Ryan ready to lead Trojans

BY DENNY SROKA Sports correspondent

The Mount Union wrestling team hit the gym looking forward to the upcoming season ahead. The Trojans expect to continue to move the program in a positive direction and are under the direction of a new head coach. Keith Ryan will take over at the helm of the Trojans program in the 2022-23 campaign.

Ryan is a graduate of the Mount Union High School and an outstanding wrestler. Ryan graduated from Mount Union with a career 118-24 overall record with a record 94 pins in 2008 placing at the state level in Hershey and a district champion. He attended UPJ wrestling at 165 and became a national qualifier graduating in 2013 with a degree in Finance and taking a position at Penn State as an accountant. Ryan assisted Corey Wertz for nine years prior to Wertz stepping down.

There is a tremendous amount of wrestling experience in the coaching staff with Kevin Ryan Sr. along with Kevin Ryan Jr. and Jake Ryan. Julius Inch is on board from the previous years. Jake Ryan has three trips to Hershey under his belt and was state runner-up in 2018-19. He had 151 wins and broke Keith’s pin record with 107 a District 6 record claiming a district and regional championship. Kevin Ryan Jr. will be heading up the junior high program bringing his fifth-place state finish and district champion experience to the young wrestlers. Corey

Kyler a Mount Union graduate that earned a district title will assist Kevin Ryan Jr. at the junior high level and work at the varsity level as well.

The Trojans roster has 19 wrestlers that appears to be well balanced in both distribution in age and weights. There are three seniors, seven juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen. Nine on the roster are returning letter winners from last season including Mason Beatty a third-place finisher at District 6 and a State Tournament Qualifier last season. AJ Chilcote also a third-place finisher at districts is ready to improve his skills for the new season. The Trojans finished the 2021-22 season with a 13-7 record coming into this winters practice.

“We are more balance this season overall with guys filling in places where we had seniors graduate last year,” said Ryan. “The freshman coming up will play a role in the teams make up with a few of them seeing varsity action this winter.”

The Trojans came into practice and are working on conditioning and focused on sharpening basics to get things pointed in the right direction. “We will be working toward a little more of a hard nose wrestling more of a college style wrestling approach,” added Ryan. “We will be doing plenty of live wrestling during practice and that helps the conditioning part of the program. We will add more technical wrestling as we move along.”

“Our goals this season is to get a least six past the District 6 level and on to regionals along with no less than a third-place team in duals at the district level,” said Ryan. “I am at a good place working with Corey and my family over the years and I have him to call on if needed. I have had good teachers around me and that really helps my confidence. Corey is always available for my questions when I reach out. We will have fun and work hard to continue to build the program. We want a packed house for every meet.”

The Trojans added two new individual tournaments to the schedule this season in the Inter County Conference Tournament at Claysburg and the Mid-Winter Mayhem Tournament at IUP. They are a little tougher individual tournaments that will help in a busy January to get the team ready for the post season run.

The Trojans will start the season off this winter at the Inter County Conference Tournament being held at Claysburg-Kimmel High School.

The Trojans’ schedule: December 2,3, ICC Conference Tournament at Claysburg, 13, Southern Huntingdon, 15, at Bellwood-Antis, 16,17, Panther Holiday Classic at Mt. Aloysius, 20, Moshannon Valley, 22, at Huntingdon.

January 3, Tussey Mountain, 4, Glendale, 7, at Line Mountain Duals, 10, at West Branch, 12, at Curwensville, 13, Mid-Winter Mayhem Tournament, 17, at Northern Bedford, 19, Everett, 27, 28, at Ultimate Warrior Tournament.