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Kernan named Almanac Wrestler of the Year

Bethel Park leads list of all-stars

By Eleanor Bailey 11 min read
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Mason Kernan of Bethel Park leads The Almanac All-Star list as Most Valuable Grappler.

Mason Kernan wrapped up his scholastic career at Bethel Park High School in much the same fashion as 2017 alum Nino Bonaccorsi did. Without a coveted state championship. However, the senior could redeem himself as Bonaccorsi did when he won an NCAA title for the University of Pittsburgh in 2023.

“That’s the main goal now. To be a national champion,” Kernan said shortly after settling for a bronze medal in the PIAA Class AAA tournament.

Don’t bet against Kernan. He is headed to West Virginia in the fall. The Mountaineers have produced five national champions, 35 All-Americans and one Olympian. Additionally, Ty Watters out of West Allegheny recently earned All-America status and placed fourth at nationals in his freshman season as a Mountaineer.

“West Virginia is getting a steal in my eyes,” said BP mat boss Tyler Nauman. “Mason is better than his one state medal and I truly believe that will show at WVU and in college.”

Kernan recently capped his high school career by participating in the prestigious Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. He led the WPIAL squad to a 27-19 win against the New Jersey all-stars. In recording a major decision, 14-1, against Nick Balella from Hackettstown in the 133-pound bout, Kernan garnered Outstanding Wrestler honors.

“It was a great way to close out my high school career for sure,” Kernan said. “The goal was to have fun, score a lot of points and win of course. I just went out there and wrestled to my abilities. If I do that, then I am very hard to beat.”

At Bethel Park, Kernan was virtually unstoppable. He compiled a 124-18 record that featured 44 technical falls and 25 pins. Kernan was a three-time WPIAL medalist, a Southwest Regional champion, two-time county champion and a two-time sectional winner after finishing runner-up his freshman and sophomore seasons.

“Mason has had an awesome career,” Nauman said. “He’s etched his name with some of the top talents that have come out of BP.”

Kernan will long be remembered at Bethel Park, but not necessarily for his victories. A captain, he led the Black Hawks to an undefeated section banner this winter and a 19-3 overall record. Bethel Park finished fourth in the WPIAL team tournament after back-to-back, one-point losses to Trinity in the semifinals and Franklin Regional in the consolation match to determine the final PIAA state qualifier.

“Mason meant more than he and a lot of people know to the program,” Nauman said. “Beyond his accomplishments, his work ethic and will to do whatever it took to be the best at wrestling made it easy for myself and staff to bring in that type of training routine, and mindset to the rest of the Black Hawks team.”

This winter, Kernan brought that do-or-die attitude to his own matches and it produced a 39-4 record.

Kernan landed a spot on the podium (seventh) at the prestigious Powerade Tournament. After recording tech falls against the area competition, he recorded strong wins against national competitors such as Noach Kochman from St. Edwards, Ohio and Carter Nogle from Mount St. Joseph in Maryland.

Kernan went on to claim an Allegheny County title and a Southern Sectional banner before winning his first WPIAL and Southwest Regional championship. He was 4-1 in state competition to finish third at 133.

“I thought I had a good career. A lot of memories,” Kernan said. “I did not achieve all the goals that I would have liked but I was grateful for the opportunity to wrestle good opponents.”

Kernan may not have set out to achieve Almanac Wrestler of the Year acclaim for 2024 either, but he pocketed the honor to add to his collection of memories and mementos for his career.

“I’m very grateful to be receiving these awards and they are super cool but I’m just doing what I love everyday,” Kernan said. “Sometimes things go my way and sometimes they don’t.”

BETHEL PARK

ADDS FOUR

While Kernan headlines the Almanac Wrestling All-Star list, which was selected based on performances throughout the season as well as a survey among the area coaches, he is joined by three of his teammates: Cordan McDonnell, A.J. Tomaino and Landon Hartman.

McDonnell joined Kernan in Hershey. After winning his first bout, the 160-pound senior dropped out of the state tournament with back-to-back losses to finish 32-14 overall for the season. He had 13 falls.

