HS Boys’ Wrestling: Schuylkill gold rush at Class AA districts
Tri-Valley's Owen Wolfgang turns North Schuylkill's Gaige Mentusky for the fall during the 107-pound final at the District 11 Class AA Wrestling Championships on Feb. 21, 2026, at Bethlehem Liberty High School. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
6 local wrestlers climb to top of podium
Mahanoy/Marian’s Dixon voted Outstanding Wrestler
BETHLEHEM — Where to begin?
How about the 24 regional qualifiers?
How about the 12 finalists?
At the top of the podium, six champions!
And one of them, Mahanoy Area/Marian junior Rory Dixon, rose above all as the tournament’s Class AA Outstanding Wrestler.
More on all of that in a moment.
The Schuylkill League leveled up big time Saturday at the District 11 Class AA Wrestling Championships, as 20 wrestlers placed among the top three (including Pottsville’s Terrell McFarland in Class 3A, see related story) in their respective weight classes.
Mahanoy Area led the gold rush as freshman Arturo Reyes (121), Dixon (152) and senior Kyler Quick (215) captured gold. Tri-Valley senior Owen Wolfgang (107), Tamaqua freshman Rylan Reitz (114) and Williams Valley senior Camron Green (285) won titles as well.
All of them struck district gold for the first time in their respective careers.
As a comparison, the Schuylkill League had one champion and three runners-up last season. Saturday, the league jumped to six gold and six silver.
Wolfgang and Quick finished second at districts the past two seasons. This year, they wouldn’t be denied.
In the 107-pound final, North Schuylkill’s Gaige Mentusky scored the first takedown, but Wolfgang quickly worked off bottom with a reversal. A hammer on top, Wolfgang (35-7) turned Mentusky with legs and a half nelson for the fall in 1:30. Wolfgang defeated all three district opponents by first-period falls.
“I just kept thinking to push myself,” Wolfgang said. “My teammates always push me at practice, so I just used that momentum and kept pushing strong. The past two years I came up runner-up, and I was like, ‘This is going to be my year.’ This was my main goal to get the gold medal and now go on (to regionals).”
At 215, Quick locked up with defending champion Cadyn McGraw of North Schuylkill. After a scoreless first period, Quick (43-3) escaped and converted a takedown. Once on top, he never let up, cranking McGraw to his back for the pin in 3:28. Quick had two pins and a technical fall en route to the title.
“I was really hunting for gold. I worked hard all season and all summer,” Quick said. “Just my attitude and effort (are better this season). Last year I would get winded near the end of matches. I had to make sure I kept my conditioning up this year.”
Other district champions enjoyed dominant runs through their respective draws as well.
Dixon, for example, wrapped up three technical falls, including a 17-1 romp in 2:43 over Northwestern Lehigh’s Chase Sukanick in the finals. Dixon (44-4) outscored his three opponents 53-6.
Now he’s Rory Dixon, district champion.
“It sounds great. It sounds like something I’ve been working for for a long time,” Dixon said. “My freshman and sophomore years, unfortunately I had some knee issues, so just the ability to wrestle (is a blessing). I’m just grateful for God to let me wrestle and grateful for any opportunity I get to wrestle. I feel 100 percent. I feel great.”
Reyes (34-4) burst onto the scene from Day 1 and has gotten better throughout the season. He cranked it up another level at districts, winning all four of his bouts by technical fall, outscoring his opponents 73-9. Reyes credits watching his matches and others like Penn State star Mitchell Mesenbrink and two-time Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs to get better.
“I watch a lot of wrestling videos,” Reyes said. “It connects to me. … I always study.”
Dixon and Reyes mirror their strategy around high school and college stars who use the three-point takedown and the four-point near fall to pile up the points.
Reitz (35-6), another freshman phenom, scored two pins and a 17-0 technical fall to earn his gold. He flattened Pen Argyl’s Mason Ramsay in 1:35 in the finals.
“I’ve grown a lot working hard at practice,” Reitz said. “I’ll see what I can do at regionals.”
Green (30-8) wrestled a smart tournament, staying out of danger and avoiding rolls against some huge 285-pounders. He had a pin and a 7-3 decision over Saucon Valley’s Ezekiel Deily to make the finals. There, a second-period escape and a two-minute rideout in the third period added up to a 1-0 victory over Lehighton’s Marc Macias. Every time Macias built toward an escape, Green dragged him back to the mat, repeatedly flattening Macias prone as the seconds ticked away.
