Tyrone is sending two wrestlers to Hershey this week. Still, the story of the Golden Eagles’ season can’t be told without all three of its postseason standouts: senior Kyle Scott, sophomore Mason VanAllman, and freshman Tanner Walk.
For four years, Kyle Scott has been the standard in the Tyrone wrestling room. He entered this postseason with several goals still left on his checklist: the school record for career wins, a District 6 Title, a Southwest Regional Title, and a PIAA state title at 189 pounds. Along the way, he has piled up something nearly as remarkable as wins.
Scott arrived at the Southwest Regional Tournament with a spotless 39-0 record, the top seed at 189, and a reputation as one of the toughest wrestlers in Pennsylvania.
He had twice finished as regional runner-up in his career, including a heartbreaking loss last season to Bald Eagle Area’s Caleb Close, who defeated him in districts both years, where he nearly stuck Close to his back late in the match after falling behind on the scoreboard.
Those near misses hardened him rather than broke him.
“I took second in every tournament I wrestled in except two if you count states,” Scott reflected earlier this season to the Altoona Mirror. “It was just constant, and it sucked. Now I’m on the other side, and it feels pretty good.” That “other side” arrived in full force at this year’s regional tournament.
Scott stormed through his bracket, going 4-0 and leaving little doubt that this postseason would be different.
In the finals, he drew a familiar and highly respected opponent, Purdue commit Brady Brown. A year ago, Scott had beaten Brown in two close matches, 4-2 in the regular season and 2-1 in a tiebreaker at regionals.
This time, there was nothing close about it.
Scott dominated the match from start to finish, controlling ties, finishing clean attacks, and shutting Brown out 7-0 to claim the Southwest Regional Championship at 189.
“Definitely having a competitor you had to get ready every single tournament helped a lot,” Scott said when reflecting back on his silver finishes in the tournament the past two years and how he grew from it.
The win not only secured a high seed for states, but it also pushed Scott’s record to 43-0 and tied him with Tyrone legend A.J. Schopp on the program’s all-time wins list.
One more victory in Hershey will make Scott the winningest wrestler in Tyrone history. Yet even with that milestone within reach, Scott insists the record is secondary.
“I’m trying to keep that in the back of my head,” said Scott to the Altoona Mirror. “That’s obviously not the real goal, but it’s definitely really cool that I’ll be one of the greats in Tyrone history. Once it comes, I’ll celebrate, but I’m focused on a goal right now.”
His head coach, Quentin Wright, knows that what makes Scott special isn’t just the numbers. With four state tournament qualifications and two state medals already on his résumé, Kyle has every reason to focus on hardware. Instead, Wright says his senior leader has already earned something more important.
“Kyle has committed himself to wrestling, a sport he loves, and although winning a state title is the ultimate goal, through the person Kyle is and how wrestling has molded him, he has already won the gold medal in life,” Wright said. “Medals will eventually fade, but his kindness, compassion, character, and community commitment will last a lifetime in the Tyrone area.”
As Scott heads to Hershey for the final time in a Tyrone singlet, he carries the hopes of the Tyrone wrestling community, the respect of his opponents, and the legacy of a career defined as much by character as by dominance.
While Scott grabs headlines with his undefeated record and chase for history, sophomore 160-pounder Mason VanAllman is writing his own breakout chapter.
VanAllman entered the Southwest Regional Tournament as a fifth-place finisher from District 6, fighting through one of the most competitive weight classes in the bracket.
Regionals can be brutal, one mistake can end a season, one moment of courage can extend it.
For VanAllman, that moment came in the seventh-place bout against Penn Cambria’s Nathaniel Mack.
With a trip to Hershey on the line and nerves high, Mason did exactly what Tyrone wrestlers are trained to do: he stayed aggressive.
In a tight, hard-fought match, VanAllman broke things open the Tyrone way by going for the fall.
He pinned Mack to secure seventh place and, more importantly, his first-ever bid to the PIAA State Championships.
