DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Montgomery’s Conner Harer celebrates his state championship during finals of the PIAA Wrestling Championships in Hershey this year.

It’s not too often a wrestler as successful and storied as Montgomery senior Conner Harer comes through the area. Some might argue that a career like this hasn’t occurred in District 4 history. His senior season earned him Sun-Gazette Boys Wrestler of the Year honors.

Harer capped off his historic career with a perfect season, going 55-0 and earning his third straight state title alongside his brother and wrestler-of-the-year candidate Brandt. In the process, he set the program and District 4 record for career wins (191) and finished fourth in wins all time in PIAA history.

Even with a tough tournament slate through the regular season, Harer rarely came close to losing, winning regular season titles at the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic (23 teams), Neil Turner Memorial Holiday Classic (35 teams) and Mid-Winter Mayhem (57 teams). The official last loss of his high school career occurred over 14 months ago, as the Red Raider finished things off with a 75-match win streak.

On the season, the Rutgers commit had a career-high 29 pins and a tie for a career-high in tech falls at 15. He concluded his career with three state titles, four regional titles, four district titles and four sectional titles, his lone postseason “blemish” being a fifth place showing at Hershey his freshman season.

His final state title run featured a tech fall and three decision wins over top-five wrestlers in the state at 160. He met his closest call in Devon Magro in the semifinals, edging him out for the second time this season by 5-4 decision.

Along with Brandt Harer, Central Mountain senior Luke Simcox and Warrior Run sophomore Reagan Milheim were also considered for the award, each coming away with state titles of their own, with Simcox capping his career with his second. Harer and Milheim head into their junior seasons with plenty of momentum, already coming in as preseason favorites for next year’s award.

BREAKTHROUGH FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Aiden Kunes, Central Mountain

(121 pounds)

From the moment he stepped on the mat for his first high school match at Top Hat, Aiden Kunes proved to be a force to be reckoned with, claiming silver at an event with 25 teams and plenty of state-ranked competition.

Fresh off a third-place finish at the Junior High PJW state championships and a placement at NHSCA Middle School Nationals, he’d go on to have a commendable freshman season. He’d follow up his initial medal with continued tournament success, placing fourth at King of the Mountain (32 teams), fifth at Ultimate Warrior (44 teams) and eighth at Mid-Winter Mayhem (57 teams), the latter of which featured six eventual state champions in its championship finals.

The Wildcat finished his freshman season with a 35-15 record, winning 70-percent of his matches and nearly half (16) by way of pin. With a tech fall and four major decisions, he closed out the season with 21 bonus-point victories.

Though he’d stumble into a 0-2 finish at states, his postseason featured much of the same fireworks.

He earned both a district and regional title in just his first high school season, attributing bonus point victories in his first three postseason matches. When the competition spiked at regionals, he continued his dominance, defeating back-to-back state-ranked opponents in No. 10 Alex Reed (Shikellamy) and No. 13 Brody Bishop (Hickory) by a combined score of 17-7 amidst two decisions.

Kunes heads into his next three seasons having already made an appearance at states, with plenty of regular and postseason hardware. The sky’s the limit for the freshman.

Other candidates for the award included fellow Wildcat Gavin Heverly and Sullivan County’s Andrew Kapec.

Heverly had an identical postseason run to Kunes, taking home a district and regional title before falling in his first two matches at states. Of the trio, Kapec was the only one to earn a state win and came one takedown away from potentially extending his run another round.

All in all, the freshman class proved capable of matching up with guys with much more experience than them. It’ll be interesting to see what these athletes can accomplish over their next three seasons.

MOST IMPROVED

Landon Morehart, Montoursville

(285 pounds)

Montoursville junior Landon Morehart took a promising first year of varsity and literally turned it into gold the following season, running the table at the Northeast AA Regional and finishing things off with an emphatic pin to take home the title.

Everything seemed to come together through the first few rounds of the individual postseason, as the Warrior followed up a bronze at the Central Sectional with a D4 silver, upsetting top-seeded Josh Nittinger (Athens) in the process.

Although his run at states ended abruptly, he still managed to pull off his first career win at the event, with head coach Matt Yonkin expressing excitement in his development following the run.

“Landon has been a ray of sunshine for this team for the last couple weeks,” said Yonkin on Day 2 at states. “He has found out a lot about himself in the last couple of weeks. I’m really hoping that carries over in other aspects of his life, including other sports, school, just life in general. It’s been fun to watch his confidence, his personality, his character, his drive and his determination all surface. Looking forward to having him back.”

Morehart upped his win total from last season by 12, finishing with a career-high 36 victories and 25 pins. He credits his recent success to improving his offense.

“Definitely my offense,” said Morehart when asked about which aspects of his gamer saw the most improvement. “My sophomore year, I didn’t shoot at all. I just waited for them to shoot, used my defense. This year, I flipped it around, used my offense, started scoring points and got a few pins in there.”

