Penn-Trafford wrestlers hope to restore program’s prestige

By: Nathan Smith
Saturday, December 7, 2019 | 10:25 AM

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A.J. Brentzel knows what the Penn-Trafford wrestling team can be.

During his high school career, he was a standout wrestler with the Warriors. As a junior, he helped the team win the WPIAL Class AAA title. The team finished in second place the following year.

Entering his first season as Penn-Trafford’s coach, Brentzel wants to bring back that culture of confidence.

“When I was here, we had a great culture,” said Brentzel, who wrestled at Pitt and Pitt-Johnstown. “We have guys who are excited to get back to that. There are some guys on the team who were little kids who remember those teams slightly.

“We want to get back to what Penn-Trafford wrestling is supposed to be.”

Brentzel replaces Rich Ginther, who resigned after last season to devote time to his family. Ginther coached the Warriors for 12 seasons.

The Warriors are a young team with only six upperclassmen: three seniors and three juniors.

“I wish I had a few more years with some of the seniors,” Brentzel said. “But it’s exciting to know there is a good future for the team. It might be a difficult year. But as long as we’re improving and seeing potential, that will give me hope.”

While they lack experience, the Warriors have plenty of talent. Tony Zona returns after a successful junior season. Zona went 24-13 last year at 160 pounds and finished third at the Section 1-AAA tournament.

“He is one of the guys old enough to remember the teams when I was in high school,” Brentzel said. “He is a great leader. He can help with the young guys because (Zona) was a freshman wrestling at the varsity level. He can help them understand there is a light on the other end of the tunnel.”

Senior Peyton Kelly also returns. The heavyweight finished with a 16-17 record last year and claimed fifth place at the section tournament. He is nursing a football injury but could be back in December.

Troy Hohman is coming off a strong debut season. The sophomore went 21-17 at 106 and finished fourth at the Section 1-AAA tournament.

“(Sophomore 152-pounder) Wesley Stull has shown a lot of promise. He has really developed over the last six months,” Brentzel said. “(Junior 126-pounder) Luke Paszek is a leader for the team.”

Ryan Auel will look to take a step forward after going 17-18 last season at 113. The junior finished fifth at the section tournament. The team added a pair of talented freshmen, Boaz Chishko and Owen Ott. Both found success at the junior high level.

The Warriors will need to prepare for a daunting Section 1-AAA. The subsection A schedule features Central Catholic, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Norwin and Plum.

“Honestly, if you make the playoffs out of this section, it means something,” Brentzel said. “There is so much talent. Our goal is not perfection. We want to continue improving one week at a time.”

Tags: Penn-Trafford