Slippery Rock youth wrestler Rudish wins 2 state titles in single season
SLIPPERY ROCK — Carter Rudish makes his point on the wrestling mat by not giving up any.
Slippery Rock’s 10-under, 120-pound wrestler recently completed an improbable run to two state championships this season, not allowing a single point in cruising to titles at the Keystone State Championships in Indiana (Pa.) and the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling (PJW) Championships at the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center.
He outscored his opponents 64-0 in those two tournaments.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” SR youth wrestling coach Kevin Shamblin said. “It didn’t surprise me because Carter has been so dominant for a while now. Every year, I figure some kid is going to rise up and challenge him, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
Carter pinned his way through the PJW competition. He’s won three state titles in the past three years, having won the Keystone State tourney in the 8-under, 110-pound division in 2021. He placed third at 10-under, 120 pounds at the Keystone event last year.
“He’s a good athlete and just goes on and on,” Carter’s father, Jesse Rudish, said. “He never gets tired of it. If anything, he gets more and more into it.”
A coach didn’t have room for a spare wrestling mat, so the Rudish family took it in. The mat now resides in the family basement, where Carter practices on his own with a couple of friends.
He even practices moves against his mother on the mat.
“I’m a little too big for him and his mother’s closer to his size, so ... She’s a good sport about it,“ Jesse’s father said, laughing.
“Carter is a sweet kid and he knows to take it easy on me,” Missy Rudish, his mother, said. “When I tell him a certain move hurt, he backs away. I want to support him. We support all of our kids.”
The Rudish family also has two daughters involved in gymnastics and softball. Both play travel softball. Carter is also a pitcher-first baseman for the Steel Valley Naturals in baseball and is a running back-middle linebacker in Slippery Rock youth football.
“We’re running around three to five days a week,” Mrs. Rudish said. “My husband and mine’s theory is, divide and conquer. We get the kids to where they’re supposed to be. We love that they’re so active.”
Carter said he hasn’t lost a wrestling match since the Great Lakes Tournament during the winter, when a 12-year-old beat him.
“Wrestling’s my favorite sport,” he said. “I’ve been doing it since I was 5 or 6 and it’s the one I’m best at.
“I like that (basement) mat. It’s a good place to practice moves. It’s like an extra practice room.”
Shamblin said Carter’s success at the state level has been good for Slippery Rock wrestling in general. The youth program has had 55 to 60 kids participating for a few years now.
“That impact is going to be felt,” the coach said. “When you have a kid succeeding like Carter has and the publicity gets out, other kids talk to him about it, want to try it themselves ... Numbers can go up from there.”
His father has his own idea as to why Carter has been so successful in wrestling.
“He’s a competitive kid who doesn’t like to lose,” he said.
Carter doesn’t see himself burning out on wrestling anytime soon.
“I definitely want to wrestle in high school, probably even in college,” he said. “It feels good when I win.”