“I knew it was my last chance, so I just told myself to go score points and wrestle my match. When I got the pin, it was like everything I worked for this year finally paid off,” said VanAllman.
Just as impressive as his result is the fact that Mason found a way to advance even when some wrestlers who had beaten him earlier in the season did not. It’s a testament to his growth, resilience, and willingness to keep coming back better each weekend.
“Mason VanAllman did a fantastic job wrestling and was able to make it to the state tournament, even when wrestlers who beat him did not,” said Coach Wright.
That ability to flip earlier results and peak at the right time is the hallmark of a maturing competitor.
“When you’re in the room with a guy like Kyle every day, you don’t really have a choice but to get better. He doesn’t let you take days off,” said VanAllman.
Now, as he prepares for his first walk onto the “Giant” stage in Hershey, VanAllman brings more than just a spot in the bracket; he brings momentum and a new sense of belonging at the state level. No matter how his first state tournament ends, the experience he gains this week will set the foundation for the next two years.
“It’s going to be a good experience,” sophomore stand-out VanAllman said. “It will help keep me motivated for the next two years to not just make it, but be on the podium.”
For Tyrone, VanAllman’s trip to Hershey is about both now and the future, proof that the program’s next wave of leaders is already arriving.
Freshman 107-pounder Tanner Walk won’t be wrestling under the bright lights of Hershey this year, but his impact on the Tyrone program is already being felt.
Walk’s postseason run ended one step shy of states, but the way he got there says everything about his potential.
Tanner went 2-2 at the Southwest Regional Tournament and came up just short of a spot on the podium. Yet simply qualifying for regionals as a ninth grader is an achievement that many upperclassmen never reach.
“Not making it to states definitely stings,” said Walk, “Now I know exactly how hard I have to work. I want to be the one going to Hershey next time.”
Before regionals, Walk posted a 28-19 record on the season and finished fifth at the District 6 tournament, remarkable marks for someone still adjusting to high school wrestling and often facing older, stronger opponents.
“At the start of the year, I was just trying not to get thrown around. By the end, I felt like I could step on the line with anybody and give them a real match,” said Walk.
“For a freshman (Tanner) to make regionals and to win a few matches is a great accomplishment!” Coach Wright said. “He wrestled well, but ultimately, being a freshman and not having the extra strength the more senior wrestlers had didn’t allow him to score the points needed to win.”
Walk’s season may have ended at regionals, but in many ways, it was just the beginning. He has already shown he can battle through a full varsity schedule, compete deep into the postseason, and win matches when the stakes rise.
That kind of experience usually takes years to earn; Tanner got it in his first.
With teammates like Scott showing him what long-term dedication can build, and VanAllman proving how quickly a young wrestler can climb, Walk’s future looks bright. The losses he takes now are simply bricks in the foundation of what could become a stellar career.
Three wrestlers. Three different stages of their careers. One standard.
Senior Kyle Scott is chasing history and a long-awaited state title, entering Hershey as an undefeated regional champion and one win away from the Tyrone career wins record.
Sophomore Mason VanAllman is headed to his first state tournament after a clutch pin at regionals, proving he belongs among the best in Pennsylvania.
Freshman Tanner Walk, although his season ended at regionals, set the tone for his future with a 28-win campaign and a district medal in his very first year.
Head coach Quentin Wright sees more than points and podiums when he looks at this trio. He sees a culture.
“This group truly represents what Tyrone wrestling is about—toughness, dedication, and family,” Wright said. “No matter how their seasons end in Hershey, they’ve already made this community proud.”
With Scott leading the way, VanAllman breaking through, and Walk gaining priceless experience, Tyrone wrestling is positioned not just for a memorable week in Hershey, but for a strong future.
All three wrestlers said that no matter what happens in Hershey or next year, they all just trying to keep Tyrone wrestling moving forward.
As the Golden Eagles take the mat at the PIAA State Championships on March 5, they’ll do so knowing that they’re not only wrestling for medals, they’re wrestling for each other, and for a community that stands firmly in their corner.