McDonnell placed third at the sectional and in the WPIAL. He was a fourth-place medalist during the Allegheny County Tournament.

Tomaino finished fourth in the sectional and qualified for the regional where he best PT rival Parker Nave in the first round of the competition. A 172-pound senior, Tomaino posted a 23-18 record with 11 falls this season.

Although saddled with a shoulder injury during much of the season, Hartman managed a 22-12 record. The 215-pound senior finished his career with a 74-35 record that featured 54 falls. Hartman was a sectional runner-up and a WPIAL and regional qualifier.

Additionally, Tyler Nauman from Bethel Park has been named Coach of the Year. In only his second season at the helm, Nauman directed the Black Hawks to their first final-four appearance in the WPIAL Class AAA team tournament since winning a championship in 2009. The Black Hawks suffered a pair of one-point losses, falling to Trinity, 27-26, in the semifinals and Franklin Regional, 28-27, in the consolation bout to decide the third-place qualifier for the state team tournament.

Bethel Park rebounded from that disappointment by winning the Pine-Richland duals to bring their overall record to 19-3 overall. The Black Hawks also were undefeated section champions.

THREE SHINE

FOR MT.LEBANON

Individually, it was a successful season on the mats for Mt. Lebanon as the Blue Devils advanced two grapplers to the PIAA championships in Hershey. A third wrestler overcame injuries to become a regional place winner.

At 114, Ejiro Montoya only posted an 11-4 overall record because of nagging injuries. The senior, however, recovered enough to produce a strong showing in the individual tournament. He was a section runner-up and a fifth-place finisher in the WPIAL.

Montoya finished his career with a 72-21 overall record with 23 falls, two sectional runner-up titles, one bronze, as well as two regional medals, including fourth as a junior.

A sophomore, Cole Gibbons and Ben Lloyd, a junior, were Lebo’s state qualifiers.

Seeded eighth at the sectional, Gibbons took the bronze medal at 145. He also finished third in the WPIAL and the regional to gain his spot in Hershey after also receiving a low seed of fifth.

“Cole never believed that his seed was a sign of where he would finish in either one of those brackets,” said Lebo mat boss Marc Allemang. “He had a great week of training heading into the section tournament and it was the most focused I have ever seen him. He was completely locked in. The section tournament definitely gave him the confidence that he needed to compete like he did at the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments.”

At states, Gibbons needed a win in the bloodround at Hershey to mount the podium. However, he lost to Central Dauphin’s Gavin Reynolds, 1-0..

“Cole is a dangerous wrestler. He is fast and explosive, extremely athletic, and has a ton of belief in himself and his abilities,” said Allemang. “I look forward to what he can accomplish during his junior and senior seasons.”

Lloyd is another Lebo grappler with a bright future. A junior, he compiled a 32-13 record to put himself in position to join the Century Club his senior season. Lloyd is 71-49 overall with 34 career falls.

During the individual tournaments, Lloyd displayed grit. After picking up the bronze medal during the sectional, Lloyd recovered from a first-round defeat to place third at the WPIAL and Southwest Regional event and gained entry into the PIAA tournament, where the heavyweight dropped his first two bouts at states, losing twice by falls.

“Losing in the first round put Ben in a very difficult position,” said Allemang. “Ben then won the rest of his matches through the consolation rounds. What was so special about that run was he had to beat many of the kids either seeded ahead of him or that he had lost to during the season. Ben has put in countless hours wrestling and working since the end of last season. While he was disappointed in his PIAA performance, he will be back next year.”

INDIANS GRAB

THREE SLOTS

Peters Township grabbed three spots on the all-star list, including garnering the distinction as having the best newcomer.

A freshman, Nicholas McGarrity topped the list and earned Rookie of the Year laurels. He compiled a 43-4 record at 107 pounds.

McGarrity won the section crown with a pin against Lebo’s Jonathan Emma. McGarrity went on to win his first WPIAL title and Southwest Regional gold medal with a sudden victory, 6-2, against Dylan Barrett from Penn Trafford. At the PIAA championships, he won his first three bouts, but lost his next two matches to place sixth in the state.

