Franklin Regional’s Tyler Kapusta looking to be a King of the Mat

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, October 21, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Franklin Regional senior Tyler Kapusta missed the Super 32 Wrestling Tournament on Oct. 21 because he was in the school’s homecoming court hoping to be crowned King.

He’s already the wrestling team’s King of the Mat.

Kapusta, who committed to wrestle at Bucknell last November, is also hoping to be the king of his weight class in March.

While Kapusta chose to practice and run to stay in shape rather than compete in tournaments this summer, he’s done well the past few weeks on the mat.

He went 6-1 at the Premier National League Fall Classic in Chicago and he won the 122-pound weight class at Mat Town Fall Classic at Lock Haven.

He defeated Easton’s Nicholas Salamonte, 17-1 (4:22), in the finals. He also defeated Black Belt Wrestling’s Brock Frederick, 10-0, in the first round; Mohawk Valley’s Peyton Spencer, 17-2 (3:52), in the quarterfinals; and Super Wrestling Academy’s Connor Morris in 57 seconds in the semifinals.

“I beat some really good wrestlers at both tournaments,” Kapusta said. “I’m looking forward to the season. Having my commitment out of the way allows me to focus on wrestling and getting better.”

Kapusta (75-26) is a two-time PIAA and WPIAL place winner. He finished fourth in the state at 106 pounds as a sophomore and seventh at 114 as a junior. He will either complete at 121 or 127 pounds this season. He was a WPIAL runner-up last year.

“I picked Bucknell because I love the facility, the coaches and wrestlers are great, and academically it’s a great school for me,” said Kapusta, who plans to pursue a business degree.

Franklin Regional wrestling coach Matt Lebe said he’s excited to see Kapusta compete this season.

“We should be pretty good this season,” Lebe said. “We have a good young group coming up, and I need Tyler to be a leader. He needs to show the freshmen what it takes to prepare for a varsity season.

“I’m confident he’ll do that, and he’ll show them how to win at a high level.”

Kapusta’s father, Jeff, was a two-time NCAA All-American at North Dakota State.

“I’m looking forward at helping the young guys,” Kapusta said. “We can be very good, but we’re going to be very young. I need these guys to be good so they can push me in the room to be better.”

High school wrestling season begins Dec. 1.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional