PENN TWP — Ian McLaughlin never gave up on wrestling. The sport hasn't given up on him, either.

Despite being sidelined for 11 months while awaiting medical clearance after a serious concussion, the former Butler wrestler is back on the mat.

And back to his winning ways.

Now a 125-pound senior at Kiski Prep in Saltsburg, McLaughlin recently attained his 100th career victory at the Valley Forge Cadet Duals. He's lost only 17 matches in his high school career and is 17-2 this season.

"I feel like I'm back to normal now,"McLaughlin said. "I was running into mental barriers more than physical ones.

"I might have been afraid to push myself before. Now I'm going full tilt again."

McLaughlin set Butler's school record of 26 pins in a season during his freshman year. He accumulated a school-record 58 pins while putting together an 83-15 career record with the Golden Tornado.

He likely would have reached the 100-win plateau as a junior, but he missed much of that season because of the concussion. McLaughlin was 17-2 last year.

"We were heading to a match in Avonworth when the bus driver slammed on the brakes and I fell out of my seat,"McLaughlin recalled. "My head hit something.

"I had to miss six weeks, but wanted to get back in time for the section meet. I returned to wrestle in the Hempfield Duals a week before sections and blacked out during my fourth or fifth match.

"I don't even remember being at the hospital,"he added.

ACTscan of McLaughlin's brain helped doctors determine that he was suffering from post-concussion syndrome, which brought his season to a halt.

"Seeing my son in that condition — it's not something I'm ever going to get over,"said Mark McLaughlin, who is the Knoch wrestling coach. "Every time he wrestles or even practices now, I either call him or he calls me so I know he's OK.

"Ian has no fear about his wrestling. I carry all the fears and worries for both of us."

When McLaughlin decided he wanted to return to wrestling, his father thought about having him transfer to Knoch.

"At least there I could keep an eye on him all the time,"Coach McLaughlin said. "But with the WPIALtransfer rules, he probably would have had to sit out a year and he's a senior."

A friend of the McLaughlin family has a son attending Kiski Prep, a college preparatory school not affiliated with the PIAA.

After McLaughlin's father talked to Kiski Prep wrestling coach Joe Ross, McLaughlin became interested in the program, took the entrance exam and was accepted.

"My leaving Butler wasn't even about athletics,"McLaughlin said. "It's another world here. I'm living in a college setting while still being in high school. I'm living in a dorm with a lot more freedom, yet a lot more responsibility.

"This will prepare me for college better than any public high school could do."

College wrestling appears to be in McLaughlin's future. Pitt, Franklin &Marshall, Lehigh, Thiel and George Mason are among the programs interested in him.

"Ian is definitely Division I caliber,"Ross said. "His intensity sets him apart and his work ethic is incredible."

McLaughlin's only two losses this year are to Travis Shaffer of Derry Area and Rocco Weller of Erie Cathedral Prep.

Kiski Prep competes in a prep school league. Its wrestlers will take part in state qualifiers in an attempt to qualify for the prep nationals.

"Ian is going to be an all-American this year,"Ross declared. "I see him placing at nationals and hopefully getting to the top of the podium."

McLaughlin never qualified for the state tournament during his three years at Butler.

"I was always shooting to get to states," said McLaughlin, who was twice a section champion. "Last year, I had an excellent shot, but it was cut short by injuries."