Owen Layhew makes history as 1st Knoch wrestler to reach 100 career wins in program’s 20th year
Head coach Josh Orris knew early on Owen Layhew had a chance to be special.
On Saturday, 20 years after Knoch boys wrestling joined the WPIAL, Layhew proved just how special he could be, becoming the first Knight to reach 100 career wins.
Layhew, a senior, beat Indiana High’s Liam Van Leer by pin in Saturday’s Sharon Duals to reach the milestone, cementing his name among, or on top of, the program’s greatest.
“In the moment it felt amazing,” Layhew said on the phone Saturday after their second match of the tournament. “Definitely one of those feelings where you finally feel all the hard work I put in paid off.”
Layhew earned his 101st win one match later (Knoch still has three matches to go as of noon Saturday). He has owned the program wins record since last season, surpassing the previous mark of 80 set by Eric Green (2018) and Grayson Hixon (2010).
Layhew did not waste time, earning the pin in the first period. He said he won his second match, but the Knights started the day 0-2.
“I got my shot, took him down and I was working on top,” he said. “I was running a chicken wing tilt and was working from that.”
Layhew, a Point Park University commit as of December, set a bucket list of goals his freshman year, including to reach 100 career wins. A section champion and WPIAL Class 2A runner-up last year at 145 pounds, Layhew said he’s hoping to advance in the PIAA regional tournament for the first time. He has not yet qualified for a state tournament.
“Smiles and trying not to cry because we have more kids to wrestle,” Orris said of his reaction Saturday on the phone. “To finally get that first 100-win wrestler for the school, under our term, all with us, it’s not something I’ll ever forget. And I hope it’s the standard for the others coming through.”
Orris and Layhew began together at Knoch in 2022, when Layhew was a freshman and Orris first took over the program.
“You could see the potential in him,” Orris said earlier in the week. “Even as a freshman, we were saying that he was going to be the first to hit the century club at Knoch. That was the goal.”
Orris said Layhew was originally a “very good defensive wrestler” who “was able to grind out a lot of wins.” The offensive side of his game has come a long way since. He called Layhew a “student of the game.”
“The biggest improvement he’s made has come on the mental side,” Orris said. “Before, he’d take a loss and looked like a deer in headlights after the match was over. Now if he does lose, it’s out of his mind by the time he comes off the mat. If he knows he tried his best, he can just move on.”
Layhew and the Knights qualified for next week’s WPIAL Class 2A Team Championships and will face Southmoreland in the preliminary round at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Burrell High School. The winner faces Burrell immediately after.
Eagle sports reporter Derek Pyda contributed to this story.
