Feb 28, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 6 min read

ALTOONA — Drake McClure has a vivid recollection of Chris Vargo’s stunning victory over Jax Forrest two years ago in the finals of the PIAA Class 2A Southwest Regional Individual Wrestling Championships at Altoona High School.

The Bentworth junior witnessed his teammate’s triumph over the Bishop McCort prodigy, who is currently wrestling, and succeeding, at Oklahoma State after graduating early from high school this past December.

After Vargo hit a headlock for a 6-2 lead in the first period, he secured another takedown and three near-fall points in the second to increase his advantage to 11-3 and held on for a 13-7 decision.

For one match, the AAHS Fieldhouse turned into the Bearcats’ gymnasium, as everyone in attendance that wasn’t supporting Forrest cheered Vargo on.

Fast forward to Saturday, and McClure felt just a little bit of what Vargo experienced in a 1-0 decision over Bishop McCort’s Owen McMullen in the 139-pound semifinals.

It would be unfair to everyone involved to make a comparison between what Vargo accomplished and McClure’s triumph, but the crowd let out a roar as time wound down.

“I got deja vu after being there when Chris (Vargo) beat Jax,” McClure said. “It was an awesome feeling to beat a top guy like that. You can’t really compare the magnitude of it all because of where Jax is right now, but it was still great.

“I lost in the district tournament finals, so I was upset that I got the first seed in the semifinals, but made it happen in that match.”

McClure took the momentum from defeating the top seed and used it to earn a fall in 1:41 over Penns Valley’s Tripp Watson for his first regional title.

“I had a good buffalo chicken sandwich before the finals, but I knew I couldn’t take him (Watson) for granted because anyone that gets to the finals is tough,” McClure said. “The win in the semifinals really helped with my confidence because I had beat the top guy.”

McClure will be making his third trip to the state tournament, which begins next Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey. He was eighth last year at 133, but didn’t place as a freshman at 114. McClure has a season record of 44-8 and a career mark of 126-31.

In the semifinals, McClure escaped in the second for the only points he would need, but had to ride out McMullen the entire third. He was called for a caution when the final period began, but knew he had another warning before being penalized.

“I was nervous because he was really strong,” McClure said. “I was hanging on for dear life the last 30 seconds. The caution didn’t bother me too much because it was just my first one.”

In the finals, McClure scored a takedown with 1:16 left and locked up a cradle for the pin.

Teammate Owen Ivcic (50-8/172-42) used a reversal and takedown in the second period to edge Jefferson-Morgan’s Alek Palko, 5-3, for third place at 160. Both qualified for the state tournament, which will be Ivcic’s fourth appearance and Palko’s first.

Palko has a season record of 36-9 and career mark of 56-18. He is a sophomore.

West Greene’s Colin Whyte also took down a Bishop McCort wrestler in a 1-0 victory over Caleb Rodriguez in the finals at 285, but the result wasn’t as big an upset, as Whyte was the No. 1 seed.

The two competed twice last season and split victories with Whyte earning a 2-1 decision in the blood round at Powerade and Rodriguez a 4-3 win in the consolation finals at the state tournament.

Whyte, who won his first regional gold, was the regional runner-up last year to eventual state champion Rowan Holmes of Somerset.

“It felt good to avenge my loss to Caleb (Rodriguez) and win my first regional title,” Whyte said.

Whyte, a senior and Kent State commit, improved his season record to 44-3. His career mark is 160-33.

In the finals, Rodriguez and Whyte had a scoreless first period before Whyte rode out Rodriguez in the second. Both were warned for stalling, but Whyte was able to avoid a second stall call by working his arm bar and not riding parallel.

Whyte escaped with 30 seconds remaining in the third, stayed in good position and held on for the decision.

“I just went back to wrestling and not focusing on riding parallel,” Whyte said. “I knew there was limited time left in the period, so I felt pretty good about it.”

Whyte, who is a three-time state qualifier, is eager to compete in his final state tournament next Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey.

He is aware of the challenges that will face him, but looks forward to leaving it all on the mat.

“First and foremost, my goal is to win a state title, but I will just attack every match the same way,” Whyte said.

McGuffey’s Lucas Barr earned a 6-5 decision in double overtime over Penns Valley’s Erik Carlile to finish third at 133. The senior is a four-time state qualifier. Barr improved to 44-5 this season and 173-33 overall.

Beth-Center senior Noah Layhue qualified for his first state tournament after finishing third at 215.

Layhue, who improved to 46-4 this season and 108-36 overall, pinned Laurel’s Kolton Carlson in 3:21 for the bronze medal in a rematch of last week’s WPIAL final, which Layhue won, 8-1. The California student who wrestles for the Bulldogs as part of a co-op, started competing at the varsity level as a sophomore.

Teammate Mason Wright (37-13/140-55) lost his round-of-16 bout, but won his next four bouts to qualify for his third straight state tournament.

Wright is also part of the Trojans’ co-op with Beth-Center, lost to McMullen in the consolation final to place fourth at 139.

Malachi Peak is the last of the California-Beth-Center co-op, and the senior placed fifth at 189 to earn his first trip to the state tournament. Peak, who has a season record of 40-6 and a career mark of 102-36, edged Quaker Valley’s Trey Dunlap, 4-2, in their bout for fifth place. Peak didn’t wrestle varsity until his sophomore season.

Burgettstown sophomore Carter Katus (31-16/69-37) placed fifth at 139 after a 4-1 victory over Chestnut Ridge’s Trenden Willey. The Blue Devil will be competing in the state tournament for the first time.

The Highlanders’ Victor Bonus qualified for his first state tournament in his senior season after placing sixth at 152. Bonus is 44-10 this season and 128-60 overall.

Washington’s Caleb Patton is headed for his second straight state tournament after placing seventh at 145. Patton earned a 7-2 decision over Meyersdale’s Brenden Schardt for the berth. The senior has a season record of 36-11 and is 112-44 overall.

The Rockets’ Brayden Hanning qualified for Hershey in a dramatic way with a fall in 1:54 at 107. Hanning trailed Bishop McCort’s Ethan Cotchen, 12-10, when he won the bout for seventh place. Hanning, a sophomore who is 24-8 this season and 60-22 overall, will be competing in his first state tournament.