Bethel Park grappler earns milestone
Paul Dunn works on his pinning moves during practice in the Bethel Park wrestling room.
Paul Dunn
Paul Dunn recently earned his 100th career victory as a Bethel Park High School wrestler.
On the mats, Paul Dunn confronted many challenges to register more than 100 career victories. His most difficult obstacle, however, was never an opponent. For the Bethel Park senior, the true test has been wrestling without his biggest supporter. At the age of 49, his father and namesake, Paul Dunn Jr., died of a massive heart attack on Dec. 16, 2013.
“My whole world came crashing down that day. (His death) really did come out of nowhere,” said Dunn. “My dad took me to all my practices and came to all my matches. He taught me a lot. We bonded over wrestling.”
Since age 5, Dunn reveled in a sport that drew him close to his dad, who played football in the late 1970s at Upper St. Clair High School. The pair would travel together to see the best wrestlers in the area. For example, because Ron Shorts of Canonsburg was a friend of the family, they would watch his son, Colton, as he dominated the district and state, winning a WPIAL title and earning a PIAA bronze medal.
“I’m a first-generation wrestler, but my dad loved the sport. He never pushed me into it. He’d tell me, ‘if you don’t like it, then you don’t have to do it because of me.’ But I do love it. Every year I love it more and more and I love him, too. He was proud of me win or lose.”
Dunn is proud of the person he has become because of his father, rather than the wrestler he is. Academically, Dunn is a near-4.0 student that has written for his school newspaper and volunteers at youth camps. He earned a scholarship to Lehigh University, where he will wrestle while pursuing a business degree.
“My dad pushed me to my potential,” Dunn said. “He wanted to see me do well. Good grades and school came first with him. Wrestling was second. He wanted to see me get a good job and all that. He worked hard at two jobs to make sure we got all we wanted,” Dunn said, noting his dad’s occupation as a chef at the Uncommon Market and an employee for UPS. “He didn’t count the cost.”
That work ethic rubbed off on Dunn. Most recently he experienced the fruits of his labors. He finished fifth at the prestigious Powerade Tournament and in the process picked up his 100th career victory. After recording falls against Louie Rentler from Mt. Lebanon and Garrett Neff from Council Rock in the opening rounds of action, Dunn stumbled against eventual champion Josh Shields from Franklin Regional in the quarterfinals. Dunn, however, recovered to beat Trent Crouse from Chestnut Ridge. He edged Devin Austin from Penn-Trafford for the milestone. Dunn defeated Noah Stewart of Mifflin County to earn the fifth-place medal.
“One hundred wins was a goal that I thought about since my freshman year,” said Dunn, who had to average 25 wins a year to set himself up for the achievement. “I knew I needed four wins and the goal was to win. I wanted to be first, but I’m okay with it. I wanted to do it on a big stage like Powerade and against a quality opponent. I was glad I got it there and it was nice that it came against Austin because I had lost to him at the start of the season. So it was good to avenge that loss.
“I was excited but also relieved. Now, I have to get ready for the next one. You have to keep on climbing. I want to see how high I can go.”
Propelled by the memory of his father, Dunn reached as high as third place in the state during last year’s PIAA Class AAA championships, held in Hershey.
“Last year, Paul put himself on the map,” said BP head coach Bob Stewart. “He’s always been a good wrestler but what he has done is extremely impressive because, as a team, we don’t usually go deep into the playoffs for him to pick up extra matches. His record is a credit to him. He’s worked hard for what he has gotten. He’s definitely a hard worker and it pays off. Work ethic is his strength.
“It also can be a negative because Paul never takes a day off,” Stewart added. “He needs to know when to relax and to take time off because it is such a long grind in our sport and your body does need a break.”
This season, that break won’t come for Dunn until March 7 or 16, the days after the PIAA championships and the 41st annual Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, which features the top wrestlers in the region as well as the country. Until then, Dunn intends to work on his moves from the neutral position and fine-tune the movements between his hands and feet to set up his shots. “I’m pretty solid on the mat, but I need to work on my feet for the next level and get my hands and feet more synchronized,” he said.
Because he experienced his first loss early in the season, Dunn has time to improve. “I know what I need to work on. It would be harder if I lost later in the season because there is not enough time to make it right. We’re all working on and preparing for March. The eventual goal is a state championship.”
Dunn knows winning a PIAA title will not be easy. In fact, securing a WPIAL crown will be a test. Last season, Dunn finished third in the district at 152 to qualify for the state tournament. This year, he wrestles in the 160-pound weight class. The division features Shields, a state runner-up last year, as well as Austin and David Hollingshead from Altoona. Dunn beat Hollingshead, 5-3, in last year’s state consolation match but Hollingshead took third at Powerade last month.
“The 160-weight class is one of the toughest in the WPIAL,” said Dunn. “You have to be on top of your game every match.”
“Last year at states, it was an awesome experience, especially since it was my first time, but you have to keep working. I was pleased with as high as I did, but obviously I wanted to win it. I’m focusing on that. I want to get to the finals and win it. States is definitely a goal, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t get it.”
True, after Bethel Park, Dunn is going to Lehigh where he’ll have a chance to achieve more. “I’ll have a chance to become a national champion and an All-American,” he stated of his collegiate objectives.
Stewart has no doubt Dunn will be successful because of his work ethic. Dunn’s been able to get an education out of his hard work, he explained. “His future is very bright. He did all the right things he needed to do. When you do that, good things happen. No doubt he is intense,” Stewart concluded.
Dunn knows he owes his strength to his father, to whom he has dedicated this season. “My dad always inspires my to push harder. He would tell me to keep going. Go until the last buzzer sounds. Never give up. Keep working and you’ll get to where you want to be.
“My dad taught me to be resilient and be ready to go. It’s that next match mentality,” continued Dunn. “Your opponent doesn’t care whether you won your last match or lost a heartbreaker. So you better come out with your best and give it 100 percent.”
Dunn gives 100 percent because he knows his dad is watching. While Dunn said he never looked up in the stands to see if his dad was present, he could always hear him yelling encouragement. “It still feels like he’s in my corner. I believe he helped me during my close matches at states last year and he continues to be in my corner talking to me. ‘Keep working and you’ll get to where you want to be.’ That’s what he’d always tell me.
“It’s indescribable how much I miss him. I cannot put it into words. I miss him. I love him. Yes, there is a frustration, but there is not much I can do about it. You can’t spend a lot of energy on something you can’t help or change. It’s the hardest thing that I have been through. I can’t think of anything harder. But, I know that as long as I am doing my best, that’s all I can ask for. He also told us that.”
Now that he is the man of the house, Dunn says he tries to set an example for his siblings, Samantha and Wil. “But,” he said, “they are good kids and in the right place already because of our father. No doubt, we believe if you keep working and believe in what he taught us, we can get there.”