Kiski Area's Hutcherson brothers find success at freestyle nationals

Mario Hutcherson marched into Las Vegas and stepped on the wrestling mat with confidence. He wanted to take home win the U.S. Open U15 Freestyle National Championship on April 28-29.

Wrestling is a passion for Hutcherson and, for a decade, he has been muscling his way to victory.

U.S. Open freestyle nationals draws some of the country’s top youth wrestlers, and though he is young for the 15U division, the seniority of the other competitors did not deter Hutcherson from his goal.

Hutcherson, 14, a seventh-grader in the Kiski Area School District, won the 68-kilogram U15 title. He entered as the sixth seed but took down the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds.

In the final bout, Hutcherson trailed Cooper Rowe, 3-0, but rallied for an 8-3 victory.

His father, Greg Hutcherson, a former Division I football player at Bowling Green and Indiana State, said he was proud of his accomplishment.

“The hard work that he puts in and the dedication, it was just great to see that pay off for him, and it was just the moment where hard work pays off,” Greg Hutcherson said. “All those late nights and early mornings and having to miss out on some extracurricular activities with friends and birthday parties because he’s training, it all paid off with a state title this year and a win at the U.S. Open.”

Mario enjoyed his time in Vegas as he got to wrestle competitors from all around the country.

“It was great,” he said. “I got to experience a lot of different guys being there, and I got to see and feel what it was like wrestling with people from different states and a bunch of different strengths and older guys.”

Mario Hutcherson also won his third state title this spring at 147 pounds. His younger brother, Marco, 10, a fourth-grade student, won his third state title in the 10U division at 90 pounds.

“It’s awesome he gets to follow my path of what I’m doing,” Mario Hutcherson said. “I feel like I have that responsibility of setting the stakes for him.”

Greg said Mario is a great role model for Marco.

“Marco basically shadows everything that Mario does,” Greg Hutcherson said. “Marco has had extreme amounts of success early in his short career being that he’s 10 years old. But he does everything that Mario does. How hard Mario works and the effort he puts in, Marco gets to see that. It’s easier for Marco whenever he has Mario to follow as a leader.”

Marco finished fourth at the U.S. Open for the U10 age group.

Both he and Mario got the chance to see some of the best wrestlers in the nation, including Spencer Lee, Austin DeSanto, David Taylor and Gable Steveson.

“Gable Steveson’s wrestling on one mat for his finals match and Marco was wrestling on the mat, maybe 100 feet to 100 yards away on another mat for his third-place match which is incredible,” Greg Hutcherson said. “We got a lot of pictures, and they got a lot of autographs, and it’s nice to be around those mentors, those senior level mentor wrestlers, being in the same building and watching them warm up, watching them compete and being able to interact with those guys.”

The Hutcherson brothers have already built successful resumes, and watching some of the best wrestlers in the world compete close-up gave them a beneficial learning experience.

Both Marco and Mario have achieved success locally, as well. Earlier in the school year, Mario wrestled with the Kiski Area varsity team in a preseason tournament and won “Most Outstanding Wrestler.”

“He ended up wrestling and had an enormous amount of success,” Greg Hutcherson said. “He was an outstanding wrestler for the team, and he ended up beating two varsity kids — two WPIAL placers, some very strong wrestlers in the WPIAL who are older, junior and senior kids. He walked up to those kids and made a name for himself there as a junior high kid beating varsity wrestlers.”

Mario also qualified for the Pan-Am trials and, in August, will travel to Colorado to compete.

If he wins the Pan-Am trials, he will qualify for the USA world team and have an opportunity to wrestle in Panama City, for freestyle and Greco wrestling.

The brothers train at the Young Guns Wrestling Club, Hutchy Hammers and with Kiski Area. Greg Hutcherson credits the clubs for fine-tuning their wrestling ability and preparing them for national competition.

“They get great coaching, great partners,” Hutcherson said. “Right now, that’s what we’re doing. Mario’s preparing for the Pan-Am trials in Colorado in August. Marco is just training with his normal training during the offseason to get ready for some summer tournaments. We do strength training at Kiski Area as well as the whole nutrition and chiropractor and just to take care of their body as well.”

Mario is grateful for his partners, including Landon Sidun and Jack White from Norwin, Elijah Brown from Belle Vernon, and Jonah Erdely from Frazier. He said he is also thankful for his coaches at all three facilities.

“My partners really motivate me a lot, and they motivate me throughout practice whenever I’m wrestling with them,” Mario said. “With them going hard, I’m going hard too. That leads to when I’m on the mat throughout tournaments.”

Mario is also grateful for his parents, Greg and Tara Hutcherson. Tara’s brothers, Anthony and Leon Arcuri, introduced Mario to wrestling.

“She (his mother) put me in wrestling when I was about 4 years old, and I just started liking it,” Mario said. “Then, I stopped playing football in fifth grade and I started getting more and more into it.”

Mario has enjoyed every moment of the journey so far, and his father sees how much it means to him and the family.

“Wrestling is a big deal to them, and in our family,” Greg Hutcherson said. “They live the wrestling lifestyle, so everything from the way they train to the way they take care of their body, to the way they eat, wrestling is something that is humongous for us.”

Greg knew Mario and Marco had the talent to compete at the national level, but seeing the results solidified their hard work and dedication they put toward the sport.

“I’m extremely proud,” he said. “I’m just seeing that the time and effort and consistent hard work they put in, to see it pay off for them is great.

“Mario’s still a little bit young, but he’s on the right trajectory to be able to go wrestle at a Division I college, and he’s surrounded by great coaches at the Young Guns, Hutchy Hammers and Kiski Area with the program there. The goal is basically to get his education paid for and wrestle at the next level and have a good career and then move on to the senior level and try to win at the Olympics.”