At 6-foot, 260 pounds, North Allegheny senior wrestler Bradyn McConneha may look like a heavyweight.
But he doesn’t act like one.
McConneha has used quickness and aggressiveness — rare traits in most heavyweights — to construct a 22-2 record this season with a No. 1 ranking in the WPIAL and No. 3 in the state.
“Everybody thinks that heavyweight is just like hard tie-ups, fat, slow, doesn’t really want to wrestle,” McConneha said. “I am weighing in at 260, and I can do a round-off backflip. I can move like I’m a lightweight. I feel like I can shoot anywhere. I can scramble. My hips are great. I feel like that’s a big advantage.”
McConneha, who last month committed to Division I Appalachian State, is off to a great start in his final season at North Allegheny.
The two-time PIAA qualifier won the early-season Chartiers-Houston Invitational with a 7-2 decision over defending WPIAL Class 2A champion Colin Whyte of West Greene. Whyte, a Kent State recruit, is ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL Class 2A by the Trib and No. 13 in the nation by FloWrestling.
“That’s a match that last year maybe he doesn’t win,” North Allegheny coach Jamie Kyriazis said of McConneha. “He has more confidence this year, but he still has some work to do. He is moving on the mat with more purpose than in previous years. He knows what he wants to accomplish, and he goes after it, instead of holding back and waiting on things.”
McConneha also won the Bethlehem Holiday Classic on Dec. 29, beating Freedom senior Daniel Schiffert, 4-3, in the finals. Schiffert is the defending District 11 champion and ranked No. 8 in the state by InsidePaWrestling.com.
Earlier this month, McConneha advanced to the finals in the Mid-Winter Mayhem at IUP. He scored a third-period takedown to edge one of his main rivals, West Allegheny senior Cam Danna, 4-2, in the semifinals.
“It’s just been a great overall year so far,” McConneha said. “I just came into the season and wanted to work harder and get to the top.”
McConneha’s losses came to Kiski Area senior Cooper Roscosky, the No. 2-ranked 215-pounder in the WPIAL Class 3A, by injury default on Dec. 13, and to AIM Academy senior Isaiah Taylor, a nationally-ranked American recruit, by pin in the Mid-Winter Mayhem finals.
Kyriazis said McConneha has grown more confident this season and remains nimble despite adding about 12 to 15 pounds during the offseason.
“He’s very quick,” Kyriazis said. “It’s one of his greatest advantages and attributes. He wrestles more like a middleweight. Nothing against heavyweights, but the typical heavyweight match is sometimes slower-paced and lower scoring. It’s kind of working for position, whereas Bradyn knows as much technique as anybody. If he can execute it and keep that pace, it’s to his advantage.”
McConneha is trying to become the first heavyweight in the proud history of North Allegheny wrestling to qualify for the PIAA championships three times. His path to Hershey starts with the Northern Sectionals on Feb. 14 at Butler. The weeding-down process continues with the WPIAL individual championships Feb. 20-21 and the PIAA Class 3A West Regional the following weekend, both at Canon-McMillan.
McConneha placed fourth in the WPIAL and the PIAA Southwest Regionals last season, going 38-13. He went 2-2 at states for the second consecutive year and came home without a medal.
“In order to win WPIAL and state championships, you can’t fear anybody, and you can’t back down from anybody,” said Kyriazis, a former state champ at North Allegheny. “You have to put it all out there. I think he’s willing to do that. But I also think he hasn’t done that yet. These victories along the way — as far as ‘OK, I can hang with these guys’ — hopefully that will get him over that obstacle and give him the confidence when the time comes.”