He heads into his senior season with a lot of potential. With how much he improved over the previous offseason, he could certainly find himself on the podium once it’s all said and done.

FIRST TEAM

Teli Bobotas, Montoursville

(107 pounds)

Building off an impressive freshman season, Montoursville sophomore Teli Bobotas displayed improvements both on the mat and in terms of confidence, resulting in his best season to date.

He won eight more and lost five less matches than last season, finishing with a 46-6 record and a career-high 15 pins and five tech falls. On top of that, he was able to secure the first career sectional and district titles, falling just short of running the table with a bronze finish at regional.

In his second stint at states, he was one step closer to placing, this time reaching the blood round and finishing his run with a 2-2 record. Against a wrestler that pinned him in the first period at King of the Mountain in Bald Eagle Area freshman Tanner Guenot, he held his own, coming one point short of overtime and two from clinching his first state medal.

“Teli battled back to a close loss to somebody that really tore him up earlier in the season,” said Montoursville coach Matt Yonkin on Bobotas. “He was the initiator of that match and wrestled outstandingly well.”

He heads into his junior season with a career record of 84-17, 16 wins away from the 100-win club, along with four postseason bronzes and two golds.

Lyle Vermilya, Canton

(114 pounds)

Canton junior Lyle Vermilya has continually improved over the last three seasons, both in terms of his win total and overall postseason.

In his third season with the Warriors, he punched his first ticket to states, earned his first sectional gold and finished as a runner-up at the District 4 Class AA tournament and Northeast Regional behind eventual state runner-up in Line Mountain’s Brock Rothermel. He posted his first state win as well with a 6-3 decision over Hanover Area’s Derek Warman.

He put up his best win total (33) and percentage (70%), closing out his junior season with a 33-14 record and improving on his 31-16 record from last season. He heads into his senior season 17 wins away from eclipsing 100.

“He’s wrestling club a lot and you know, that’s what it takes to get to the next level,” said Canton coach Lyle Wesneski on Vermilya prior to the season. “He’ll work out in our room and then he goes to another practice and works on his technique afterwards. You’ve got to respect that he’s got the drive and work ethic to do that.”

With continued dedication throughout the offseason, it’ll be interesting to see what Vermilya brings to the table come December.

Colton Wade, Sullivan County

(121 pounds)

Though he fell just short of eclipsing his seventh-place finish at last year’s state tournament, Sullivan County junior Colton Wade still managed to earn his second state medal, taking eighth amidst a stacked 121 class featuring three state champions.

In the process, he potentially pulled off the most impressive win of his career. In the blood round, he was able to overcome previous PIAA runner-up and Edinboro commit Landon Bainey (West Branch) by 1-0 decision, pulling off the match-winning escape in regulation’s final minute to clinch his second straight state medal.

The Griffin earned the highest win total (45), bonus-point win total (29) and pin total (22) this season, finishing his junior season with a 45-8 record and surpassing 100 wins in the process as a junior. He earned his third straight sectional and district titles, falling just short of his third regional one with a silver finish at the Northeast AA Regional.

He’s primed to finish his commendable career with over 150 wins and a vast array of postseason hardware, heading into his final season with a career record of 119-18 and a win rate over 86%.

David Kennedy, Montoursville

(127 pounds)

Although his promising postseason run came to an abrupt end when he was forced to forfeit following a spider bite, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Montoursville junior David Kennedy was on a tear heading into the tournament.

Kennedy ran the table through regionals, taking home his first sectional, district and regional titles in dominant fashion. His run at states opened with a neck-and-neck loss to eventual fifth-place finisher Gideon Bracken, and he wasn’t able to compete after that.

Even with the disappointing conclusion, the junior showed plenty of considerable improvements throughout the regular and early postseason. He finished with his most career wins (42), pins (24) and major decisions (7) and took third at King of the Mountain (32 teams).

“Not rushing, kind of slowing the match down, being smart about when I shoot and stuff like that,” said Kennedy when asked on where he improved this season. “Whenever I think about doing something the next day, I do it right then and there, so I know I got it done.”

Having qualified for states in all three seasons, he’ll look to finally earn his first medal as a senior, heading into the 2024-25 season with plenty of confidence.

Brandt Harer, Montgomery

(133 pounds)

Finishing as one of two area wrestlers with an undefeated record, there were a lot of reasons Montgomery sophomore Brandt Harer was considered for Wrestler of the Year. The award ultimately went to his brother, but he more than threw his hat in the ring.

With an escape in the second tiebreaker period against nationally ranked Camden Baum (Bishop McDevitt), Harer took home his first career state title after falling just short as a freshman. The victory put him over the 100-win threshold as a sophomore as well, believed to be the first sophomore in District 4 history to accomplish that milestone.

