RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Hughesville’s Keagan Smith competes against Montoursville’s Ryan Meredith at 152 pounds on Saturday at the District 4 Class AA Duals final.
When Hughesville’s current group of seniors were eighth graders, Hughesville’s varsity wrestling team went 2-19. It was far from an outstanding season, but there was something in those eighth graders coming up that caught the attention of Hughesville coach Troy Charles.
He knew they were a special group and had the ability to do things once they got to high school. But, perhaps more importantly, what stood out was the fact those kids had stuck with wrestling from the youth level through all four years of high school.
Plenty of schools see wrestlers quit the team at some point in high school, but not Hughesville. At least not currently.
“We’re a team with not a ton of superstars, we have a bunch of guys who just fight for each other. This senior class, I said the other day, they’re a once-in-a-lifetime class and not because they’re good wrestlers, but because they’re great kids,” Charles said after Saturday’s District 4 Class AA Duals. “The thing is that they rebuilt my program. Their eighth grade year we were 2-19. I brought them all up and they rebuilt our program to this. I couldn’t be more proud of them. I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
Hughesville advanced to the District 4 Class AA Duals final on Saturday at Milton. And while the Spartans came up shy — losing to No. 1 seed Montoursville, 45-20 — the team clinched a state playoff berth, just the second trip to states ever. The first came 12 years ago when the Spartans took third at the District 4 Class AA Duals in 2013.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Hughesville’s Mason Mordan competes against Montoursville’s Hayden Harvey at 160 pounds during Saturday’s District 4 Class AA Duals final at Milton.
The Spartans will face District 1 championship Bishop McDevitt on the road today at 7 p..m.
That achievement is one the Spartans are proud of, especially Charles.
“It’s huge. Hughesville was a huge wrestling school for a long time and that unfortunately kind of tailed off and we’re trying really hard to re-establish that and build that back up. Having success like this, it gives a jolt to the program K through 12 where kids are excited and they wanna be part of the sport,” Charles said. “This is true of every school: there are a lot of former wrestlers walking the halls of every school. This group is unique because they’ve stuck around. I’m hoping that example causes some more kids to just stick around and keep wrestling and see what happens.”
The Spartans are 18-2 this year, one of the best seasons in Hughesville history, and it’s a testament in large part to that group of seniors in Wyatt Gavitt, Conor Knight, Casey Mook, Mason Mordan, Chase Shaner, Keagan Smith, Luke Stutzman and Jarret Whitmoyer. And that group contributed with wins and success on Saturday to get Hughesville to the final of the duals.
Those seniors having success trickles down throughout the lineup. It leads to juniors stepping up, sophomores taking the most of their opportunities and freshmen coming up big when needed.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Montgomery’s Porter Hall wrestles Line Mountain’s Bradyn Schadel at 127 pounds in a consolation match at Saturday’s District 4 Class AA Duals tournament. Montgomery finished third to ensure a spot in the PIAA Class AA team tournament, which begins today.
“We talk as well about on any given day it’s going to be someone’s time to be a star. It could be someone who’s a returning state qualifier or someone who only has a few wins on the season and it might be their turn to do their part and tonight was a great example of that,” Charles said. “Some of our more experienced guys stepped up, some of our less experienced guys stepped up.”
Entering the state tournament is something no current wrestler on the team has experienced. But that doesn’t mean Hughesville is going to wrestle worried or scared. Rather, they’re going to go out and show why they’re one of District 4’s best teams.
The Spartans have fought in every dual this year, and there’s no reason they won’t also fight at states.
“We’re going to go fight, that’s who we are, right? … My guys aren’t going to back down. We’re going to go and see what happens. They’re going to go and fight for six minutes or whatever amount of time we get on the mat,” Charles said. “We’re going to fight and we’ve been talking about that all season. It’s going to take the fight of 13 guys, 14 guys, 15 guys to get wins for our program and they’re bought into that and they’re excited for next week.”
NO FALL OFF
Montgomery’s boys wrestling team has been nothing but successful since Denny Harer took over in 2020. And this year’s team is the latest example of that.
Montgomery fell in a tough dual against Hughesville on Saturday in the District 4 Class AA Duals semifinals, but fought through the consolations to beat Line Mountain ina. close contest before cruising past Mifflinburg to take third. That bronze medal sent Montgomery to the state tournament as well.
Montgomery is set to face District 3 runner-up Berks Catholic at Freedom High School in the PIAA Class AA tournament on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a preliminary matchup, and the Red Raiders are excited for the task at hand.
“There are no expectations. We don’t put expectations on ourselves: we compete,” Harer said. “This sport is hard enough. We’re going to go, we’re going to compete and put our best foot forward and whatever happens happens.”
While Montgomery’s team is full of studs — just look anywhere on the lineup, from 107 through 285 — Harer noted after Saturday’s third-place final that there’s a lot more talent coming up from the youth level.
“It’s really nice (to have a solid lineup) and next yea’rs going to add to it as well,” Harer said. “We got some legit hammers on our team next year as well. It’s exciting times for us.”
Exciting times for the Red Raiders, but not so much for their opponents.