and off the mat.

“This also goes for Brayden White, who is a senior on our team. Brayden’s demeanor is quiet and calm but once he steps on the line he becomes a different person.”

Shaw, at 160 pounds, Marlow (172) and Turk (285) are four-year competitors at TJ. All three won titles Feb. 15 at the WPIAL Class 3A Eastern Sectional tournament at Norwin.

Shaw improved to 26-2 and 154-14 for his career. Marlow jumped to 40-2 and 152-29. Turk went to 35-6 and 103-37. Shaw had amassed 100 falls in his career without being pinned once. Turk recorded 82 pins, including seven in his last seven matches.

“It was a fun day with the team,” said Turk following the sectional tournament. “I’m happy with my career and excited to finish it off.”

Sophomore Zach Rehak (107) captured the Jaguars’ fourth section crown on the day. He also improved to 32-6 this season and 50-19 overall in his second year of competition.

“The Eastern Sectional was loaded with competition, and it was a challenge the entire day,” Ladick said. “I thought we wrestled very well. Our whole team was competitive. This is the time where we have to start peaking; we don’t want to do it too early or too late.

“We have seen a tremendous amount of growth from our up-and-coming wrestlers. Zach Rehak has put together a great season and continues to improve week to week. Jacob LaBryer fought through a tough bracket at 127 pounds and is starting to find his way. Zach LaBryer is one of the silent team leaders whose technique has evolved, and his team mindset brings up a lot of the other wrestlers. Robert Cordova ran into an absolute monster of a weight class, and he’s already started working towards next season.”

Seven TJ grapplers — Rehak, Shaw, Marlow, Turk, White and the LaBryer brothers — advanced to the WPIAL individual tournament, which was Feb. 21-22 at Canon-McMillan.

“The WPIAL tournament is going to be a challenge as it leads right into the regional tournament where we will see a lot of the same wrestlers in consecutive weeks,” said Ladick in anticipation of the WPIAL event. “We really need to focus our attention on getting rhythm from day to day and also making sure we manage our guys both physically and mentally.”

Here were some of the TJ accomplishments prior to this year’s WPIAL tournament:

• Shaw, a four-time section champion, won two WPIAL titles and finished second once, and improved from third to second to first at the PIAA finals. He will wrestle at Ohio State next year.

• Marlow, a Pitt wrestling commit, captured two section titles and last year won a WPIAL championship and placed third in the state. As a senior, he’s hit 40 wins in a season for the first time.

• Turk, a Pitt football recruit, reeled in two section crowns and one runner-up finish; last year, he earned his first WPIAL championship. Turk secured his 100th career victory Feb. 1 with a pin in 3:40 against Norwin’s Sebastian Summerville at the WPIAL Class 3A team tournament at Peters Township.

• White, a South Dakota football recruit and two-time section runner-up, boosted his season record to 28-6. He competed as a freshman and sophomore at Highlands where he won 39 of 54 decisions, giving White a 67-21 record over three years.

• Zach LaBryer, a 189-pound junior, improved to 29-8 with his second consecutive runner-up showing in the section. Freshman Jacob LaBryer improved to 19-15 with a fourth-place section finish

• Cordova, also a freshman, improved to 21-11 in his first season in the 114-pound weight class.

• Marlow took first place in his weight class this season to earn his fourth Allegheny County tournament championship.

• Other double-digit winners for the Jaguars in 2024-25 included 215-pound senior Trent Miller (17 wins), freshmen Dom Costa (15) and Ethan Koett (12), both at 121, and junior Cameron Timko (12), at 139/133.

Tags: Thomas Jefferson