Jordan Geist didn’t predict the future. He definitely targeted it.

“When he was in fifth grade, the students had to write a paper about what they wanted to be,” his mother, Judy Geist, said. “He said he wanted to be a pro shot-putter.”

A 2017 Knoch graduate, Geist went on to set PIAA records in the shot put and the discus. He won six WPIAL titles and six state titles in those events during his high school career.

He owns the high school world record of 68 feet, 4 inches in the 16-pound shot put and went on to a stellar throwing career at the University of Arizona. He won six PAC-12 championships with the Wildcats.

Now, by vote of the Butler Eagle sports staff, Geist has been named the top male athlete in the Butler County area over the past 25 years.

Related Article: 25 in 2025: Top athletes, coaches, teams and stories in Butler County sports since 2000

He fell one qualifying position short of competing for the United States in the 2024 Olympic Games. Geist is now targeting the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I’m still a little young to excel at the world level,“ Geist, 26, said. ”You peak in this sport in your early 30s. The guys who have been beating me out are in that age range now. When the next Olympics roll around, I’ll be near my peak and those guys will be past theirs.

“I’m very confident I will get in next time.”

Geist has financial sponsorship that enables him to practice and compete in the shot put full-time today. He will compete in the USA Championships in Oregon later this summer, bidding for a berth on Team USA for the world championships, slated for Tokyo in September.

Geist played basketball until eighth grade. He gave up football his sophomore year at Knoch to focus on the throwing events in track and field.

Here are the Eagle’s Top 25 county male athletes since 2000, including their graduation year, if applicable:

Owns PIAA meet records of 74 feet, 3.5 inches in the shot put and 207-6 in the discus and won three state titles in both events. His discus throws were so long in high school, he could not compete at some prep venues that could not hold the length of his tosses. Won the gold medal in the shot put event at the 2017 Pan-American U20 Athletics Championships held in Peru. Set the world record in the 16-pound shot put. He was an 11-time All-American at the University of Arizona.

He was the 2023 Gatorade Pa. Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A titles. Also won a XC district crown in 2022. Was WPIAL and PIAA champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 in 2024, which earned him Gatorade Pa. Track Athlete of the Year. Also won district titles in both of those events as a junior. Was Foot Locker/Hoka national champion and broke the four-minute mile when he turned in a time of 3:57.2 at the Hoka Festival of Races in St. Louis in 2024. Now running cross country and track at Notre Dame.

Shattered the school scoring record by tallying 2,198 points. He was named Gatorade Pa. Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2020, averaging 22.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Morton guided Butler to the WPIAL Class 6A title in 2020. Played basketball on scholarship at Purdue and Colorado State, reaching the NCAA title game with the Boilermakers in 2024.

Butler County’s all-time boys basketball scoring leader with 2,390 points. He was named Gatorade Pa. Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2018, averaging 31.1 points, 14.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game that season. Carmody led the Planets to the 2018 WPIAL Class 5A title and the state final in 2016 and 2018. Caught five TD passes as a freshman in his only football season. He played college basketball at Notre Dame and Mercer.

Became the most dominant wrestler in Butler County history, fashioning a 175-14 record while winning four section, three WPIAL and three PIAA Class 3A championships. His high school career began at 106 pounds and finished at 152. Went on to wrestle collegiately at Oklahoma and Clarion.

After two years as a starting lineman in high school, Fusco became a four-year starter at center for Slippery Rock University. He was a three-time Division II All-American and won the Gene Upshaw Award as D-II Lineman of the Year in 2010. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2011 and was a starting guard for them in 64 of 67 games played. Fusco went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons as well.

Graduated as the Planets’ all-time leading rusher with 3,460 yards, including a three-game stretch in 2002 when he rushed for 1,043 yards. His 2,137 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns helped Mars reach the 2002 WPIAL Class 2A title game and he was named Class 2A all-state that year. Mueller won three state titles (two in the 100 dash, one in 200) in track and holds the county record time of 10.5 seconds in the 100. He played football at Boston College and transferred to Slippery Rock, where he won the NCAA D-II 60-meter indoor track title with a school-record time of 6.65 seconds.

A 1993 Butler graduate, Minto joined the pro boxing ranks at age 27 in 2002 and won a number of heavyweight title belts. He was once ranked among the top 10 heavyweights in the world and put together a 42-11 career record with 27 knockouts. Minto fought for the WBC cruiserweight world title in 2010, and his knockout win over Vinny Maddalone in 2004 was voted as ESPN’s Fight of the Year.

The Planets’ all-time leading rusher with 4,702 yards and 65 touchdowns, he won the Butler Eagle Scoring Trophy in 2006 and 2007. He tallied 204 points in 2007, a trophy record, and a WPIAL-record 34 touchdowns that year. Bair was a regular on the Eagle’s Track and Field Honor Roll in the 100 and 200 dash, helping Mars win the WPIAL Class 2A team title in 2007. He played football at Duquesne University.

Finished his basketball career with 1,182 points and 1,156 rebounds and was recognized as the nation’s leading rebounder for the 2019-20 season, averaging 19.5 boards per game. He helped Mars to WPIAL Class 5A basketball titles in 2018 and 2019. Carmody was named all-state as an offensive tackle in football his senior year and went on to play at Notre Dame.

Started at quarterback for the Raiders for three years and is SV’s all-time passing leader with 5,426 yards and 46 touchdowns. He rushed for more than 1,300 yards and 14 TDs as well. Brown played college football as a defensive back at James Madison, setting the program’s single-season record with nine interceptions in 2017. He was named All-American and helped JMU win the NCAA 1-AA championship in 2016.

