After the PIAA Class 3A West Regional Championships, senior Michael Worsen thought his season was over as he had missed the cutoff to qualify for the state meet. Disappointing, but he’d already amassed an impressive high school career record of 98-42, and he figured he had ended his career and was proud of what he’d accomplished.
But fate had other plans, and he got a second chance.
“I took a two-day break from practice and ate whatever I wanted,” said Michael, who competes in the 121-pound weight class. “The day before the tournament, I found out I was added to the bracket at the last minute due to a scratch. I had to break the news to my family and friends, then immediately start cutting weight. By the end of practice, I was a pound under and still made it to my girlfriend’s birthday dinner, as I had promised.”
Michael approached this next step as he had all year: He never really thought about making it to states or placing; instead, he took one match at a time, knowing each one could be his last.
He wrestled to a fifth-place finish, which qualified him for the 2024-2025 PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships on March 6-8 in Hershey.
The meet became even more special because Michael ended up notching his 100th career win there.
“There wasn’t time to change anything about how I wrestled, so I relied on my mentality before each match, believing I was better and deserved to win,” said the senior, a University of Pittsburgh at Bradford recruit. “When I did win, I was in complete shock. I was high-fiving every teammate in sight and calling my brother and past coaches to tell them I made it. The amount of support I received was incredible, with so many people telling me how proud they were.”