Jan 4, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 6 min read

ROGERSVILLE — Frazier’s Jonah Erdely and West Greene’s Colin Whyte have top-flight resumes as high school wrestlers.

Both have qualified for the state tournament twice and won over 100 matches apiece, and will continue their academic and wrestling careers in college, but the senior duo checked off the one box they were missing on Saturday at West Greene High School … a TriCADA championship.

Erdely, who has committed to Seton Hill University, earned his first TriCADA title following a 9-0 major decision over Burgettstown’s Logan Noyes in the finals at 152 pounds.

“I think it’s awesome to come here and finally win this tournament my senior year,” Erdely said. “Since it’s my senior year, I am just having fun every tournament I am in and letting it flow. It has been a fun week. I won the Southmoreland tournament on Tuesday, so this was a nice way to wrap up the week.”

Erdely, who was the top seed at 152, won his first two matches by fall before a 12-0 major decision over McGuffey’s Victor Bonus. He improved his season record to 13-1 and his overall mark to 105-23.

Erdely suffered a 5-4 setback in the 152-pound final last year. The Commodores didn’t compete in the TriCADA tournament during Erdely’s freshman year and he was hurt as a sophomore.

“I came up short last year, but it was a close match against a tough opponent (Darius McMillon of Peters Township), and I had my injury as a sophomore, so I have gone through some trials and tribulations,” Erdely said. “I am happy with my week, but there is always room for improvement. I will get back into the wrestling room and continue to train. We have a number of dual meets coming up for the rest of the season, but we may add a tournament.”

Frazier has been battling the numbers game this season, and had four competing at TriCADA, but Erdely is proud of his teammates for their determination and work ethic.

“We have a small team this year, but it has really been fun, and our coaches, they have really been working on making everyone better,” Erdely said. “I think the smaller number of kids, actually may help us individually, because we can work with everybody. I think we are going to keep getting better.”

Whyte exorcised some past demons in winning the championship in the 285-pound weight class. Whyte, a senior who placed fourth at Powerade on Tuesday, pinned all four of his opponents en route to his first TriCADA title.

Whyte, who was the No. 1 seed, had the top spot in last year’s tournament, but he was upset in the first round before winning seven straight bouts to place third.

“It feels good to win this after what happened last year,” Whyte said. “I wrestled seven matches at Powerade and four in this tournament, so I will probably use tomorrow as a recovery day and get back at it on Monday.”

Whyte spent a total of seven minutes and six seconds on the mat over the two-day event.

“I always go into every match looking for a fall,” Whyte said. “It feels good to win this tournament after falling short my first three years. It was extra special to win this in my home gym.”

After improving to 20-3 this season and 136-33 for his career, Whyte is creeping up on the all-time wins list for the Pioneers. The Kent State commit tied Kory Bissett (Class of 2007) for second on the all-time list.

Bissett is the head coach of the Pioneers junior high team. Whyte’s uncle, Shawn Whyte, who serves as West Greene’s assistant coach with Colin’s father, Gary, has the most victories in program history with 148.

“My focus will be on continuing to win matches each time I go out, so if I get the mark, that’s fine, but I really don’t think much about that stuff,” Colin Whyte said. “It is pretty neat that I can go out there with my dad and uncle in my corner.”

The Pioneers’ Noah Collins, who placed fifth at TriCADA at 133, is approaching the 100-win club, as he improved his career mark to 89-43 following the two-day tournament. The senior has a season record of 16-7.

Teammate Levi Yeater earned a spot on the podium with a fifth-place finish at 172.

Jefferson-Morgan sophomore Alek Palko didn’t get to wrestle at TriCADA last year due to injury, but he more than made up for it this season in winning the title at 172. Palko, like Whyte, pinned all four of his opponents.

“I am glad to be back wrestling and getting some action after I fractured my fibula and tore a couple of ligaments in my ankle during the football season,” Palko said. “I felt like I was wrestling well in all three positions. Our team is doing really well, too.”

The Rockets’ Landon Heath was second at 285 and J-M’s Austin Grandel earned third place at 107.

Caleb Dulaney finished fifth at 114 and Geno Orlandi was sixth at 160, as the Rockets were fourth in the team standings with 143.5 points.

Beth-Center’s Noah Layhue earned a 2-1 decision over Canon-McMillan’s Brayden Collins for the championship at 215. Layhue, who attends California but wrestles for the Bulldogs as part of a co-op, pinned his first two opponents before earning a major decision in the semifinals.

Teammate Alex Medlen finished second at 114. Beth-Center’s Malachi Peak, who is another California student, was third at 189.

The Bulldogs’ Shane Cronin (127) and Mason Wright (133) were fourth in their respective weight classes.

Waynesburg Central’s Floyd Huff placed fourth at 121.

Albert Gallatin’s Greyson Morris was fourth at 114. The Colonials’ Gavin Morris had to forfeit out of his last two bouts due to injury, but placed sixth at 107 after reaching the semifinals. Teammate Colin Rockwell was sixth at 285.

Laurel Highlands’ Marion Jones is new to the sport, but the senior has proven to be a quick learner. Jones placed sixth at 215.

Brownsville’s Jeff Smuzinick lost in the blood round at 215 and finished the tournament at 2-2.

Canon-McMillan won the team championship with 288.5 team points. Trinity was second with 219.5 and McGuffey third with 186.5.

The Big Macs’ Jon Emma, who won the title at 133, received the Justin Stephenson Most Outstanding Wrestler award, which is given in memory of the junior high principal and former athletic director for the Central Greene School District. He also coached football and wrestling for the school district and community. Stephenson passed away on Aug. 27, 2024, after battling cancer for 4 ½ years.