Graduated with all of Butler’s distance running records. He won the PIAA Class 3A championship in the 3,200 run as a senior, helping Butler claim the state team title that year. Also won WPIAL crowns in the 3,200 and 1,600 in 2022, breaking the district meet record in the latter with a time of 4:09.95. Won a pair of WPIAL and one state cross country title. He’s now competing at Notre Dame, where he was named All-American in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in June.

A dual threat at quarterback for the Warriors, he tallied 4,484 yards and 46 TDs through the air, and 3,052 yards and 42 TDs on the ground. He led Moniteau defensively his senior year with 131 tackles, 20 for loss, and accounted for 45 total TDs that season. Armagost scored 1,626 points in basketball, broke the school javelin record (194-5) and was an all-conference outfielder in baseball.

A three-year starter in football and basketball, Sales made All-WPIAL as a linebacker and scored 1,205 points on the hardwood. Still holds Butler’s school record in the discus (173-6). He went on to be a three-year starting linebacker at Penn State and had pro football stints with the Indianapolis Colts, Montreal Alouettes and Jacksonville Sharks. He also was part of a national football championship team in Italy.

Bocci was a WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champion in the 100 butterfly and a district champ in the 500 freestyle. Swam in college at Clarion, where he was named PSAC Men's Swimming Freshman of the Year and PSAC Men's Swimming Athlete of the Year as a sophomore. Set multiple program records for the Golden Eagles, both individually (five) and as part of relays (two). Qualified for the NCAA Division II championships three times and was named All-American three times.

Graduated as Mars boys basketball’s all-time leader with 1,436 points and 1,119 rebounds, averaging a double-double for three consecutive years and was named all-state twice. Helped the Planets reach the Class 3A state final in 2016. In football, he was a Greater Allegheny Conference first-team all-star as a defensive lineman and tight end. Went on to a stellar basketball career at Shippensburg University.

After completing a dominant career as the Planets’ pitching ace, Bednar went on to pitch for Lafayette College and is among the all-time leaders there in numerous categories. A 35th-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres in 2016, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and became one of the top closers in the major leagues. He had 39 saves for the Pirates in 2023 and was named to the N.L. All-Star team in 2022 and 2023.

Tallied 12 sacks as a defensive lineman his junior year and was named to the Butler Eagle Sweet 16 Defense. He rushed for 1,393 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in making the Sweet 16 Offense. In basketball, he averaged a double-double in points and rebounds in consecutive years. As a senior, he broke the District 9 Class 2A javelin record with a throw of 193-6, breaking the previous standard by nearly 12 feet.

Claimed four state titles in track and field, all during his junior and senior seasons — two in the long jump and two in the 300 hurdles. He helped the Rockets win the PIAA Class 2A team title in 2024. His time of 38.19 seconds in the 300 hurdles ranks second all-time in Butler County, while his 14.54 in the 110 hurdles ranks fifth. Prementine averaged 12.1 points and 3.7 steals per game his senior year in basketball and was named a Butler Eagle all-star.

Set the WPSLA record of 410 career goals and was named Western Pa. Player of the Year and a high school All-American in 2005. He played collegiately at Howard Community College, Ohio State and Maryland-Baltimore County. Poillon was drafted by the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse, coached SV boys lacrosse and led the Raiders to a WPIAL title in 2012. He went on to coach at the University of Delaware.

After completing a two-way all-state football career as a lineman for the Raiders, he went on to start for three years at left tackle for West Virginia University, helping the Mountaineers win the Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl. He was recognized with All-Big East and All-American honors. He signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Spent five seasons with the Packers and one with the Detroit Lions. Played in 65 NFL games, including 25 starts. He is now head football coach at Seneca Valley.

Lamb competed for North through his junior season, then put on Mars’ cap after a co-op agreement his senior year. Won three PIAA titles (two in 100 backstroke, one in 50 freestyle). He won a pair of WPIAL crowns in both of those events and owns the WPIAL Class 2A record in the backstroke at 48.68 seconds.

A dominant left-handed pitcher for the Raiders, he was 25-4 as a starter in his high school career, including a 6-1 record and 1.25 ERA his senior year. He also holds the career home run record at SV and played college ball at Louisville and Texas A&M. Drafted No. 32 overall in 2004 by the Toronto Blue Jays, Jackson spent three seasons in the major leagues with the Brewers and Indians.

Brown set SV passing records of 305 yards in a game, 2,154 yards in a season and 3,847 yards in a career. He passed for 2,154 yards and 14 touchdowns, and rushed for 680 yards and 12 touchdowns his senior year. He scored 900 points and grabbed 600 rebounds in leading the Raiders to three straight WPIAL basketball playoff appearances. He averaged 13.2 points and 10.2 rebounds combined his junior and senior year. Brown became the starting QB at Maryland, where he finished his collegiate career with 5,372 passing yards and 33 TDs.

He threw for 2,100 yards and 15 touchdowns in just 12 varsity football games for the Raiders. Smith was also a four-year letterman at catcher and was named the WPIAL 4A Player of the Year as a senior. After originally going to Pitt as a quarterback and playing in six games, he switched to baseball and hit .397 for the Panthers in 2011. He was drafted as a catcher by the Chicago White Sox and had a six-year MLB career with the White Sox, Angels, Rays and Braves. His MLB career stats included 780 at-bats, a .259 batting average and 13 home runs.

Note: Only athletes who played at North Catholic since 2014, when the high school moved into Butler County, were considered for this list.