McGarrity’s older brother, A.J. dominated the 139-pound weight class. The junior compiled a 30-10 record this winter to improve to 65-44 overall for his career. A regional qualifier, he took the bronze medal in the section with a 7-6 decision against Peter Leventis from South Fayette.

Isaac Meyers joined the McGarrity brothers on the all-star list. The senior posted a 28-19 record this winter and finished with 63 career wins.

Meyers placed sixth in the sectional and eighth in the regional when he avenged two previous decisions against freshman Colton Fisher. In the placing round, Meyers scored a 3-0 win against Fisher.

Meyers picked up 15 pins this season.

DUO EXCEL

FOR SF LIONS

Jonathan Baiano and Luke Dunlap represent South Fayette on the all-star list.

A senior, Baiano became a member of the Century Club this winter and finished with a 106-32 career record. He was 33-6 overall this winter with 19 falls.

The 127-pound grappler finished with 56 career pins. Baiano placed fifth in the sectional. He beat Seth Miller of Bethel Park, 9-6, in that consolation match and advanced to the regional competition.

Baiano also was crowned champion at the Charters-Houston and Allegheny County tournaments. He took third at the TRICADA meet.

A junior, Dunlap compiled a 33-9 record to run his career mark to 66-15 overall. The 152-pound wrestler also collected a complement of medals, silver at the Chartiers-Houston Invitational and bronze at the TRICADA and Allegheny County tournaments.

A sectional runner-up, he placed fourth in the WPIAL and Southwestern Regional to gain a berth in the PIAA championships.

CV PICK

COMPLETES LIST

Nick Pruchnitzky gained a spot on the all-star squad at 189. The Chartiers Valley senior did not have a flashy record at 16-12 but he came on strong to take third in the sectional, beating Peters Township’s Caleb Bebout by tech. fall, 21-6, in the consolation bout. The senior was 1-2 in the regional.

ALMANAC WRESTLING ALL-STAR TEAM

107 Nicholas McGarrity Peters Township Freshman 43-4

114 Ejiro Montoja Mt. Lebanon Senior 11-4

121 Issac Meyers Peters Township Senior 28-19

127 Jonathan Baiano South Fayette Senior 33-6

133 Mason Kernan Bethel Park Senior 39-4

139 AJ McGarrity Peters Township Junior 30-10

145 Cole Gibbons Mt. Lebanon Soph. 28-13

152 Luke Dunlap South Fayette Junior 33-9

160 Cordan McDonnell Bethel Park Senior 32-14

172 A.J. Tomaino Bethel Park Senior 23-18

189 Nick Pruchnitzky Char Valley Senior 16-12

215 Landon Hartman Bethel Park Senior 22-12

285 Ben Lloyd Mt. Lebanon Junior 32-13

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR Mason Kernan, Bethel Park

HONORABLE MENTION: Seth Miller (32-17), Ethan Higgins (34-10), Ian Bucheli (18-18)-Bethel Park; Michael Lawrence (28-10), Logan Connolly (30-14), Tyler Glover (17-12)-Chartiers Valley; Chris Cibrone, Parker Nave-Peters Township; Jonathan Emma (24-7), Franco Busalacchi (13-15), Joe Gamble (18-16)-Mt. Lebanon; Talan Mizenko (30-14)-South Fayette; Michael Albert (35-6), Ronan Gibbons (19-13)-Upper St. Clair

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Nicholas McGarrity Peters Township

WRESTLERS TO WATCH: Colton Fisher-Bethel Park; Tilek Sadyrbekov (17-12), Maksim Rybalko (18-16)-Chartiers Valley; Ben Mares (10-14), Evan Sala (9-11)-Mt. Lebanon; Brock Dennison (27-9), Pete Leventis (22-15)-South Fayette; Alisher Abdurahkmanov (10-9), Austin Sullivan (15-8), Derek Worstell (25-9)-Upper St. Clair

COACH OF THE YEAR Tyler Nauman Bethel Park

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