Sophomore Hunter Walk is the first Tyrone wrestler in five seasons to earn a trip to the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

To honor the 113 pound sophomore, some young athletes from the Tyrone junior high wrestling program met him on his way to school this morning to congratulate him and wish him well.

Walk’s trip to states is the first of what many hope will be more in the near future.  The last Tyrone wrestler to qualify for the state tournament was then senior Jared Beckwith in 2014.

But under third year head coach Terry Tate, the Eagles have been steadily improving, with Walk leading the team by example.

After a very succesful regular season, Walk placed third at districts in Altoona and fourth at regionals at IUP.

“I am honored to be able to compete in Hershey and have my family there to cheer me on,” said Walk.

Pennsylvania is one of the most competitive states in the country for wrestling. Just making it to the tournament puts Walk among the top 20 wrestlers in the state in his weight bracket.

In his freshman season Walk qualified for regionals but finished one win short of qualifying for states, so he appreciates the opportunity he has this weekend.

“I feel honored to be one of the top 20 finalists,” said Walk.

Walk, 30-11 on the season, will wrestle in the preliminary round on Thursday. His first opponent will be freshman Christian Doi (26-14) from Camp Hill.

As Walk moves on he has many teammates cheering him on.

“I feel he will do good he should definitely go out there and beat his first opponent,” said sophomore Tommy Hicks.

Walk already had a season to remember, reaching the 50 career win mark at regionals.

Head Coach Terry Tate is proud of what Walk has accomplished so far this season.

“Hunter continues to work hard and grow as both a wrestler and a young man. He’s an excellent leader and is someone that the team looks to as an example of what they should be doing. He has a long successful career ahead of him if he continues with his work ethic,” said Tate.

Walk attributes his success to hard work, both physically and mentally.  According to Walk, visualizing his matches is as important to his success as his physical training.

“I visualize the match and the moves before I even step onto the mat. Then I go out there and just let it fly,” said Walk

As Hunter moves on to states,  his teammates and his town are hoping that he is visualizing a trip to podium to bring a medal back to Tyrone.