How did future Penn State wrestlers fare during the high school postseason?
Having scored a record 172.5 team points and crowned four individual champions en route to its 11th national title under coach Cael Sanderson, the Penn State wrestling program is in the midst of one of the great runs in college sports history. The challenge is to sustain that dynasty by continually bringing in elite recruiting classes, and Penn State’s coaching staff appears to be succeeding on that front, too.
Indeed, the future of PSU’s program appears to be in good hands if the high school postseason results from across the country are any indication.
Future Nittany Lions won multiple titles across various weight classes and competition levels in March.
Future Penn State wrestlers dominated the prep postseason
Starting on the prep side, 120-pounder Nate Desmond, a 2025 commit and two-time Pennsylvania state champ, is now a first-time Prep Nationals champ. The Wyoming Seminary junior and No. 2 wrestler in the country at 120 pounds won six matches at the tournament Feb. 23-24 in Bethlehem, Pa., including a 5-3 decision over Leo DeLuca of Blair Academy in New Jersey, FloWrestling’s No. 3 120-pounder nationally.
Luke Lilledahl, a 2024 Penn State commit from Wyoming Seminary who wrestles at 126 pounds, won his second consecutive National Prep title by crushing the field over the course of five matches, one of which was a 7-3 decision over No. 2-seed Charlie DeSena of Lake Highland (Fla.) Prep in the final. FloWrestling lists Lilledahl as the No. 1 overall high school wrestler in the nation.
At 165 pounds, 2024 commit Joe Sealey is the outstanding wrestler from PA State Preps. Then, he became a three-time Prep Nationals champ. He won by a combined score of 34-13 in the semifinal and final rounds. He is No. 11 overall in the country.
Will Henckel, a 2025 commit from Blair Academy, won the 175-pound bracket at Prep Nationals. He beat Dominic Federici of Wyoming Seminary, the No. 9 175-pounder in the land, in the final. FloWrestling ranks Henckel as the No. 16 pound-for-pound wrestler.
Future Nittany Lions thrived at state tournaments, too
In the high school ranks, the Mirasola twins, Connor and Cole of West Bend West (Wis.) High, both shined at the state tournament.
Connor Mirasola became one of just 28 Wisconsin wrestlers to ever win four state titles. He secured a spot in the final round with a pair of technical falls and a pin before claiming the 190-pound crown just 4 seconds into his match due to a medical forfeit. Cole Mirasola earned his third heavyweight title by pinning his way to the final. Once there, he beat two seed Brock Arndt for the championship. The two 2024 recruits will go to PSU this summer. In FloWrestling’s pound-for-pound national rankings, Conner is No. 10. Cole is No. 20.
Junior PJ Duke of Minisink Valley High won a 160-pound New York state title. He crushed the field at the Division 1 championships. Three victories, two by technical fall and one by fall, took him to the final. There he won by technical fall, 27-12.
Keeping the best in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, numerous future Penn State wrestlers placed at the PIAA state tournament. Mason Gibson, a 2024 commit from Bishop McCort, finished fourth at 133 pounds. FloWrestling ranks Gibson as the No. 16 132-pounder in the country.
Class of 2024 commit Brock Weiss of Jersey Shore, who is No. 11 nationally at his weight class, was stunned in the quarterfinals at 139 pounds. He was pinned from the defensive position while leading 11-4. Weiss forfeited in the consolation bracket to end his tournament.
Also at 139 pounds, 2025 commit Dalton Perry of Central Mountain, the No. 12 138-pounder in the land, finished second after dropping a 3-1 sudden victory decision to Maddox Shaw of Thomas Jefferson. Shaw is the No. 4 144-pounder in the country, according to FloWrestling.
At 152 pounds, senior Ty Watson of Penns Valley finished eighth.
Asher Cunningham, the son of Nittany Lion assistant coach Casey Cunningham, won a state title at 160 pounds. The junior is the No. 16 157-pounder in the country.
“It doesn’t mean much,” Cunningham told PennLive. “It just means improvement for me. I took fourth last year, and I’m going to come back next year and win another one.”
Senior Zach Ryder from New York, the No. 5-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in the country, elected to bypass his senior year of high school wrestling. He moved to State College. There, he is training at David Taylor’s M2 Training Center with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. The 190-pounder is completing his final year of high school online, according to the Record Online.