“I’ve always dreamed of 100 wins and now that I have 100, I’m going to try to get 200,” said Harer after his state title win. “I just had to stay mentally ready. I trained all year for this, and I got it done, so I’m thankful for that.”

He went 54-0 on the season, posting career bests in pins (26) and tech falls (15) while also running the table at multiple tough regular season tournaments. He won titles at the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic, Neil Turner Memorial Holiday Classic and Mid-Winter Mayhem, all tournaments which featured some of the best wrestlers in Pennsylvania and other surrounding states.

Along with his state title, he heads into his junior season with a career record of 100-2, three sectional, district and regional titles. He’ll look to continue upping the ante, not letting his accomplishments cause him to become complacent.

“I need to get better in all positions,” said Harer. “You’ve got to train to get better every single day, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Dalton Perry, Central Mountain

(139 pounds)

Though he fell just short of his second career state title, Central Mountain junior Dalton Perry once again managed to finish in the top three at the event, claiming silver following a strong run to the title. Two pins and a 3-2 decision over No. 6 Michael Turi (West Scranton) got him there, where he fell to top-ranked Maddox Shaw by 3-1 decision.

Having set the bar high, he’s still yet to surpass his freshman win percentage of 95-percent, but did manage to improve on last year’s, eclipsing 87.5% for the third straight season. He finished his junior year with a 34-4 record and surpassed 20 pins on the season for his third straight season, showing consistency at every turn.

He heads into his senior season with a career record of 119-12, primed to surpass 150 career wins and potentially earn a second career state title to cap off his illustrious career.

Luke Simcox, Central Mountain

(145 pounds)

It can be argued that Luke Simcox finished his high school career as the best wrestler in the country at 145/144.

The Central Mountain senior matched up with State College’s Pierson Manville in both the Northwest Regional and state title, a wrestler previously ranked No. 1 nationally at 144. Simcox won both bouts, closing out his career with his fourth regional and second state title.

Malven Prep’s Jack Consiglio ultimately finished as No. 1 following his National Prep title win, but if you’re a fan of the transitive property, you’ll love this next fact. Manville defeated Consiglio twice this season.

Arguments aside, the Wildcat won over 91% of his matches for the second straight season, finishing with a 31-3 record, 15 pins and four major decisions. Though injuries kept him from competing at Mid-Winter Mayhem and Ultimate Warrior, he still earned titles at Top Hat and King of the Mountain. He’d fall to world champ Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort) in the 139 championship finals at Powerade, but the loss came after he bested eventual state champion, Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson).

Along with his state and regional titles, he closed out his career as a three-time district champion, finishing with a career record of 137-18, a career win percentage of 88.4% and was one bonus-point win away from 100 (57 pins, 15 tech falls and 17 major decisions).

He heads to North Carolina a two-time state champ and will look to carry that success forward at the next level.

Cameron Milheim, Warrior Run

(152 pounds)

Though it most likely wasn’t the conclusion he had in mind following his run to the state finals last season, Warrior Run junior Cameron Milheim still put forth an incredible season, posting career highs in wins (47) and pins (25), along with attributing a win percentage above 90% for the first time in his career.

He took home titles at DKIs and King of the Mountain before taking silver at the ever-stacked Trojan Wars tournament in Chambersburg. And when the postseason came around, the success continued.

The Defender ran the table between sectionals and regionals, earning his first D4 title in the process amidst an emphatic, ultimate tiebreaker win over second-team all-star Gage Wentzel (Montoursville). He’d keep his undefeated postseason record going all the way until championship semifinals at Hershey, where he fell in sudden victory to eventual state champion and nationally ranked Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort).

He’d endure back-to-back overtime losses to Wentzel and No. 3 Cody Hamilton (Grove City) to close out the states in sixth, but his track record speaks for itself. Wentzel picked up the biggest win of their respective season series, ultimately finishing his run at states in fourth, but Milheim won the series 3-1.

On pace to finish his career with around 180 wins, Milheim’s career has been a special one for Warrior Run. He heads into his senior season, with two sectional and regional titles, plenty of postseason hardware and a career win-percentage above 85%.

Hudson Ward, Canton

(160 pounds)

Canton senior Hudson Ward made his last ride a memorable one, punching his first ticket to Hershey with a runner-up finish at the Northeast AA Regional before capping things off an eighth-place finish at states.

The Warrior kicked off his run at the PIAA Wrestling Championships with a 5-2 decision win over No. 11 Chase Frameli (Jefferson Morgan). He’d lose his championship quarterfinals to fall into the blood round, but managed to respond with a tight, 6-5 win over No. 10 Ryan Celaschi (Frazier), clinching his first state medal. Though he’d fall in his next two bouts to close out his run, he was able to conclude his career on a high note.

