Century mark: Corry wrestler Will Allen discusses path to 100 wins
CORRY – For Will Allen, it was a sigh of relief more than anything else.
Allen’s junior wrestling season was nearing its end. Meanwhile, the Corry 139-pounder was chasing 100 career wins.
He started the Class 2A Northwest regional with 99. A 3-0 preliminary decision over Sharon’s Mequan Maxwell, however, vaulted Allen into the 100-win club and calmed his worries.
100-win club: Every Erie County high school wrestler who has won more than 99 career matches
With 100 wins in the rearview, Allen will wrestle the entirety of his senior season without worry. He’s still got some goals to chase, though, including a state medal and a friendly competition in chasing Corry’s all-time wins record.
“It was cutting it close to the end of the year and it was really my goal to get (100 wins) this year as a junior, so it was relieving, but it was a joy, too. It was a lot of fun,” Allen said of reaching the century mark March 1. “All of my friends, my teammates, my coaches… They were really rooting for me, and they made it worthwhile.”
Bigger plans
Corry wrestling’s all-time wins record is 144, set by Michael Pollard in 2010. That will likely be challenged in 2025 by Allen and teammate Mason Savitz.
Allen ended the 2023-24 season with 101 wins and Savitz with 103. The seniors-to-be know catching Pollard won’t be easy, but they know they have a chance.
Allen went 35-13 as a junior after a 28-15 freshman season and 38-13 mark as a sophomore. His top goal next year, though? A PIAA medal.
“I’ve learned how to use my technique,” Allen said. “At first, I didn’t really work things together, and now I’m going from move to move and flowing through my technique.”
Building a champion
Allen broke out at the Hickory Invitational Tournament, where in the finals he beat Class 3A state qualifier Davey Aughenbaugh of DuBois, 3-1, for Allen’s first-ever tournament crown. That, he said, was the biggest win of his career so far.
More: District 10 wrestling rankings: Area's best ranked for final time this season
But he didn’t get there overnight.
Allen began wrestling at age five. He started investing more time in the sport come junior high, however, including trips to Rob Waller’s All-American Training Center in Latrobe. Offseason practices prepared him from the winter, as did summer training with Corry alumni such as Joel Huck and Hunter Savitz.
Allen was the last of eight Erie County wrestlers who reached 100 wins this season. Unlike five of the others, he has another year to make headlines.
“It’s all about using your time and working hard,” Allen said. “It doesn’t come through just slacking off in practice. Work hard in the practice room and do the extra things outside of the season.”
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Corry's Will Allen last Erie County wrestler to reach 100 wins in 2023-24
