Hard work pays off for Kreinbucher
BUTLER TWP — Through two seasons, Mickey Kreinbucher’s high school wrestling career was less than stellar.
His combined numbers in his freshman and sophomore years on the mat were 13 wins, 12 losses and four pins.
“But he was in the room and he was learning,” Butler coach Scott Stoner pointed out.
And he learned well.
Kreinbucher recently signed a letter of intent to continue his academic and wrestling career at Edinboro University. He was 62-20 over his final two seasons, winning 36 matches by pin-fall. He wrestled at 189 pounds his senior season.
He was 30-9 his senior year, putting together back-to-back 30-win seasons.
“I feel like I developed over the years,” Kreinbucher said. “I put in a lot of time at Legacy (wrestling club in Butler) and some at OMP (Evans City). You have to be willing to work to succeed in this sport.
“My first couple of years, I got beat up on quite a bit. Coming back later to win against guys who used to beat me up was kind of fun. It showed the progress I was making.”
Kreinbucher placed fifth at the 32-team Chartiers Houston Tournament, won the 189-pound weight class at the 33-team Southmoreland Holiday Tournament and placed seventh at the WPIAL Tournament his senior year.
“The first time I won the Southmoreland Tournament is what I remember the most,” he said of his high school career.
Also considering Pitt-Johnstown and Gannon before deciding on Edinboro, Kreinbucher plans to major in film and finance.
The Fighting Scots are coming off a 2-11 dual match season and had only five first-year wrestlers on their roster this year. Matt Hill has been head coach there for five years. He assisted at Seneca Valley for a year and became an assistant coach at Kent State before taking the Edinboro job.
Edinboro is a member of the Eastern Wrestling League, a nine-team circuit which has had affiliate membership with the Mid-American Conference since the 2019-20 season.
“Mickey is going to a well-known Division I wrestling program,” Stoner said. “I’ve known Coach Hill for a long time. I coached against him when he wrestled at Freedom High School.
“He has local roots and knows Western Pennsylvania wrestling well. Mickey will have to earn his spot up there, but I know he can compete at that level. He’s very physical, very aggressive on the mat.”
Kreinbucher said that “I’m excited to go in there and see what I can do. I’m strong on my feet and I have a good double-leg maneuver. I have to work on my riding on top.
“Butler wrestling has been a good experience for me. I’ve learned how to overcome adversity through competing on the mat.”
Stoner described Kreinbucher as an example of how staying dedicated to something can benefit a person in the end.
“No doubt ... Mickey was a .500 wrestler entering his junior year and look where he is now,” the coach said. “He went from being just a person on the team to a central figure, one of our leaders.”
Kreinbucher’s older brother, Charlie, is a tight end on the Bucknell University football team.
