Mario Hutcherson entered the wrestling season as one of the most highly regarded freshmen in the state after winning a freestyle title in the 15-and-under division of the Pan-American Games in June while competing at 75 kilograms (165 pounds).
Hutcherson has not disappointed in his debut at Kiski Area. He has a 19-2 record while competing at 172 pounds and is ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class 3A. Hutcherson's only two losses were by injury default at the Powerade tournament.
"Mario wasn't feeling good when the tournament started, but he wanted to wrestle," Kiski Area coach Chris Heater said. "He wrestled in the opening round and posted a 10-2 victory but did not feel good enough to continue."
Hutcherson claimed his first high school tournament title on Saturday at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association tournament at Greensburg Salem. Hutcherson recorded two pins and a technical fall to earn a berth in the 172-pound final, in which he posted a 13-4 win against Burrell's Isaac Lacinski to claim his first county title.
"I've had this tournament on my calendar since the schedule came out," Hutcherson said. "My goal is to win four county titles. I figured winning as a freshman would be the toughest."
Hutcherson was even more motivated to win his first county title after watching Latrobe's Luke Willochell become the 14th wrestler in WCCA history to win four titles.
"Watching Luke was an inspiration," Hutcherson said. "It gave me a taste of what the future could look like for me."
It's rare to see a wrestler in an upper weight class do this well as a freshman.
"My dad and one of my coaches preach to me that there is no such thing as pressure, just opportunity," Hutcherson said. "I came in with no pressure. Nobody expected me to win."
Heater is impressed with his freshman phenom.
"He's super talented, is well grounded and works as hard as any kid I've coached," Heater said. "He works for everything he's gotten so far. We're excited to see what he can do in his four years of high school."
Hutcherson was one of four Kiski Area wrestlers who made it to the finals at the WCCA tournament. The other three are also in the upper weight classes.
Mark Gray and Cooper Roscosky placed second at 189 and 215, respectively, while Ryder Ekas concluded the finals with a title at 285 pounds.
"There can't be many wrestling rooms in the state, even the country, that has the talent we do in the upper weight classes," Hutcherson said. "I know if I need to improve in a certain area, I can count on my teammates to push me in the practice room."
Soto the ‘new guy’
Deydon Soto was also making his debut at the WCCA tournament. In fact, Soto was making his Pennsylvania debut this season.
Soto, a senior, transferred to Belle Vernon after winning a Connecticut state title in 2024. He also placed third at the All-New England tournament.
"I wrestled at Danbury High School," Soto said. "My mom started a business in Pennsylvania, so we moved to Belle Vernon."
Soto has posted a 19-2 record at 139 pounds and is ranked No. 3 in WPIAL Class 3A. His two losses came in the finals of two tournaments.
"We knew [Deydon] was good since he won a Connecticut state title last year, but wrestling in Pennsylvania is at a much higher level," Belle Vernon coach Bob Bove said. "We didn't know how good he could be until we saw him competing against Pennsylvania wrestlers."
Soto's first loss was to Gettysburg's Myles Grossman 7-4 in the semifinals of the MyHouse tournament in Chambersburg, Pa., on Dec. 29. Grossman was a PIAA Class 3A tournament participant last year.
Soto's second loss came in the finals of the WCCA tournament. He dropped a 1-0 decision to Burrell's Julian Bertucci in the title match. A second-period escape by Bertucci was the only point scored.
"I'm getting used to the toughness of Pennsylvania wrestlers," Soto said. "It's harder to score. You have to work harder to get a takedown."
Soto and his brother, Leonidas, moved to Belle Vernon with their mother in August.
"I wish I would have been here for middle school and high school," Deydon Soto said. "I would be a much better wrestler. Connecticut still made me a good wrestler obviously, but [Pennsylvania] is much better."
Soto has begun the recruiting process with hopes of finding "the best fit for myself.”
Shaw returns
Maddox Shaw, a Thomas Jefferson senior, did not wrestle in the Jaguars’ last two tournaments, the Powerade tournament, which was held Dec. 27-28, and the Mid-Winter Mayhem tournament, held last weekend.
Shaw will participate, though, in this weekend's Allegheny County tournament, which begins Friday at Fox Chapel High School.
"Maddox has been dealing with a minor injury," Thomas Jefferson coach Michael Ladick said. "We held him out of Powerade and Mid-Winter Mayhem as a precautionary move. We didn't want to take a chance with the postseason tournaments coming up. He's looking forward to competing this weekend."
Shaw is a three-time Allegheny County tournament finalist who claimed titles in the last two years at 139 and 145. He is the top seed at 152.
Shaw is one of three Thomas Jefferson entries who has won a previous county title. The others are Bode Marlow and Shep Turk, a Pitt football recruit.
Marlow, a three-time county champ whose previous titles came at 138, 162 and 160, is the top seed at 172.
"Bode wants to win No. 4," Ladick said. "He's very focused on that goal."
There have been only five individuals who have won four Allegheny County titles in the 22-year history of the tournament. Mt. Lebanon graduate Luke Stout was the last to accomplish the feat in 2020.
Turk is the defending champ at 285 pounds and is the top seed.
The Thomas Jefferson trio is among 10 wrestlers who have won a previous county title.
At least one of the 10 champs will have to settle for something less than a gold medal, as Pine-Richland's Dominic Ferraro and Plum's Owen Campbell are both entered in the 139-pound weight class.
Ferraro is a three-time finalist who is the defending champ at 139. Campbell is a two-time finalist who won as a freshman in 2023. Ferraro is the top seed, and Campbell is No. 3.
Moon's Cael Yanek is also a two-time finalist. Yanek won last year at 121 and is now competing at 133 but seeded No. 4 in a strong weight class.
Central Catholic has two defending champs. Nez Green is back at 189 as the No. 2 seed, while Roman Thompson returns to defend his title at 215 as the top seed.
The other two returning champs are Quaker Valley's Bruce Anderchak and Fox Chapel's Landon Funk. Anderchak is the top seed at 114 after winning at 107 last year. Funk has moved to 127 after winning at 114 last year. Both are seeded No. 1.
Plum has won the past two team titles, but the Mustangs are not considered a threat to three-peat.
"It should come down to a battle between Thomas Jefferson, North Allegheny and us," Bethel Park coach Tyler Nauman said. "Thomas Jefferson has four studs who will be hard to beat. We have the most balance of any team."
First Published: January 15, 2025, 6:47 p.m.