With his win over Celashi, he also clinched his second straight 40-win season, doing so with a career high in pins (15) and tech falls (7). He surpassed 100 wins midway through the season and closed out his career with a 121-41 record, two sectional titles and plenty of other postseason hardware.

Caden Finck, Montgomery

(172 pounds)

Though overshadowed at times by the excitement surrounding the Harer brothers, Montgomery senior Caden Finck has put forth a commendable career, becoming one of the team’s most consistent winners between the start of his junior season and his conclusion at the 2024 PIAA Wrestling Championships.

He wasn’t quite able to trump his previous fifth place showing at states, but he still capped off his career with his second straight medal, taking seventh and pulling off an exciting overtime win over No. 14 Kyle Scott (Tyrone) to close things out.

His most memorable matchup throughout the postseason came against Milton standout Alex Hoffman, who gave him a serious run for his money on three separate occasions. Each time, Finck effectively clutched things out.

The Red Raider closed out the season with a career-high in win percentage (87%), tech falls (10) and bonus point victories (33). He caps his career with a 144-38 record, 53 pins, 94 bonus-point victories and a career win percentage of 79%.

Nariq Burks, Williamsport

(189 pounds)

Amidst a shortened, two-season high school career, Williamsport senior Nariq Burks did whatever he could to catch up and was ultimately successful. A regional medal in his first varsity stint translated into a trip to Hershey his senior season, where the Millionaire was able to earn a state win.

Though his 34-33 career record isn’t one that sticks out on paper, he showed what he could do through the postseason, where it counts. To qualify for states, he took silver at regionals. Then, he dominated No. 13 Jacob Deluise (Bethlehem Catholic) in his opening bout, coming one point short of majoring him amidst a 12-5 decision.

He’d fall to eventual state champion, Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone) before having his run abruptly ended with an 11-5 decision loss to Selinsgrove’s Tucker Teats, who ultimately took third. Against two of the best wrestlers in his bracket, he put forth an excellent effort, going the full six minutes against an opponent that had pinned him at regionals (Teats).

He closes out his two-season career with two district silvers, two regional medals and 22 career pins, putting forth a respectable all-around career despite his late start. His focus shifts to track, where he’ll look to continue having success.

“He wrestled great. This is his second year of wrestling, so this was a hell of an accomplishment,” said Williamsport coach Brian Nasdeo following Burks’ run at states. “These guys he’s been wrestling have been wrestling their whole and he’s competed win them. He’s earned it, he worked hard for it and he’s going to be better for it.”

Austin Johnson, Muncy

(215 pounds)

Following a perfect 39-0 sophomore season capped with his first state title, Muncy junior Austin Johnson found himself matched up against one of the best wrestlers in the country on two separate occasions. Although the result was two losses, one in the state title and one in the 215 final at Powerade, it showed where the peak could potentially be in his senior season.

He first met now three-time National Prep and state champion Jude Correa (Wyoming Seminary) at Powerade, nearly handing him his first high school loss since 2021 in a 4-3 loss by decision. He then met the now four-time state champion Rune Lawrence (Frazier) in the state final, giving a strong effort before falling by decision, 6-3.

The junior was completely dominant outside of that, with those losses being the lone blemishes on his record. He finished the season with a 31-2 record (94%), 19 pins, six tech falls and three major decisions, not attributing bonus points in just two wins. He made another emphatic run to the state finals as well, attributing two major decisions and a tech fall against No. 3 Jason Singer (Faith Christian) to make it.

Johnson heads into his senior season with a 111-4 record, a career win percentage of 96.5%, three sectional and regional titles, two district titles, three state final appearances and one state title. With one stint remaining, there lays one satisfying conclusion.

Landon Morehart, Montoursville

(285 pounds)

The Williamsport Sun-Gazette’s inaugural Most Improved Wrestler of the Year put forth an all-star caliber season in the process, with indicative regular season success and considerable postseason accolades telling the full story.

Morehart finished his junior season with a 36-14 record, more than doubled his pins from last season with 25 and capped the season with a regional title, a trip to states and his first state win. He heads into his season with a career record of 60-29, 37 career pins and plenty of momentum.

SECOND TEAM

107: Manny Stoltzfus, Montgomery

114: Collin Nasdeo, Williamsport

121: Aiden Kunes, Central Mountain

127: Kruz McCusker, Sullivan County

133: Max Wirnsberger, Warrior Run

139: Brock Weiss, Jersey Shore

145: Reagan Milheim, Warrior Run

152: Gage Wentzel, Montoursville

160: Braden Vincenzes, Loyalsock

172: Alex Hoffman, Milton

189: Kaden Rodarmel, Loyalsock

215: Rocco Serafini, Central Mountain

285: Ryan Casella, South Williamsport